Wishing you read more books? You are not alone in that. A 2022 survey by the National Endowment for the Arts found that only 48.5% of U.S. adults read at least one book during the past year, a number that has declined in the prior decade. And even though personally I read a lot, I see how easy it is to stop reading after school and how hard it is to pick up a book again.
Life is busy. There’s work and chores and kids, and all kinds of other responsibilities that come first, and once those are taken care of, how much energy is left over? We’ve just come out of the holidays, which are an especially busy time for most of us.
Why a Short Novel?
Now it’s the new year. If one of your hopes for this year is to read more, but you don’t know where to begin, start with a short novel. If you haven’t read much in the past year, don’t pick up that 600-page fantasy book, no matter how popular it is. It’s far too easy to start, then have to put it down when something else comes up, and never pick it up again.
I recommend starting with a short novel that you can read in 1-3 days. There’s nothing quite so motivating as accomplishing something. So after you’ve read one book, you’ll be motivated to read more books!
Here are 10 novels under 250 pages* that you can read in a day. I’ve tried to choose ones that feel appropriate for winter. (For lack of another way to organize them, these are in publication order.)
*The page counts are based on the copies that I read; they vary among editions.
(#1) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
This classic, the only novel written by Wilde, is about the corruption of a man’s soul, reflected in a portrait that ages and deteriorates while the man himself appears eternally youthful.
I found this book to be beautiful and incredibly quotable. I read this only a few years ago, and I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner.
Page count: 220
You might like this if: you like witty dialogue.
A quote from the book:
“For all sins…are sins of disobedience. When that high spirit, that morning star of evil, fell from heaven, it was as a rebel that he fell.” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde)
(#2) Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster (1905)
This is another classic, about a widow who marries a younger man, and the conflict this creates between their families.
This packs in just the right amount of plot. I felt that the book posed some great ethical questions. The way it ended surprised me, which is pretty hard to do.
Page count: 130
You might like this if: you want to read more classics.
A quote from the book:
“Why shouldn’t she break with the deafening life where she had got into a groove, and would go on in it, getting more and more—worse than unhappy—apathetic till she died?” (Where Angels Fear to Tread, E.M. Foster)
(#3) The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (1951)
The Daughter of Time is about a bedridden detective, who cures his boredom by delving into the mystery of Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. It’s hailed as one of the best detective stories of all time, and it’s certainly unique in that it deals with a historical mystery instead of a current one.
I first read this for a history class in college, where my professor told the class that she didn’t believe a single word of this novel. I probably wouldn’t go that far, but some of the historical facts are perhaps lacking some context. However, I still enjoyed this on a re-read, as it’s very engaging and entertaining.
Page count: 206
You might like this if: you like detective novels and history.
(#4) Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956)
In Giovanni’s Room, an American expat has an affair with an Italian bartender in 1950s Paris. The book is focused on David’s internal struggle to accept his love for another man.
The plot is not very complex, but the underlying emotions and thoughts pulled me in. Baldwin’s writing is so lyrical and beautiful.
Page count: 178
You might like this if: you want to read a modern classic.
A quote from the book:
“I am nothing to you, nothing, and you bring me fever but no delight.” (Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin)
(#5) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
In The Remains of the Day, an English butler in the 1950’s reflects on his life in service during a period of two world wars.
The writing in this book is beautiful. I honestly don’t remember the plot very well (I read it a long time ago), but I remember the feeling of reading it.
Page count: 245
You might like this if: you like subtle stories about nostalgia and regret.
A quote from the book:
“It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, of its own greatness, and feels no need to shout it.” (The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro)
(#6) The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (1995)
This book is set in a Japanese village prior to WWII and follows a young Chinese painter recovering from tuberculosis and his relationship with the people of the village.
I read this book many years ago, and I wasn’t taking notes then, so I don’t remember exactly why I liked this book, only that I did.
Page count: 211
You might like this if: you like to read about different cultures meeting.
(#7) Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (1999)
Girl With a Pearl Earring is an imagined story behind the very real painting by Johannes Vermeer, set in the 17th-century Netherlands. It’s told from the point of view of a girl who becomes a servant in Vermeer’s household and sits for the portrait.
This book is an easy read, but it’s very subtle. The story is short and focused, which is sometimes nice. I read this book after a trip to the Netherlands, so the descriptions of the setting really came alive for me.
Page count: 233
You might like this if: you like historical fiction and art.
A quote from the book:
“Hearing his voice made me feel as if I were walking along the edge of a canal and unsure of my steps.” (Girl With a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier)
(#8) Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (2010)
This short novel follows a young woman who moves into the room above her uncle’s secondhand bookstore.
Every once in a while, I like a “slice of life” novel, with low stakes and small life lessons. I especially liked seeing Takako fall in love with reading again. I enjoyed this book, and I liked its sequel even more.
Page count: 150
You might like this if: you like books and books about books.
(#9) Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (2016)
This short novel centers on a woman who rejects societal expectations to devote her life to working in a convenience store.
I liked the quiet rebellion of the protagonist in pursuing the life that suited her, not society.
Page count: 163
You might like this if: you like books about misfits.
A quote from the book:
“When you work in a convenience store, people often look down on you for working there. I find this fascinating, and I like to look them in the face when they do this to me.” (Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata)
(#10) Discontent by Beatriz Serrano (2023)
In this Spanish novel, a young woman has an outwardly great life and job, but she secretly hates them both. She deals with it by working as little as possible and drowning out her internal miseries in a constant stream of YouTube videos.
I liked the writing in this book, the details of everyday routines, the humor. It felt modern and very appropriate to our social media-obsessed times. The protagonist is pretty relatable in her anxiety, though perhaps the way she deals with it is not the best.
Page count: 181
You might like this if: you like satires about capitalism.
A quote from the book:
“I couldn’t stand the idea of being forced to live that office pantomime in perpetuity just to pay for things like rent or food or a book or a weekend at the beach. I broke down every morning when the alarm beeped because life, lived this way, seemed like a badly written tragedy, boring and sterile, devoid of fun and, even worse, devoid of content, and so, on my way to work. I felt like grabbing strangers by the shoulders and asking them why they weren’t feeling like me.” (Discontent, Beatriz Serrano)
All of these books are ones that I’ve read, but I’m sure there are other great books under 250 pages. Are there any short novels you’d recommend?
