Need some momentum in your reading life? This list of short novels is for you.
The next category for the 2018 Reading Challenge is “a book you can read in a day.” We already have a stellar list of life-changing nonfiction books you can read in a day, so today we’re focusing on fiction.
This could be a long book, or a very short book, depending on your reading speed and what title you choose. But if you’re still on the hunt for a book to fulfill this category, I’ve gathered up a list of short novels.
Most of these slim fiction works run 200 pages or less, and deliver a lot of bang for the buck. (A few books push closer to the 300-page mark. I included these if the book has small pages, a large font, or tons of white space.)
You can knock one off in an afternoon, but will think about these books for weeks, months, even years after you put it down.
I’d love to hear what you’re reading for this category, and what books YOU would add to this list, in the comments section.
The Great Gatsby
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Mrs. Dalloway
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Outsiders
The Sense of an Ending
Fahrenheit 451
Vinegar Girl
What I Saw And How I Lied
News of the World: A Novel
Interpreter of Maladies
The Vegetarian: A Novel
The Uncommon Reader
Our Souls at Night
Every Heart a Doorway
Convenience Store Woman
The All of It
Dept. of Speculation
The House on Mango Street
Absent in the Spring
What short novels are catching your eye on this list, and what would you add to it? What are YOU planning on reading for this category? And—just for fun—what’s the longest book you’ve read in a single day?
P.S. 20 life-changing nonfiction books you can read in a day, and 15 terrific audiobooks you can listen to in 6-ish hours or less.
79 comments
I read 84, Charing Cross Road for this category and it was so delightful. I think Chimamanda Adichie’s two books (booklets?) about feminism could be good choices also.
I love 84, Charing Cross Road! I felt like the author was describing my ideal trip to England down to the last detail
Absolutely, 84, Charing Cross Road!
Binti! If you like weird SF, or just want to dip your toes in with an award-winning, “own voices” title by a woman of color, this is a quick read. Like most SF, no need to worry if you don’t follow every detail of the unfamiliar setting.
Loved Binti!
Exit West, by Moshin Hamid! About 200 page with lots of breaks and wide margins 🙂 A lovely, quick read.
I read Agatha Christie’s autobiography a few years back and promptly bought her Mary Westmacott novels (all in one volume)…then never read them! Absent in the Spring is the reason I bought them. You’ve inspired me to get reading. Thanks!
I love this category. It enables you to pick up something you may not normally read because the commitment is not as high as a 500 page novel. Also, if it is one you really love you can easily read it multiple times. I really enjoyed We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Three of my all time favorites are short reads; Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and A River Runs Through it by Norman Maclean.
A must read for this list is “The Buddha In The Attic” by Jullie Otsuka. It has a unique writing style as is in First Person Collective without identifying the person talking. A bit difficult at first but you soon get a feel for the different voices. At 144 pages, it is a quick read, but, oh, so interesting. The story of Japanese women bought to San Francisco as “picture brides.” Tracing their adventures from their boat journey, arrival in America, and follows their new lives, filled with hope, dreams, trials, tribulations, hardships and heartbreak.
First published in 2011
Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award For Fiction
National Book Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
A New York Times Notable Book
I enjoyed Joan Didion’s South and West. A super quick read about her time in the South and in California. The essays are all excerpts from her notebooks during her travels. I also loved 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff.
I read Convenience Store Woman this week and found it charming and quirky. It was a quick read and I’m thinking about it every day since I read it.
I’m waiting on that book from the library! I figured that it would be good since it’s on the summer reading list, but now I’m more excited. I really enjoy books that I can’t stop thinking about after I read them.
I am thrilled you have The Outsiders on here. I just reread it and it is still a fantastic read. I plan on picking up Convenience Store Woman simply because my 18 year old daughter has loved the Japanese language and culture for years, just finished her fifth year of studying the language, and it sounds like a fun read for both of us. I also want to read The Uncommon Reader.
I’m reading Of Mice and Men.
For the category I read The Penderwicks but am so intrigued by many of these.
News of the World is SO GOOD! My favorite book so far this year!
