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88 Short New Books to Help You Crush Your 2022 Reading Challenge
Time is ticking! If you’re currently participating in the 2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge, autumn is a good season to check your progress and pace.
If you find you’re a bit behind, no worries. There are many ways to accelerate your book count in the reading challenge. Add another hour or so each day to your designated book time. Or take up speed reading and skip all those pesky adverbs and adjectives. (We kid! Please don't skip the adverbs and adjectives!) Caffeine is always a friend.
Or you could switch over to shorter books, and that’s what we have in mind here. Lighter page counts can have a marvelous effect on your overall reading challenge numbers. The books here are all published within the past five years in the U.S. and the list is divided into two sections: books with fewer than 200 pages, and books with fewer than 300 pages.
The titles wander all over the genre map, so hopefully you can make a quick stack for the stretch run. Oh, if you want to see how you're doing with this year's challenge, just click on the link below.
Scroll over the book covers to learn more about each title, and add the ones that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf!
Books with fewer than 200 pages
Books with fewer than 300 pages
Which books will you be reading before the end of the year (and to complete your 2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge)? Share your picks with us in the comments below!
And be sure to check out more recent articles.
And be sure to check out more recent articles.
Comments Showing 1-47 of 47 (47 new)
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Leticia
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Oct 27, 2022 01:29AM
Of these I read The Echo Wife and Nightbitch and both books pack a punch of feels really deep! 5 stars!
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You could also add to the less than 300 pages section:Ways to Live Forever
Kensuke's Kingdom
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The House on Mango Street
The Shape of Thunder
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
These are the ones I could think about at the moment :)
I recommend the Amazon Orginal Stories Collections for those with Amazon Prime.They are great pallet cleansers between works, gap fillers when you're unsure what to read next, or general entertainment (for the most part). They are also quite helpful for adding additional titles for your challenges.
100% recommend “how not to drown in a glass of water”!!!!
The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark.
Just started Stories from the Tenants Downstairs, and it is already a page turner. *Just* over 200 pages.I have The Past is Red and Notes on Grief at home, waiting to be read.
Working at a library is both amazing and debilitating. LOL
Or just stop thinking about social media-driven performance optics.I HATE that GR does this bit every year.
Ugh.
Read like no one is following you.
Jim wrote: "Or just stop thinking about social media-driven performance optics.I HATE that GR does this bit every year.
Ugh.
Read like no one is following you."
I like this.
One of my goals for next year is to read more "chunksters" on my TBR.
Jim wrote: "Or just stop thinking about social media-driven performance optics.I HATE that GR does this bit every year.
Ugh.
Read like no one is following you."
Or just ignore the posts you don't care for or don't align with your reading goals.
There is also the sequel to A Spindle Splintered (by Alix E. Harrow) - A Mirror Mended. Great fun.
Jim wrote: "Or just stop thinking about social media-driven performance optics.I HATE that GR does this bit every year.
Ugh.
Read like no one is following you."
I do. I also do a reading challenge because it's fun, like being a kid with a summer reading program at the library. It's the personal satisfaction of finishing books, and it's a reminder not to wait to read that book that I just know is going to resonate with me. And a reminder not to get totally lost in scrolling or videos when I could be enjoying a book or graphic novel more. I literally do not care if anyone who follows me even notices how many books I read, nor could I hope to compete with those who read 100, 200 books a year--and I don't think I'm better than those who aim to read five!
It's fun to cheer each other on, bringing a little sociability to an inherently solo activity, but in the end it's hardly about "performance optics". Just the joy of reading. If it doesn't bring you joy to set a goal, simply don't. :)
any books by Cindi Myers n Carolyn Brown are short books
Jon wrote: "each book is either written by a woman, black, brown or a jew. 🤔"I really do not understand your comment. So what? Who cares if I am white or purple? My blood is red if you need some. Why does gender, religion, or skin color metter to you? If the book is good, maybe a blue person wrote it. And I do not think your statement is true. How can you judge or prove the spiritual affiliations of these authors? They do not state what they believe. I am a Christian and try to live as one - therefore, it is my responsibility to call out people who are prejudiced or say things with no proof. By any chance are you related to Donald Trump? If this statement was a joke, it was not funny. peace, janz
I am not behind but if I were I would not choose a book based on its length. Pick books that you want to read. Reading is not a contest!
