5 Recommendations for Short Books
200 page reads for when the big books seem intimidating
If you’re starting on your reading journey, the thought of tackling a large, chunky book adorned with small text can feel intimidating and exhausting, long before you even open the first page.
Smaller books can immediately appear less threatening and easier to tackle. And it’s a good job there are plenty of them to choose from.
Being a literary fiction nerd, I am a lover of long, arduous books that go into minuscule detail, but from time to time, I do dip into shorter books, especially when I’ve fallen into a reading rut and want to kick start the habit again.
Books don’t have to be long and heavy to set your soul on fire, as some of the shortest ones are the best.
This is just a quick disclaimer — The Great Gatsby would undoubtedly be on the list if I hadn’t already mentioned it in a recent story. In my opinion, it’s probably the best short classic of all time.
Here are my recommendations for short reads of no more than 200 pages, and why you should read them. Spoiler alert — it’s not just because they’re short and manageable, but that always helps.
Hot Milk, Deborah Levy
General fiction, 218 pages
You may think I’ve already failed at the first hurdle, as this book is over 200 pages, but I figured a 10% leeway was okay, considering it probably accounts for the dedication and acknowledgements.
Hot Milk tells the story of Sophia, a twentysomething barista who is lost in the world of looking after her mother, and watching her life slowly slip away as the empty years go by. One hot summer, she travels with her mother to Spain in search of a cure for her various ailments.
Along the way, she goes on a journey of self-realisation which makes her reassess her entire life as she’s been living it. She also falls in love and realises she can no longer spend her life looking after her mother.
It’s a coming of age story with a twist and cleverly inverts the traditional mother-daughter relationship.
The story is simple, but do not be mistaken, everything within is deeply complex and mysterious. Deborah Levy writes in such a lyrical way, that I had to stop myself at multiple points so I could slowly read over the prose again to take in the beauty. Levy strikes the balance between being poetic and mesmerising but never completely bogged down in every single detail.
It creates a type of lingering feeling that I can’t quite put my finger on. But when I finished this, I immediately wanted to read it again and be re-immersed into this world. That’s often a good sign you’ve read a good book, right?
“I am overflowing like coffee leaking from a paper cup. I wonder, shall I make myself smaller? Do I have enough space on Earth to make myself less?”
Why I Write, George Orwell
Non-fiction, 126 pages
Funnily enough, Deborah Levy hates this book and doesn’t believe writers should listen to an old, white man who’s telling us how to write. Which is fair enough, but also, George Orwell doesn’t tell us how to write, but merely, tells us the advice he followed.
But, it’s also about far more than that and should be read by anyone interested in learning about how a prolific writer tailored his craft.
This is a no-nonsense essay that contains Orwell’s view on how to write but also contains his background, motivations for writing and what he aimed to achieve within his unique take on political fiction. You can see how his ideas behind Animal Farm and 1984 were formed and the type of impression he aimed to make.
There’s also a bit of historical background which alludes to where Orwell’s ideas sprung from and how a lot of his novels are based on the rising threat of totalitarianism which swept across Europe at this time.
If you’re interested in writing and reading about how Orwell got the motivation to write and what he has to say about the craft, then this is an ideal read. It’s beautifully written and makes you want to commit everything he says to memory.
It’s the type of book you can turn to for advice, inspiration and motivation from one of the greatest writer’s of the twentieth century. But of course, if you feel the same as Levy and don’t want to be told, that’s okay too. This book is also useful for the background surrounding Orwell’s books and his personal history.
“So long as I remain alive and well I shall continue to feel strongly about prose style, to love the surface of the earth, and to take a pleasure in solid objects and scraps of useless information.”
Hiroshima, John Hersey
Non-fiction, 152 pages
A book not for the faint-hearted, due to the depths of detail John Hersey delves into, but a one of a kind that everyone should read to understand the lived experience of Hiroshima and how it affected ordinary individuals.
Hersey was a journalist and war correspondent commissioned to write a feature about how the United States had detonated two nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Originally published in The New Yorker and planned to be released in instalments — this eventually turned into a short non-fiction book.
Hiroshima contains the experience of six individuals that Hersey interviewed and documents where they were when the bomb dropped, what they experienced and how their lives were changed in the aftermath of one of the most tragic events in human history.
They include two doctors, a Protestant minister, widowed seamstress, a female factory worker and a German Catholic priest. Woven within their experiences is the documentation of the event chronologically as it happened.
First of all — this isn’t a book to turn to if you are in search of something light-hearted. But if you want to further your knowledge about what happened during Hiroshima and how it impacted the lives of ordinary people, this is an ideal place to start. Hersey paints an accurate picture of different experiences and offers both a short and long term view of what happened.
The mixture of perspectives and how they are interwoven makes it for an interesting read that reveals how one event touched the lives of so many ordinary people. It’s a stark and chilling book, but one that nonetheless, gives an in-depth account of the event.
It’s a good starting point if you want to learn about the history of that period, told through those who lived through it.
“The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?”
The Girl Who Reads on the Metro, Christine Féret-Fleury
Fiction, 175 pages
I picked this up at a time where I was going through a reading rut. It’s safe to say, reading this got me out of that rut and reminded me why I loved books so much. It is simply perfect for a reader who loves reading books about books and the power of storytelling.
Following the life of Juliette, a young woman with a mundane office job, the novel sets out to tell how she abandoned her 9–5 to help others find books they would go on to love. One day, in the heart of Paris, she stumbles across an incredible bookshop which is filled to the brim with endless shelves of books.
She is soon employed by the owner as a passeur, a unique type of bookseller that delivers unwanted books into the arms of those who need them. In other words, it’s up to Juliette to match these books to their readers. She soon becomes overjoyed with the love of spreading books to the people of Paris.
This is a delightful book all about the power of reading. It’s written beautifully and offered me a real pick me up right when I needed it. It’s quaint, sweet, endearing, and an ode to the wonder of stories, literature and how this can positively impact the lives of those around us.
“I love books, that’s all.” She could have added: I don’t always like people.”
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Fiction, 182 pages
A formidable book that has been studied by generations of schoolchildren ((at least in the UK) and there’s a reason for this. Despite being around fourteen when I first read this, I can remember the story as clear as day. It was one of the first books that made me realise the power of literature and made me want to read more contemporary classics.
Set amongst the background of the Second World war, a group of school children suddenly become stranded on a desolate island, without any adult supervision. At first glance, it sounds like a child’s dream as they are free to do as they please, without any restraints. However, things quickly get sinister as the group struggle to find food to eat and maintain a sense of order on the island.
Very soon, the natural rhythms of human life and a sense of order is outstripped in favour of anarchy and extreme deprivation. Will the schoolboys be saved from the chaos that has ensued?
Although some readers may have bad memories of studying this book at school, I always had positive ones as it had a real impact on me and how I saw books in general.
Simply, it’s one of those books which is so of its time and has such a powerful message. Its exploration of the capabilities of man in extreme circumstances is so tailored to the context of the Second World war and Europe amidst a period of bleak destruction, but one that encourages us all to take a long, hard look at the nature of ourselves, too.
It’s a book that makes you think twice and will disturb you in more ways than one. It’s incredibly clever and sprinkled with a wealth of powerful symbolism, which is made all the more poignant given its context.
“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?”
Good books come in all shapes and sizes. For new and seasoned readers, short books can offer a bit of respite before tackling longer ones.
Short books never have less of an impact, and in some cases can say more with fewer pages.
Hopefully, these will offer you a place to start.
For more recommendations, check out my stories in Books Are Our Superpower: