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Do you want to opt out of this? Reading cramming or craving a literary distract yourself phoneThe best novels are stories you can read in a day. These short-form books are perfect for our age of distractions, where attention spans are short and many people feel overwhelmed by the thought of a 600-page book.
Smaller books — I’m talking 200 pages and under — can not only save you shelf or hand luggage space, but can help you get closer to completing your 2025 Goodreads challenge. I’ve read 41 books so far this year, and many of them are novels that I’ve spent Sunday afternoons with.
I’m not alone in my new-found love for short stories. Earlier this year, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s lesser-known book white nights went surprisingly viral on tiktokThe themes of isolation and loneliness seemed to strike a chord among Gen Z – and so did its 80-page length.
A recent study commissioned by the charity reading agencyreported that more than a third of UK adults have given up reading for pleasure. Among the distractions cited, social media, lack of time and difficulty concentrating received the highest marks.
So, is Novella the solution? They can be read in just a few hours, so fit into busy schedules, and the writing is skillfully done to keep you engaged in a short time. If you’re looking for some pleasant respite between doom-scrolling, I’ve collected my favorite short books I’ve read so far in 2025 – all under 200 pages and can be enjoyed in a single afternoon.
‘Small Things Like These’ by Claire Keegan, published by Faber & Faber
‘Small Boat’ by Vincent Delacroix, published by Hoprode
‘Perfection’ by Vincenzo Latronico, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
‘Hunchback’ by Sou Ichikawa, published by Penguin
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‘Universality’ by Natasha Brown, published by Faber & Faber
‘The Cost of Living’ by Deborah Levy, published by Penguin
For more book recommendations, I’ve finished this Best New Releases for 2025