Both of Backman’s novellas can be read in one day or one sitting…..”And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer” And “Deal of a Lifetime”
I’ve read 7 of these books….and want to read the rest!!!! There goes the TBR list again!?
I loved reading The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman. I picked it up because I loved The Princess Bride, and I wasn’t the least bit disappointed by the goofiness and heart.
I think Nutshell by Ian McEwan can be read in a day. It took me a few to read it, but only because I didn’t have the time to just sit down and power through! It’s an interesting premise too, and a nice twist on a Shakespeare classic.
I’m going to add quite a few of these to my too long TBR list. I’d recommend any of Laurie Colwin’s novels or short story collections for this category. Her novels are light but definitely have substance. And they are all short enough to read in one day.
Read Convenience Store woman last weekend. Am still unsure what I think of it! Quirky for sure.
Have read House on Mango Street also.
Not a genre you normally write about and not one I normally read but…I read Sackett last year and LOVED it! My dad has always loved westerns so I grew up with them on the television much of the time but I’d never read a true “western” book. Am glad I read it. It’s short too, so definitely can be read in a day.
I loved News of the World – it was an impulse buy at the bookstore ($3?). It wasn’t the type of book I usually go for but I figured that It’s not like I was spending a lot on it. It was well worth it.
I’m not sure the longest I’ve read in a day. I read fast and tend to read until I finish even if that means my family has to find their own food for dinner. I know I read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 8 hours. It was right after it came out. I was in college that year and was supposed to be studying for a chemistry test. I picked up the book for a study break and couldn’t put it down. The funny part? I actually got a higher grade on that test than any other test in that class.
I also read A Conjuring of Light by Victoria Schwab in a day. (600-something pages) It was like being sucked into this dreamlike state for hours on end. When I finished, it took time to figure out where I was and if what I just experienced was real or not.
I LOVE that I can just come to your site on any given time and discover new things to read – thanks for this post!
The longest book I read in a day was the final Harry Potter -Deathly Hallows. I was so worried about spoilers that I swore I wouldn’t leave the house, watch TV, or go on the internet until I had finished it. I read it all the day it came out.
I read What Alice Forgot (476 pages according to Goodreads) as well as a few other early Liane Moriarty novels in a single day.
Recently, I read The Book of Essie in two days, but only because I didn’t start early enough in the day. Once I got into it, I really couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend that novel!
And since I listen at double speed, I have listened to quite a number of books in a day, if I take the time.
I love so many of these, both on the list and in the comments! I really love 84, Charing Cross Road and Housekeeping. The Vegetarian was a strange one…..
I’m a big fan of Charlie Lovett’s books, and his Further Adventures of Ebeneezer Scrooge would be great for this – 106 pages including the Afterword/Author’s note. Coraline by Neil Gaiman is also a fun one especially at Halloween. And if anyone has never read The Little Prince, read it!!! 🙂 (it’s also great for a book in translation).
My favorite read in one day book is The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller. LOVED IT!
My last read was “A World Lost” by Wendell Berry. Loved it, and a short read, 150pgs I think. It’s one of his Port William fiction about the death of Andy Catlett.
Last summer as we were driving to the beach for our vacation I turned the last page of Our Souls at Night and was fighting tears. My husband thought it was bc I was emotional about getting back to the beach (my fave place in the world!). I let him think that. 🙂 I love that book so much– it’s short but it packs a punch!
I love that book so much. Have you read Kent Haruf’s trilogy? The titles are Plainsong, Eventide and Benediction. I adore all three. They are quiet novels which pull you in with their authentic characters.
My pick to add to this list is Let the Hurricane Roar by Rose Wilder Lane. It’s a wonderfully concise adult version of the Little House books (written before the Little House books).
So many good picks on this list, I think I’m going to start with Absent in the Spring.
I just put in a request for We Have Always Lived in the Castle at my library. Looking forward to reading it.
You got me! Just added The Uncommon Reader, Vinegar Girl, and Convenience Store Woman to my library holds!
