32 Short Books to Help You Win Your Reading Challenge

Posted by Marie on December 4, 2017


The end of the year is fast approaching, which means there are only a few weeks left to reach your 2017 Reading Challenge Goal! But don't worry if you're a couple of books (or more) behind schedule. We're serving up a huge variety of short books by authors from around the globe—from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists to Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The best part? They're all fewer than 250 pages and ordered from shortest to longest—you'll get back on track in no time.

So don't fret, fellow bookworms! We're cheering for you from the sidelines. Your assured victory is within sight and within reach.

(52 pages)

(72 pages)

(74 pages)

(96 pages)

(112 pages)

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(128 pages)

(142 pages)

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(192 pages)

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(206 pages)

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(222 pages)

(226 pages)

(228 pages)

(240 pages)

Have a quick read that you'd like to recommend? Share it with us in the comments below!

Check out more recent blogs:
The Best Young Adult Books in November
24 Books that Won NaNoWriMo
16 Books to Read After You Binge-Watch Stranger Things

Comments Showing 51-82 of 82 (82 new)

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message 51: by Heather (new)

Heather Hiroshima by John Hersey


message 52: by Courtney (new)

Courtney Candide- Voltaire


message 53: by Dave (last edited Dec 07, 2017 08:43PM) (new)

Dave I read Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" during part of an airport layover. It reads quickly and is less than 200 pages, but damn, he packs a lot in there. My favorite Steinbeck novel!


message 54: by Allie (new)

Allie If you want a quick read for the holidays, A Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman is a great choice! It’s less than 100 pages, and I’m pretty sure like half the page count is actually a preview of Beartown (also a great book, but that’s a lot longer).


message 55: by Donna (new)

Donna Van houten As far as the remarkable Miss Christie goes, I usually grab whichever is reachable from the bed, the chair, the trunk of my car.....Whatever's handy. There is usually a referral to another book, character, or situation that guides the choice of the next book. If not, I just close my eyes and reach again. New books: Anne Hillerman has a new, and rather SHORT (291pp) Song of the Lion. It's one of a series, but each book stands alone very well; Dean Koontz, The Silent Corner; Stephen King (with talented offspring Owen) Sleeping Beauties, a very large book, but it doesn't read "long". Kathy Reichs, Two Nights", not a Bones Book. Has anyone read The Party by Robyn Harding? I keep starting it and then wandering off. I have been reading a bit more - whatever I can get to from the bed, the wheelchair, or my terribly worn but so, so comfortable recliner. Hope to be ambulatory again by Christmas. Merry Holidays to all. 🎄 ❄ 😊


message 56: by Patricia (new)

Patricia Barbara wrote: "I just read News of the World by Paulette Jiles. It is 209 pages so qualifies as short. I really enjoyed it! Rated 4.17 on Goodreads."

I really enjoyed News of the World also...a great short read!


message 57: by Raven (new)

Raven 13 books to go in 3 weeks, I have to try my best! I will start with Annhilation and A monster calls. Any suggestions for some short reads in fantasy?


message 58: by Chris (new)

Chris P Steinbeck's "The Pearl"
"Train Dreams" by Dennis Johnson
"Julius Winsome" by Gerard Donovan
"Ethan Frome" by Willa Cather
"So Long See you Tomorrow" by William Maxwell

I have to admit American authors are the masters of the novella world !


message 59: by AGMaynard (new)

AGMaynard Lakhsesis wrote: "13 books to go in 3 weeks, I have to try my best! I will start with Annhilation and A monster calls. Any suggestions for some short reads in fantasy?"

Allegory....Orwell's Animal Farm. Read long ago in high school and listened to again this year.


message 60: by Donna (new)

Donna Van houten When I was in high school, I was involved in a messy but not particularly serious auto accident. One of my teachers, a lovely nun who didn't get out much, brought me a gift from the school library (she was the librarian). It was"How to Read a Book". After I got about halfway through it, I swore I'd never read another book! Of course, that (obviously) didn't last long. Current "pleasure" read is a lovely mystery, "Down the Darkest Road" by Tami Hoag. Not much blood, but lots of twists and turns.


message 61: by Barbara (new)

Barbara Havrot "Remainder" by Tom McCarthy. I read about this book on a TED talk website of books favourited by presenters. I read it well over a year ago and it still surfaces in my thoughts from time to time. A great read.


