Were you one of those kids who would sit and read a novel in an afternoon, or an adult whose greatest pleasure was setting aside a bit of quiet relaxation with a well-loved novel and a cuppa? Did you begin your academic adventure and now just can’t seem to get ‘in’ to a book?
Reading for... Fun???
Were you one of those kids who would sit and read a novel in an afternoon, and an adult whose greatest pleasure was setting aside a bit of quiet relaxation with a well-loved novel and a cuppa? Did you begin your academic adventure and now just can’t seem to get ‘in’ to a book?
When trying to read for pleasure as a student, you might get that feeling that you are wasting time, or that you should somehow be taking notes, or your eyes are tired from reading for your degree all day. Studying has often traditionally been referred to as ‘reading for such-and-such degree’ and finding time to get through your reading lists can be daunting, let alone finding time to read for… fun!
You are not alone! This is really, really common, especially for those of you undertaking a research degree.
Don’t worry, you haven’t broken yourself! It will come back (I know from my own experience and speaking to others who have experienced the same).
But in the meantime, we have put together some collections of short stories (and a few other formats, too), that might help. So, close your laptop, put away your notes, and allow yourself an hour away from your research to get back to yourself and what you love.
The following have been chosen both for quality and brevity, and for being stand-alone tales, so you are not inadvertently committing to reading a 10-novel series! You can relax and de-stress and switch off for an hour and get an entire story in you. No-one can begrudge you an hour! But of course, your time is valuable, so we can (almost) guarantee that these are also good short stories (or collections of stand-alone short stories), so you don’t waste any time reading bad writing! We are so confident in our recommendations, that we have put our names to them!
Annie Mason, Local Coordinator Argyll & SAMS, and Communities Coordinator, recommends:
Changing Planes – Ursula K Le Guin
“Known more for her revolutionary take on fantasy and Sci-fi (and Annie’s favourite author of all time), Le Guin was also a very talented, if somewhat underrated, short story writer, often taking her familial background in anthropology and applying it to speculative fiction, and this is a collection of short stories which do exactly that. Completely stand-alone tales which examine diverse ways to be a people interspersed with some scathing comments about just how awful airports are.”
To Room Nineteen – Doris Lessing
“Lessing was a master of observations on the human condition, and this collection of some of her short stories, spanning 40 years of her literary career, exemplify this to an outstanding degree. Poignant, elegant, and astute.”
Robot Visions – Isaac Asimov
“On the surface, a story collection about robots. Actually, an incredible exploration of sentience, morality, and rights. Arranged not in publication date, but instead charting the development of robotic intelligence and the various issues that arise at each stage.”
Emma Miller, Director of Community and Communications, recommends:
The Slow Regard for Silent Things – Patrick Rothfuss
“This is a novella companion piece to Rothfuss's popular, frustratingly unfinished, Kingkiller Chronicle. But don't worry if you haven't read the larger series, as this little novella is fascinating on its own. Embodying the idea that content and form should go together, this charmingly strange and whimsical illustrated tale wanders (literally) through the underground of a magical university as experienced by the fey-like tunnel-dweller Auri. No big conflict, no plot-as-such, just sink into exploring the world through a unique mind.”
Innocent Eréndira and Other Stories – Gabriel García Márquez
“The novels of Márquez are celebrated world-wide as masterpieces of magical realism. But not everyone has time for 100 Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera. Never fear, as his short stories are as achingly tragic, surreal, and absurdly funny as his novels. This collection features a range of stories, most with the otherworldly feel of a fairytale, where the real cruelties of poverty, vice, and violence battle the magic of the unexplainable and mysterious. Some of the stories. including the titular one, should come with content warnings, but if you are in the mood for serious literary resonance and symbolic enigma (but in short bites!), you can find no writer finer than García Márquez.”
Scarlett, Interim Academic Partner Manager - NWH recommends:
The Great God Pan & Other Classic Horror Stories - Arthur Machen
“This is a collection of popular short horror stories from Arthur Machean, a Welsh author, for when you feel you need a bit of cosmic fear and horror, without wanting to reread stories from the likes of H. P. Lovecraft. Just a little warning, these are not stories for the faint of heart.”
