Get your TBR ready, get your library record up in the next tab, and let’s read some books perfect for your next readathon! (1) The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (2015) The Nest by Kenneth Oppel Fiction – Middle Grade / Children’s Literature 256 pages

I’m including clips from other reviews and fun facts and, in an experimental departure from my usual longwinded style, just boiling it down to the essentials of what these short books are about and why you might want to pick them up. This isn’t just a regurgitation of someone else’s book descriptions. Over 50% of the books on this list I have personally read. Also, it’s important to me that I recommend books that I myself have read and admire. This list of short books also includes diverse writers, which isn’t always the case when you read yet another article that recommends the same classic works by the same people. I wanted to give you the very best of what’s being published today, along with some choice older books that don’t get as much love. This meant choosing to leave out some of the stalwarts of short books articles. Much like a dissertation or thesis that demands literature reviews that primarily reference the most recent (5 years or under) research, I wanted this list to capture what’s going on in fiction and nonfiction today. It’s increasingly common that writers are tackling the perhaps bolder challenge of writing brief narratives rather than big epics which, don’t get me wrong, I love. Meanwhile, we are experiencing a renaissance of shorter books. A lot of the same books are listed over and over, and there’s really not much contemporary fiction listed.

Who doesn’t love books you can read in one sitting? If you’re looking to jumpstart your reading, quickly add a few books to your Goodreads Challenge tally, or are prepping for a readathon, this list of short books you can read in a day has got you covered. One of my guiding reasons for creating and curating this list is many of the other lists of short books cover the same ground.

Displacement by Lucy Knisley