Literature is filled with talented novelists who can spin tales that lasts hundreds and hundreds of pages, but many writers will tell you that it's harder to write a short story or essay than a novel. When a short story is good, when it's really good, it can pack an incredible punch. Which is why it's especially incredible to read your favorite author tackle the art of the short story or essay.

Short fiction and nonfiction pieces can be read in so many different ways. You're welcome to blaze through the entire book in one sitting, as you would a novel. But you can also take it one piece at a time. You can fit the stories or essay in between work and school and chores. You can read one piece a night before going to bed. The possibilities are endless.

For me, when I really love an author, I want to devour everything they've ever written — be it an essay, a short story, a poem, or a note they wrote to their mom when they were eight years old. It can be incredibly rewarding to read an author's different forms of writing. You can really see how they develop their voice and their craft, and you can get new perspectives on the novels that you love so much.

When it comes literature, it's absolutely true that you can find great big things in small packages. So, stop what you're doing and pick up one of these fantastic collections by an author that you already know and love.

'Feel Free' by Zadie Smith Broken into five sections — In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free — this essay collection from Zadie Smith asks some pretty darn important questions (and provides some brilliant answers) about the world we live in. Click here to buy.

'How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays' by Alexander Chee If you love Chee's Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night, try out this collection of essays about how the lessons he's learned that have shaped him into the writer he is today. Click here to buy.

'You Think It, I'll Say It' by Curtis Sittenfeld You probably know Sittenfeld from her novels, like Eligible and Prep. So you'll definitely want to devour this collection of short stories by the author, filled with bold female characters who you'll connect with instantly. Click here to buy.

'Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales' by Tamora Pierce Every Tamora Pierce fan needs to get their hands on this collection of short stories set in the realm of Tortall. Knights, magic, intrigue—these stories have everything you love about Pierce's novels. Click here to buy.

'Trigger Warning' by Neil Gaiman Is there anything Neil Gaiman doesn't write? Novels, screenplays, graphic novels, essays, and (of course) short stories. The author's imaginative style is at its best in this eerie collection. Click here to buy.

'Paris for One and Other Stories' by Jojo Moyes The author of Me Before You delivers a delicious dose of short fiction in this dreamy, romantic collection. Click here to buy.

'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri Don't you just want to soak in Jhumpa Lahiri's beautiful prose? You probably know this Pulitzer Prize–winning author from her novels, including The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies, but these eight stories pack just as much of an emotional punch. Click here to buy.

'Stone Mattress: Nine Tales' by Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood is another one of those authors who can do absolutely anything. She's at her absolute best in this collection of short stories, each one as potent and prescient as her most famous work, The Handmaid's Tale. Click here to buy.

'What is Not Yours is Not Yours' by Helen Oyeyemi Boy, Snow, Bird and Mr. Fox author Helen Oyeyemi truly shines in this collection of imaginative short stories. Click here to buy.

'The Thing Around Your Neck' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Americanah author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's writing comes alive in this fantastic collection of short stories that span from Nigeria to the United States. Click here to buy.

'The Elephant Vanishes' by Haruki Murakami As pensive and strange as his novels, this Murakami short story collection will definitely give you something to think about. Click here to buy.

'Full Dark, No Stars' by Stephen King You know Stephen King for all of his best-selling thriller and horror novels, but he's also the master of the short story. These four dark short stories pack all the suspense we love from King, in a shorter format. Click here to buy.

'This is the Story of a Happy Marriage' by Ann Patchett Ann Patchett blends literature and memoir to share stories from her life. If you've read any of Patchett's novels, you know that you can expect astounding emotional breadth from this book. Click here to buy.

'Small Wonder' by Barbara Kingsolver In this gem of an essay collection, author of The Poisonwood Bible explores all the small and big wonders of life, from the Grand Canyon to her vegetable garden. Click here to buy.

'No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters' by Ursula K. Le Guin In this essay collection, the late Ursula K. Le Guin covers "aging, belief, the state of literature, and the state of the nation." Whew, if anyone can tackle all those issues with precision and humor, it's her. Click here to buy.

'The Origin of Others' by Toni Morrison Nobel laureate Toni Morrison reflects on the themes that characterize her work — race, fear, borders, and more — in this outstanding essay collection. Click here to buy.