Trust & Obey

Do you hate reading ten hour long books? Is it hard for you to really stick with a book that’s bigger than 200 pages? Maybe you like bigger books, you just don’t have the time. If you find yourself in one of these positions, great news! I have some book recommendations just for you! Since high school, life’s been crazy for me and I’ve struggled to find the time to read a big book. So I have read a bucket load of little books that I thought were total winners! Some aren’t even 100, or 50 pages!

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

This book is quite the read for only 30-ish pages. The story is about a couple who venture to a summer home in hopes of getting this woman’s mental health back into order and just to get away for awhile. John, the unnamed woman’s husband, decides that she should reside in a room upstairs with hidious, gnarly yellow wallpaper. As the story progresses, the woman starts to think the wallpaper may be hiding a secret.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Farm animals decide it’s time to rise up against farmer Jones and his wife. They need to create a better society, a fairer society, a society run by pigs. This less than 200 page tale gives you an up close look at the steep decent of communism in a community. If you would like a full length review, I’ve already written one here!

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe

This is a very short story, but it is a Gothic horror story none the less. We are taken to the hiding place of Prince Prospero and his best friends (there’s a lot of friends there), where they are trying to escape the dreaded Red Death that’s been plaguing their nation. While laying low, Prospero decides to throw a huge masquerade ball. Everyone is having a great time until an unexpected guest decides to pay them a long overdue visit.

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

I’m a bit of a Poe fan, I’ll admit it. I could read this guy’s strange books forever and not get bored. With this little book, we have the narrator that pays his old friend, Rodrick Usher, a visit. He was requested because both Usher and his sister Madeline are quite ill. I can’t say much more because it’ll get spoiled but seriously, read it. In fact, read most of his works if you want a quick creepy read. Morella, Bernice, and Tell Tale Heart are all superb options. Warning, Bernice gave me the willies.

The Dark Tower by C.S. Lewis

This is a short story collection that was pretty wild. The titular story was extremely strange and has quite the ending! What I like about short story collections is that I can stop at any time! I get bored, I don’t need to finish! I don’t know what I would say about this particular short story but I can safely say you should read it. I may reread it right now.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Technically this isn’t a short story, I know. However, this is under 200 pages, so I’m counting it. The Giver is a tale about a unified dystopia and a kid named Jonas who is named the next Giver (of memories) as his career. Training under the Giver, he begins to see the way this utopia functions is far darker than it first seems. This one is a great read for middle schooler and up! I really liked it. The rest of the series is also decently short except for the final book, Son.

The Seven Deadly Friendships by Mary Demuth

This is 201 pages, I know I’m pushing it really hard. Although, this book was such a great read. This is not a fictional book but a self help book. It aims to show you seven friendships you should be aware of and how to handle them effectively. I had to include it because it was phenomonal. I am not really big into self help books but the applicability was so good. It not only gives you examples of these dangerous friendships but it also shows you how to know if you are one of these friends, if the friendship can be saved, and gives you a list of traits for each friend.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

It’s December 3, who’s in the Christmas spirit? I am!!! This quick novella is a fun start to the Christmas season and has so many good things in it! December 7, I have a review coming for this one (I already wrote it hehehe) and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! So please check it out this next Monday!

I hope you guys were inspired to give some short stories a try! I know there are so many I probably missed or haven’t read but these were the ones I especially remembered! My favorite out of these is probably The Masque of the Red Death, although I love them all! Happy reading!!!

Do you have a favorite short story? Please share in the comments!