Both Foster, and Small things like this by Claire Keegan short but masterpieces

Coraline is a great short book, I listened to it on audiobook for the second time

Duncan wrote: "Cheating."

Said the person that mostly reads comics… 🤣

The Gospel of John is less than 40 pages and it’s an amazing read!

Open Throat by Henry Hoke is a fun and quirky short read.

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

Annihilation may be short, but it wasn't a quick read, it was too weird. I can't imagine zooming through anything Tonight Morrison or Cormac McCarthy wrote - they are thinking books. Elevation by King is an easy read though.

Naomi wrote: "The very first book listed is second in a series, don't do this to me."

The first book is also short. Both are quite good, and there are more to come

Someone said reading these book is cheating! If reading Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, a classic and a banned book, about a dystopian world of burning books ( all of 157 pages), is cheating, then that person doesn’t want to really read substantial, worthwhile books.

Thanks-- I am way past my reading goals, but this gave me 20 more titles that weren't already on my reading list to check out! ❤

It's funny how some years I'm severely behind by this time, and others I am ahead- this year so far I am so much further past my goal than I think I've ever been! It's been a good year of reading.


As for some more suggestions for short books....

Poetry Meditation:

Go F*ck Yourself An Honest Meditation by Jason Headley (if your okay with that kind of language of course might be a nice short option)

Zen Birds by Vanessa Sorensen (is another good short read without adult language & lovely paintings of birds)

Comic/Graphic-Novel Lovers:

Marvel Fearless And Fantastic! Female Super Heroes Save The World

Evil Thing by Arielle Jovallanos

Fantasy:

Feathers Of The Pheonix Flame by Kelly Rich (first book in an amazing series- I haven't got the latest book yet sadly)

Awakened Tides by Kelly Rich (book 2 in the Midlings saga- Don't know the author personally but her series definitely deserves some love! If you read the first & enjoy it please definitely check-out the rest)

Recipe books:

Some are short, and even the older ones definitely are worth checking out.

Drawing/Art:

The Art of The Line In Drawing by Frédéric Forest (published this year!)

Anything Christopher Hart if you want to draw manga

The Little Book of Manga Drawing by Jeanie Lee & Samantha Whitten

Pop Manga Drawing by Camilla d'Errico

Celestial Zodiac Painting by Elise Mahan

Disney Storybook Art Team - Sophia The First Holiday In Enchantia


Supernatural:

Ghosts & Legends of Spokane by Deborah Cuyle
(Good read & some was just history of the city I still think it's an interesting read wether you believe in ghosts or not there is a whole series of different towns/cities though not all by the same authors i read another I didn't like as much but that is another story for another time)


Should have included some Filmography titles, but maybe next time. 😅



Of course if you can browse a local used book store you may find some fun reads too- Mom & Pop shops sometimes have treasures you didn't know you were missing in your life. ❤
Libby/Hoopla may also have some interesting short reads- I read the last book here on Libby, but not sure if the others are on either or a similar library app.


If you don't like everything on my list that is okay...please feel free to post a reply to the main topic with some of your own suggestions. ❤

The Moustache by Emmanuel Carrère

On the Abolition of All Political Parties by Simone Weil

The Voices of Marrakesh: A Record of a Visit by Elias Canetti

Azadi: Fascism, Fiction & Freedom in the Time of the Virus by Arundhati Roy

Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler

The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon

@Adam, well, while we’re on Arthur Schnitzler, I recommend, “Reigen?” It’s got to be under 200 pages and is witty and a fun romp (literally! 😂).

Have you read it? I’ve not read Dream Story but will check it out.

Also, I’m just about to finish “Poverty By America,” by Matthew Desmond.

189 pages without endnotes.

It’s a useful (and pithy!) compilation of antipoverty thought and for many its ideas
will likely be new.

It’s also nominated for Goodreads best nonfiction of 2023.

Animal Farm is that bitch

How about:
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse,
One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn
A month in the country by JL Carr
First Love by Ivan Turgenev

Another great short book is The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt. It might be a little over 100 pages but not much. The story focuses on a boy named Georgie experiencing an abusive mother and what happens throughout his life.

Although many of these books are “short” they are no way simple. It also depends on HOW you read - some people read to say they read the book but don’t analyze, others read for enjoyment/stress relief. Others read for _______ (fill in your reason). All of these reasons can alter the length of “these short books”. Happy reading though!!!

The yellow wallpaper is the shortest book I’ve ever read.

All Systems Red was such a fun time... and the series continues in small format until the 5th book so definitely easy to read and enjoy 😁

The Reading Challenge frustrates me.

I can read a 20 page short story, OR read the entire collection of stories that it is from, and they count exactly the same. There are also sections of scholarly works on literary topics that are dozens and dozens of pages long... 30 pages is not uncommon! There are also several stories and books that are not in the GR library, an issue I found when trying to review stories by Faulkner and KAP come to mind.

