I’m a big fan of short books. On this blog and on Book Riot, I’ve featured lists of short books under 250 pages perfect for reading, one-day reading, or catching up on your reading challenge goal. But in this article, I’m going to merge those speed reads with one of my favorite groups to work with: book clubs. Yes! that’s how it is. I’ve never met a book club that doesn’t like mixing shorter books with longer ones. So, book clubs… this is my gift to you. In this article, I’m going to introduce book club speed reads and highlight some of the best book club short book suggestions.
I started and ran a book club a few years ago and I know that the best books to start the discussion don’t have to be huge.
You are reading: Short book club books
let’s be honest: when you’re in a book club and the next selection is short, we all breathe a sigh of relief. (I’m looking at you readers who flipped through the book last night.)
For this book club short book list, I focused on the most recent releases (from 2018 to present, except for one book from 2017) and tried to bring you a mix of interesting, award-winning, underrated, or overlooked. , and various books. With one exception, the majority of each of these book club selection ideas are under 250 pages and many of them (7 out of 10) are under 220 pages. With stories as good and worthy of discussion as these, your book club can choose books that everyone can read and enjoy.
an old woman is up to no good by helene tursten (2018)
for your book club if: your group is open to reading mysteries, likes short stories, and loves a strong female character with questionable morals.
page count: 184 pages
An old lady is up to no good…what a firecracker! This collection of short stories by the late Swede Helene Tursten introduces readers to Maud, an 88-year-old curmudgeon capable of murder. At her age, Maud has nothing to fuck and she’s determined to eliminate anything, or anyone, unpleasant or inconvenient. This powerful collection is laced with dark wit, but also raises questions about gender, violence, and ageism.
how to read it: buying an old lady is no good on amazon and adding it to goodreads
elevation by stephen king (2018)
for your book club if: you want a very short book (it’s 146 pages but in a small book format), like small town settings, and it’s great with a bit of realism magical.
page count: 160 pages
The master of small-town tales is at it again! Stephen King’s novel, Elevation is a tender call for unity in our turbulent modern age. the elevation is set in castle rock, a frequent setting for kings, a sleepy maine community where scott carey has noticed something amiss; he continues to lose weight rapidly, even though there is no medical cause. at the same time, the new neighbors are causing friction between the longtime residents. Combining magical elements with a realistic story, King’s carefully crafted book is small on pages but big at heart.
how to read it: buy the elevation on amazon and add it to goodreads
sigrid nunez’s friend (2018)
for your book club if: you have dog lovers in your club, want to read more award winners, and love reading about topics like friendship, grief, and feminism #metoo.
See Also: The Ultimate List of LDS Classics Every Mormon Should Read – LDS Living
page count: 224 pages
See Also: 13 Tips on Plowing Through &039IT&039 (or any long book) In A Few Days | LitReactor
oh, god… I loved the novel by sigrid nunez, the friend. This cute but fierce novel tells the story of an anonymous writer, our narrator, who is suddenly left in charge of her best friend’s dog when she takes her own life. the writer initially objects…she’s more of a cat lover and, besides, she can’t have a dog in her tiny new york apartment. but as we know, the more you try to push love away from your heart, the harder it becomes. this little novel is also notable because it deals with similar themes to the #metoo movement. Our heroine’s best friend was a white author and teacher who was grappling with his own irrelevance in a changing world. meanwhile, we take a look at the highly gendered, classicist New York publishing world.
If I may brag for a second, I seem to be on a streak reading what ends up being the national award winning book for fiction. I read The Friend when he was under the radar, then it won the 2018 award. Last year, I read Susan Choi’s masterful twisted exercise in trust, and then it won the 2019 award! imagine, of all the books! so writers, if you want to win the nba, send me your book: sarahsdaviswrites(at)gmail(dot)com.
how to read it: buy the friend on amazon and add it to goodreads
the girl who reads in the subway by christine féret-fleury (2019)
for your book club if: you are looking for something light and bookish, maybe after reading several times in a row, or maybe you are thinking of reading more translated books
page count: 192 pages
the girl who reads on the subway is a wonderfully whimsical French book translated. I loved reading this. the pages seemed to turn by themselves! This quirky and irreverent story follows Juliette, a bookish office worker who longs for something more. one day, she discovers a clandestine operation that matches people with books in a sort of pay-in-advance gesture of sharing goodwill and good books. But when she is asked to deepen her involvement in the group, Juliette feels conflicted. the girl who reads on the subway is packed with delightful little moments that celebrate reading and readers. It’s a feel-good read that her book club will love.
how to read it: buy the girl who reads on the subway on amazon and add it to goodreads
night boat to tangier by kevin barry (2019)
for your book club if you: like to keep up with the best books of the year lists, don’t mind an international setting, and love books that ask existential questions.
