Leo Tolstoy 
What Men Live By and Other Tales 

Tolstoy wrote some incredible novels, but these little fables are quick to read and simply told. The most memorable one describes the fate of a man who lets his greed get the best of him. These four short stories, (What Men Live By, Three Questions, The Coffee-House of Surat, and How Much Land Does a Man Need?) are well worth reading, re-reading, and mulling over.