List
A Long List of Short Novels
These books, each with 220 pages or fewer, are perfect for these strange times where our focus is so divided. Some classics, some contemporary, these novels might be low on pages but they are high on entertainment.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005 by Adams, DouglasGet this itemStarting out with a bang, this classic sci-fi romp is worth a second look, or a first look. Yes, it's short, but there are few books that are this iconic or timeless.
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Giovanni's Room
2013 by Baldwin, JamesGet this itemIn James Baldwin's semi-autobiographical novel, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality.
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The Sense of an Ending
2011 by Barnes, JulianGet this itemAfter receiving a letter from someone from his past, a middle-aged man reflects on a past he thought was behind him.
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Death of a Gossip: Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series, Book 1
2012 by Beaton, M. C.Get this itemThe first in a series that is now more than 30 titles long by the famed cozy mystery maven. This short book introduces Hamish Macbeth, a police officer who serves the fictitious town of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands.
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The Uncommon Reader
2008 by Bennett, AlanGet this itemSweet, charming book about Queen Elizabeth II and what happens when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. Lots of fun!
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The Stranger
2012 by Camus, AlbertGet this itemA terrifying picture of a faceless man who has committed a pointless murder. The low page count here does not diminish the massive impact of this classic story.
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The House on Mango Street
2013 by Cisneros, SandraGet this itemSet in Chicago, this short novel tells the story of a young girl who captures her thoughts and emotions in poems and stories. The elegant story is eloquently written.
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Heart of Darkness
2011 by Conrad, JosephGet this itemThe basis for the iconic Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now, this Conrad short novel is set during the late 1800s conflict in the African Congo.
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The Lover
2011 by Duras, MargueriteGet this itemThe story of an affair between a 15-year-old French girl and her Chinese lover. Filled with passion and intensity.
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Visitation
2010 by Erpenbeck, JennyGet this itemA house on a lake outside Berlin is the focus of this short novel that depicts the everyday life of the house and its inhabitants.
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The Bookshop
2013 by Fitzgerald, PenelopeGet this itemEndearing short novel set in 1950s England, where a young widow stirs up a small coastal town when she starts a bookshop. A very sweet tale that is a fast read.
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Ellen Foster
1998 by Gibbons, KayeGet this itemWhile searching for a safe haven from her abusive family, a young child finally gets a break in the home of a loving woman with several foster children.
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Our Souls at Night
2015 by Haruf, KentGet this itemA widower and widow come together to stave off loneliness, but soon they are exchanging confidences and memories.
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The Outsiders
1988 by Hinton, S. E.Get this itemThe story of teenagers from poverty-stricken families and their struggle to be accepted by society.
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News of the World
2016 by Jiles, PauletteGet this itemIn the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people.
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The Vegetarian
2016 by Kang, HanGet this itemHow one nightmare changes the lives of a young couple in South Korea. Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. After, not so much.
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The Lathe of Heaven
2014 by Le Guin, Ursula K.Get this itemGeorge wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from a psychiatrist, who immediately grasps the power George wields.
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Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams
2012 by McCall Smith, AlexanderGet this itemThe Celtic myth of Dream Angus, a god of love, youth, and beauty--and the bringer of dreams--is retold in this short fantasy novel.
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Child of God
1993 by McCarthy, CormacGet this itemIn 1960s Tennessee, a violent loner has lived in the woods since early childhood. He has no sense of right or wrong or how normal society operates.
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Every Heart a Doorway
2016 by McGuire, SeananGet this itemThe children under Eleanor West's care at her Home for Wayward Children are all seeking a way back into their own fantasy world. But when Nancy arrives, the dynamic changes forever.
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The Bluest Eye
2007 by Morrison, ToniGet this itemMy favorite Morrison novel tells the story from the point of view of a young girl who wants blue eyes, which she believes will make her noticeable and beautiful. Touching and so very sweet, Morrison’s poignant words fill the pages with heart and soul.
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Convenience Store Woman
2018 by Murata, SayakaGet this itemThe story of a middle-aged Japanese woman who has been working part-time in a convenience store for the past 18 years.
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Dept. of Speculation
2014 by Offill, JennyGet this itemA couple use love letters to each other to document and deal with life's mundane activities as well as its more major hurdles.
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Everyman
2011 by Roth, PhilipGet this itemThe hero of this book is obsessed with his own mortality. And when his health worsens, his obsession only increases, even begrudging other people's good health.
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We the Animals
2011 by Torres, JustinGet this itemThree brothers cause mischief in this eloquent coming-of-age tale full of chaos and heartbreak.
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Annihilation
2014 by VanderMeer, JeffGet this itemA biologist joins a mission to uncover what happened inside Area X, a sinister and mysterious phenomenon that is expanding across the American coastline.
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Mrs. Dalloway
2005 by Woolf, VirginiaGet this itemSet while Clarissa Dalloway prepares for a party, this classic, famed stream-of-consciousness novel has Dalloway dwelling on missed opportunities throughout her life.
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