If you're the kind of reader who sets a reading target at the start of the year, there's a reasonable chance that when December rolls around, you're starting to scramble to get to the number you decided on in January – I certainly know that I am.
So if you're in the same boat, here are some quick reads that will get you closer to your target in just an afternoon. And, you don't need to sacrifice quality in the name of brevity – these books may be short, but I assure you they pack a punch!
Must-read novels
To start with, if you haven't read Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital, definitely pick it up. Not only is it critically acclaimed, but our booksellers have been raving about it for over a year!
If you want to read local, try The Sunbird by Palestinian-Australian Sara Haddad, for a moving story about a woman in her eighties, grappling with the lasting impact of being displaced from her home and homeland. Or there's this beautiful re-discovered classic by Barbara Hanrahan, Annie Magdalene, about a young woman determined to forge her own path, rather than live the life expected of her.
Claire Keegan's powerful novella Small Things Like These was well-known even before it was made into a movie staring Cillian Murphy, but it has exploded again in the last year as new readers discover it. And it's set in the lead-up to Christmas, which makes it seasonally appropriate, even if it's not exactly filled with Christmas cheer …
For another powerful read, try Toni Morrison's singular Recitatif, an exploration of the lives and values of two friends who have drifted apart after a close-knit childhood. Exploring race, and our social perceptions of race, this is a short read that will be turning over in your mind long after you turn the last page.
For an imaginative genre read
If you're looking for some escapism to close out your year, try one of these short novels that delve into worlds of fantasy and sci-fi. To start with, for fans of high fantasy, I recommend Naomi Novik's novella The Summer War, a magical story about a young woman whose quest to undo a curse on her brother draws her into a centuries-old war. I've loved everything by Novik I've gotten my hands on, so this is one I heartily recommend!
For a punchy thriller with spooky vibes, try M. L. Rio's Graveyard Shift. This is a fun new addition to the Dark Academia genre, with a compellingly flawed and deeply human team of amateur investigators at its heart.
Veering into sci-fi territory, we have Murakami's absurd, fantastical story Super-Frog Saves Tokyo. This is a beautiful, illustrated edition of the story of an ordinary man whose mundane life is overturned when a six foot tall frog recruits him to help save Tokyo.
Fans of Becky Chamber's much-loved A Psalm for the Wild-Built should absolutely get their hands on Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz. This is a similarly cosy and thoughtful story about the relationship between humans and robots in a strange, future world.
Thought-starting nonfiction
The Mushroom Tapes is surely a book that needs no introduction to Readings customers – three of Australians most renowned writers on crime, taking on the notorious murder-via-beef-wellington. This book is composed of transcripts of conversations the three authors had over the course of the trial, as they discussed the evidence and analysed their own reactions to the case. This makes reading the book feel like you're at the dinner table or in the car with the women as they bounce ideas off each other, and it means it's a speedy read.
For another Australian option, try Bill Dodd's moving memoir, Broken Dreams, which was re-released earlier this year as part of UQP's First Nations Classics series. In just 160 pages it charts Dodd's childhood, adolescence and the aftermath of the diving accident that made him a quadriplegic at age eighteen – all with his trademark energy and rebellious spirit.
Even readers who haven't read Sylvia Path are familiar with her cult status, but in her lifetime her emotional, vulnerable writings were not always respected; similarly, opinions on Taylor Swift may be mixed, but no one can deny her impact on the cultural zeitgeist. Maggie Nelson explores this similarity in her essay, The Slicks, which looks at the overlap between the work and reception of these two well-known women. This is a quick and compelling read, that will have you rethinking the kind of art that is most commonly dismissed and derided.
And if that's whet your appetite for cultural studies, next pick up Gary Younge's essay Pigeonholed, which reflects on the seemingly never-ending pressures put on minorities when they are included in exclusive or 'elite' spaces. This relatively short read considers both the privileges and responsibilities placed on the individuals that are the first to break into spaces they've traditionally been excluded from. It's a fascinating and powerful read!
If you need more ideas for quick reads, we have a whole collection! Plus you can check out our great range of poetry and graphic novels. 📚
