15 Books You Can Read in a Day

By Southern Living
January 17, 2018
Credit: Topic Images Inc.
Is your New Year’s resolution to read and finish more books? Same. It’s easy to get mired in a 450-page book and feel like there’s no end in sight, which is why it’s nice to warm up with shorter books first and work your way up to the heaviest tomes on your shelf. Think of it like training for a marathon.If you’re looking for a book you can read in a day, I have the list for you. I'm of the mind that, if you try hard enough, any book can be a read-in-a-day book. But that’s not the point of this list. I've left the Anna Kareninas and Complete Works off of this compilation because brevity is the name of this game. Instead, this list sticks to can’t-put-them-down stories that clock in at 250 pages or less (some of which are much less). These are great, short books from the realms of fiction and non-fiction—something for everyone, from romance to memoir to short stories to physics—that can be read in one blissful sitting. So join in! Get that New Year’s reading resolution started off right. No more half-read books on your bookshelf—you’ll be devouring (and finishing!) them in no time.
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1 of 15

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 219

To buy: $15, amazon.com

You can read this Pulitzer Prize finalist in a day, but it’s so finely wrought, you’ll probably want to take your time. It’s the story of orphaned sisters Ruth and Lucille coming of age in a small Idaho town under the care of eccentric family guardians.

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2 of 15

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 172

To buy: $5, amazon.com

A classic novel you can read in a day, E. M. Forster’s A Room with a View tells the story of one Lucy Honeychurch, her adventures in Italy, and the unexpected romance that sprouts there and blossoms back home in England.

3 of 15

I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections by Nora Ephron

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 160

To buy: $15, amazon.com

In this collection, Nora Ephron brings her signature wit to essays about everything under the sun, and then some. Following up her celebrated collection about aging, I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, this book makes you feel like you're sitting down to chat with your funniest and smartest friend.

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4 of 15

A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 64

To buy: $15, amazon.com

Anna Quindlen’s A Short Guide to a Happy Life is only 64 pages long, but it’s so full of wisdom about living deeply and fully that you’ll want to read it again and again.

5 of 15

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 208

To buy: $14.95, amazon.com

This slim, Booker Prize-winning tale follows two friends as they reunite and embark on an unexpected path in the wake of the funeral of Molly Lane, someone they’d both loved in days past.

6 of 15

Sula by Toni Morrison

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 192

To buy: $15, amazon.com

To read Toni Morrison’s Sula in a day is to become immersed in a world of friendship and fracture in small-town Ohio. It’s the story of two dear friends, Nel and Sula, whose lives follow different paths in early 20th century America, and who reunite years later.

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7 of 15

Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 208

To buy: $16, amazon.com

The glimmeringly beautiful moments found in everyday life—minutes spent alone and looking, doing housework, going about the business of living—set this quiet book alight with descriptions that captivate.

8 of 15

The Ballad of the Sad Café: and Other Stories by Carson McCullers

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 160

To buy: $8.99, amazon.com

Georgia writer Carson McCullers published this collection in 1951. Composed of the titular novella and six short stories, it’s a memorable entry into the realm of the Southern gothic style.

9 of 15

Pilgrims by Elizabeth Gilbert

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 240

To buy: $15.98, amazon.com

Elizabeth Gilbert’s wonderful short story collection tells big-hearted, beautifully crafted stories about everyday people who are in the midst of a search and who encounter the extraordinary in unexpected moments.

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10 of 15

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 192

To buy: $15, amazon.com

This 2014 novel, the second from writer Jenny Offill, is a read-it-in-a-few-hours story about a marriage. The protagonist, who is known as “the wife,” encounters adventures and challenges big and small through the course of her marriage, all the while analyzing them through the lenses at hand.

11 of 15

Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays by Durga Chew-Bose

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 240

To buy: $15, amazon.com

Durga Chew-Bose’s beautifully wrought, often tender, and always smart personal essays blend criticism and memoir to delve into questions arising from the realms of literature, life, and pop culture.

12 of 15

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 224

To buy: $18.95, amazon.com

Want to become an expert in astrophysics in a day? That might be a stretch, but this is a start. Let Neil deGrasse Tyson enlighten you in the ways of the mysteries of the universe. It’s a small book, but it’s packed with facts about the fabric of our existence—you know, stuff you should probably know.

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13 of 15

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 208

To buy: $14, amazon.com

This slim volume of wild, biology-bending science fiction is thrilling. It’s also the first volume of the Southern Reach trilogy and has been made into a film starring Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac which is due out in 2018.

14 of 15

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 222

To buy: $14, amazon.com

The first memoir from comedian, writer, actor, and producer Mindy Kaling is a must-read. It’s at turns hilarious and heartfelt—and always so insightful and sharply written that you’ll find yourself re-reading chapters and committing them to memory.

15 of 15

So Much Blue by Percival Everett

Credit: amazon.com

Page count: 232

To buy: $16, amazon.com

Percival Everett’s compelling 2017 novel follows one Kevin Pace, an artist with an enormous and mysterious painting that he won’t let anyone see, and his flashbacks, the memories of his past that rise to meet and complicate his present life.

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