message 62: by AGMaynard (new)

AGMaynard H.G. Wells "The Invisible Man"--192 pages.


message 63: by Robert (new)

Robert Lambert I was going to suggest Animal Farm by Orwell but some one else did so I concur. Also
Of Mice and Men and The Red Pony both by Steinbeck.


message 64: by Valeria (new)

Valeria Laurino Ohh, Fever Dream was included! Nice to see a modern Argentine author amongst so many classics. It's a fantastic book.


message 65: by Raymond (new)

Raymond Mary Beard's Women & Power A Manifesto by Mary Beard .


message 66: by Pratiksha (last edited Dec 26, 2017 08:34AM) (new)


message 67: by Samia (new)

Samia Robin Sharma’s Little Black Book of Stunning Success - only 51 pages!


message 68: by Alisa (new)

Alisa Raymond wrote: "Mary Beard's Women & Power A Manifesto by Mary Beard."

Good choice! Just finished it, a short but worthwhile read.


message 69: by Jessica (new)

Jessica Grant Thank you so much for this! I just saw the article, and I'm 18 books behind. :D I can do this!!


message 70: by Jessica (new)

Jessica Izaguirre Thanks so much for this list! Although it would've been a lot more helpful a couple of months ago, but I managed to find some short books for my challenge.
Human Acts is one of my favorite books I read this year too! It is a hard read but so worth it.


message 71: by Selena (last edited Dec 26, 2017 02:03PM) (new)

Selena Pigoni Add to this any manga. Most are around 200 pages, and are comics. :)


message 72: by Rachel (new)

Rachel On Tyranny Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

Short, sweet and absolutely, positively terrifying.


message 73: by Library Nymph (last edited Dec 26, 2017 09:33PM) (new)

Library Nymph The Body in the Library is my favorite Miss Marple novel.

My suggestions: The Castles of Athlin and Dunbaynea by Ann Radcliffe and Girls' Poker Night by Jill A. Davis


message 74: by Rayjan (new)

Rayjan Koehler i am usually behind, but for a change i passed my challenge!

Goodluck to everyone still catching up, there are definitely a lot of good reads to choose from besides these- anywho happy reading!


message 75: by Devi (new)

Devi Anil wrote: "Thanks for suggesting these books. I have one question regarding Agatha Christie books. In order to read one of her Poirot series, should I have to start right from the first or is it okay to just ..."

You can read it from anywhere. Agatha Christie books are stand alones. But if you are an avid thriller fan, once you start her books, you will get addicted to her books. :)


message 76: by Jason (new)

Jason Short non-fiction books to help meet your Reading Challenge:
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown 138 pp
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis 191 pp
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman 203 pp
Learning to Love Yourself by Gay Hendricks 140 pp
Boundaries with Kids by Henry Cloud 223 pp
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 170 pp
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl 184 pp
The Dip by Seth Godin 80 pp

Profound parables:
The Anatomy of Peace by Arbinger Institute 231 pp
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson 96 pp
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg 133 pp
Cody by David K. Draper 88 pp
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach 112 pp

Fiction:
The Diary of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain 95 pp
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans 125 pp
Legion by Brandon Sanderson 88 pp
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson 175 pp
Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle 128 pp
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 211 pp
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey 192 pp
I, Robot by Issac Asimov 224 pp


message 77: by Danae (new)

Danae Little My novelette is super short...takes less than 2 hours to read if that helps anyone meet their goal! www.goodreads.com/book/show/35218530-...
I am going to set a goal for next year!


message 78: by Patricia (last edited Dec 30, 2017 06:08AM) (new)

Patricia Clarke Wonderful. Thanks for this post I bought Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination yesterday by J.K. Rowling. I look forward to her work and her perspective on her journey in life.


message 79: by Lisa (last edited Jan 04, 2018 03:08PM) (new)

Lisa White The Red Notebookbook:The Red Notebook|23129712]


message 80: by Lisamarie (new)

Lisamarie Chorowiec Hi I just released my first book, so this is all new to me. I would love to get some opinions. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1640828060/...
2 minutes ago


message 81: by Tamarindo (new)

Tamarindo The Pearl (96 pages) by Steinbeck, also Of Mice and Men (112) by same. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (160) by Carson McCullers. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jean Dominique Bauby, also 160.


message 82: by Deepa (new)

Deepa If you see me, don't say hi.


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