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Who doesn't love a quick and enthralling short story?
This Listopia list is dedicated to Goodread's most popular Short Stories, with the minimum number of ratings for inclusion set at >10.000 ratings. Once reached, there is no minimum star rating. Avoid Collections and anything that doesn't have 'Short Stories' in its top 10 shelved Genres.
Note: This list is exclusively for Short Stories, not Short Story Collections.
Just for the record, by Short Story, we mean a short work of prose fiction of any genre that is meant to be enjoyed in one single sitting. If you need a bookmark for it, it isn't a short story! For better or worse, the exact definition of "short" will often depend on the genre & work. The vast majority of works should be well under 100 pages long and take less than an 1 hour to read, with some minor exceptions. The hard upper limit is 20.000 words.
As far as a few prominent examples, you'll find 'The Gift of the Magi' (1905) by O. Henry, 'The Lottery' (1948) by Shirley Jackson, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' (1892) by Charlotte Perkins and 'The Monkey's Paw' (1902) by W.W. Jacobs.
Whether you give this list a 'Like' & use it to quickly reach your yearly Goodreads Reading Challenge, or bookmark it to get better acquainted with the classics, this list is for you!
Don't be shy! Know of any book that's missing? Click 'Add Books To This List' to add it, or leave a comment below the list!
This Listopia list is dedicated to Goodread's most popular Short Stories, with the minimum number of ratings for inclusion set at >10.000 ratings. Once reached, there is no minimum star rating. Avoid Collections and anything that doesn't have 'Short Stories' in its top 10 shelved Genres.
Note: This list is exclusively for Short Stories, not Short Story Collections.
Just for the record, by Short Story, we mean a short work of prose fiction of any genre that is meant to be enjoyed in one single sitting. If you need a bookmark for it, it isn't a short story! For better or worse, the exact definition of "short" will often depend on the genre & work. The vast majority of works should be well under 100 pages long and take less than an 1 hour to read, with some minor exceptions. The hard upper limit is 20.000 words.
As far as a few prominent examples, you'll find 'The Gift of the Magi' (1905) by O. Henry, 'The Lottery' (1948) by Shirley Jackson, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' (1892) by Charlotte Perkins and 'The Monkey's Paw' (1902) by W.W. Jacobs.
Whether you give this list a 'Like' & use it to quickly reach your yearly Goodreads Reading Challenge, or bookmark it to get better acquainted with the classics, this list is for you!
Don't be shy! Know of any book that's missing? Click 'Add Books To This List' to add it, or leave a comment below the list!
People Who Voted On This List (8)
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Johnny
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May 25, 2022 01:22PM
First! ;)
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List Created: 2022.05.25 ︱Last Full Review: 2022.05.25Additional Inclusion/Exclusion Notes
• Self-promotional or Spam entries will be summarily removed with prejudice.
• Short Story Collections are excluded, save the few cases where the whole work could be considered a single qualifying short story.
• Picture Books are excluded, save for the few cases where the illustrations are clearly secondary and it is not considered a picture book foremost per the Genre shelving. Instead, see the list Children's Picture Books Over 10k Ratings.
• Likewise, Non-Fiction, Comics, Plays, Screenplays, most Fairy Tales, most Poems and similar are excluded—there are other lists for that.
• The stories should be standalone—Namely, not build on other works or be continuations of a series.
• For works in the gray zone—where it's not clear if it's a short story, novella, has an inflated page/word count or other—it must be over 10 minutes and under 1 hour in average reading time.
Notes for Goodreads Librarians
• Don't worry about leaving a comment saying you've deleted an entry if it simply didn't qualify or is spam. Better save the comments for doubts or interesting points.
Notes for Goodreads Users
• See something non-qualifying? Leave a comment below so a Librarian can remove it. You'll get even more karma points if you delete your no-longer applicable comment after it gets deleted so the rest of us don't get confused or try to delete it again.
Oh, and... just a friendly reminder to use your local public library! Most of these books take only a coffee and a half to read, so it's hard to justify buying them. Instead, visit your library & check out a dozen for free for a few months and you'll have a new nightly read for weeks! Your tax dollars pay for them, so you might as well use 'em. The rest are likely available to read online for free, so pick your poison.
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