The Uncommon Reader is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much I did.
Thanks for this great list! I recommend Paul Gallico’s Snow Goose – I think the move Dunkirk was loosely based on this
Funny – 4 of these books were required reading for my kids in middle school and/or high school! Outsiders/Gatsby = middle school, Fahrenheit 451 = middle school and high school (different kids, same district), The House on Mango Street = high school.
For this category, I picked a book I *could* read in a day (213 pages)—except my life is super busy right now, so it’s taken me a lot longer than it usually would 😉 I picked Jane and Prudence, by Barbara Pym. I’ve never read any of her books before, but I’m loving this one! It feels cozy, if that makes sense. I feel like I’m in a small English village with the characters, and I love that feeling of being transported into the world of the novel.
That totally works! I hope you enjoy the Pym.
There are several of my favourite books here including Mrs Dalloway, and I have just reread Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Reading a book in a day is a slightly strange category for a reader, as I would say that most books can be read in a day if you are completely enthralled and determined to finish it. x
My TBR pile wasn’t out of control enough and then I read this post!! I love a good recommendation. Thank you!
Oh gosh, there’s *no* way I could have read Mrs Dalloway in a day! I’m generally a pretty swift reader, but I found myself having to read Woolf’s sentences and paragraphs a few times each, to try and discern their meaning. It took me longer to read Mrs Dalloway than it did Crime & Punishment! hahahaha. Some other great recommendations on this list, though!!
I’ve never wanted to read I Have Always Lived in a Castle before because I thought it was sort of horror/paranormal (why?? I have no idea!!)…but your description makes me want to try it! Especially now knowing how short it is. I haven’t read a good short book in awhile and could use one.
Some others I love: All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg, Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong, Reunion by Hannah Pittard, My Name is Lucy Barton, and The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips (super weird, but I HAD to figure out what was going on), and The Wife by Meg Wolitzer (maybe my favorite of the bunch).
Listen to Me by Hannah Pittard is also short. I read Goodbye, Vitamin recently and really enjoyed it – good call.
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I love this list. I remember a few years ago you pointed out that I tend to favor shorter novels, which I hadn’t even realized. 😉
I just read MOST of Convenience Store Woman yesterday! While waiting in line at the BMV which wasn’t pleasant but a good book (that I could get through quick) made it better!
Oh goodness, I’m thrilled and also horrified you could practically finish a book while waiting there!
Great list!!! I Adored Our Souls at Night–it was my favorite book of that year. Even the movie was good! I also loved Uncommon Reader, News of the World, Mango Street, Gatsby. I have Miss Pettigrew to read soon, want to read Convenience Store Woman. Vinegar Girl disappointed. Mrs D put me to sleep.
A few other super-short reads: Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt, My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith (this is a stand-alone novella).
If I were on your podcast, Dept. of Speculation would be on my list of three books I loved. I’m glad you included it. I highly recommend it; if you don’t like it, it’s a day out of your life, but if you do it has the potential to be one of your lifetime favorites.
Having said that, my book club hated it. I think they found the main character annoying. I loved the voice. I just looked for a quote, but there are too many to choose from. Just give it a try.
That’s so interesting about your book club’s reaction to the book! Was it at least a good book club discussion?
I loved Dept of Speculation! Loved the writing style.
The Old Man and the Sea is about 125 pages long, an excellent read.
Probably not going to be a popular choice here, but Anthem by Ayn Rand is a great afternoon read. Short, chilling, & stays with you forever.
I would definitely add Animal Farm by George Orwell to this list. It’s just under 200 pages and impossible to put down.
I read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. It’s geared for middle grade readers and is told in prose. Beautiful little book, and only 240 pages, but due to the poetry, reads super fast.
I would add one book to this awesome list: Textbook Amy Krause Rosenthal. It’s experimental, a little odd, but so heartwarming and fantastic. You can definitely read it in an afternoon.
I didn’t set out to read An American Marriage in a single day, but that definitely happened last week. I strongly recommend it. I can’t stop thinking about it.
