Short Books for Busy People
Short books are perfect for busy people looking to squeeze a bit of literary enjoyment into their packed schedules. These concise reads, often clocking in at under 200 pages, deliver powerful narratives and thought-provoking ideas without the lengthy commitment of their longer counterparts. Essentially, books you can read in a day. Whether it’s a thought-provoking essay, a gripping novella, or a collection of poetry, short books can be devoured in a single sitting or during a brief break, making them ideal companions for morning commutes, waiting in the school pick line, lunch hours, or even before bedtime. In a fast-paced world where time is a luxury, these compact gems offer rich experiences that can spark inspiration, provoke deep reflection, and cultivate a love for reading, all while fitting seamlessly into a bustling lifestyle. Here are my recommendations for short novels to keep you reading.
Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and…no qualms about a little murder. Over the course of her adventures—or misadventures—this little bold lady will handle a crisis with a local celebrity who has her eyes on Maud’s apartment, foil the engagement of her long-ago lover, and dispose of some pesky neighbors.
Set in the contemporary Paris of American expatraites, liasons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. James Baldwin's brilliant narrative delves into the mystery of loving with a sharp, probing imagination, and he creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the heart.
Set among the cities and suburbs of Florida, each story in Milk Blood Heat delves into the ordinary worlds of young girls, women, and men who find themselves confronted by extraordinary moments of violent personal reckoning. These intimate portraits of people and relationships scour and soothe and blast a light on the nature of family, faith, forgiveness, consumption, and what we may, or may not, owe one another.
Sula and Nel are two young black girls: clever and poor. They grow up together sharing their secrets, dreams and happiness. Then Sula breaks free from their small-town community in the uplands of Ohio to roam the cities of America. When she returns ten years later much has changed. Including Nel, who now has a husband and three children. The friendship between the two women becomes strained and the whole town grows wary as Sula continues in her wayward, vagabond and uncompromising ways
The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society—and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future. Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.
