Short Stories Humor

Penniless, homeless, and virtually lifeless, the vagrant “Doughface” Jack is about to discover that where medical marvels meet the mysteries of the human mind, amazing things happen. The Tramp acquires a capability beyond his imagination and without equal on Earth. Riding the rails, Jack runs afoul of a local sheriff and ends up with a crushed skull. He’s as good as dead until a savvy country doctor performs a bit of medical magic.

It’s Easter in the land of Oz, and while Jack Pumpkinhead should be enjoying the lovely spring weather, Easter eggs, and candy with his new friend, little Jenny, he can’t. Something is wrong. A terrible memory is beginning to resurface, and Jack is terrified. Whatever it is, he knows it has chased after him for a long time and that he is not strong enough to face it. But very soon, Jack will discover that you can’t hide from the truth forever....

A Jewish man works as a department-store Santa in this comic tale, a short story from Nathan Englander's collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges.

A short story/rant about why I heart (love) America. Warning: Written by a Liberal.

In this short story from Nathan Englander's collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, a mental patient tries to get help from a rabbi to smooth over family problems his manic episodes cause.

In this short story from Nathan Englander's collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, an aging wigmaker becomes, for a single moment, beautiful.

Galen Micheal presents a zany collection of short stories covering a wide variety of elements, from a cursed chair to a real-life Djinn. Constant throughout the whole collection are relatable characters, bizarre events, and an ever-present dash of humor.

In The Wrong Heaven, anything is possible: bodies can transform, inanimate objects come to life, angels appear and disappear. Amy Bonnaffons draws us into a delightfully strange universe, in which her conflicted characters seek to solve their sexual and spiritual dilemmas in all the wrong places. While some of the worlds to which Bonnaffons transports us are more recognizable than others, all of them uncover the mysteries beneath the mundane surfaces of our lives. As provocative as they are deeply affecting, these stories lay bare the heart of our deepest longings.

Colonies require support and expansion to other planets means shipping supplies to them. Pirates love long supply chains and not even Elon Musk is invulnerable, although there is reason to believe he might do slightly better than cumbersome governments. This highly speculative look at the perils of building the first functional Mars colony stars Elon Musk.

Did you know that just 10 minutes of laughter a day burns calories and keeps you trim? Do you need a good belly laugh or two to release the tension of the day? Would you like to be healthier, happier, and more relaxed? You don’t need a prescription pill just try to up your daily laughter quotient. Research shows that laughter lowers blood pressure, engages your rest-and-digest system, and is linked to physical changes in the body that reduce stress and even increase pain tolerance. So basically, y’all need to be laughing a lot more.

The warrior Mithra must repel a Roman legion alone and armed only with one very tasty weapon. The Romans are marching! To protect her lands and her tribe, Mithra comes up with a sticky solution to an impossible problem.

Detta är en antologi med tio kortnoveller. Innehåller följande historier: Jared Pond räddar (och tar mödomen från) en arabisk prinsessa, Meditationslägret, Skjutningen vid Davids herrgård, Diah Lubis och jakten på den perfekta korven, Diah Lubis och jakten på grottryfflarna, och mer.

Detta är en antologi med tio kortnoveller.

Have you ever wondered why that smarmy sales guy won't quit, even when it's obvious to both of you that you're not buying what he's selling? Have you ever made a snap judgment about someone's character - only to find out that you were completely wrong? I live in California yet work for Celebrity Magician Criss Angel in Las Vegas. Needless to say, I find myself flying three to four times per week. Those who fly know. This collection of short stories set on airplanes will let you see the strangers around you in an entirely new light - and what you learn just might surprise you.

Such barking, such endless yapping from a dog that usually holds his peace unless he is unduly troubled can only mean one thing. It is our turn to be honored by a visit from Oscar the 'possum. Oscar is what you'd call a shadowy figure. He never does come out where you can see him in broad daylight, like birds and squirrels and other creatures do. I don't know if it's because he doesn't like the looks of us or he thinks we wouldn't like the looks of him. Or maybe he's just too shy to come right up and introduce himself.

In this short story from Nathan Englander's collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, a clerical error lands earnest, unpublished Pinchas Pelovits in prison with 26 other writers.

Flying into action, daredevil photojournalist Johnny Brice is always looking for trouble...and more often than not, finding it. But he doesn’t know what real trouble is until he rescues the beautiful woman he calls Jinx from a sinking ship. They’re made for each other - even if they are a dangerous mix.

Diane Williams, an American master of the short story who will "rewire your brain" (NPR), is back with a collection in which she once again expands the possibilities of fiction. These stories depict ordinary moments - a visit to the doctor's office or a married couple's hundredth dance together - but within the quotidian, Williams delivers a lifetime of insecurities, lusts, rejections, and revelations, making her work equally discomfiting and amusing.

Why did Claire have to drink so much at a small gathering of old friends, and how will she get home now that the host has kicked her out of his house? Hungover and ashamed, Claire begins a harrowing journey back to her apartment. Songs blend into the narrative and reveal harsh truths Claire would prefer to avoid.

Firsten Guide is a tough, wise-cracking rebel leader who’s light years ahead of his time - and about to lead his crew into a battle that’s Beyond All Weapons. He and his fellow colonizers of Mars have faced a brutal crackdown engineered by Earth’s tyrannical government. But the resourceful Firsten has developed an extraordinary new fuel that enables him and his hardy band to escape into space - and time.