Good Stories to Read?

FatGuy · 11-21-2014, 01:02 AM

Hi all, I don't have much real life experience so I want to read someone else's experiences in the form of written stories. Could someone please recommend a good book or website that I can read? I just want some interesting or funny stories.

Thanks for any help!

rkomar · 11-21-2014, 05:09 AM

It would help if you gave some examples of stories that you liked. I don't think there's a universal standard in tastes. One man's meat is another man's poison.

rollei · 11-21-2014, 01:29 PM

Pick up any biography. You get to read someone else's real life experiences especially of those times before he/she made it famous.

Angst · 11-21-2014, 05:40 PM

If you like animals, I recommend James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. The story of an English country veterinarian, who can tell a very amusing story. And if you like the book, there are more in the series.

curtw · 11-21-2014, 11:14 PM

For Funny, there's always Jean Shepherd (author/narrator of "A Christmas Story.") Most of his books are available in Kindle version, and a ton of his OTR recordings are available free on archive.org on other sies as well.

Interesting, but definitely not funny, is Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries. Interesting how the second-best high-school basketball player in NYC at the time (after Lew Alcindor) nearly destroyed himself with heroin, but managed to come back as a punk-rock poet.

FatGuy · 12-03-2014, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkomar

It would help if you gave some examples of stories that you liked. I don't think there's a universal standard in tastes. One man's meat is another man's poison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rollei

Pick up any biography. You get to read someone else's real life experiences especially of those times before he/she made it famous.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angst

If you like animals, I recommend James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. The story of an English country veterinarian, who can tell a very amusing story. And if you like the book, there are more in the series.

Quote:

Originally Posted by curtw

For Funny, there's always Jean Shepherd (author/narrator of "A Christmas Story.") Most of his books are available in Kindle version, and a ton of his OTR recordings are available free on archive.org on other sies as well.

Interesting, but definitely not funny, is Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries. Interesting how the second-best high-school basketball player in NYC at the time (after Lew Alcindor) nearly destroyed himself with heroin, but managed to come back as a punk-rock poet.

Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking for some funny or interesting stories so that I can get ideas from so that I can create my own stories.

Are there any biographies people could recommend?
I just want some brief and basic stories!

FatGuy · 12-03-2014, 02:22 AM

I guess I'm looking for 'short stories' as I have ADD...

curtw · 12-03-2014, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatGuy

I guess I'm looking for 'short stories' as I have ADD...

The Jean Shepherd radio stories would be ideal then.

https://archive.org/details/JeanShepherd1965Pt1

http://www.myoldradio.com/old-radio-...ean-shepherd/1

cromag · 12-04-2014, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatGuy

...

I'm looking for some funny or interesting stories so that I can get ideas from so that I can create my own stories.

Are there any biographies people could recommend?
I just want some brief and basic stories!

You might look for anything by Roy Chapman Andrews. It has often been suggested that he served as the model for Indiana Jones.

From Wikipedia:

Quote:

Roy Chapman Andrews (January 26, 1884 – March 11, 1960) was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He is primarily known for leading a series of expeditions through the fragmented China of the early 20th century into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia. The expeditions made important discoveries and brought the first-known fossil dinosaur eggs to the museum. His popular writings about his adventures made him famous.
...

Very interesting, but probably not brief or basic. Still, I like them!

Nancy Fulda · 12-04-2014, 05:23 AM

If you're into sci-fi, you might take a look at the Unidentified Funny Objects anthologies.

I believe Escape Pod publishes humorous fiction from time to time. They do audio and web editions both.

FatGuy · 12-05-2014, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy Fulda

If you're into sci-fi, you might take a look at the Unidentified Funny Objects anthologies.

I believe Escape Pod publishes humorous fiction from time to time. They do audio and web editions both.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cromag

You might look for anything by Roy Chapman Andrews. It has often been suggested that he served as the model for Indiana Jones.

From Wikipedia:

Very interesting, but probably not brief or basic. Still, I like them!

Quote:

Originally Posted by curtw

The Jean Shepherd radio stories would be ideal then.

https://archive.org/details/JeanShepherd1965Pt1

http://www.myoldradio.com/old-radio-...ean-shepherd/1

Thanks all. I just want some super basic funny or interesting stories so I can get ideas to create my own and tell my friends.