My personal policy - until GR finds a way to fix how each read is weighted, when I read a short story or essay within a collection, I rate that particular piece. When I read another part of the book, I do a new "re-read" and update the review. And that is always explained in my post.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was wonderful and quick!

This is my new book in case it is of interest to you or anyone you know (160 pages)

Befriending My Brain: A Psychosis Story

It's a memoir about my experiences with mental illness, including being sectioned, recovery and relapse. I am hoping it can help a lot of people, just trying to get the word out hope you don't mind

More short books recomandations:
This winter, Alice Oseman
Graphic novels (Heartstopper, Lore Olympus, Fence)
We should all be feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi
Platero and I

Bridgette wrote: "none of them are kid friendly"

What do you mean by "kid" friendly. There are certainly some on here that we read in middle school when I was a kid. For example Animal Farm. Agatha Christie is certainly "kid friendly". Fahrenheit 451, We Have Always Lived In the Castle, Turn of the Screw all certainly along the lines of what used to be perfectly fine for middle school kids.

Mark wrote: "My Left Foot
Last Night at the Lobster
Push
The Colour of Milk
How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You
Regretsy,
F in Exams...,
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
84 Charing Cro..."

Last Night at the Lobster is such a fantastic book. A true gem. I wish more people knew about it.

I read a short story book this year, that was told through small sentences and documents. It was alright and a quick read.

I loved this list!! I want to read many of t
hose!! I hope next year I can read more than this year!!

Y’all should let us make our own lists cause I can easily tell you the best short books ever

Found a few great books on here to add to my wish list!

Duncan wrote: "Cheating."
IMO It all counts

Meredith wrote: "I add an extra 12 books to my challenge and try to go back to some of my childhood favorites (one for each month).

They’re often on the shorter side, and it’s quite interesting to see how the thin..."

I love this idea. Think I’m going to try it.

There’s some really good ones I already had on my list here so I’m thankful for it! May not reach my 50 book goal but the quality of books is better than quantity!

The only way you can cheat on reading is if you read a summary of a book you're claiming to have read, otherwise reading is reading.

I have already read my 100 books and have added others to the list I have read since finishing the 100.

Cheating? I think I’ll go dive into my children’s library and hammer out some Dr. Seuss. Winner.

@Duncan I see your point. But honestly I look for shorter reads that can be finished in a night (under 300 pages) as a break. Meaning, every couple of weeks I just want to read something quick, easy, not a lot of investment. I purposely add them into my reading. Tonight I have four large books open, but I looked at this list because I want something short to read with my cup of tea tonight….something I can finish in an evening. Sometimes a short read is just what one needs with a glass of wine after a rough day. Cheating, maybe - but isn’t reading about enjoyment?

When Breath Becomes Air I would add When Breath Becomes Air to this list. I am so glad I read it.

“Treasure Island” and “Captains Courageous” are two old school adventure books that are both under 200 pages.

If you like SciFi, try “Invisible Man” and “Lathe of Heaven.”

All four are 5 star reads for me.

Farron wrote: "Why do some people think it's some sort of contest and that only the "right" books should be read? I will gleefully add picture books that I've picked up at work out of boredom to my list. It doesn..."

Exactly, my funda is Keep on Reading, read whatever you like, I have read literary works of over 800 pages and have also read comics with 25 pages but like a lot of people have said Reading is Reading, you just keep on reading.

Better yet, go read the first one in the Wayward Children series and you've got over 10 books in ('cause no way anyone is gonna stop after the first one)

At least you’re not listening to audio books and adding them to your list, it’s good reads not good listens.

Mary wrote: "I’m reading a collection of all the Sherlock Holmes book by Doyle so it that considered one book or several (it’s over 1000 pages ) 😂😂😂"

I would count them separately if they were originally published individually, or as one if it was originally a collection! I own an omnibus version of the Hitchhiker's Guide series as it was better value than buying the box set, but I'd count them as separate books as they were published separately, in different years even.

Gerhard wrote: "I have a couple of those Amazon Original short-story collections as a quick catch-up, Outer Reaches (SF) and Creature Feature (horror). Great quick way to get to know new writers as well."

I really enjoyed the Creature Feature collection! I agree it was a great way of 'taste testing' new-to-me authors and noting down who to look out for.

If anyone reading this is still doubting that a short read can oftentimes be more impactful than a longer read, I'd recommend you to consider the impact that ONE WORD from Duncan has had on the comments section of this article! 😄

Leila wrote: "Minor Detail by Adania Shibli. It's less than 150 pages long. It was suppose to be awarded a prestigious literary award but was cancelled by Frankfurt Book Fair bec..."
Thanks for letting us know. This is pretty disappointing. I will check it out.