My Favorite Books to Read in One Sitting
Elizabeth Moore
So I love reading. This will come as a surprise to no one. But even people who love reading need motivation to keep reading and a sense of accomplishment to keep the thrill alive. If I only read War & Peace or Les Miserables or other 1,000+ pagers, I might shrivel up and die.
Of course, I want to tackle these gargantuan books every now and then, but to gain momentum, it helps to knock out a few short books in one sitting. There’s something about ticking off 5 titles in a month that makes you feel incredibly virtuous and able to approach War & Peace like it’s an ice-cream sandwich--conquerable in about 3 bites.
So, if you need motivation to read, this is for you.
If you read once in a blue moon and are tired of stopping & starting the same book all year, this is for you.
If you are defeated after barely making a dent in your books, this for you too.
My Favorite Books to Read in One Sitting
I’m going to list off some specifics for you, but if you want to discover new titles for yourself, I typically have success in these genres:
middle-grade chapter books
poetry collections
short essay collections
short story collections
coffee table books, etc.
Sometimes I will literally go in the library for an hour, pick up a book that’s under 100 pages, find a delightfully isolating corner, and read until I’m finished. I highly recommend this as a regular pastime.
Middle-Grade Chapter Books
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo - I loved this movie as a young girl (also wanted to BE Anna Sophia Ross, but ya know). I picked up this book in college and read the entire thing in one afternoon. I didn’t intend to read it in one sitting, but I did, and I felt how reading short books could be so invigorating.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - Same thing. I read this book for undergraduate research and had so much fun. I read it in elementary school, but there is something enlightening about reading a children’s book from an adult’s perspective.
Reading a series of short books REALLY gives you a reader’s high. Any of these are total winners:
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Poetry Collections
The Sun and Her Flowers and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur - I devoured both of these before I even left the bookstore. They are heavy and hard to read but exquisite works of art. The poems range from one line to one or two pages. I flipped through these pretty quickly, but paused frequently to digest the sobering subject matter.
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver - Anything by Mary Oliver, really. She is a beautiful, contemporary poet. Some of her collections are longer and probably aren’t to be read in one sitting, but if you find a small book of Oliver’s poems, do yourself a favor and drink it in.
Eighteen Years by Madisen Kuhn - I actually haven’t read this one yet, but it’s on my list! I’ve read a couple of Madisen’s poems online and am a fan. Madisen self-published this collection, got picked up by a publisher afterward, and is about to publish her second collection with Simon & Schuster. (**Inspiration for all you poets & writers out there: just write the thing and let it be what it needs to be. Publishing may come later, but for now, write the thing.**)
Short Essay/ Short Story Collections
A Prayer Journal by Flannery O’Connor - Oh my word. Maybe one of the most honest works on my bookshelf ever. Published posthumously in 2014, these are Flannery’s thoughts and prayers from a journal she kept in college as she discovered her place as a writer and cried out to the Lord in desperation & worship. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. I got it the Christmas after it was released and read the entire thing before lunch.
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller - Dang. This is short but powerful. I need to read it over and over again. The title alone tells you what you need to know.
Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell - A fun short story about a quirky high school girl who is obsessed with Star Wars. Not a masterpiece, but a fun story. And a good entry point into Rainbow Rowell’s writing.
Coffee Table Books
Worn Stories by Emily Spivack - Little stories and mini memoirs. Each open layout has a photo of a piece of clothing on one side and a story of what happened in those clothes on the other side. I love fascinating details that don’t tell everything but tell enough.
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton - More photos & detailed snippets of people’s lives. I love the combination of visual and narrative storytelling: vivid details of one particular moment, a brief glimpse of context, and the rest is up for you to imagine and wonder and appreciate the stinging beauty of the human experience.
Bonus: Plane Books
These books are a little longer, but I read them in one sitting on a plane. If you’re on a plane ride or laying on beach for a few hours, these books held my attention, kept me flipping pages, and didn’t bore me or overwhelm me.
Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
Memoir/Autobiography
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Non-fiction
Young Pioneers by Rose Wilder Lane
Novella, originally published as a serial in the Saturday Evening Post in 1933
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Young Adult Novel
Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
Memoir/Autobiography
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
Play
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Novel, originally published in 1925
Roots & Sky by Christie Purifoy
Creative Non-Fiction about growth
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Non-Fiction Essays by the brilliant cigar-smoking brooder himself
Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott
Creative Non-Fiction about writing
