Two Fall and Halloweenish short stories – quick reads for the season!

~ Book Club Mom
Image: Pixabay

If you’re looking for a couple quick short stories that fit into the Halloween season, here are two excellent choices:

“Gryphon” by Charles Baxter – This fantastic story about an unusual 4th grade teacher takes place in rural Michigan. While not exactly about Halloween, references to fall, mention of the holiday and the passage of time make it worthy of this short list.

“Gryphon” must be a regular on school curricula because it’s the second most viewed post on my blog, especially in the fall, next to “House of Flowers” by Truman Capote. I hope I’m not misleading any high school students with my comments!

“You’re Ugly, Too” by Lorrie Moore – I found this in The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction. It’s a terrific story about a Halloween party, full of shocking sarcasm and over-the-top conversations. It appeared in the July 3, 1989 issue of The New Yorker.

If you like complicated characters and the alarming twists in short fiction, you will enjoy Moore’s writing style.

Do you like reading short fiction? Can you add any fall or Halloween stories?

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

13 thoughts on “Two Fall and Halloweenish short stories – quick reads for the season!”

  3. Hmm I wonder if Gryphon is now on the reading list. I know I’ve never heard of it personally and I never had to read it in school but it’s so interesting that people keep looking it up on your blog. At least they are finding your thoughts great for learning more about the book!

    1. Hi Marian, I’ve always loved short fiction, even though now I mostly read longer novels and nonfiction. Makes me want to get back to the short stories! Thanks for visiting. 🙂

Comments are closed.