Open recommendation for any book you’ve ever read under 300 pages

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Odd Thomas by Dean Kootz 301 pages.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Nghi Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle (novella series)

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (first in novella series)

Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell (first in novella series)

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (first in novella series)

The Word for the World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. 144 pages.

The Stranger by Albert Camus [English translations by Matthew Ward]. 159 pages.

A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro [English translations by Frances Riddle]. 208 pages.

Confessions by Kanae Minato [English translations by Stephen Snyder]. 240 pages.

Silas Marner by George Eliot. 240 pages.

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley. 288 pages

Slade House; by the author of ‘Cloud Atlas’ I am reading it now too bc I am in the same boat as you

*A Psalm for the Wild-Built* by Becky Chambers is 2021’s “cozy cup of coffee” book. Insightful and touching at under 200 pages, but sometimes feels a little like reading a self-help book.

*Comfort Me With Apples* is a dark little book that slowly unveils itself. A fast read at 100 pages, it’s a creepy little tale that keeps throwing strange moments at the reader.

*All Systems Red* by Martha Wells is the start of the “murderbot” series. Most all of the entries here are under 200 pages. Fast paced, funny, adventure stories with excellent lead character who is uncovering a sci-fi tinged conspiracy.

*Riot Baby* by Tochi Onyebuchi is very gritty and frantic under 200 pages and an excellent read. About a girl with powers who can’t do anything to help those she loves.

*The Past Is Red* is a dystopian tale where the world has been covered in water and people live on floating trash islands. It’s humorous, sweet, weird, clever, and a bit poignant when you least expect it. Fast and easy read under 200 pages that took me by surprise.

*Ring Shout* by P. Djèlí Clark is about three female demon slayers and is under 200 pages. A fun and fast ride. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs the KKK. Won the Hugo for Best Novella of 2020.

*Follow Me to Ground* by Sue Rainsford is a creepy but poetic novella just over 200 pages. A bit disturbing, but in a medical sense. I loved this little book and couldn’t put it down.

*This Is How You Lose the Time War* by Amal El-Mohtar is written like a series of love letters and is around 200 pages. Very interesting and romantic while still having an edge as both the characters are on opposite sides of a war.

*The Echo Wife* hit a lot of “best of” the year lists in 2021 and it’s a fast read at just over 250 pages. While I can’t say it’s perfect and has some holes you could drive a truck through, it’s absolutely a great “beach blanket” read and has you interested in how things end up.

*Immobility* by Brian Evenson is a quick read under 300 pages about a man who wakes up in the future after being put into a cryo-slumber. He is paralyzed from the waste down due to this, but is tasked with a journey as he’s the only one immune to what created this apocalyptic landscape.

*The Hike* by Drew Magary is a 280ish page story that follows a man who becomes lost on a hiking trail and ends up traversing an alt-reality/surreal landscape. Pretty straight forward weird-read, but the devil is in the details. After a jaw dropping final chapter, you realize that this is much more than just a goofy journey book and perhaps worth re-reading to find nuggets the author left for you to find.

*How High We Go in the Dark* by Sequoia Nagamatsu Is a collection of tales set within the same universe. The book wraps around the past/present/future of a global pandemic that wipes out a large chunk of human life. Each tale presented is a study of grief and death and how individuals deal with these very human feelings of loss. Some stories are sad and hit very hard, others fit squarely into weird fiction, but in the end with the final tale everything comes together in an unusual and extremely clever way.

*The Ballad of Black Tom* by Victor Lavalle is a good novella that retells Lovecraft’s “The Horror At Red Hook” from then eyes of a black man who interacts with the characters from the very problematic original story.

*To Be Taught, If Fortunate* by Becky Chambers is a beautiful sci-fi story under 200 pages. It’s a shorter novella, but allows for quality within that frame rather than hugely epic world building.

*Elder Race* by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fun novella just over 200 pages which follows a journey to smite a “devil” from two different view points. One is the local warrior princess who seeks the assistance of an elusive god-like wizard who lives on the top of a mountain far from society. The second is the wizard, who is actually a scientist tasked with watching the natives from afar.

*A Children’s Bible* by Lydia Millet is funny and clever. Basically plays out like a biblical allegory but set in modern era. Was well loved on Best Of lists in 2020.

*I’m Thinking Of Ending Things* is a interesting horror book that slowly creeps along even at under 250 pages. The last 1/3 of the book devolves a bit into standard horror faire, but the experience of getting there makes it worth a read.

