Épisodes

  • A Chance of Death–a Modern Short Story by Don McDonald

    A Chance of Death–a Modern Short Story by Don McDonald
    Sep 23 2025

    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. It was only the recent advances in AI that allowed me to take one of the stories rattling around in my brain and give it real form and substance. The story is entirely mine, but AI gave me a wise collaborator to help bring it to life. 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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    27 min
  • Araby—a Classic Short Story by James Joyce

    Araby—a Classic Short Story by James Joyce
    Sep 22 2025
    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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    15 min
  • A Case of Premeditation–a Classic Short Story by R. Austin Freeman

    A Case of Premeditation–a Classic Short Story by R. Austin Freeman
    Sep 21 2025
    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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    1 h et 7 min
  • The Clock That Went Backward—a Classic Short Story by Edward Page Mitchell

    The Clock That Went Backward—a Classic Short Story by Edward Page Mitchell
    Sep 20 2025
    For much of human existence we have questioned the concept of time. Is it always a constant or can it be manipulated, allowing us to move forward or backward chronologically. In this 19th century story, two cousins speculate about the age of their aunt whom they visited regularly, until they discovered the secrets of her old clock.

    In 1881, several years before H.G. Wells even started writing his classic, “The Time Machine,” newspaper editor Edward Page Mitchell published his time travel story anonymously in his newspaper “The New York Sun.” Considered to be the true father of science fiction, Mitchell had penned stories about traveling father that light (1874), artificial intelligence and cryogenics (1879). Look for more stories from this lesser known sci-fi master in future episodes.

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    35 min
  • The Model Millionaire–a Classic Short Story by Oscar Wilde

    The Model Millionaire–a Classic Short Story by Oscar Wilde
    Sep 19 2025
    There is a power that comes from giving without expectation of reward.
    A self-sacrificing spirit is the theme for Irish author Oscar Wilde’s short story.

    The Model Millionaire first appeared in print in the newspaper The World in June 1887. The story’s author, Oscar Wilde, was one of the 19th century’s most famous authors and playrights penning works like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.
    Late in his life, Wilde served almost two years at hard labor after being convicting of violating England’s draconian laws against homosexual behavior. He died just over three years after his release at age 46.

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    14 min
  • The Rocking Horse Winner–a Classic Short Story by D.H. Lawrence

    The Rocking Horse Winner–a Classic Short Story by D.H. Lawrence
    Sep 18 2025
    Note from Don: Listening back to this story before posting it, I have to say that it moved me more than most – and I spent a few days reading, narrating, and editing it.

    "The Rocking Horse Winner" entered the public domain at the beginning of 2022 and is considered one of the all-time best stories. It’s about a young boy’s dysfunctional relationship with his parents, under stress for living well beyond their means.

    Like most great short stories, The Rocking Horse winner has it's roots in the author's own childhood. His well-educated mother expressed similar frustrations with Lawrence’s blue collar father.

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    39 min
  • Four Men In A Cave-a Classic Short Story by Stephen Crane

    Four Men In A Cave-a Classic Short Story by Stephen Crane
    Sep 17 2025
    Mankind has always loved to explore sometimes crossing great wildernesses, but more often just poking around in our own backyards. This light-hearted tale is about a group of men who decide to investigate a local cave and literally stumble across a huge surprise.

    Stephen Crane was born years after the US Civil War ended, but is best known for his stirring 1895 Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Crane was also a prolific writer of short stories, many of which ranged from actual war stories to the more personal battles of people against the wilderness or themselves.

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    13 min
  • The Girl and the Photograph–a Classic Short Story by Lucy Maud Montgomery

    The Girl and the Photograph–a Classic Short Story by Lucy Maud Montgomery
    Sep 16 2025
    A fleeting glimpse in the pines, a photograph stolen from a friend’s mantel, and a correspondence born from mistaken identity—The Girl and the Photograph by Lucy Maud Montgomery is no simple tale of memory. It’s about the way chance, error, and destiny conspire to test a heart’s fidelity. What begins as a love nurtured by letters and a photograph turns into a crisis of identity, and then, at the last moment, a revelation that love had been waiting patiently all along. This isn’t just about remembering a face—it’s about recognizing a soul when it finally stands before you.

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    23 min