Short stories are, in my opinion, an extremely underrated genre. They are quick to read when one does not have much time, generally have interesting plots, and tend to be quite philosophical and/or thought-provoking. A lot of action is squeezed into a small space- as a result, plots are usually fast-paced and don't lag. As an added bonus, short stories are often combined into one bigger book, along with other stories about similar topics. They are, in short (no pun intended) the instant gratification of the literary world.
What do you think about short stories? Are they fun to read, or do the ideas tend to be underdeveloped? How does reading short stories compare to reading novels? Any thoughts on writing short stories? Or any good ones you might have read?