The Reading Lounge: Short Books

Whether you're trying to meet a year end reading goal or are just too busy for a long book, these 12 short books might be the perfect solution

Hello,

I’ve been CRAVING a really good short book lately! I’m not sure if it’s because I just slogged through about 800 pages of my most anticipated 2024 book, The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes, or if it’s because it’s a busy time of year. I suspect it’s a combination of both. I’ll be sharing more detailed thoughts about The Year of the Locust soon, but for now I’ll just say that after absolutely loving I Am Pilgrim by Hayes I expected a story as well plotted and page turning and that is not what I felt I got with his new book.

I’ve compiled some of my favorite (under 250 pages) short books for you today, and I’m including a brief synopsis with just a few quick thoughts on why I liked it.

Short Books I Loved

Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman (memoir) - Alice Hoffman says she wrote this book to remind herself of the beauty of life, something that's all too easy to overlook during the crisis of illness or loss. This is her story about her breast cancer diagnosis and her reminder to herself that in the darkest hours the roses still bloom, the stars still come out at night. I listened to this, it’s excellent on audio as XE Sands narrates. I laughed and cried, all in less than an hour that it took to finish- then I promptly bought a print copy for my shelves. This is a book I’ll revisit again and again

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn - (short story) A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud - I listened to this in less than an hour on a long walk with my dog. It was a fun, fast story with classic Gillian Flynn elements