I am pretty excited about the upcoming yoga retreat travel I get to do in the next few months. In preparation, I wanted to put together a list of book recommendations, because there's something about having a good book when you're traveling that makes the trip that much more special, do you agree? I went with short stories, because I think they're perfect for when you're at a retreat and have a few minutes in between activities or right before bed. I just like the satisfaction of finishing an entire story in one sitting, you know? Here, we've got a few of my favorites and some that are on my reading list. If you're into short stories, I'd love to hear what you'd recommend!
Short Stories Perfect for Travel/Retreats
1. Words to Live By: Short Readings of Daily Wisdom - This is a book I would recommend if you’re looking to come back to your center. They're not short stories, but rather a collection of inspirational readings, so I think it's the perfect companion to a yoga teacher training, retreat, or just before your daily practice. Definitely for the person who wants to deepen their practice.
2. Nine Stories - by J.D Salinger. Hands down my favorite short stories collection. My pick of the stories is A Perfect Day for Bananafish. Funny and offbeat, and unexpectedly haunting.
3. Be My Valentine: HarperImpulse Short Story Collection - By Teresa F Morgan. Quick, easy romantic short stories just in time for Valentine’s Day.
4. Let Me Be Frank With You - by Richard Ford. This book is broken down into four stories. We're brought back to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and trying to make sense of the current state of the country with wit and humor.
5. The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories - by Marina Keegan. This book has been on my to-read list forever. It’s a posthumous collection of inspiring essays and stories from a talented young Yale grad.
6. Something Rich and Strange - by Ron Rash. I’m dying to read this book - thirty-four stories about the people of Appalachia and their searing, brutal, heart-breaking experiences.
7. Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances - by Neil Gaiman. This is for my people who love a good ghost story. We’re talking horror, monsters, science fiction and fabulism - probably best read aloud around a campfire.
8. Selected Short Stories - by William Faulkner. This is definitely not a quick and easy read, but these stories are perfect for the academic who is a fan of the classics.
9. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway For my people who love The Greats. Hemingway, like Faulkner, is one of the greatest short story writers ever, and these stories are the type you can read and enjoy over and over again.
10. The Things They Carried - by Tim O’Brien. This collection of stories deals with the Vietnam War, and follows the lives of many different soldiers who battle not only the war, but inner demons like loneliness, rage and fear.
11. Palo Alto: Stories by James Franco. This book is for my people who are curious about actors who branch out into writing. This has been on my reading list just because I wanted to see if it was as “provocative” and “impressive” as Vanity Fair said. The reviews aren’t stellar (understatement), but I’ll still read it just for fun.
12. Better Than Fiction: True travel tales from great fiction writers. For those who love travel and adventure, these short stories will make you want to book your next trip asap.
13. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I really liked this book! The main character is Olive Kitteridge, and each story is about someone in her life. It is funny, smart, heartbreaking and shocking.
14. Stone Mattress: Nine Tales - by Margaret Atwood. Nine witty, funny, and beautiful stories about writers and lovers.
15. Unaccustomed Earth - by Jhumpa Lahiri. These eight stories transport us all over the world from Seattle to India and Thailand, and explore the secrets at the heart of family life.
16. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher: Stories - by Hilary Mantel. Artfully constructed stories that are unpredictable, unsettling and shocking. The stories deal with marriage, class, family and sex.
17. One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories- by B.J Novak. Coming from the writer and actor of the NBC series “The Office”, this book is filled with intelligent, thoughtful short stories.
18. When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories by Molly Ringwald. I can't wait to read this book. It's a collection of stories that follows a Los Angeles family and their friends and neighbors covering everything from infertility to infidelity.
19. Dear Life: Stories by Alice Munro. I love the idea of these stories, in which the author pinpoints the moment a person is forever altered by a chance encounter, an action not taken, or a simple twist of fate.
20. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Ok not the most uplifting of collections (the main story is about a woman’s decent into madness), but this is an old favorite of mine, and I felt like it shouldn’t be left out.
21. Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories - by Agatha Christie. For my people who love suspense, here is a collection of twenty short historical mysteries.
22. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. I just finished this book and was sad when it was over. Not exactly short stories, this book is a collection of letters and responses from the advice column Dear Sugar. The advice is always uplifting and inspirational, though much of the content is heartbreaking. Such a great book.