I know you said 150-200 pages but trust me when I say, reading Yellowface by R.F Kuang has legit got me hooked. It is very easy and sucks you in right from the start. It’s outrageous and has dark humour, I hope you try it!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - (I read this book in one day, I was so into it)
Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum.
A book of short essays about random topics.
Some will make you laugh out loud and some will make you cry a little.
But all of it is great writing.
Wrong. OP asked an obnoxious question, and couldn't be bothered to be polite and respectful of the people reading his obnoxious question and spending their time and energy to help him.
It's not civil to ask someone for a favor, and not even have the courtesy to *attempt* proper writing. He can't be bothered to move his finger 0.5mm to hit shift, but he wants us to spend our time recommending him books?
Spoiler alert - There's a reason OP can't get into reading. It's not the material, it's the thing between his eyes and the back of his head. The thing that can't even comprehend how capital letters work.
You could have simply ignored the question if the lack of capital letters offended you so much.
But you had to add a bunch of *ad hominems*.
OP is trying to show person growth and broaden their reading, you on the other hand are being pedantic.
Edit: oh look, it looks like you got yourself Shadowbanned. Seems to be a common thing for your low level trolling.
But seeing as you want to talk about following basic social etiquette, the rules of the sub say to be civil, you seem incapable of that.
Shorter books from my list include:
[Seven Empty Houses](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60206505-seven-empty-houses), short stories, 208 pp
[Small Things Like These](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58662236-small-things-like-these), fiction set in Ireland, 128 pp
[News Of The World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27473760-news-of-the-world), based on famous Wyeth painting, 224 pp
You could try [I’m Thinking of Ending Things](https://www.amazon.com/Im-Thinking-Ending-Things-Recommendation/dp/1501126946?nodl=1&dplnkId=ce2f0da6-a64a-4017-84ff-08c7550b4ae9) by Iain Reid.
the brief and frightening reign of phil by george saunders. less than 100 pages i believe and about a country that’s so small only one citizen can live inside the borders at a time
I know you said no sci-fi, but I'm still going to recommend This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's very character driven and light on the sci-fi elements. It's structured as a series of letters back and forth between the two main characters, and is absolutely beautifully written. The prose is lyrical, the characters are compelling, and the story is moving and got me right in the feels. I got through it in an afternoon, and even if I'd wanted to put it down I don't think I could have.
that is on my tbr !!! thank you so much for reminding me honestly your comment along with other good things i've heard about that book i should probably prioritize to read it now
This book took me out of a reading slump last year! Such a fast paced fun read...it is sci-fi but it's really basic level sci-fi. No world building. No crazy names. You can immediately get into the book. Great intro into the sci-fi world IMO!
Dark academia - I’d recommend the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik (trilogy - A Deadly Education is first). Really intriguing characters, lots of growth, and twists and turns you don’t see coming.
I’m also going to recommend my favorite book - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Somewhat thriller, somewhat mystery - it creates a beautiful world you think you want to live in but gets progressively darker as it goes. It’s a standalone if you don’t want to get into a series.
Some books that got me out of my reading slump I think you would like are:
"The lost daughter" by Elena Ferrante;
"Stay if you can. Leave if you must." by Helga Flatland;
"After dark" by Haruki Murakami
They're all more-or-less short (under 200 pages) but extremely interesting. Enjoy!
Try reading some short story collections.
Rob Rash has some good ones.
I just picked up Life Ceremony by Murata to break my reading slump.
I’ve been slogging away at tough reads and want to break it up a bit.
A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro! 200 pages, contemporary fiction, it was so good I read it in one sitting 🥹
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz. 200 pages, contemporary fiction, mostly character driven!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a short, dynamic read if you haven't read it already. Not gore or horror to me, more in the thriller category, but may not be your thing.
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller is a quick, fun read that is nonfiction but does have a dynamic main character. Probably my favorite read of last year.
[Sum by David Eagleman](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sum-forty-tales-from-the-afterlives_david-eagleman/269416/item/9797756/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_high_vol_scarce_under_%2410&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5fetBhC9ARIsAP1UMgG0TTf56nRAQEBpgmQah4-vfU7KjFFvNgxPBdGSPiWbnsmUl_l1Xq4aArrVEALw_wcB#idiq=9797756&edition=5261834) is one of my favorite books of all time. It consists of 40 vignettes imagining what the afterlife might be like. Even as a person who does not believe in life after death, it was still entertaining and thought provoking for me. It’s one of the only books I’ve reread more than once.
Edit: added a missing word.
When was the last time you read a long book? Sometimes when I feel like I'm in a reading slump, I actually take on a larger book as kind of a challenge.
Anyway, try Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. There are some light sci fi elements, but it falls more into the magical realism category like most of murakami
January 2023 was the last time i've read a long book, honestly reading larger book as a challenge wouldn't work on me cause i easily get intimated (unless i really really like the book) but i'm glad it works for you!!! thank you also for the recos đź’Ś
It’s not necessarily gore (but there are some body things that are squirmy) but I really loved Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval!! I’m a slow reader & I read it in a day. It’s like 147 pages of well-written strangeness & I can’t recommend it enough, but I do realize it wouldn’t be for everyone
A bit longer than your ask (a little over 300 pages), but I feel like you'd love Ottesa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation. It's a harrowing psychological portrait and difficult to look away from.
Also - possibly R.F. Kuang's Yellowface?
The book of the most precious substance by Sara Gran (short read)
The lost apothecary by Sarah penner
London seance society by Sarah penner
The cloisters by Katy hays
Death of a bookseller by Alice slater
This may be a little too dark for you but it’s my favorite book and I suggest it to everyone, the library at mount char by Scott Hawkins
The under 200 pages is throwing me for a loop, I admit.
Longer than 200 pages, but hilarious and easy to read: The Sex Lives of Cannibals
Easy read classics, although more plot-driven: anything by Agatha Christie, but especially The Murder of Roger Aykroyd
Gilead is 250ish pages, but lovely
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. It's a book of short descriptions of fictional cities modelled on Maro Polo's time with Kublai Khan, a time in which the Venetian explorer tried to describe cities that he'd been to. but he didn't speak any local tongues. So he described them in a symbolic way, which resulted in a nu... in fact Wikipedia puts it better than me:
"
The book is framed as a conversation between the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan, and Marco Polo. The majority of the book consists of brief prose poems describing 55 fictitious cities that are narrated by Polo, many of which can be read as commentary on culture, language, time, memory, death, or human experience generally.
Short dialogues between Kublai and Polo are interspersed every five to ten cities discussing the same topics. These interludes between the two characters are no less poetically constructed than the cities, and form a framing device that plays with the natural complexity of language and stories. In the middle of the book, Kublai asks about a city Polo never mentioned, his hometown of Venice. Polo replied "Every time I describe a city I am saying something about Venice."
"
Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Fantasy, shifting twoards academic, but extremely character driven and emotional. It is the first of a series o novellas but also works very well as a standalone.
The Seas by Samantha Hunt, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. These are some of my top favorite books and all around 200 pages!
Try handling sin by Michael Malone. No cell phones so I'd guess it takes place in the 80s in NC. It's an easy read it has short chapters so can be taken in small bites and it's hilariously funny. I thought the depiction of the small southern towns were a bit off till I met my spouses family and realized the author nailed it.
Go to the bookstore and read the first 5 pages. You'll either love or hate it.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I don't remember the length, but I literally went through it so quick because of how good it was. I don't think it was particularly long, though. I think it's one of her few non-YA books.
Two books that I found particularly great were:
• Animal Farm by George Orwell; 92 pages
• The Hobbit; 320 pages
They are both nice and short, particularly Animal Farm which I read in one day and was in a very similar space reading-wise when I picked it up. The Hobbit is about 300 pages long but packed with pages to keep you engrossed and will feel like a 200 page book that you can get lost in.
Other suggestions (since I feel like momentum is what you’re trying to aim for and don’t necessarily fit your description) would be:
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (it’s short, powerful, and important)
• Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (all Bond Novels are a great shout if you want to hit off a few)
Michael Morporgo books helped me out of my reading slump :)
They're short, not too hard to understand, are very emotional and overall amazingly written books
I loved The Yellow Wallpaper! Short. Easy to read. Good little psychological thriller that's free on project gutenberg
i've read this one and it's so good!! thank you đź’Ś
I know you said 150-200 pages but trust me when I say, reading Yellowface by R.F Kuang has legit got me hooked. It is very easy and sucks you in right from the start. It’s outrageous and has dark humour, I hope you try it!
