I don't know why but I never choose short stories and yet when I do chance to read them I enjoy them. I shall try it again, especially as I too have sleep trouble and maybe it is because "I learned to read for pleasure".

James Thurber's (American, 20th century) essays and stories are hilarious.

William Hazlitt (English, 18th-19th century) is reckoned to be one of the best essayists ever. Amongst the many subjects he writes on, his reminiscences of the English Lake poets are fascinating.

There are/were so many excellent short story writers it's hard to make a short list, but here are a few names, English, American, Welsh, Irish - all of whom write very differently:

Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Stan Barstow, Edgar Allan Poe, Daphne du Maurier, Dylan Thomas.

Dido

My favorite books of essays are by Anne Fadiman, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader (which I cannot recommend highly enough - all the essays are about books and they're fabulous) and her newest book, At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays.

I've also enjoyed Richardson Little Wright's Gardener's Bed Book which is arranged with a very short essay for each day of the year followed by one or two lines of gardening advice.

I also read "I was Told There'd be Cake" by Sloan Crossley which was mostly very funny. I really like the story of the plastic pony collection myself.

Essays can be very entertaining when you're not sure what you want to read as they can have a bit of everything inside them.

I just remembered Maya Angelou's stories are good reading also. She is one author that I hear her voice as I am reading her stories.

I always enjoy Joseph Epstein's essays when I come across them. I don't know if they've been collected into book form though.