Unfinished Tales, and Beren and Luthien - Tolkien
“Both Unfinished Tales and Beren and Luthien are a collection of stories and poems that were mostly unfinished by Tolkien but contain his signature writing style that explore characters both before and after the War of The Ring. What happened to Sam? Legolas? Gimli? You may just find out, as well as discovering the story of Elrond’s parents.”
A Blink of the Screen - Terry Pratchett
“A Blink of the screen is a collection of short stories by Terry Pratchett about some of your (and certainly my) favourite Discworld characters from Havelock Vetinari to the strangely human Death. It also contains nearly all of his short works set outside of the Discworld, so if you haven't read any of his writings outside of the Discworld, this is a great way to dip your toe in while staying within familiar territory.”
The Book of Tea - Okakura Kakuzo
“A short book about the tea ceremony and how the beauty and simplicity of classic Japanese daily life is inspired by 'teaism'. This book explains the different aspects of the Japanese tea ceremony and how it is interconnected with spirituality. necessary read for lovers of tea and Japanese culture.”
Mila Tabone, Orkney Depute President recommends:
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
“It is a book I read now in January. I chose it at random in the bookstore because the cover was intriguing and the description sounded sweet, and I ended up reading a very nice story about believing in yourself and following your dreams. It was a great comfort to my little student heart, who has been apprehensive about the end of my degree approaching and now having to make choices about what is to come.
The book has about 170-200 pages, so is not too long and can be read in a few sittings.”
Elena Arroyo, Advice Service Manager recommends:
The Epic of Gilgamesh – Unknown author
Yes, really! Whist technically an ‘epic’, this refers more to the poetic style than its scale. Some versions appear extensive due to translation and other academic notations, but it is actually fairly brief, and gloriously dramatic!
Elena also recommends:
Shaking Hands with Death - Terry Pratchett
Vanka or The Kiss by Anton Chekov
The Pearl of Love by H.G. Wells
“I like sad short stories and revisiting those short stories reminds me of English Lit class. Normally, anything by Chekov is nice to read in the winter.”
Sam Francis, Student Intern NWH recommends:
Animal Farm – George Orwell
“I recommend this for when someone wants a quick, gripping read that still feels like it has something to say. It's sharp, funny in places, and you can finish it in one sitting without it turning into a big commitment. It's the kind of book that sticks with you and sparks good conversations afterwards.”
Charlotte Usher, Moray Student President recommends:
Northern Writes – UHI Creative Writing Students
“I unapologetically stop reading anything unrelated when I am doing a degree because I don't read and write at the same time. Even with the degree I have reading weeks and writing weeks.” However, Charlotte wanted to share the fact that your fellow UHI students have released two volumes of short stories, with a third in the pipeline.
Charlotte added that for scripts (another literary form which packs a lot of punch in a relatively small word count) this is a great resource: Script Library
Chloe Young, Inverness Student President:
Chloe took a more practical approach, and wanted to share the following really useful piece of information:
“Not sure how many of the books are short stories specifically but Inverness campus library has a little book swap stand-thing outside it that could be helpful for students in Inverness to find a new book to read.”
In case you don’t believe us, there is plenty of research to support the idea that reading is good for mental health and wellbeing, for example here: How reading improves your mental health and wellbeing - Scottish Book Trust.
This article even describes the benefit specific to students: For the love of reading: Recreational reading reduces psychological distress in college students and autonomous motivation is the key: Journal of American College Health: Vol 70 , No 1 - Get Access
But where to get these stories? As mentioned above, several UHI campuses have free book swaps available, but equally please do bear in mind that the UHI Library Services can be used to get (also free) access to fiction – and yes that includes short stories – as well as all those academic tomes.
If, like me, you are not so much of a fan of having to give a book back, why not check out second hand bookshops? My personal favourite is AbeBooks.co.uk, not least because you can add books to a ‘want’ on the rare occasion that you can’t find what you are looking for.