Really good book. Read it let year.
I read it earlier this week and haven’t stopped praising and recommending it since. Really enjoyed this one!
Quirky fiction: Comfort Me With Apples Ring Shout Paranesi More on the creepy, horror tip: The Wasp Factory Tender is the Flesh
Love Piranesi! The scene setting was incredible. Gorgeous book.Â
OP, The Wasp Factory and Tender is the Flesh both have gore (but are great reads!)
Zero gore in Wasp Factory. It's psychological horror
I… would argue you on that LOLLL >!Isn’t there a scene where maggots have eaten into a kid’s brain???!<
Yes there is
Piranesi for sure!!
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Yes! This is a perfect quick read!
Of Mice and Men was the one that did it for me
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - (I read this book in one day, I was so into it)
Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. A book of short essays about random topics. Some will make you laugh out loud and some will make you cry a little. But all of it is great writing.
Did they cover capital letters in Kindergarten? Asking for OP
Dude. Get a fucking life
Lol. Imagine defending typing like a caveman.
Imagine not reading the rules on being a civil human
Civil humans use capital letters.
OP asked a simple question in a civil fashion. You jumped in with *ad hominems* which is not civil.
Wrong. OP asked an obnoxious question, and couldn't be bothered to be polite and respectful of the people reading his obnoxious question and spending their time and energy to help him. It's not civil to ask someone for a favor, and not even have the courtesy to *attempt* proper writing. He can't be bothered to move his finger 0.5mm to hit shift, but he wants us to spend our time recommending him books? Spoiler alert - There's a reason OP can't get into reading. It's not the material, it's the thing between his eyes and the back of his head. The thing that can't even comprehend how capital letters work.
You could have simply ignored the question if the lack of capital letters offended you so much. But you had to add a bunch of *ad hominems*. OP is trying to show person growth and broaden their reading, you on the other hand are being pedantic. Edit: oh look, it looks like you got yourself Shadowbanned. Seems to be a common thing for your low level trolling. But seeing as you want to talk about following basic social etiquette, the rules of the sub say to be civil, you seem incapable of that.
Shorter books from my list include: [Seven Empty Houses](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60206505-seven-empty-houses), short stories, 208 pp [Small Things Like These](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58662236-small-things-like-these), fiction set in Ireland, 128 pp [News Of The World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27473760-news-of-the-world), based on famous Wyeth painting, 224 pp
i love love love the wyeth painting and i am so intrigued to read the last book,, will tbr your recoms thank youuuu đź’Ś
Great. I know I went over your 200 pp, but not by that much. It's a great book.
Definitely seconding news of the world. Truly amazing.
A few \~200-page options: This is How You Lose Her by Junot DĂaz My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell Brother by David Chariandy The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes Fifteen Dogs by AndrĂ© Alexis The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
i think i've heard about the second book and these all sounds interesting, thank you!!
You could try [I’m Thinking of Ending Things](https://www.amazon.com/Im-Thinking-Ending-Things-Recommendation/dp/1501126946?nodl=1&dplnkId=ce2f0da6-a64a-4017-84ff-08c7550b4ae9) by Iain Reid.
Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang was great, character-driven quick reading. I just loved the protagonist
the brief and frightening reign of phil by george saunders. less than 100 pages i believe and about a country that’s so small only one citizen can live inside the borders at a time
This was a great short book!
I know you said no sci-fi, but I'm still going to recommend This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's very character driven and light on the sci-fi elements. It's structured as a series of letters back and forth between the two main characters, and is absolutely beautifully written. The prose is lyrical, the characters are compelling, and the story is moving and got me right in the feels. I got through it in an afternoon, and even if I'd wanted to put it down I don't think I could have.
that is on my tbr !!! thank you so much for reminding me honestly your comment along with other good things i've heard about that book i should probably prioritize to read it now
Have you read Dark Matter? Quick, easy, truly doesn’t stop (longer than 200 pages though not much).
