Single-author short story collections.
1

by
4.18 avg rating — 155,218 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2

by
3.83 avg rating — 178,169 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
3

by
4.16 avg rating — 50,010 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
4

by
4.40 avg rating — 297,159 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
5

by
4.18 avg rating — 207,184 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
6

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 78,775 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
7

by
4.16 avg rating — 287,457 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
8

by
4.38 avg rating — 40,964 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
9

by
4.29 avg rating — 38,131 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
4.51 avg rating — 217,593 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
11

by
4.23 avg rating — 22,197 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
12

by
4.37 avg rating — 32,105 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
13

by
4.44 avg rating — 33,956 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
14

by
4.33 avg rating — 28,579 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
15

by
4.13 avg rating — 108,426 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
16

by
4.19 avg rating — 5,461 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
17

by
4.24 avg rating — 40,544 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
18

by
4.41 avg rating — 22,461 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
19

by
4.26 avg rating — 15,816 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
20

by
4.29 avg rating — 108,622 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
21

by
4.40 avg rating — 80,024 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
4.14 avg rating — 96,997 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
23

by
4.13 avg rating — 64,817 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
24

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 73,570 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
25

by
4.02 avg rating — 23,210 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
4.04 avg rating — 199,592 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
27

by
3.84 avg rating — 37,149 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
28

by
4.12 avg rating — 41,383 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
3.97 avg rating — 138,545 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
4.22 avg rating — 14,962 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
31

by
3.96 avg rating — 28,004 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
3.97 avg rating — 1,226 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
33

by
4.01 avg rating — 84,954 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
34

by
3.95 avg rating — 88,186 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
3.97 avg rating — 109,418 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
36

by
3.77 avg rating — 59,097 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.19 avg rating — 6,603 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
38

by
3.99 avg rating — 18,572 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
39

by
3.94 avg rating — 71,989 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
40

by
4.17 avg rating — 74,966 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.78 avg rating — 48,548 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
42

by
4.12 avg rating — 6,314 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
43

by
4.03 avg rating — 82,160 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
44

by
4.21 avg rating — 22,614 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.25 avg rating — 126,776 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
46

by
4.12 avg rating — 17,363 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
3.82 avg rating — 58,606 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
48

by
3.95 avg rating — 116,410 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
49

by
4.25 avg rating — 7,324 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
50

by
3.88 avg rating — 7,897 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
4.11 avg rating — 15,960 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
4.06 avg rating — 26,814 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
4.09 avg rating — 16,718 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
54

by
4.01 avg rating — 37,373 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.15 avg rating — 347,370 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
56

by
3.79 avg rating — 45,365 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.14 avg rating — 3,396 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
58

by
4.09 avg rating — 26,891 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
59

by
4.30 avg rating — 327,926 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
60

by
3.86 avg rating — 270,468 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
61

by
4.09 avg rating — 21,071 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
62

by
3.98 avg rating — 82,659 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
63

by
3.90 avg rating — 65,712 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.16 avg rating — 33,693 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
65

by
4.19 avg rating — 19,643 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
3.53 avg rating — 238,758 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
67

by
3.83 avg rating — 43,576 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
68

by
3.86 avg rating — 8,066 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
69

by
4.08 avg rating — 5,182 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
70

by
4.20 avg rating — 7,994 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
71

by
4.22 avg rating — 50,400 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.18 avg rating — 3,534 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
73

by
3.95 avg rating — 6,634 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
74

by
3.88 avg rating — 60,832 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
75

by
4.07 avg rating — 364,626 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
76

by
4.35 avg rating — 15,383 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
4.32 avg rating — 49,733 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
78

by
4.12 avg rating — 2,781 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
79

by
4.18 avg rating — 6,155 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
80

by
4.17 avg rating — 17,711 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
81

by
4.45 avg rating — 1,764 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.30 avg rating — 7,668 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
83

by
3.98 avg rating — 11,407 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
4.03 avg rating — 6,670 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
3.79 avg rating — 13,241 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
86

by
3.84 avg rating — 30,950 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
87

by
4.01 avg rating — 119,793 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
88

by
4.23 avg rating — 221,794 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
3.74 avg rating — 40,435 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
90

by
4.18 avg rating — 6,549 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
3.89 avg rating — 5,079 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
4.21 avg rating — 261 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.17 avg rating — 8,801 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
94

by
4.38 avg rating — 2,237 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
95

by
3.80 avg rating — 18,940 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
4.30 avg rating — 6,374 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
97

by
4.06 avg rating — 3,558 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
98

by
4.16 avg rating — 5,999 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
99

by
3.71 avg rating — 1,846 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
100

by
4.09 avg rating — 10,562 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2,899 books · 2,043 voters · list created July 7th, 2008 by Nicole (votes) .
564 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Nicole 118 books
44 friends
Jessica 10646 books
1453 friends
Laura 1222 books
263 friends
Shad 435 books
113 friends
aeshaun 94 books
24 friends
Gary 2207 books
73 friends
Queen 1511 books
84 friends
Russellino 502 books
2 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-31 of 31 (31 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Petra X (new)

Petra X These look like some interesting books however, the only one I've read is Interpreter of Maladies which I didn't enjoy. I haven't read short stories in living memory so I can't vote on this list, but thanks for asking anyway.


message 2: by Terri (new)

Terri Unaccustomed Earth is on the list twice.


message 3: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn I put in Stephen Zweig and got "No authors found". Looks like we're just getting started here.


message 4: by juliet/ (new)

juliet/ I haven't read most of these but it's a good list. Some good writers on it. Thanks!


Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) Thom wrote: "I put in Stephen Zweig and got "No authors found". Looks like we're just getting started here."

