Why I love Short Stories and Why they can never replace Novels for me + Some Short Story Recs

Hi guys, welcome! For a few months now I have been picking up short stories whenever I feel that the novels I am reading are moving too slowly for my taste and boring me. And because of this I have consumed quite a few shorts in last few months. So I thought why not make a post talking about them. So lets begin.

Picking up short stories during the slow parts has been a really good decision so far, because I am a highly plot driven reader, so I can’t tolerate nothing happening for more than a few pages. Short stories have become like an energy drink for me. Whenever I read a great short story I feel rejuvenated and then when I return to the book I feel like I am kind of restarting the book and I would be good for another 15 pages of snail pace. This is the main reason I have been loving short stories so much. Because they have kept me from dnfing quite a few books that had become oh so good again after the slow part ended.

Another reason I am really loving short stories is THE WEIRDNESS. Maybe it is just me and my wretched taste but mostly the short stories I pickup are weird. Maybe not bonkers weird but they always have some degree of weirdness in them. For example think about The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, if you have read it you know what I am talking about. It is one of my all time favourite shorts. In general I really enjoy weird stories and short stories has the largest weird variety so I am really loving them for this.

Also another reason I am loving short short stories is because they are giving me the opportunity to read a lot of classics author’s work. Classics are one genre which intimidates me because I find the language to be difficult. Plus some of them are really huge. I love classics and even though I find them hard to understand I really enjoy how they are written. So short stories have given me the opportunity to read classics author’s work without making myself miserable for a full month (yay, that is how much time I take to finish a classic, because I have to divide my attention between the net, the dictionary and the book).

Though I am really enjoying short stories I feel that they can’t ever replace novels for me. The main reason is that I can’t get attached to the characters. And also for most short stories there is only one bullet in their chamber, one topic and most often only one high octane shock and that is it. I know a lot of people absolutely love short stories but I am not one of them. I love getting attached to the characters and I like a plot which has various plot lines and a lot shocking twists and turns and short stories can’t do that for me.

So the point is I love reading short stories and I will continue reading them. But short stories will never be my main jam. I will keep on reading them when my novel gets a bit boring or when I need a breather between two novels, but for me a short story or a short story collection can never replace a well written novel.

My favourite short stories

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F.Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
3. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
4. Lihaaf by Ismat Chugtai

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What do you people feel about short stories? Do you love them? Or do you hate them?