Weekend Reads: 14 Books You Can Tackle in a Few Days
Sometimes I’m in the mood to dig into a long and involved book. Other times, I’m looking for something that is quick and easily digestible.
Short books are perfect for flights, weekend reads, and vacations. I always have a selection that I turn to whenever I feel like I’m bogged down in another book, or I need something to kickstart my reading.
Let’s be honest too, a lot of people don’t read much. I’m not judging (much). And while I never judge what someone reads, I do think people should read more.
If you’re one of these people, one or two of the books below can help you get a love of reading back.
In this post, I’m going to share a few of these short reads. Each of these books will be under 200 pages. I’ll separate them into sections by genre and also cover the number of pages.
Ready to start reading?
Non-Fiction
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
The subtitle covers much of what you’ll take away from this book, how to let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.
Page Count: 138
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
We all know Hawking is an absolute genius. So the fact that he can cover string theory and the nature of time and space in less than 200 pages is incredible. This is an update to the original.
Page Count: 176
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
Less a book and more an essay, this is Woolf’s classic insight on women and feminism, especially in the early 20th century. Her quest, for women to have a room of their own to reach their best potential.
Page Count: 112
Night by Elie Wiesel
In this gripping autobiography, Wiesel shares his experiences as a teenager in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
Page Count: 120
Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou
Angelou uses poetry and short stories in this book to pen advice and wisdom to the millions of female fans she had around the world, her “daughters.”
Page Count: 192
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
Snyder is a well known and respected historian. In this short read, he looks uses examples from the 20th century to remind common citizens how they can fight fascism.
Page Count: 128
Darwin: Portrait of a Genius by Paul Johnson
We all know Darwin, but do we really know him? In this short but entertaining read, you’ll get the insights into not only Darwin’s work but his family life, which greatly impacted it. (I review it here).
Page Count: 164
Fiction
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
This classic follows Marlow up the Congo River and into the heart of Africa. Colonialism, greed, and racism woven into the story will make you think.
Page Count: 188
Animal Farm by George Orwell
An allegory of the flaws of socialism as told by farm animals. Even though it’s over 70 years old, it’s still a staple of high school reading lists even today.
Page Count: 122
Interpreter Of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri
This is another collection of short stories that look into the lives of Indians and Indian Americans who are all tied by illness, death, or tragedy. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000.
Page Count: 198
The War of the Worlds by HG Wells
A classic story of an alien invasion of Martians who land smack in the middle of England. Wells does an amazing job of keeping you at the edge of your seat.
Page Count: 192
Goodreads | Amazon
The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Another Hemingway classic, this is actually a book that features 10 short stories covering a number of topics. All showcase that classic Hemingway storytelling in digestible bits.
Page Count: 144
The Missing Year of Juan Salvatierra by Pedro Mairal
Nine-year-old Juan falls off a horse and becomes mute. Later he takes up painting and creates over two miles worth of scrolls. When he dies, his sons return to his village to find them.
Page Count: 188
We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
A classic from 1962, this book tells the story of a family who lives an isolated life in a remote house dealing with a murder. Everything starts to become normal until a new family member arrives.
Page Count: 160
Alright, you’ve got my list. Now, what’s on yours? I’m always looking for more books to get my hands on, especially some of those weekend reads.
Originally published at literarian.co on July 20, 2017.