FatGuy · 12-05-2014, 03:43 AM

I'm basically just looking for some interesting or funny stories from day to day life. I'm not really after amazing and death defying stories.

FatGuy · 12-05-2014, 03:46 AM

I'm looking at this now, but there seems to be just so many stories that I don't know where to begin... https://archive.org/details/JeanShepherd1965Pt1

Could someone please recommend a short and funny story?

Thanks!

crich70 · 12-05-2014, 03:23 PM

O. Henry's works are usually short and at least some of them have an element of humor in them.

NickyWithNook · 12-06-2014, 11:04 PM

Not short stories, but something that you can read in chunks - anything by Bill Bryson. He has a bunch of books where he travels and talks about the places he goes. They're hilarious.

11-21-2014, 01:02 AM	#1
FatGuy Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 1804362 Join Date: Nov 2014 Device: iPad Mini 3	Good Stories to Read? Hi all, I don't have much real life experience so I want to read someone else's experiences in the form of written stories. Could someone please recommend a good book or website that I can read? I just want some interesting or funny stories. Thanks for any help!

11-21-2014, 11:14 PM	#5
curtw Outside of a dog Posts: 871 Karma: 4457646 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston, TX Device: Kindle Voyage	For Funny, there's always Jean Shepherd (author/narrator of "A Christmas Story.") Most of his books are available in Kindle version, and a ton of his OTR recordings are available free on archive.org on other sies as well. Interesting, but definitely not funny, is Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries. Interesting how the second-best high-school basketball player in NYC at the time (after Lew Alcindor) nearly destroyed himself with heroin, but managed to come back as a punk-rock poet. Last edited by curtw; 11-21-2014 at 11:20 PM.

12-04-2014, 05:23 AM	#10
Nancy Fulda I write stories. Posts: 700 Karma: 16437432 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern Germany Device: kindle	If you're into sci-fi, you might take a look at the Unidentified Funny Objects anthologies. I believe Escape Pod publishes humorous fiction from time to time. They do audio and web editions both. Last edited by Nancy Fulda; 12-05-2014 at 02:43 AM. Reason: Fixed formatting on hyperlinks.

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11-21-2014, 05:09 AM	#2
rkomar Wizard Posts: 3,054 Karma: 18821071 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Sudbury, ON, Canada Device: PRS-505, PB 902, PRS-T1, PB 623, PB 840, PB 633	It would help if you gave some examples of stories that you liked. I don't think there's a universal standard in tastes. One man's meat is another man's poison.

11-21-2014, 01:29 PM	#3
rollei Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 1000210 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Kobo	Pick up any biography. You get to read someone else's real life experiences especially of those times before he/she made it famous.

11-21-2014, 05:40 PM	#4
Angst Cannon Fodder Posts: 2,878 Karma: 52253556 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Probably a library Device: PRS-350, Kindle DX, Kindle Paperwhite	If you like animals, I recommend James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. The story of an English country veterinarian, who can tell a very amusing story. And if you like the book, there are more in the series.

12-03-2014, 02:22 AM	#7
FatGuy Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 1804362 Join Date: Nov 2014 Device: iPad Mini 3	I guess I'm looking for 'short stories' as I have ADD...

12-05-2014, 03:43 AM	#12
FatGuy Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 1804362 Join Date: Nov 2014 Device: iPad Mini 3	I'm basically just looking for some interesting or funny stories from day to day life. I'm not really after amazing and death defying stories.

12-05-2014, 03:46 AM	#13
FatGuy Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 1804362 Join Date: Nov 2014 Device: iPad Mini 3	I'm looking at this now, but there seems to be just so many stories that I don't know where to begin... https://archive.org/details/JeanShepherd1965Pt1 Could someone please recommend a short and funny story? Thanks!

12-05-2014, 03:23 PM	#14
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	O. Henry's works are usually short and at least some of them have an element of humor in them.

12-06-2014, 11:04 PM	#15
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	Not short stories, but something that you can read in chunks - anything by Bill Bryson. He has a bunch of books where he travels and talks about the places he goes. They're hilarious.