page count: 272 pages
underrated novelist kevin barry might have finally broken into the mainstream with night ship to tangier, which was named one of the 10 best books of 2019 by the new york times, the highest honor you can get outside of a literary award. this quick read takes place on a long night at a ferry terminal in a Spanish port. Two close friends and business associates, Maurice Hearne and Charlie Redmond, are hoping to reunite with Maurice’s daughter Dilly. Both men are in the drug business, and their long night of reflecting on their younger days, losses, regrets, and joys sustains them through emotional wakefulness, as Maurice’s relationship with Dilly is strained. Barry’s novel has been compared to Samuel Beckett’s famous tragicomic play Waiting for Godot, and for good reason. both present characters in a state of stasis and anticipation of what may never happen.
how to read it: buy the night boat to tangier on amazon and add it to goodreads
red to the bone by jacqueline woodson (2019)
for your book club if: you like diverse authors and character-driven family sagas.
page count: 208 pages
In this novel by National Book Award-nominated author Jacqueline Woodson, a family gathers for the 15th birthday party of Melody, a girl who was conceived in an accidental conception between two teenagers. Through lyrical voices in rotating perspectives, Melody’s family reflects on how her remarkable birth has changed their lives, for most of them, in positive ways. red at the bone is on my list of the best books of 2019.
how to read it: buy red at the bone on amazon and add it to goodreads
take me to the land of paul yoon (2020)
See Also: Phone Apps and Ebooks Make It Easy to Read Aloud to Your Kids
for your book club if: you like animated books, historical fiction, diverse reading, and literary fiction with characters so real you feel like you know them.
page count: 272 pages
At 272 pages, run me to earth is the longest book on this list. however, like the other books, this novel comes in a tiny paperback format, so it really does feel like you’re reading twice as many pages as you actually do at a standard size. In this captivating, breath-taking novel, you’ll meet three orphans (Alisak, Prany, and Noi) trying to get by in a turbulent 1960s Laos. run me to earth traces their intertwined stories and strong connection over decades.
run me to earth has already received much critical acclaim since its publication date in january 2020. in a featured review, kirkus hailed it as: “another miniature masterpiece about the unpredictable directions a life can take “. Book review aggregator bookmark rates bring me down to earth as a “rave” hit, with 8 favorable reviews and 6 positive reviews. In other words, I predict this little novel will slowly burn throughout the year, gathering buzz until awards season. And just think, you could knock this one out in the book club and look fashionable.
how to read it: buy run me to earth on amazon and add it to goodreads
waiting for eden by elliott ackerman (2018)
for your book club if: you like to debate ethical questions, have a big stomach for tragedy, and don’t mind a little magical realism.
page count: 144 pages
this extraordinary and utterly heartbreaking novel by national book award finalist elliot ackerman took my breath away. Waiting for Eden, Ackerman, a veteran himself, tells the intertwined stories of three tragic characters: Eden, a soldier who was badly burned in Iraq and now tries to recover in a hospital on his way home; mary, his young wife trying to raise his little daughter; and the anonymous narrator, a soldier friend of eden who died in the same explosion that wrecked eden.
how to read it: buy waiting for eden on amazon and add it to goodreads
we’re fine by nina lacour (2017)
for your book club if: you already have your picks on or are looking to get started and enjoy diverse and queer reading.
page count: 240 pages
Would you like to start reading? You’re not sure where to start? We’re Fine is the perfect place to start your journey… or a one-of-a-kind experiment. Nina Lacour’s novel won the Printz Award, the highest honor any book can win, and it’s not hard to see why. A short novel that nonetheless packs a punch, We’re Alright follows Marin, who left behind his old world in California when he fled a tragic death and tried to start over at college in the Northeast. Now it’s winter, and Marin has convinced the school to let her stay over the holidays so she can avoid everything at home…until her best friend shows up to visit and catches Marin off guard. I loved this book for its poetic sentiment and cleverly plotted story; There are mysteries that Marin will reveal little by little until she learns the shocking truth of what led her to suddenly walk away from everything.
how to read it: buy we are okay on amazon and add it to goodreads
time by jenny offill (2020)
for your book club if: you like vintage-inspired books that encapsulate modern times, exciting books that get a lot of praise and don’t mind a little depression.
by the way, check out my weather discussion question guide!
See Also: The Ultimate List of LDS Classics Every Mormon Should Read – LDS Living
page count: 224 pages
See Also: 13 Tips on Plowing Through &039IT&039 (or any long book) In A Few Days | LitReactor
by jenny offill, the author of the hugely popular dept. from speculation, comes the weather, its amazing follow-up. this literary novel is written in short segments: microscenes, missed observations, jokes, stream of consciousness, and other sources. Our narrator is Lizzie, a middle-aged librarian living in New York City who works in the school library where she was once a graduate student before dropping out. Lizzie is concerned about preparing for the upcoming changes in our world, from climate change to her own aging. At the same time, Lizzie grapples with how best to protect her husband and son from these impending changes.
how to read it: buy the weather on amazon and add it to goodreads
for more short book coverage of broken books see:
- “25 short books you can read in a day or a read-a-thon”
- “how to read more books: read shorter books”