*The Fisherman* by John Langan is a 250 page folk horror book that is one of the better Lovecraftian inspired modern horror books of late. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions and creepy moments though the book could have been shortened a bit thanks to a meandering slow burn style of storytelling that isn’t for everyone.

*Piranesi* is a quick read at around 250 pages. About a man who lives in a mysterious house/castle. The house is just as much of a character as anyone, and has some mystery involving who the MC is and how he got there.

*The Chosen and the Beautiful* by Nghi Vo is a retelling of The Great Gatsby only from the viewpoint of Jordan and if she was an Asian gender fluid magic user. It’s really well written, “better than it sounds,” and would be fun to read if you have recently read the original.

*The Kaiju Preservation Society* is a lot of fun and under 300 pages. Much better plotting and writing that the title would give credit, and the kind of humor that isn’t smug or obnoxious.

*This Thing Between Us* by Gus Moreno is a Lovecraftian tale about a young man who has lost his wife in a strange accident. The perspective is that from if he was writing her the story in “journal entries.” We learn more about the relationship, her family, and the unusual things that were happening to the couple before she passed. Some strong moments, but nothing that hasn’t been done more successfully in other “cosmic horror” stories.

*The Lesson* by Cadwell Turnbull is a story about what happens when aliens make first contact in the Caribbean. An interesting setting and unique characters that follow what happens once these beings have integrated into society. Under 300 pages.

*Even Though I Knew the End* by C.L. Polk is a very fast read just over 100 pages from a great writer. Well worth it for a unique adventure set in an alt history mystery steeped in noir. You can depend on Polk to deliver wit alongside clever atmosphere.

*The Murders of Molly Southbourne* by Tade Thompson is an extremely fast read at 150 or so pages. The story is about a woman who wakes in a dungeon locked to a wall. A woman named Molly seems to have put her there and is cautiously taking care of them. It’s brutal, nasty, and scary all while making you want to peel the next page in order to figure out what the heck will happen next.

*Galatea* is a very fast read at around 50 pages, written by the author who gave us the popular *Circe* and *Song Of Achilles.* This one also riffs on Greek fables.

*Ogres* is an exciting action piece that falls around 100 pages. People living in an old world fantasy setting are under the thumb of giant Ogres who are their landlords and property owners. When they come for tithe/rent a young man stands up for himself, and winds up going down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and violence.

*Our Wives Under The Sea* is a creepy atmospheric book under 250 pages about a woman whose wife returns from a Deep Sea Expedition. A very satisfying read that grows more strange as you read it.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke! It’s one of my absolute favorites!! Fantasy where man lives (mostly) alone in a infinite marble house, surrounded by grand statues. Why is he there, how did he get there? Mysteries abound!

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone!! Another of of my absolute favorites! Sci-fi where agents from opposing sides of a time war leave messages for each other throughout time and space. It’s also gay.

*Address Unknown* by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor – a forgotten and rediscovered poignant epistolary novel about two friends growing apart in early 1930s Germany

*Remote Control* by Nnedi Okorafor – a young girl receives a deadly magical power and roams a futuristic African country; one of the weirdest books I have read, confusing in a delightful way

*The Bruising of Qilwa* by Naseem Jamnia – medical mystery and (found) family drama in a Persian-inspired fantasy world; avoid if you can’t see blood

*The Empress of Salt and Fortune* by Nghi Vo – a young historiographer travels a Chinese/south-east Asian inspired fantasy world to record eye-witness accounts of historical events; very clever story within a story; first book in a series of very short books

*Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* by Robert Louis Stevenson – a horror classic for good reason; I found it thrilling to read even though I already knew the main twist

*If Beale Street Could Talk* by James Baldwin – sad and beautiful story set inside the Black community in 1970s New York

*The Summer Book* by Tove Jansson – a grandmother and granddaughter spend the summer on a Finnish island, walking by the sea and talking; a lovely, relaxing book

*Catwings* by Ursula K. Le Guin – What if cats could fly?

I believe all of these are shorter than 200 pages, some shorter than 100.

Severance

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, the basis of the Hellraiser films is a rather slim novel. As is Fight Club.

I’ve seen a number of suggestions for This is How You Lose the Time War, which is also quite beautiful, albeit a bit on the unusual side.

I don’t think I’ve read an under 300 page book since I stopped reading Dr. Seuss.

Notes from Underground by Dostoyevsky is short but good.