If you’re in the mood for captivating reads that can be finished in one sitting, look no further! Discover the best short books and quick stories under 200 pages on our handpicked book list, specially curated for those seeking easy and quick reads.
Dive into a world of literary wonders as we present the crème de la crème of short stories that pack a punch despite their brevity.
For all busy bees and time-crunched souls out there, these quick reads are the ultimate companions to satisfy your literary cravings without committing to lengthy tomes.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin | 97 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: First published in 1899, The Awakening portrays a woman trapped in a stifling marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation.
My Review, 4 Stars
I really appreciated this book as a mother and wife. I’m very happily married but I am more than just a mother. I have my own wants and desires. I have a fulfilling life as myself outside of my being a mother and wife.
Otherwise, I’d probably extremely relate to Edna and her feelings that domestic life isn’t enough. The story was very revealing about how difficult women had it in the 1800s. Edna seemed obligated into her marriage and wasn’t allowed a divorce yet her desires as a woman in her mid-twenties were irrelevant. I really loved the ending.
Children of the Corn by Stephen King | 46 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Driving through the cornfields in rural Nebraska, Burt and Vicky run over a young boy—only to discover that they may not be responsible for his death. Out in the corn, something is watching them, and help is nowhere to be found.
My Review, 4 Stars
Quick, creepy, horror. Stephen King’s early stuff is a hidden gem. This concept is pure genius. I do not want to say more because it will give everything away but you do not need much time to devour this book anyways because it is just 46 pages in length.
About Alice by Calvin Trillin | 96 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Five years after her death, her husband offers this loving portrait of his wife, Alice. Though it deals with devastating loss, About Alice is also a love story, chronicling a romance.
My Review, 4 Stars
Such an enduring love. Calvin’s love for Alice. The way the author describes his late wife you can’t help but love her yourself. This is an excellent and surprisingly even funny tribute to the woman he loves who has passed from cancer. Short and sweet.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman | 55 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Diagnosed by her physician husband with a temporary nervous depression after the birth of her child, a woman is urged to rest for the summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wallpaper.
My Review, 4 Stars
Very quick. I read it in about 20 minutes. It was just so descriptive you can’t help but love it. Creepy and intriguing. I did feel the end was very abrupt but really what can we expect with such a short read?
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn | 64 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: A young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection.
My Review, 3 Stars
I love some of her books and others are eh for me. This wasn’t one of my favorites but it was a very fast go. It starts great. It is funny and the narrator is relatable. I liked her. Overall it was just too short. It just ended. Cuts off if you will and so I didn’t favor this book.
Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin | 194 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside her. She’s not his mother. He’s not her child. Together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins, and the power and desperation of family.
My Review, 3 Stars
If you liked The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman then this book is for you. It is 192 pages.
Short quick weird read. I was like 60% through and I had no idea what was going on and what these worms were and what the heck was happening… at that point, I was asking myself what’s the symbolism here because I was lost.. so obviously I googled it and then I finished the book with a little more insight and actually was like hmm this was unique.
It is also translated from Spanish to English and while the author discusses the “ rescue distance” I wouldn’t have known what that was before reading the book even though as a parent it’s totally and completely relatable and something I do every day. I liked how that was explained and a big part of the book. I know I’ll use this term in the future and when googling about the book I found the Spanish version of the book is actually titled Rescue Distance and not Fever Dream and I actually prefer the Spanish title more.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros | 110 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.
My Review, 5 Stars
Although short, this book is important, relatable, and reads like poetry.
Esperanza is a young Mexican teen who is coping with life and its unpredictable challenges living in a poor neighborhood filled with minorities and she dreams of more. Suffering sexual assault, racism, and all the difficult challenges of growing up poor, Mexican, and displaced she weaves a fascinating tale of neighbors along her street within her own perspective.
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman | 96 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away.
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, and his hopes for the future.
My Review, 4 Stars
This Christmas book is about selflessness and compassion. It reminds us the best gifts are not store-bought.
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 64 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: What does “feminism” mean today? With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness.
My Review, 5 Stars
I have such admiration for Adichie I don’t know what I could possibly say that she hasn’t already. I think she makes some excellent points and she really challenges me to look at this ongoing situation from all angles even though she is talking about Africa a lot of what she says is universal.
Small injustices occur in our daily lives that are so subtle that I myself hardly notice or come to the conclusion as it happens that it is in fact an infraction. Which is crazy because I consider myself a feminist. A feminist who doesn’t hate men and likes to wear lipstick and high heels.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton | 192 pages
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider.
My Review, 5 Stars
I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about this book because it is so well-liked. I will mention this was written by a 17-year-old girl. At just under 200 pages it has made this list! If you have not read it you should!
Sometimes, less is more, and these books are a testament to the beauty of simplicity in literature. Come along while these authors skillfully weave profound narratives in concise packages.
I Chug My Wine 