10 Great Books Anyone Can Read in a Weekend

Plus, join me this long weekend for a #25in5 readathon!

Hi, book friends.

Starting tomorrow, I’m hosting a “25 in 5” readathon over on Instagram. That’s when you set a goal to spend 25 hours reading over the course of 5 days — in this case, Thursday to Monday. You can divide the hours up however you want, and if you don’t hit 25, nothing bad happens; it’s just a way to dedicate some intentional time to this hobby we all love. Since Monday is a holiday in the US, and my TBR is completely out of control, it felt like a good time! If you’re down and want to join a low-key group chat with other people participating, head over and leave a comment on this Instagram post.

But regardless, the prospect of cuddling up on my couch with books for the next few days got me thinking about which ones I’d recommend to someone who wanted to be able to read something start-to-finish in a single weekend. (Of course, if you spend 25 hours reading, you can get through a good handful of books. But I’m talking about normal weekends here, not readathon weekends.)

There’s a lot to love about short books. Finishing them gives you a quick feeling of accomplishment. But also, the author has to be really judicious about word economy and make you feel something in a short period of time, which is much easier said than done!

So, in no particular order, here are 10 books anyone could easily finish in a single weekend. (I’ve included page counts, but thanks to things like page and font size and text styling, I think audiobook length is a better indicator of how long a book will take to finish.)

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (237 pages, 3:59 on audio)
   This is technically a middle-grade novel, but it packs a gigantic emotional punch. It’s about grief, so have tissues ready! Also, Jim Kay’s illustrations are absolutely stunning, and Jason Isaac’s performance in the audiobook is masterful. Read this one and then watch the movie adaptation for a super-literary weekend!
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

2. All Systems Red (Murderbot #1) by Martha Wells (160 pages, 3:17 on audio)
   This one’s for my sci-fi fam. If you love the genre but haven’t read any Murderbot books yet, what are you waiting for?? There are quite a few in the series now, but most (like this one) are novellas, so you can expect to gobble them up.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

3. Lanny by Max Porter (224 pages, 4:34 on audio)
   I read this back when it was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize and it’s still one of my favorites. A little fantastical, plenty emotional — everything I love in a book. I highly recommend listening to the A+ audio as you read along in print, because the typesetting is super creative and it plays great with the audio production.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

4. Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung (272 pages, 3:46 on audio)
   This novel-in-vignettes is a beautiful, reflective little book on the immigrant experience and the loss of a parent. I loved it.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

5. The Deep by Rivers Solomon (192 pages, 4:01 on audio)
   Rivers Solomon is one of our greatest living writers, IMO, and this novella is about generational trauma, memory, the importance of collective history, and more I can’t talk about without spoiling it. Also, Daveed Digs (the original LaFayette/Jefferson in Hamilton, if you don’t know) reads the audiobook beautifully.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

6. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (224 pages, 3:52 on audio)
   Another little book that left a big impact on me, again with a fantastic audiobook to boot. I have a distinct memory of listening to this one on the subway and being absolutely bowled over by a particularly devastating moment. Anyway, Jacqueline never misses, so there’s that.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

7. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (256, 4:41 on audio)
   This is another one of my all-time favorites, particularly because Hamid knows how to use a comma to crack your heart wide open. I’ve had a photo of one particular paragraph from this book on my phone since 2017 because I’m so impressed by it. Actually, let me just put it below (warning, heavy subject matter).

   

   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

8. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers (160 pages, 4:08 on audio)
   How many people’s hands have I proverbially shoved this book into? It’s a must-read, especially for anyone grappling with the ideas of purpose and happiness and identity (so, all millennials, lol). Expect to reread whole sections of this as your mind is blown.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

9. Zorrie by Laird Hunt (176 pages, 4:34 on audio)
   This was longlisted for the National Book Award a few years ago, and it has a deeply American feeling to it (in a good way). It’s a quiet but emotional novel. It’s short, and yet contains a woman’s whole life — with deep characterization.
   The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

10. My Name is Lucy Barton (Amgash, #1) by Elizabeth Strout (240 pages, 4:11 on audio)
    Elizabeth Strout is always, always a good way to spend your weekend. There are four Amgash books now, with a fifth coming this fall that combines the characters from these books with the characters from her Olive Kitteridge books. If you’re looking for something that feels both cozy and impactful, this is a great choice.
    The StoryGraph | Bookshop | Libro.fm

---

As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to hear about your favorite super-short books in the comments, too.

Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.

See you on Instagram!

— Deedi (she/her)