LitReading - Short Stories and Timeless Tales

By Short StoryversesArts Books Fiction Performing Arts

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LitReading - Short Stories and Timeless Tales episodes

August 18, 2025 A Jury of Her Peers–a Classic Short Story by Susan Glaspell
In the early 19th century country a farmer is murdered in his home. While investigated, local authorities task a local women with gathering a few things for the wife who was arrested for the crime.

Susan Glaspell wrote a one-act play which she adapted into "A Jury of Her Peers” It is loosely based on a murder covered while working as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News.

We are so honored to have been featured by Apple Podcasts as a great source for summer stories. If you don't want to miss our future stories, please Follow or Subscribe. Also, we have over 100 stories in our back catalog. Enough stories to keep you entertained for weeks.

Looking for even more stories? Check out all out narrative podcasts at shortstoryverses.com

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45 min
August 18, 2025 Gentle Hand by Mary Roberts Rinehart — A Stranger’s Gentle Hand Conceals a Violent Past
During these stressful times, forced into close quarters with those we love. we may find ourselves growing angry when a softer approach tends to me far more effective as is illustrated in this story.

Mary Roberts Rinehart is yet another fine example of a talented early 20th Century authors. Known as The American Agatha Christie, she is best known for her mystery stories. A character in her 1920 play “The Bat” was the inspiration for Bob Kane’s comic book character “Batman.”

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14 min
August 18, 2025 A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin — Fifteen Dollars Buys One Afternoon of Freedom
Money has the power to take us away, if only temporarily, from the due routines of life. However, there is always a price to pay for our fiscal flights of fancy and real life eventually hoists its humdrum head again.

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13 min
August 18, 2025 Nobody’s Story by Charles Dickens — An Unnamed Worker Lives and Dies Unnoticed
Charles Dickens was a constant observer of the plight of his fellows and critical of the divisions between humanity’s strata. In this deep and poignant parable of mankind’s need to be recognized by others he arrives at the conclusion that in the end, despite our apparent differences, we are all same.
Dickens wrote "Nobody’s Story" to honor those who toil in anonymity and suffer quietly. It was originally published in 1853 as part of a Volume of Christmas stories, but felt more appropriate for today.

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15 min
August 18, 2025 The Boston Massacre by Nathaniel Hawthorne — A Colonial Crowd Turns Protest into Bloodshed
What began as a street brawl on a winter evening in Boston, became one the biggest sparks to help ignite the American revolution. 250 years ago, on March 5th 1770, anger over the British housing troops among civilians in Massachusetts boiled over into what the British called the Incident on King Street but was referred to my early Americans as "The Boston Massacre."

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the seminal event in early American history, we present Nathaniel Hawthorne's unique narrative account of this fascinating tale.

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13 min
August 17, 2025 Father Forgets by W. Livingston Larned — A Father Realizes How Often He Criticizes His Son
A special Father's Day episode of Litreading

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6 min
August 16, 2025 Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll — A Young Hero Hunts the Monster with Jaws That Bite
From the mind behind "Alice in Wonderland" comes one of the best examples of nonsense poetry. Jabberwocky tells the tale of a young knight who slays a mythical beast.

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4 min
August 15, 2025 Excerpts from Adam’s Diary by Mark Twain — The First Man Tries to Understand the First Woman
What must life have been like in the Garden of Eden for the first man, Adam, and that new creature who suddenly appeared in his idyllic life? Well, left to the imagination of Mark Twain, the story takes a fanciful and funny early 20th-century take on Genesis.
Extracts from Adam’s Diary was written in 1904, the final decade of Samuel Clemens's (aka Mark Twain’s) life, and was published as a short book. The character of Adam is obviously based on Twain himself, and Eve was his wife Lily. Shortly after writing this story, Lily died. This may have led to Twain penning “The Diary of Eve,” which was first published in 1905.

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28 min
August 15, 2025 Eve’s Diary by Mark Twain — The First Woman Explains Love, Beauty and Adam
Imagine waking up in a strange and wonderful place with no memory and no one to guide you. Your world is filled with strange creatures and incredible beauty along with one enigmatic creature who looks similar to you but is still quite different. Here is the sequel to “Extracts from Adam’s Diary.”

When Mark Twain (whose real name was Samuel Clemens) wrote “Eve’s Diary” he was in his 80s and had enjoyed and long career as an author, speaker, and publisher. Two years before its publication, Twain had penned “Extracts from Adam’s Diary” (also available on Litreading). Shortly thereafter his wife of 34 years, Olivia (Lily) died. While he never explicitly said as much, many believe this to be his final love letter to her.

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43 min
December 30, 2022 Uncle Richard's New Year Dinner by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The end of the old year and the start of the new has traditionally been seen as an opportunity to start fresh by setting aside old grievances and moving forward with a clean slate.
12 min