121 episodes
LitReading - Classic Short Stories Don McDonald
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- Fiction
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4.8 • 274 Ratings
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Humans have shared stories for millennia. For most of that time, telling tales was a verbal process. A storyteller would regale an audience with accounts of adventure, bravery, compassion, despair, enlightenment, and fear. Stories were a shared experience, until the advent of inexpensive mass-printing processes in the 19th century which allowed most of us to read to ourselves. Yet, that desire to have a story read aloud is still ingrained in our collective soul.
While we still read books for pleasure, most of today’s stories are told via newer forms of visual media like movies and television. Consuming stories via any visual medium requires an active commitment to the process. You probably shouldn’t read a book or watch a TV program while driving, but your brain still craves a good story.
An audio book is suitable for a long road trip. But what about those times when you only have a few minutes? Enter the audio short story.
Allow me to help you fill those moments and fulfill your need for a captivating tale with readings of some of the world’s greatest literary masters best brief works.
My love of the spoken word has been honed by a more than 30-year career in radio and voice acting with a modicum of performance passion from decades of stage performances.
This venture is my hobby (I have a great full-time job), so much of the content is free of cost. I hope you enjoy them.
If you would like to share thoughts or comments, please drop me a line. If you enjoy these stories, please spread the word, subscribe, and leave a review on your favorite podcast service.
Thanks for stopping by,
Don McDonald
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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.
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A Visit from St. Nicholas or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas - A Classic Christmas Verse
You've heard it dozens of times, so why not once more. Here's a Visit from St. Nicholas, was it penned by Clement Moore?
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Christmas Every Day by William Dean Powells
For many children, Christmas is the best day of the year. Yet, often it’s for selfish reasons. Some kids like it so much that they might wish that Christmas day might never end. One little girl father explains what it might be like if it was “Christmas Every Day” by William Dean Howells.
William Dean Howells was a proponent of literary realism. Called “The Dean of American Letters’” he was a playwright, author, critic andThe Atlantic magazine’s third editor.
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Jimmy Scarecrow's Christmas by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
While this is primarily a story for children, Christmas is the perfect time to explore our inner child and share that spirit with today’s kids. This story originally appeared on my Readastorus podcast.
Being a scarecrow is a hard enough job in the best of times, but when winter comes, it can be miserable. Yet, for one scarecrow, a frosty Christmas brought a wonderful opportunity.
Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman started writing children’s stories as a teenager to help support her family. She went on to become one of the premier female authors of the late-19th century.
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Reginald's Christmas Revel by Saki
This holiday tale features Reginald, a fictional young-man born to the Victorian upper crust in England, who finds himself at a stuffy family Christmas party and tries to liven things up a bit.
Saki, the pen name of British author H.H. Munroe, loved skewering the upper class, wielding the weapon of character’s like Reginald, who appeared in several of his short stories.
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A Stolen Christmas by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - A Classic Christmas Story
Sometimes we fall so far that we are tempted to cross lines we never would have in better times. Feelings of inadequacy can become particularly acute during the holiday season, when we see so much apparent happiness. Our next story about one woman’s fall from grace and her Christmas redemption.
Brilliant short story author, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman ’s "A Stolen Christmas" was published in Harper's Bazaar on December 24, 1887
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Customer Reviews
5 star podcast
The hosts voice and pace is just right. Truly a treasure in this day and age for classic and fairly unknown authors of the past. If I had to describe this podcast in one word it would be brilliant. Please keep up the great work because it is needed and much appreciated. My only suggestion would be to possibly add a brief history of the author before telling their story or giving a brief overview of the day to day in that point of history when the book was published.
Excellent Podcast
Thank you for the delightful and rare Christmas stories. It has been refreshing to hearl little known works by fine authors of past generations. This podcast is a real treasure trove of high quality short fiction. I’ve enjoyed every story thus far. The reader’s fine voice adds to the listening experience. Thank you! Sandra Bush, Parkersburg, WV.
Christmas stories
OK podcast if you like Christmas stories.