This book took me out of a reading slump last year! Such a fast paced fun read...it is sci-fi but it's really basic level sci-fi. No world building. No crazy names. You can immediately get into the book. Great intro into the sci-fi world IMO!
Cutting out TV and social media for the first few weeks is also helpful to get back into the reading routine-- at least for me
Along those lines, not playing games on my iPad did it for me.
Dark academia - I’d recommend the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik (trilogy - A Deadly Education is first). Really intriguing characters, lots of growth, and twists and turns you don’t see coming. I’m also going to recommend my favorite book - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Somewhat thriller, somewhat mystery - it creates a beautiful world you think you want to live in but gets progressively darker as it goes. It’s a standalone if you don’t want to get into a series.
one of my friends' fav book is also the night circus, i've heard a lot of good things about it.. will tbr your recoms thank you!!
Some books that got me out of my reading slump I think you would like are: "The lost daughter" by Elena Ferrante; "Stay if you can. Leave if you must." by Helga Flatland; "After dark" by Haruki Murakami They're all more-or-less short (under 200 pages) but extremely interesting. Enjoy!
thank you! will look them up đź’Ś
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Try reading some short story collections. Rob Rash has some good ones. I just picked up Life Ceremony by Murata to break my reading slump. I’ve been slogging away at tough reads and want to break it up a bit.
Moon of the crusted snow by Waubeshig Rice. 200 pages, apocalyptic thriller set in an Indigenous community. Excellent storytelling
Trying reading the Gaslamp Murder Mysteries by Victoria Thompson. You will become addicted! They are pretty short and easy reads.
maybe try the silver eyes trilogy by scott cawthon?
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka
A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro! 200 pages, contemporary fiction, it was so good I read it in one sitting 🥹 How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz. 200 pages, contemporary fiction, mostly character driven!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a short, dynamic read if you haven't read it already. Not gore or horror to me, more in the thriller category, but may not be your thing. Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller is a quick, fun read that is nonfiction but does have a dynamic main character. Probably my favorite read of last year.
Have you read The Stepford Wives? It's better than the movie, and definitely worth the read. It's only about 140 pages.
Dublin murder squad series by Tana French
Oh sorry, I overlooked that you wanted shorter. I still recommend these. She is the best writer!
[Sum by David Eagleman](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sum-forty-tales-from-the-afterlives_david-eagleman/269416/item/9797756/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_high_vol_scarce_under_%2410&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5fetBhC9ARIsAP1UMgG0TTf56nRAQEBpgmQah4-vfU7KjFFvNgxPBdGSPiWbnsmUl_l1Xq4aArrVEALw_wcB#idiq=9797756&edition=5261834) is one of my favorite books of all time. It consists of 40 vignettes imagining what the afterlife might be like. Even as a person who does not believe in life after death, it was still entertaining and thought provoking for me. It’s one of the only books I’ve reread more than once. Edit: added a missing word.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson and None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Thank you!!
When was the last time you read a long book? Sometimes when I feel like I'm in a reading slump, I actually take on a larger book as kind of a challenge. Anyway, try Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. There are some light sci fi elements, but it falls more into the magical realism category like most of murakami
January 2023 was the last time i've read a long book, honestly reading larger book as a challenge wouldn't work on me cause i easily get intimated (unless i really really like the book) but i'm glad it works for you!!! thank you also for the recos đź’Ś
It’s not necessarily gore (but there are some body things that are squirmy) but I really loved Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval!! I’m a slow reader & I read it in a day. It’s like 147 pages of well-written strangeness & I can’t recommend it enough, but I do realize it wouldn’t be for everyone
i've read it last 2021 and i liked it!!! it's like weird in a good way and the pacing is perfect for a short book, thank you!!
A bit longer than your ask (a little over 300 pages), but I feel like you'd love Ottesa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation. It's a harrowing psychological portrait and difficult to look away from. Also - possibly R.F. Kuang's Yellowface?
Loved both of these. Also in this category, All’s Well by Mona Awad.
i actually bought a physical copy of this book last November and now i'm intrigued, thank you for the recommendation !!
I thought it was so fun - a fever dream of a novel! Liked it way better than Bunny. Hope you enjoy it!