And the next day, I read the YA novel Saints & Misfits in about 8 (often interrupted) hours. I would recommend it for readers who like YA. If you don’t like YA, this one probably won’t change your mind, but it’s sort of refreshing for the genre in the sense that it focuses on an American Muslim heroine dealing with big-deal issues like sexual assault while also exploring interfaith dating, bullying, and family changes. Because of the main character’s faith, the romance in this novel is relatively innocent and comes down to a question of the standards she will hold for herself and the vision she has for her future.
As a teacher, a lot of my books are read in 1-2 days during the summer. Those same books would take me a week or more to read during the school year, when I’m busy, work too many hours, and am too mentally exhausted to process words at the end of a day.
I just finished What I Saw and How I Lied, thanks to this post, and loved it! Thank you! I’d really like to add two books to this list. The first is Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan. It’s a short novel about the staff of a Red Lobster on the night before the restaurant shuts down for good. The second is Kent Haruf’s beautiful novel Our Souls at Night. It was Haruf’s final book, a brief novel that had stayed with me. It’s much better than the movie, but the way! Happy reading!
Just realized Our Souls at Night is on the list! Sorry!
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.
Don’t read the book flap, don’t watch the movie, don’t read any reviews – just read the book.
The less you know in advance, the more you will find it heartbreaking, devastating and absolutely unforgettable.
AddSpy of the First Personby Sam Shepard. It was his last bit of writing and published after his death. It was made up of short little vignettes that really stayed with me
Demian by Herman Hesse is another fast read.
187 books in 1 year?! It took me 34 years to get to 1000.
I would add The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain. I’ve read this book many times because it is very short and a very delicious read.
Agreed! I just read The Red Notebook a fortnight ago and found it so enchanting and quirky; no-one approaches the French for whimsy, with every mystery a possibility and opportunity.
The premise of the novel (woman loses handbag – man finds handbag – man decides to track down woman using the contents of the handbag as clues) is also good for figuring out if you and your partner think the same. My then boyfriend thought it sounded creepy; I thought it was charming!
Heavens, I’m trying to bump my page count up over 20 500 this year, but all these short and sweet recommended reads will be great ‘palate cleansers’ between big books. My TBR pile has become a tower since I read your book and discovered your blog, Anne!
Here’s some more from my own read shelves (surprisingly, many classics; who says they need to be bricks to pack a punch?):
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells (118p)
The Outsider – Albert Camus (119p)
Siddhartha – Herman Hesse (121p)
Anima Farm – George Orwell (122p)
Night – Elie Wiesel (126p)
The Lilies of the Field – William Edmund Barrett (127p)
The Children of Green Knowe – L.M. Boston (128p)
Bambert’s Book of Missing Stories – Reinhardt Jung (128p)
The Turn of the Screw – Henry James (131p)
Summer Crossing – Truman Capote (142p)
The Longest Memory – Fred d’Aguiar (144p)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich – Alexander Solzhenitsyn (182p)
And anything written by Roald Dahl; The Witches (208p) and Matilda (240p) are my favourites.
Graphic novels also make a great day read, but they deserve a post all their own!
No one ever mentions Seize the Day (Saul Bellows). I read it in my last year in undergraduate and I couldn’t put it down. About 130 pages, I think, and it’s riveting.
You can read A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens in one day. You can read THE BIG WAVE by Pearl S. Buck in one day.
Great list! Poonachi is a recommendation that I’d like to make. It is a sharp critique of the patriarchal nature of the Indian society but narrated through a tiny black goat.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38318462-poonachi
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 274 pp
Who Moved My Cheese 94 pp
Thank you Anne for the list I loved it <3. I will include it to my TBR!
Sleepwalkers by Joginder Paul: a slim book about the Partition of India, and the psyche’s refusal to come to terms with it and live a divided, schizophrenic existence. A deeply moving piece of fiction that feels real even as it weaves through history and the surreal.
Have you read Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka? If so, did you like it? If not, it’s a short read and I found it to be beautifully written.
An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed pulls you right in and doesn’t let go until 2.5 hrs later.