If you find yourself with some downtime this long weekend (or just need to sneak away from your extended family for a bit), treat yourself to one of these 10 books under 300 pages. From literary mysteries to moving memoirs, we’ve got a great quick read for you to devour in between bites of pumpkin pie. Download one to your Libby app using your library membership or pick up a Kindle edition below.
‘How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water’ by Angie Cruz
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This 2022 novel from the author of the acclaimed Dominicana packs a heartfelt punch. A woman tells her life story to a job counselor during the Great Recession, including her experience with loss and gentrification, as well as her fraught relationship with her estranged son.
‘The Book of Delights’ by Ross Gay
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The holidays are a time for sharing gratitude and joy, and no one does it better than Ross Gay. This short collection of essays finds the good in the small things, from birthdays to the praying mantis. Gay’s follow-up, The Book of (More) Delights, was published this year.
‘Eileen’ by Ottessa Moshfegh
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As winter creeps in, nothing will be more satisfying than this literary thriller about a young woman working in a boy’s prison, and her growing infatuation with a new counselor. Riveting and unsettling, Moshfegh’s novel was being adapted into a new movie starring Anne Hathaway, out Dec. 1.
‘The Friend’ by Sigrid Nunez
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Friendship comes in all shapes and sizes, and, occasionally, from unlikely sources. This National Book Award-winning novel follows a woman who adopts the dog of her late mentor. A story of grief and unexpected love.
‘Sabrina & Corina’ by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
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This collection of short stories about Latina characters of Indigenous descent shares an acute perspective of womanhood, Colorado and what it means to call such a place home. Fajardo-Anstine’s debut is one to savor and revisit.
‘All You Can Ever Know’ by Nicole Chung
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The definition of “family” is different for everyone. Nicole Chung understands this as she writes of her experience being adopted by White parents, as well as searching for her biological Korean family. A true and nuanced look at identity and the transracial adoptee experience.
‘Dog Flowers’ by Danielle Geller
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The author of this unforgettable memoir returns to her mother’s home on the Navajo reservation after her passing from alcohol withdrawal. Utilizing both prose and photos from her personal archive, Geller presents an intimate look into heritage, colonization and her family history.
‘Lab Girl’ by Hope Jahren
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The natural world is at the forefront of our minds during autumn, as the leaves and seasons change. Hope Jahren shares her love of the environment and her journey toward becoming a scientist in this memoir and ode to nature.
‘Paper Names’ by Susie Luo
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In this debut novel, a doorman, his daughter and an affluent lawyer with a dark secret see their paths collide after a shocking act of violence. Full of unexpected turns, this book is perfect to read in one sitting.
‘Novelist as a Vocation’ by Haruki Murakami
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November is National Novel Writing Month for all of the aspiring writers out there, and Murakami’s latest nonfiction book is the perfect read for it. The author of Norwegian Wood and IQ84 provides his thoughts on creativity, the novel and his career as one of our most beloved writers.