9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day

http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/short-reads#1izvauv 1/25
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1. Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Granta / BuzzFeed
Dept. of Speculation, a series of short dispatches from the front line of a marriage, is
by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and often both in the same sentence.
Good grief Dept. of Speculation is good. Beautifully,
heartbreakingly, profoundly good.
Anna James
@acaseforbooks
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3:27 AM - 27 Feb 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
2. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Penguin / BuzzFeed
Orwells classic allegory is as sharp and biting as when it was first published nearly
70 years ago, and just as relevant. Well worth a reread.
3. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Jackson
Penguin / BuzzFeed
A gripping tale of murder most foul on the estate of the Blackwood family, Shirley
Jacksons final novel is the kind of book youll want everyone to read just so you
can talk about it.
Still thinking about We Have Always Lived in the Castle - what a
clever book. Want to discuss it with someone!
Juliet Mushens
@mushenska
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9:31 PM - 31 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
4. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Penguin / BuzzFeed
A book about cultural identity as much as politics, The Reluctant Fundamentalist
follows a Princeton-educated Pakistani as his life in America collapses post 9/11.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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5. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Virago / BuzzFeed
In Nora Ephrons hilarious novel, based on the breakdown of her second marriage,
group therapy and infidelity share the page with recipes for pot roast.
6. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas
Adams
Tor / BuzzFeed
If Monty Python had done science fiction it might have been like this. At once
supremely silly, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and as British as dead-parrot jokes.
7. Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Vintage / BuzzFeed
A woman in a loveless marriage recounts a childhood friendship in this beautifully
crafted tale of innocence and growing up.
There's a tenderness to Who Will Run the Frog Hospital that is
equal parts remorse and remembrance (poignant?). Overall a great
novel.
Paige Occeola
@ohnopaige
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2:49 PM - 01 Sep 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
8. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Penguin / BuzzFeed
Achebes classic novel follows Okonkwo, a man who finds himself at odds with
society and history amid the changing cultural landscape in Nigeria. 209 pages.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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9. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Melville House / BuzzFeed
The story of a woman trapped in her marriage was condemned when first published
in 1899, ending Chopins career, but is now rightly recognised as a classic.
Reading and loving Kate Chopin's The Awakening. "Even as a child
she had lived her own small life all within herself."
Lucy Caldwell
@beingvarious
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3:42 PM - 30 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
10. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Hyperion / BuzzFeed
An exploration of loneliness, softened by Martins witty observations and dry
humour, Shopgirl follows the titular character as she navigates life in Los Angeles.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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11. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
Harper Collins / BuzzFeed
Classic Christie, classic Marple. When the body of a young woman is discovered in
the library at Gossington Hall, the hunt is on to find out whodunnit.
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ballentine / BuzzFeed
In a future America, books are outlawed and firemen burn any that are found. One
of Bradburys best.
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Houghton Mifflin / BuzzFeed
Explores similar themes to Fahrenheit 451, but written for young adults. Dont let the
recent film adaptation put you off.
14. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Knopf / BuzzFeed
An examination of life and the narratives we construct for ourselves that won the
2011 Man Booker Prize.
'The sense of an ending' by Julian Barnes is the best book I have
ever, ever read. Read it in a few hours, could not put it down
Caitlin
@Caitlinellen__
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4:18 AM - 31 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
15. Sula by Toni Morrison
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Knopf / BuzzFeed
Sula follows the contrasting lives of two girls growing up in a poor, black Ohio
neighbourhood, and the different paths they choose.
16. The Dig by Cynan Jones
Granta / BuzzFeed
A sparse, dark, brutal novella about a Welsh farmer struggling to make a living from
his sheep, and an unnamed man digging up badgers to bait.
So I read The Dig by Cynan Jones yesterday. An intense poem of a
novel. Quite wonderful writing. Do check it out if you can.
Scott Pack
@meandmybigmouth
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1:31 PM - 03 Mar 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
17. How to Get Into the Twin Palms by Karolina
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Waclawiak
Two Dollar Radio / BuzzFeed
An absurd, delightful novel about a Polish immigrant in Los Angeles who schemes
to reinvent herself in order to gain access to the Twin Palms nightclub.
18. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Vintage / BuzzFeed
Two friends plot the downfall of a politician in this Booker-winning novella.
19. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Penguin / BuzzFeed
Although frequently challenged for its depiction of gang violence and youth
drinking, The Outsiders is in fact a classic morality tale wrapped up in 60s street
gang culture.
20. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Simon & Schuster / BuzzFeed
This story of an ageing, down-on-his luck fisherman fighting to reel in the catch of a
lifetime won Papa a Pulitzer. Some love it, some dont. A must-read either way.
21. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Farrar Straus Giroux / BuzzFeed
This multi-award-winning young-adult novel deals with the trauma caused by rape,
and the difficulty victims often have in reporting and talking about sexual assault.
I read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson when I was 14. It changed
my life and made me see beyond the safety of my world. #yasaves
Nikki
@Nikkayme
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12:15 PM - 05 Jun 11 Reply Retweet Favorite
22. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Scribners
Nick Carraway encounters reclusive billionaire Jay Gatsby at a party. Jazz ensues.
You may already know the story, but like one of Gatsbys lavish soires, Fitzgeralds
sparkling prose warrants revisiting.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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23. Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates
Carroll & Graf / BuzzFeed
The aftermath of a gang rape on a young mother is explored in a searing indictment
of rape culture and the lack of justice, care, and understanding for victims.
Finished "Rape, a love story" by Joyce Carol Oates. A punch to the
gut. When you get your breath back, you realize, you needed that
punch.
Dan Therriault
@dantherriault
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6:12 PM - 12 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
24. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
Vintage
A seasoned English journalist in Vietnam watches as a young American turns good
intentions into bad policy and bloodshed in this powerful anti-war allegory.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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25. The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
Vintage / BuzzFeed
A fantastical, lyrical love story set during the Napoleonic Wars.
finished 'the passion.' made a noise. stared helplessly into space.
turned back to the first page and am now reading it again.
#winterson
Helena Fitzgerald
@helfitzgerald
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4:17 AM - 14 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
26. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Scribner / BuzzFeed
The classic fable of a seagull who wants more. Unwilling to conform to the norms of
his flock, Jonathan goes in search of a higher purpose to life.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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27. Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
Cape Poetry / BuzzFeed
A novel in verse, Autobiography of Red gives voice to a minor character in Greek
mythology, updating his story to the present day. There are those who love it and
those who havent read it. Be the former.
My mind is completely blown after reading Anne Carson's
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED for the 1st time. Her sentences are
tattooed on my brain.
Michele Filgate
@readandbreathe
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11:43 PM - 28 Nov 12 Reply Retweet Favorite
28. The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
Vintage / BuzzFeed
A stream-of-consciousness journey into the mind of a man on his lunch break.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Rereading The Mezzanine for the 3rd time -- it explains so much
about our times. Anyone know how to contact Nicholson Baker?
Alexis C. Madrigal
@alexismadrigal
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6:21 AM - 06 May 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
29. At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom by Amy
Hempel
Harper Perennial / BuzzFeed
A collection of 16 utterly compelling, gorgeously crafted short stories.
30. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Farrar, Strauss and Giroux / BuzzFeed
A horror novel following the 12th expedition into the uncharted Area X. Any guesses
what happened to the previous 11 expeditions? Nope, weirder than that.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Also really enjoyed Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, imagine Iain M
Banks scripted Lost as a Tarkovsky homage.
Colm Linnane
@Librarydotcolm
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5:16 PM - 29 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
31. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Farrar, Strauss and Giroux / BuzzFeed
Babbitts beloved fable about immortality will outlive us all.
32. Being There by Jerzy Kosinski
Grove Atlantic / BuzzFeed
A brilliant satire about a gardener turned political pundit.
33. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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George
Puffin / BuzzFeed
The story of Sam, a boy who runs away from home to live in the Catskill mountains,
where he befriends a peregrine falcon he names Frightful.
