Let's keep it short!

He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend,
a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself,
as in all weathers, as in all fortunes.
~ Barrow ~
 
Smart man this Barrow! But we don't need Barrow to explain to us the joy of finding a good book, curling up with it - especially on a rainy day with a cuppa nearby - and diving right into it! I can name so many books that have so enthralled me, I have read them in one sitting.....The Fountainhead, The Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea, the Harry Potter series. And these are not small books by any means, the pages run into hundreds and you cannot be in any hurry to finish them. But if you are looking for a quick shot of fun and don't have time or patience to read a novel from cover to cover, then short stories are your answer. Short stories can be as engaging as long novels, and they are instant gratification. No waiting to find out what happens at the end - you can be done with one story in 10 minutes, maybe less.
 
Of late I have started reading short stories only because I don't find the stretch of uniterrupted time I need for a longer novel ( I think my blogging addiction may have something to do with it?). And for a nice read before bedtime, nothing like one or two short stories. So...right now I have 3 collections by my bed on my nightstand, all fabulous but different in their own way, so I can pick and choose who I want to read that night.....
 
Friends in Small Places by Ruskin Bond

This book is a compilation of anecdotes about the colorful people of a small town called Pipalnagar. Keemat Lal, a reluctant police inspector; Uncle Ken, an overgrown bully; Bhabiji, a formidable matriarch of a Punjabi family and many more quirky characters are part of it. As Bond points out, each story is about the not-so-famous people who have yet to attain their 15 minutes of fame! Written in his trademark simple, feel-good style.

The Best of Roald Dahl

This collection of  20 stories brings together some of Dahl's finest works including his well known tales such as Parson's Pleasure, The Visitor, Dip in the Pool, And Madama Rosette amonst others. Each story has that perfect satisfying twist in the tale that makes Dahl the master of the bizarre. Sure to delight your dark, wicked side!

The return of Khokababu by Raindranath Tagore

A neglected wife gains strength from the tragedy of another woman to break free from her own misery in one, while Kabuliwala loves another's daughter as his own in another. A servant gives away his own son to his masters to replace their lost child in the title tale. All stories are sensitive tales of human emotions.