LitReading - Classic Short Stories

By Don McDonald

Litreading brings classic short stories to life—expertly narrated with care, clarity, and just enough character to keep things lively. From Poe to Twain, Wolfe to Hemingway, each... more

4.8

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FAQs about LitReading - Classic Short Stories:

How many episodes does LitReading - Classic Short Stories have?

The podcast currently has 133 episodes available.

LitReading - Classic Short Stories episodes:

September 29, 2025 Forecast: Scary Story Season Coming October 1 on Litreading
On October 1, Litreading unlocks the crypt with Scary Season Stories—a chilling collection of timeless tales that whisper through the centuries. These aren’t slasher screams or jump-scares… they’re the kind of stories that linger—in your mind, in your dreams, and in the dark corners of quiet rooms. From Poe to M.R. James, classic horror returns to haunt a new generation. No tricks. Just trembling.
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1min
September 29, 2025 Hands—a Classic Short Story by Sherwood Anderson
How can we tell the difference between benevolence and predation?

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17min
September 28, 2025 An Alpine Divorce—a Classic Short Story by Robert Barr
What happens when hate overwhelms love?

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14min
September 27, 2025 Good Souls—a Classic Short Story by Dorothy Parker
We have every reason to love these people, yet we don't.

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15min
September 26, 2025 Handful of Clay—a Classic Short Story by Henry van Dyke
Every day we are bombarded by images of unattainable beauty, regaled with stories of fame, and envious of those who have attained great wealth. It’s easy to lose sight of our important contributions to the world and those around us. No matter how we have ended up , we all started as a figurative "handful of clay."

Henry van Dyke was a well-known clergyman, English professor, and author. He spent almost a quarter century teach English Literature at Princeton, while writing numerous short stories in his spare time. He also composed several verses of “My Country Tis of Thee,” America’s unofficial national anthem prior to the “Star Spangled Banner’s” gaining official anthem status in 1931.

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8min
September 25, 2025 The Idyl of Red Gulch—a Classic Short Story by Bret Harte
A young woman stumbles upon a drunk with whom she forms a bond until she learns more.

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26min
September 24, 2025 The Last Leaf—a Classic Short Story by O. Henry
A sick young woman is saved by a final kind gesture.

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18min
September 23, 2025 A Chance of Death–a Modern Short Story by Don McDonald
Publishing this story has been one of the scarier things I’ve done in my life. Reading the works of others is far different than narrating a creation of my own. Honestly, I haven’t written fiction since high school—but I’ve always wanted to. I hope to share more, depending on how this one lands.

While this story is purely fictional, it unfolds in the shadow of a real disaster—one that affected communities close to my own family in Asheville, where my mother, sister, and niece live. I want to express my sincere concern and empathy for those who were impacted. That said, this is not a story about the tragedy itself. It’s a tale of personal escape, buried secrets, and a woman who may have used chaos as cover for something darker—or perhaps something justified. The events are imagined, but the setting was chosen for its emotional weight, and I’ve tried to treat that weight with care.

If you'd like to share your thoughts or get periodic updates, please visit Litreading.com
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27min
September 22, 2025 Araby—a Classic Short Story by James Joyce
James Joyce’s “Araby” is ranked among the pantheon of greatest short stories ever written. In this timeless coming of age tale an adolescent boy, blinded by a hormonal fog, falls for a neighbor girl.

Now considered one of the classics of literature, the 1914 collection of short stories, Dubliners, of which “Araby” was an early part was an initial failure selling less than 400 copies. Of those almost a third were purchased Joyce himself.

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16min
September 21, 2025 A Case of Premeditation–a Classic Short Story by R. Austin Freeman
Can an almost perfectly planned crime be solved? That question is answered in this classic mystery by one of the early 20th Century's most popular, fictional medical detectives, Dr. Thorndyke.

Sandwiched between the Sherlock Holmes mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the whodunnits of Agatha Christie are R. Austin Freeman's "whocatchums." Freeman pioneered the concept of the inverted detective story, in which the whole crime is explained before the investigation.

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1h 7min

FAQs about LitReading - Classic Short Stories:

How many episodes does LitReading - Classic Short Stories have?

The podcast currently has 133 episodes available.

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