Title says all, I’d like to get back into books but find myself buying longer reads that I feel a bit intimidated by. Is there any shorter books that I can start out with to reintroduce myself to reading as a hobby? I’ve heard Before The Coffee Gets Cold is a good series. I’d also be open to reading some philosophy books.
by MistuhCloud
12 Comments
We have noticed your title references some material that is covered in our FAQ. [Please take a look and see if it provides you with the information you were looking for.](http://www.reddit.com/r/books/wiki/faq)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/books) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Voices of the fire by Allan More
Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
Wish I could read that one for the first time again.
Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) by Jerome K Jerome has been voted the funniest book in the English language before now. It’s a really old book but the humour stands the test of time.
The Murderbot Diaries is a series by Martha Wells and is pretty good if a science fiction read is ok. I don’t recall how many books there are but they are pretty short and really accessible I think.
The Stranger by Albert Camus is a very short philosophy book.
You could give *Your Fathers, Where Are They? And The Prophets, Do They Live Forever?* by Dave Eggers. Probably the fastest I’ve ever read a book – both because of the writing style make it much faster than a normal book, and because of how arresting and immediate the story was.
Well, length is a bit subjective, but from my experience with the series it’s only long because the pages are small.
Books from the author Patricia Cornwell are pretty good. There’s a series featuring a character named Kay Scarpetta, and it’s a crime based page-turner. I started with a book called The Body Farm, and if it’s an option, id definitely check it out.
The Giver worked well for me.
I hated Before the Coffee Gets Cold, mainly because it was extremely repetitive and boring. I don’t think it’s an easy read for someone who has dropped reading.
And while short can be good, I think short-ish but very exciting can also be easier to get you into it.
Different to previous suggestions – something like Project Hail Mary (not super short but a very easy humorous science fiction/thriller read), Piranesi (short very intriguing and unique fantasy), or a biography like I’m Glad My Mom Died (shocking/depressing view of child celebrity) or Born a Crime (funny and historically interesting) could be pretty intriguing depending on your interests. Even younger books like Percy Jackson can be great to get you rolling. You might get better recommendations if you describe what type of thing you think you are looking for!
The Dog Star by Diana Wynne Jones is short and wonderful. You could also try Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip.
r/smallbooks might have some good suggestions