Top Ten Tuesday July 31: short stories and novellas

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Learn more about Top Ten Tuesday here! This week is supposed to be Popular Books that Lived Up to the Hype, which I switched to fit with Popular Opinion Week. So today I’m doing the topic that I missed that day, Favourite Novellas/Short Stories! I know short stories and novellas can be hit or miss, but these are some that I definitely think are worth it.

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Short stories

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper is maybe my favourite short story. It’s super interesting and feminist and I highly recommend it.

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

This short story is a cross of Sherlock Holmes and HP Lovecraft and it’s super interesting!!! I think it was just recently made into a graphic novel too, which is apparently really good.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

I read the Lottery in high school and really enjoyed it. It’s super interesting and kind of one of those short stories everyone has read.

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Graphic novels

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis tells the story of the Islamic revolution, and it was so interesting. I loved Satrapi’s story and reading about her experience. The art style is really great too.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

I’m pretty sure I’ve mention 900 times before that I love Nimona, but I really love it. I definitely recommend it!!

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Other

Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang

This is a novella plus short stories about Chinese immigrants, and it’s so interesting. I loved Hunger, the titular novella, and highly highly recommend it.

The Measure of My Powers by Jackie Kai Ellis

This is a memoir and while the book isn’t necessarily small, it’s a fairly quick read. There’s gorgeous photography and recipes within it intermingled with Ellis’ memoir. I really enjoyed it.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is a short, nonfiction (that I’m pretty sure is a transcript of Adichie’s TED Talk) and it’s only about 50 pages long. I really enjoyed it and think it’s a super important read and a great introduction to feminism.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Another short nonfiction book about race in America. If you haven’t read this, I highly recommend it. It’s super powerful considering how short it is.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

The classic play that everyone but you has read. It’s definitely worth reading and I highly recommend it (make sure to look up trigger warnings though!!!).

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So those are some short stories, graphic novels, novellas, and short books I recommend! Have you read any of these? Let me know!

Ally xx