This week, I’ve found myself wishing I could be a little more French. While there are many wonderful and worthwhile possibilities for this wish the reason du jour (see what I did there?) is because in Grenoble, France, they have short-story vending machines and they are awesome. These machines are setup in commuter stations and spit out stories (in French, naturally) based on the length of your commute. You can choose a 1, 3, or 5 minute story (approximately, since everyone reads at his/her own pace) to accompany you on your travels. Word has spread and these vending machines are now even a bit of a tourist attraction and who can blame them when the concept is just so cool?

As a reader, I’ve always wished that I was more into short stories than I am. As a librarian and someone who spends some of her free time discovering new books through articles, podcasts (here’s a personal favorite of mine) and general internet rovings, some short story collections come across my notice and too often, I tend to pass them by. It’s tempting because short stories are, well, short. They make it seem like it will be nothing to read them, but often, much like poetry, their length belies their depth. Bottom line, short stories can be work for the reader and unlike a novel that can give you more to unfold, a short story leaves you with precious little to go on while still trying to impart a meaningful idea.

This is not to say, however, that I’m completely recalcitrant towards short stories. I’ve recently found myself enjoying them more and, again, much like poetry, I think it’s a matter of finding what appeals to you and your reading style. My first step to try and infuse short stories into my reading life was by exploring stories written by authors I know and have enjoyed. I’ve also found some terrific online resources for short fiction that make the process a little easier. Much like the short-story vending machines, these can be digested during a quick break or when I have a few moments, but not necessarily enough time to feel like I can delve into a book. When I asked my friends about their transit reading habits, one of them responded about liking short stories during her commute for this exact same reason.

Given the vastness of the internet, there are likely infinite possibilities for finding short stories on the web, but I’ve come across a few that may spark your interest. Some of the stories are curated, some are open entry and others may even be works in progress. I can’t offer them to you you based on the amount of time you have, but hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy something from these options anyway:

Maple Tree Literary Supplement: curated site that offers free access to its essays, poetry and fiction. It came across my desk in a Letter to the Editor in Library Journal when one of the authors in this supplement noted that his short story is available to read for free online, but is unlikely to end up in a collection anytime soon, which means library traditionally wouldn’t offer access to his fiction. Hopefully this is at least, in some small part, a remedy to that dilemma.

Catapult:  similar site to the Maple Tree, but it’s run by a publishing endeavor that curates its content. This content includes how-tos, writing encouragement and community offerings.

Electric Literature:  a non-profit organization that offers and eclectic combination of features, recommendations and original fiction.

Wattpad: an uncurated site that connects readers with stories and gives them the opportunity to post writings as well. You may encounter some works in progress, so you have the option to filter just completed works.

Short Story Thursdays:  is what initially re-piqued my interest in reading short stories because why wouldn’t I have time for 1 short story once a week? The founder and selector of the  stories chooses only public domain short-stories so what you get is mostly “classics” but always interesting. This is an e-mail only offering (it is free and as I long-time subscriber I have never received anything from Tomsky outside of the one email each Thursday). A quick note on SST: the content of the stories can be read privately on an e-reader or tablet, the profanity-infused introductions to each story in the e-mail is definitely NSFW (not safe for work). While any story has the possibility of profanity based on the author’s artistic goals, I felt it fair to warn you of this particular instance since the stories are often “clean” but profanity in the e-mails is all but guaranteed.

If you’re looking for more traditionally formatted short stories, here’s a small sample of collections you can find at the South Branch:

100 Years of the Best American Short Stories

This collection has been an institution for, well, 100 years, collecting what the editors consider to be the best short fiction by American writers. You’ll find plenty of recognizable names here, plus a few that might surprise you.

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman

This is what I mean when I talk about finding an author I love and trying out that author’s short fiction. Gaiman didn’t disappoint with this collection. His introduction alone, I think makes it worth taking a look at this book. Plus, he narrates the audiobook, which I’ve mentioned adds just a little extra magic to his books.

Ghostly by Audrey Niffenegger

I’ve mentioned this collection before, but it’s such a unique blend of old and new that I think it’s worth mentioning again. Ghosts can come in many different forms, and this book runs the gamut form traditional specters to is-it-or-isn’t-it personal hauntings.

This weekend, dear readers, consider spending a brief moment of your downtime with a short story. Perhaps you’ll feel a bit more French, or perhaps you’ll discover something new. In my humble opinion, any time spent reading is time well spent, so perhaps this may be a way to infuse a bit more reading into a busy life.