10 Popular Short Story Books

1. The Collected Short Stories - by Satyajit Ray

Best known for his immensely popular Feluda mysteries and the adventures of Professor Shonku, Satyajit Ray was also one of the most skilful short story writers of his generation. Ray’s short stories often explore the macabre and the supernatural, and are marked by the sharp characterization and trademark wit that distinguishes his films. This collection brings together Ray’s best short stories—including such timeless gems as ‘Khagam’, ‘Indigo’, ‘Fritz’, ‘Bhuto’, ‘The Pterodactyl’s Egg’, ‘Big Bill’, ‘Patol Babu, Film Star’ and ‘The Hungry Septopus’—which readers of all ages will enjoy.

2. The Greatest Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy.

The Russian novelist and moral philosopher Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) ranks as one of the world's great writers and his "War and Peace" has been called the greatest novel ever written. The purpose of all true creative art, he believed, is to teach. But the message in all his stories is presented with such humor that the reader hardly realizes that it is strongly didactic. The seven parts into which this book is divided include the best known Tolstoy stories. "God Sees the Truth, but Waits" and "A Prisoner in the Caucasus" which Tolstoy himself considered as his best, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" depicting the greed of a peasant for land, the most brilliantly told parable, "Ivan the Fool" these are all contained in this volume.

3. Grandma's Bag of Stories - by Sudha Murthy.

Memories of a grandparent spinning tales around animals and mysterious characters have kept many of us rapt till date. Sudha Murty's Grandma’s Bag of Stories is simply delightful. The story starts with Anand, Krishna, Raghu and Meena arriving at their grandparents’ house in Shiggaon. Overjoyed Ajji and Ajja(Grandmother and grandfather in Kannada) get the house ready, while Ajji prepares delicious snacks for children. Finally, times comes when everyone gathers around Ajji, as she opens her big bag of Stories.

4. Collected Short Stories - by Ruskin Bond.

Ruskin Bond wrote his first short story, ‘Untouchable’, at the age of sixteen, and has written memorable fiction ever since. He is famous not only for his love of the hills, but for imbuing the countryside with life and vibrancy through moving descriptions. The simple people who inhabit his stories evoke sympathy and laughter in equal measure. This wonderful collection of seventy stories, including classics like ‘A Face in Dark’, ‘The Kitemaker’, ‘The Tunnel’, ‘The Room of Many Colours’, ‘Dust on the Mountain’ and ‘Times Stops at Shamli’, is a must-have for any bookshelf.

5. Khushwant Singh Selects Best Indian Short Stories: 2 (Vol. 2).

Khushwant Singh, the country's foremost literary figure, serves up another volume of the finest fiction from across India. 'A good read . . . engaging . . . The names live up to their reputation.' - India Today 'Tremendous richness of characters on display.' - Deccan Herald 'Offers much . . . to the discriminating reader.' - Deccan Chronicle 'An eminently readable book . . . The range of geographical areas and social backgrounds that this selection represents are truly vast.' - The Tribune

6. The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain 

For deft plotting, riotous inventiveness, unforgettable characters, and language that brilliantly captures the lively rhythms of American speech, no American writer comes close to Mark Twain. This sparkling anthology covers the entire span of Twain’s inimitable yarn-spinning, from his early broad comedy to the biting satire of his later years.

7. The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories (A Penguin Classics)

A major new collection of Japanese short stories, many appearing in English for the first time, with an introduction by Haruki Murakami, author of Killing Commendatore

8. The Collected Short Stories by Jeffrey Archer

A collected edition of the master story teller's short stories. This brand new edition brings together three of Jeffrey Archer’s classic collections of short stories. Every reader will have their own favourites, the choices run from an imprisoned man who is certain that his supposed murder victim is very much alive, to a female driver pursued relentlessly by a menacing figure in another vehicle. An off-hand remark is taken seriously by a Chinese sculptor in one tale, while a British diplomat unexpectedly becomes the owner of a priceless work of art in another and over three of the stories, discover a hauntingly written, atmospheric account of two undergraduates at Oxford in the thirties, a tale of bitter rivalry that ends in a memorable love story. These stories are packed full of the master story teller’s unexpected twists, richly drawn characters and ingenious, witty denouements. Some will make you laugh, others will bring you to tears.

9. Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra by Ruskin Bond

Fourteen engaging stories from one of India's master story-tellers Semi-autobiographical in nature, these stories span the period from the author's childhood to the present. We are introduced, in a series of beautifully imagined and crafted cameos, to the author's family, friends, and various other people who left a lasting impression on him. In other stories we revisit Bond's beloved Garhwal hills and the small towns and villages that he has returned to time and again in his fiction. Together with his well-known novella, A Flight of Pigeons (which was made into the film Junoon), which also appears in this collection, these stories once again bring Ruskin Bond's India vividly to life.

10. Fragile Thing: Short Fictions and Wonders

Fragile Things is a sterling collection of exceptional tales from Neil Gaiman, multiple award-winning (the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Newberry, and Eisner Awards, to name just a few), #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Coraline, and the groundbreaking Sandman graphic novel series. A uniquely imaginative creator of wonders whose unique storytelling genius has been acclaimed by a host of literary luminaries from Norman Mailer to Stephen King, Gaiman’s astonishing powers are on glorious displays in Fragile Things. Enter and be amazed!

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