There are two kinds of journeys: the ones that get you somewhere, and the ones that briefly take you somewhere else.
Stories to Read exists for the second kind.
This site will publish free, weekly short stories – humorous, slightly odd, occasionally touching – written to fit into the gaps of modern life. They are stories for waiting rooms, coffee queues, missed connections, delayed departures, and yes, trains. Especially trains.
Our first collection is Stories to Read on the Train, a series of tales carefully calibrated to the rhythm of rail travel. Short enough to finish between stations. Long enough to make you forget where you are for a moment. Designed to be read while someone nearby sighs loudly, rustles a pastry wrapper, or explains their life story into a phone on loudspeaker.
Some of these stories may cause a quiet chuckle. If so, please don’t panic. Simply pretend you’ve received an amusing text, or glance meaningfully at the window as though you’ve remembered something pleasant about your childhood.
For readers travelling between London and Brighton on the non-express service, these stories have been arranged – through no real scientific process -to fill the precise gaps between stations, assuming the reading speed of an average small adult. Your results may vary if you skim, reread sentences unnecessarily, or become distracted by tunnels.
New stories will arrive weekly. They’re free. All you need to do is subscribe, and they’ll appear in your inbox like a polite companion who knows when to stop talking.
All aboard.
The book has been delayed due to leaves on the track.
Stories to Read... 