*NOT A CHALLENGE* Favourite Short Stories Discussion

Question

I thought an interesting discussion for the site would be of our favourite short stories, or ones we find most inspiring. Post a link to a site where the story can be found, or just the title and author's name if it isn't available online. Include as many links or titles as you wish in your responses, and use the comments to discuss the stories!

As an example, I'll post my favourites in a response right away.

No "winner" will be chosen. This is just a place to discuss.

It might also be interesting to say where you first read the stories you've chosen as your favorites. Just as another discussion point.

EDIT: Even if you can't remember the title or the author, just post a response of what the story was about. Maybe someone else will know what it was called!

Comments

cool i like this!
i'll try and might have something later

Answer 1

1. The Street That Got Mislaid by Patrick Waddington (http://www.amlit.com/Waddington/SS/TheStreetThatGotMislaid.html)
2. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (http://www.amlit.com/Jackson/SS/TheLottery.html)
3. Thus I Refute Beelzy by John Collier (http://nickelkid.net/docs/greats/refute_beelzy.html)

// The Street That Got Mislaid was one of the first short stories I read in school, and it's been my favourite ever since. My dad suggested The Lottery. I read Thus I Refute Beelzy in school as well.

Answer 2

My dad keeps talking about this story he read in Alfred Hitchcock magazine. It's about a drug that people take to relive their lives from the beginning, and eventually they are back to where they started taking the drug and they get stuck in a loop. He doesn't know what the story was called. It sounds really good and I want to read it but we can't find it anywhere! Even online. So if anyone here has an idea of what it is, that would be great.

Comments

Google says it could be "Doubled and Redoubled" by Grimwood

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Hey, thanks! We'll look into it.

Answer 3

"Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan

"The fall of the house of usher" by Edgar Allen Poe

"The monkeys paw" by W. W. Jacobs

Comments

I'll have to check these out. I'm pretty sure I read "The Monkey's Paw" at school, but I don't think I've heard of the other two.
Thanks for responding!

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memento mori is the story the chris nolan movie Memento was based on

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oh, cool!

Answer 4

The Shell Seekers by Rosamund (sp) Pilcher

The WHOLE book but something that I always remember was when the main character passes and she (Pilcher) goes in to detail about not really wanted those left behind to mourn her, but to celebrate her life- she is only in the next room.....absolutely stunning and so clear when she only uses about 2 pages within the novel to comfort those that were left to mourn her passing...brilliant and Bravo squared for Rosemond Pilcher and the Shell Seekers...

Also another and always very well written are the series of books by James Harriot- "All Creatures..." his life (non fiction) is so very well written that you are there with every word of each page in the adventures and humor of being a country veternary- the large farm animals and the small comfort lap animals of the farmers portrayed are like paint on a canvas, totally absorbed and there for ever in my minds eye...

Bravo to Pilcher and Harriot for my love of books, stories and words with which to convey our most innermost thoughts and yet help for others, to feel those thoughts as if they were their own!

Comments

I've never read either of those books, but they sound pretty good. Thanks for the response! =)

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Yes about that, lol, sorry it was late when I was on last night and you clearly stated it was for short stories discussion. So more along those lines almost all of the "Readers Digest* stories are quite good. So on the short story discussion I would have to put that periodical in the mix.  Thanks for your comment on my 2 fav novels, lol, will try to pay better attention next time ;p)

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oh, haha, no problem. :)

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Well well Miss Hummingbird.  Those are your favorite?  Smile.

Answer 5

I've been reading a story that's not finished yet. It's called No-Named by a deviantart user named flavian. Here's the link to the first chapter: http://flamian.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d49tomg
you can find the rest in his gallery (http://flamian.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#)

As a kid, I read a lot of Arthur C. Clarke books and short stories. The one I can remember most is Report on Planet Three, but I'm sure there were more.

Also, those of you that haven't yet, you should check out Ron's Mist right here on TW (http://www.thinkwrites.com/24/campfire-stories)

Comments

I like Arthur C. Clarke too. I'll have to check out the rest of these links too...

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I met an illustrator called Danny Flynn who illustrated a book for Arthur C Clark.

And I even got a picture signed  from him!
IT loooks soo very real!

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Btw, in case you don't notice (I didn't at first) the "Mist" has several parts (all in the same thread).