I've read My Sister the Serial Killer and Heaven and both were great - but completely different!
I highly recommend 'The Wife Upstairs' by Rachel Hawkins -- great read. Right now I'm reading 'The Chosen and the Beautiful' by Nghi Vo -- a take on 'The Great Gatsby' -- and on to 'Cackle' by Rachel Harrison.
Winners by Frederick Backman, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, and Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (I listen to one and read one each month).
Peacejanz wrote: "Jon wrote: "each book is either written by a woman, black, brown or a jew. 🤔"I really do not understand your comment. So what? Who cares if I am white or purple? My blood is red if you need some...."
So totally agree!
I would highly recommend Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These, Foster, and The Forester's Daughter, all much less than 200 pages and all brilliant.
I gave 5* to Broken and 4 to Hola Papa and really enjoyed both. Recommend!
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is a fantastic book based on Edgar Alan Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. This may be a heresy, but I think What Moves the Dead is better than Fall of the House of Usher. Under 200 pages.
Teresa wrote: "The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark."I re-read that every year, usually on holiday. There are lots of short Muriel Spark’s worth reading.
Would be VERY helpful if this was at least separated into Fiction and Non Fiction to assist we who only read one genre
I have read so many more books but am having difficulty trying to figure out how to add them to the Reading Challenge!
As a person who does not suffer from "nobibliophobia" (Yes, it's a made up word. It means the fear of having no books.), I am rarely at a loss for a new book to read, or an older book to revisit. However, I always appreciate the lists of books that GR posts and the recommendations of other readers. These lists and recommendations always lead me to new authors and sometimes new genres that I might never have found on my own. So here are my recommendations: anything by Susanna Kearsley, Ryhs Bowen, Steve Berry, Lee Childs, James Rollins, or Michael Connley; the Breakthrough series by Michael Grumley; and for those looking for quick fun reads, the Bibliomystery series by various authors.
Leslie wrote: "I have read so many more books but am having difficulty trying to figure out how to add them to the Reading Challenge!"If you mean that you have already met your challenge and want to keep adding to the number of books you have read, all you need to do is keep listing them as you read them and then post when you are finished. GR will then keep adding the number to your books read and at the end of the year you will have 100% plus.
Peacejanz wrote: "Jon wrote: "each book is either written by a woman, black, brown or a jew. 🤔"I really do not understand your comment. So what? Who cares if I am white or purple? My blood is red if you need some...."
Thank you for calling this sexist, racist, antisemitic comment out. You are absolutely right. This type of comment needs to be called out each and every time it is heard. This is not about free speech, it is about affirming the humanity in all people. Thank you, again.
For me, short books are sometimes my gateway to discovering new authors and reading out of my comfort zone. I might not want to read a 600 page book by someone I have hardly heard of, but for 200-300 pages, I will give them a try. I have discovered a number of new to me authors that way. I also like to read shorter books when my life is super busy and stressful, so I’m still reading but don’t have to stress out about it while I’m feeling mentally scrambled. I think there are all kinds of valid reasons why folks might like these kinds of lists, but it doesn’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea.
Just finished "Into the Riverlands" by Nghi Vo (112 pages). Third in a series and all very good. And short.
I recommend The Mist by Stephen King!Under 200 pages and perfect for any horror fan.
YA Horror novel Escape Room by Maren Stoffels is a quick, engrossing read too.
Please add The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas written by James Patterson and Tad Safran.Thank you
Books should be about quality not about quantity. Although I like Goodreads a lot, this Performance idea about reading I find really dispicable
Jim wrote: "Or just stop thinking about social media-driven performance optics.I HATE that GR does this bit every year.
Ugh.
Read like no one is following you."
This.
If you're looking for under 200 pages, Richard Paul Evans' "A Christmas Memory" just came out on Tuesday and clocks in right around 180 pages.
‘Speak’ is a great one! I think it was 198 pages :)
