Short books you can finish in a weekend
When a thick novel feels like too much, a short book is a good way back into reading. A few that are worth the hours.
The QuillBees team
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·3 min read
There is a particular joy in finishing a book in one or two sittings. These are short enough for a weekend, and good enough that you will not feel you wasted it.
Short stories and novellas in Hindi and Urdu
Kafan, Premchand. A short story that stays in the mind for years. It takes under half an hour to read.
Usne Kaha Tha, Chandradhar Sharma Guleri. A classic story of love and sacrifice set during war. One of the best known stories in Hindi.
Duvidha, Vijaydan Detha. A folktale from Rajasthan, retold with great skill. Sly, funny and slightly eerie.
Lihaaf, Ismat Chughtai. A famous story told through a child's eyes. Bold for its time, and still striking.
Manto's short stories. Saadat Hasan Manto wrote hundreds, many only a few pages long. Pick any collection and read a story at a time.
Short books in English
Animal Farm, George Orwell. A fable about power that can be read in an afternoon.
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck. Brief, sad and beautifully built.
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway. One man, one fish, very few words.
Train to Pakistan, Khushwant Singh. A compact novel set in a border village during the Partition.
Ruskin Bond's collections. Gentle stories of the hills, easy to dip into. A few pages will do on a quiet evening.
Why short books are worth it
- You finish. That feeling of completion encourages you to start another.
- They suit busy lives. You can read one in a few evenings.
- They teach you a lot about craft, because nothing is wasted.
- They are good for sharing. It is easier to say "read this, it is only a hundred pages".
How to read in a weekend
- Pick a book on Friday evening and do not start a second.
- Choose a place that you can return to, like a chair or a corner of the bed.
- Silence the phone for an hour at a time. Put it in another room if needed.
- Read the first twenty pages before deciding if it works for you.
- Keep tea or something to eat nearby, and let the weekend slow down.
A reminder
Short does not mean slight. Some of the strongest books in any language are under two hundred pages. They say what they have to say, and they stop.
If you are trying to get back into reading, this is the best place to start.
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