If you spell his name "Stefan Zweig" you should get all his major works ...


message 6: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn Themis-Athena wrote: "Thom wrote: "I put in Stephen Zweig and got "No authors found". Looks like we're just getting started here."

If you spell his name "Stefan Zweig" you should get all his major works ..."


I had in mind "Unsichtbare Sammlung" and "The Sleep Seller" (sp Silberzweig ?)


Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) I've already exhausted my 100 permitted entries, so I can't add them myself, but the ISBN nos. of the first one are:

1885586000 - "Invisible Collection" (English version)
3920856252 - "Unsichtbare Sammlung" (German version)

Couldn't find "The Sleep Seller" ... do you mean "Silberne Saiten"? (That's a collection of poetry, though, I think.)


message 8: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn Themis-Athena wrote: "I've already exhausted my 100 permitted entries, so I can't add them myself, but the ISBN nos. of the first one are:

1885586000 - "Invisible Collection" (English version)
3920856252 - "Unsichtbare..."


Guy can't sleep. Wandering through the night he finds (or dreams) of a below-street-level shop where a mad proprietor charges old people to sleep sitting at a large table. He wakes them periodically to charge them for sleeping. Narrator decides that's where he belongs, but can't find it. Basically, a surreal older man's dream vision. Could it be by Ilse Aichinger ?


Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) Sorry -- I'm drawing a blank (probably because I'm in a mental year-end twilight zone anyway). Sounds like an inquiry for that What's That Book site! (http://www.whatsthatbook.com)


message 10: by Jc11king (new)

Jc11king Different Seasons is NOT a collection of short stories
It's a collection of 4 NOVELLAS!


message 11: by Trang (new)

Trang Le Any list of best short story collections without Akutagawa would be a mistake. He's the master of short stories.


Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) Trang wrote: "Any list of best short story collections without Akutagawa would be a mistake. He's the master of short stories."

Anybody can add books to a list on GR, so feel free to do so yourself! It's easy: Just click on the tab "add books to this list," up above next to "all votes," and then add any books you like, either from your own bookshelves or by performing a search in the GR database.


message 13: by Choyang (new)

Choyang any new story


message 14: by Micha (new)

Micha So many great new short stories to read!!!


message 15: by Danm (new)

Danm Choyang wrote: "any new story"

Twisted Sick.


message 16: by [deleted user] (new)

Ender's Game definitely isn't a short story book -- looks like there are a few other novels on here too.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Are collections of fairy tales considered to be short stories? Haven't added any, as I wasn't sure...


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Isn't The Captain's Daughter (currently #402) a novel?


message 19: by Bob (new)

Bob Van Arsdale About a month ago, Bookloving lady wrote:
>> Are collections of fairy tales considered to be short stories?
Good question, I think... Particularly where the fairy tales have been altered or extended by the collector/author/editor's own prose, such as the works of Angela Carter -- eg. "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories", or "The Old Wives' Fairy Tale Book".

And what about mythology, such as Edith Hamilton's or Thomas Bullfinch's ? Or Hamilton Wright Mabie's "Norse Stories" ? I'm inclined to say that yes, these are types of short stories, but I was a physics and math major with a pathetic background in the humanities... I'd appreciate other opinions.

In a similar vein, what about the "New Journalism" style of Tom Wolfe, eg. "The Kandy-Kolored Tangering-Flake Streamline Baby" and "The Pump House Gang", presented in short story style ? Or Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo Journalism, such as "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" ? Should those be considered as types of short stories ? I would welcome any input.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Bob wrote: "And what about mythology..."

You're right... Hadn't even thought of that, even though I have several, but most mythological stories come into question as well ...


message 21: by Donna (new)

Donna Davis This is an awesome list, one of my favorites.

The system found and removed one duplicate.


message 22: by Donna (last edited Apr 24, 2016 09:35PM) (new)

Donna Davis The list still looks pretty strong, but I notice that some collections of nonfiction are creeping in. Nicole, do you want those yanked?

Also, I want to advocate for Edward P. Jones's Lost in the City, which I don't think deserves to be buried on page 2. If others think likewise, they should vote for his book if not already done.

The system found and removed 4 duplicates.


message 23: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl I deleted two nonfiction books. Yes, Donna, I think you should definitely delete books you are certain are nonfiction.


message 24: by Donna (last edited Jun 05, 2016 09:33AM) (new)

Donna Davis The system found and removed 1 duplicate, and I removed David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day, which classifies as memoir/nonfiction, from #37.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

And from #74, David Sedaris again, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...


message 26: by Donna (new)

Donna Davis Victor wrote: "The Infinite Library and Other Stories"

Victor, if you want to add that collection, you have to do it yourself. Go to the list and click the tab at the top that says "Add Book to this List". All of your own titles should come up, each with a button to add the title to the list. Nobody else will do this for you. Amazon employees don't work on this list; volunteers like me do. And when you drop a title into this comment section, which is intended for technical issues, you summon a volunteer to come and see what the problem is. I can't help you with this one.


message 27: by Elyse (new)

Elyse I removed #1001, Ender's Game. It's a novel.


message 28: by TheJoyousWatcher (new)

TheJoyousWatcher Looking at the first page:

-the Pattaya Youtuber and Morley Roberts books are clearly spammed by bots.

-those Egyptian books all by the same author are obviously being shilled by the same group, looking at a few other short stories lists, they're all there in the exact same order.


Hope those get removed ASAP


message 29: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl Removed.


message 31: by Donna (new)

Donna Davis Daniela wrote: "Notes From A Turkish Whorehouse"

Daniela, if you would like this book added to the list, you have to do that yourself. Use the tabs at the top of the list. If the book is already on the list and you believe it should be removed, please tell me what page it is on, and in what way it falls outside the parameters set by the list maker.


back to top



Related News

Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day, according to early...

Anyone can add books to this list.