34. The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole
Grove Atlantic / BuzzFeed
Written when Toole was just 16, but not published until after his death. Well worth a
read for fans of his A Confederacy of Dunces.
35. Speedboat by Renata Adler
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Harper Perennial / BuzzFeed
An experimental novel that defies literary convention and category, this mix of
fiction, critique, memoir, confession, and essay demands to be experienced.
Am recommending to EVERYONE my read of the summer -
Speedboat by Renata Adler. Best novel I've read in such a long
time.
Alex Preston
@ahmpreston
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4:04 PM - 12 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
36. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel
Garci Mrquez
Penguin / BuzzFeed
An ageing journalist requests a virgin prostitute for his 90th birthday, but instead of
sex, he finds love for the first time.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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37. If Youre Not Yet Like Me by Edan Lepucki
Novella / BuzzFeed
A darkly comic novella in which the narrator tells her unborn daughter the story of
how she came to be. A romantic comedy with the emphasis on comedy, not
romance.
Finished with If You're Not Yet Like Me, by Edan Lepucki: Well,
okay. This is as perfect a short story/novella as ...
http://t.co/v6VKBaIF9w
Rebecca
@rlhazelwood
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6:17 AM - 07 May 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
38. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Harper Perennial / BuzzFeed
A woman assigned to deal with the estate of an old flame finds herself in the middle
of a secret war between two mail distributors in Pynchons satirical novel.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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39. The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Pantheon / BuzzFeed
In 1930s Saigon, a young French girl enters into a passionate affair with the son of a
wealthy Chinese family that threatens to tear their families apart.
40. Breakfast at Tiffanys by Truman Capote
Penguin / BuzzFeed
The narrator befriends a young New York society girl, Holly Golightly, who relays
tales of her dates with wealthy men, and finds himself entranced by her.
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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92Y
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16:59
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41. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Penguin / BuzzFeed
Ethan Frome struggles to tend to his farm and his wife then her beautiful cousin
comes to stay.
42. Times Arrow by Martin Amis
Vintage / BuzzFeed
In a reverse narrative, the protagonist moves backwards from death towards the
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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storys beginning and his role in one of the most horrific events in recent history.
the concept and the audacity of Martin Amis to pull off Time's
Arrow. Stunning!
anonceleb
@anonceleb
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11:45 PM - 28 Aug 14 Reply Retweet Favorite
43. Lucinella by Lore Segal
Melville House / BuzzFeed
A witty and searing indictment of the 70s New York literary scene, in which a poet
observes her peers at a writers colony upstate.
Excited doesn't begin to cover it. Lucinella's the weirdest, most
wonderful book I've read in years http://t.co/WMxVjmZgAi
@melvillehouse
Emily Freyer
@emfreyer
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12:35 AM - 01 Oct 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
44. Night by Elie Wiesel
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Penguin / BuzzFeed
A harrowing account of the authors time in Nazi concentration camps.
45. A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf
Penguin / BuzzFeed
An essay in narrative form, arguing against the treatment of women both as fictional
characters and as writers of fiction in a male-dominated literary world.
46. Ablutions by Patrick deWitt
9/8/2014 46 Brilliant Short Novels You Can Read In A Day
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Tagged: books, achebe, douglas adams, novella, novellas, orwell, penguin, reading, short reads, the giver, win
Granta / BuzzFeed
An alcoholic bartender in Los Angeles observes the lonely, broken, and grotesque
characters who populate his bar, among whom he may be the most broken.
Patrick deWitt's Ablutions is an astonishing first novel with a second
person narrative. Brutal yet brilliant and visceral. I loved it.
Ranjit
@qtfan
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12:40 AM - 16 Sep 11 Reply Retweet Favorite
Why not take a stroll to your local bookshop and buy
one?
This list isnt exhaustive. If theres a short novel weve missed, please add it in the
comments below so others might enjoy it. Oh, and just because you can read these
in a day doesnt mean you have to. Happy reading!
H/T to Flavorwire / Reddit / Go Book Yourself.
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