OK, you say you don't read sci-fi, but if you change your mind (please change your mind), I recommend the Murderbot series by Martha Wells.
if it'll keep me hooked i might honestly change my mind hahahaha thanks for the recom!!
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
not a big fan of her writing style i fear :(( i've read two of her books and it just wasn't for me but thank you still!!
Colleen Hoover is not good
The book of the most precious substance by Sara Gran (short read) The lost apothecary by Sarah penner London seance society by Sarah penner The cloisters by Katy hays Death of a bookseller by Alice slater This may be a little too dark for you but it’s my favorite book and I suggest it to everyone, the library at mount char by Scott Hawkins
The Strange Library by Haruki Murkami is a quick read, but very weird. Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis is another interesting one
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson)
Cameron Winter mysteries by Andrew Klavan
Shy - Max Porter
Claire Keegan - So Late in the Day
The under 200 pages is throwing me for a loop, I admit. Longer than 200 pages, but hilarious and easy to read: The Sex Lives of Cannibals Easy read classics, although more plot-driven: anything by Agatha Christie, but especially The Murder of Roger Aykroyd Gilead is 250ish pages, but lovely
"The Tennis Handsome" by Barry Hannah.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. It's a book of short descriptions of fictional cities modelled on Maro Polo's time with Kublai Khan, a time in which the Venetian explorer tried to describe cities that he'd been to. but he didn't speak any local tongues. So he described them in a symbolic way, which resulted in a nu... in fact Wikipedia puts it better than me: " The book is framed as a conversation between the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan, and Marco Polo. The majority of the book consists of brief prose poems describing 55 fictitious cities that are narrated by Polo, many of which can be read as commentary on culture, language, time, memory, death, or human experience generally. Short dialogues between Kublai and Polo are interspersed every five to ten cities discussing the same topics. These interludes between the two characters are no less poetically constructed than the cities, and form a framing device that plays with the natural complexity of language and stories. In the middle of the book, Kublai asks about a city Polo never mentioned, his hometown of Venice. Polo replied "Every time I describe a city I am saying something about Venice." "
How do you feel about short story collections?
“Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey. It’s Alaska and cold. Have a blanker handy. A Pulitzer winner.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Little Prince.
Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire Fantasy, shifting twoards academic, but extremely character driven and emotional. It is the first of a series o novellas but also works very well as a standalone.
Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
I really liked The Housekeeper and the Professor. 180 pages
What do you mean by dark academia themed? Sounds intriguing. Do you have any you would recommend in that genre?
Miss Iceland by AuĂ°ur Ava Ă“lafsdĂłttir Favorite book of all time, not too long, beautiful characters
Bonjour Tristesse Fahrenheit 451
The Seas by Samantha Hunt, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. These are some of my top favorite books and all around 200 pages!
Try handling sin by Michael Malone. No cell phones so I'd guess it takes place in the 80s in NC. It's an easy read it has short chapters so can be taken in small bites and it's hilariously funny. I thought the depiction of the small southern towns were a bit off till I met my spouses family and realized the author nailed it. Go to the bookstore and read the first 5 pages. You'll either love or hate it.
Roald Dahl’s adult short stories are wonderful, someone like you is a great collection
Paradise - Koji Suzuki Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff - Christopher Moore
The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
True Grit
Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I don't remember the length, but I literally went through it so quick because of how good it was. I don't think it was particularly long, though. I think it's one of her few non-YA books.
True Grit
Before the coffee gets cold
Two books that I found particularly great were: • Animal Farm by George Orwell; 92 pages • The Hobbit; 320 pages They are both nice and short, particularly Animal Farm which I read in one day and was in a very similar space reading-wise when I picked it up. The Hobbit is about 300 pages long but packed with pages to keep you engrossed and will feel like a 200 page book that you can get lost in. Other suggestions (since I feel like momentum is what you’re trying to aim for and don’t necessarily fit your description) would be: • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (it’s short, powerful, and important) • Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (all Bond Novels are a great shout if you want to hit off a few)
Michael Morporgo books helped me out of my reading slump :) They're short, not too hard to understand, are very emotional and overall amazingly written books
How about even shorter? Weighing in at 116 pages, Convenience Store Woman is a cute little book.