Most employees have an hour or so during the day to take off and get something to eat. For book lovers, there is nothing better than grabbing a salad or sandwich and relaxing on a park bench with their favorite lunchtime short stories. Everyone has their favorite tales that can be read and enjoyed in one sitting. Some classic examples follow in no particular order of fame, subject matter, or significance.
Margaret Atwood is known for her quirky characters and fantastical plots. "Stone Mattress" is the title story in a collection of nine. Verna, the protagonist, is about to embark on a cruise to the Arctic when she catches sight of a fellow passenger she recognizes. It turns out to be an old flame who did her wrong years earlier. Verna has already killed four husbands, and she is not adverse to adding an old lover to her collection.
Ernest Hemingway readers have strong opinions about his work. One that most will agree succeeds is "The Snows of Kilimanjaro". This story is set in Africa. Harry and Helen are there to escape their life in Paris, and Harry, it turns out, has a fatal gangrene infection. Before he dies, Harry thinks back to his past loves and the decisions that lead to his current situation.
"Three Questions" is Leo Tolstoy's parable of a king in search of answers to the most important questions in life. He seeks out a hermit and winds up nursing a would be assassin. In the end, the king finds the answers he was looking for had been with him all along.
Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, became a household name with the publication of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". This is a cautionary story about Jim Smiley, a man ready to place a bet on anything, even how high a frog can jump. Jim met his match in a stranger who saw him coming, cheated him out of his money and took off.
"The Diamond As Big As the Ritz" is F. Scott Fitzgerald's tale about John Unger who meets Percy Washington at an exclusive prep school. Percy boasts his is the richest family in the world because they are sitting on top of a diamond as big as the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Those familiar with Fitzgerald will recognize the theme of a youthful man destroyed by a woman's wealth.
James Joyce was an Irishman who wrote about Ireland and the dynamics of Irish family life. "Eveline" is a fine example of that. Eveline finds herself having to choose between a brutish father and the life she knows and a lover who wants her to run away with him to another country. Her final decision is sad, but realistic.
People who love to read easily get lost in good stories. They don't have to be long and complicated to engross a book lover. Well written stories come in all shapes and sizes.
Margaret Atwood is known for her quirky characters and fantastical plots. "Stone Mattress" is the title story in a collection of nine. Verna, the protagonist, is about to embark on a cruise to the Arctic when she catches sight of a fellow passenger she recognizes. It turns out to be an old flame who did her wrong years earlier. Verna has already killed four husbands, and she is not adverse to adding an old lover to her collection.
Ernest Hemingway readers have strong opinions about his work. One that most will agree succeeds is "The Snows of Kilimanjaro". This story is set in Africa. Harry and Helen are there to escape their life in Paris, and Harry, it turns out, has a fatal gangrene infection. Before he dies, Harry thinks back to his past loves and the decisions that lead to his current situation.
"Three Questions" is Leo Tolstoy's parable of a king in search of answers to the most important questions in life. He seeks out a hermit and winds up nursing a would be assassin. In the end, the king finds the answers he was looking for had been with him all along.
Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, became a household name with the publication of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". This is a cautionary story about Jim Smiley, a man ready to place a bet on anything, even how high a frog can jump. Jim met his match in a stranger who saw him coming, cheated him out of his money and took off.
"The Diamond As Big As the Ritz" is F. Scott Fitzgerald's tale about John Unger who meets Percy Washington at an exclusive prep school. Percy boasts his is the richest family in the world because they are sitting on top of a diamond as big as the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Those familiar with Fitzgerald will recognize the theme of a youthful man destroyed by a woman's wealth.
James Joyce was an Irishman who wrote about Ireland and the dynamics of Irish family life. "Eveline" is a fine example of that. Eveline finds herself having to choose between a brutish father and the life she knows and a lover who wants her to run away with him to another country. Her final decision is sad, but realistic.
People who love to read easily get lost in good stories. They don't have to be long and complicated to engross a book lover. Well written stories come in all shapes and sizes.
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