We are on the last challenge for the summer: books you can finish in day. We saved the easiest for last or the hardest if you struggle finding time to read. Now we aren’t saying you “have” to read this book in one day. Key word in this challenge is can. Therefore, we will only be looking at books that are under 250 pages or less.
Reading Speed
Everyone has their own reading speed. According to Swift Read the average reader takes around 7 hours to read roughly 250 pages. However, that can fluctuate depending on your own reading speed. Short novels are around 200 pages or fewer, novellas are 60 to 120 pages, and short stories average 4,000 words. If you are curious to what your reading speed might be check out this free speed reading test: http://www.freereadingtest.com/
Time for Reading
Another thing to consider for this challenge is the time that you have available to read. Not everyone has 7 hours to finish a book in one day. Maybe you only have 1 hour to read a book or maybe 20 minutes. For this challenge maybe you want to choose a book that you can finish in one sitting or maybe you will pick a book that might take several sittings during the same day. We have some recommendations for books that are under 250 pages. Whether or not you will read it in one day entirely depends on you.
Recommendations for Books You Can Finish in a Day
The Portal Home: A Philcadian Short Story
by Oakley R Campbell
Our first recommendation is one of our own. Oakley R Campbell just released her first novel, Dragonblood Cure and this is a prequel story to her debut novel. This story is considered a short story as it is only 49 pages long. Definitely a book you can tackle in one sitting. It is about a girl who falls through a portal to a new world. She seeks the help of two wizards in order to return home.
River Trap: A Queensland Crater Story
by John K. Patterson
This is a fun futuristic science fiction story with dinosaurs. In 2084, Australia is infested with cloned prehistoric animals, and humans must fight to reclaim every square inch of civilization.
Dinosaur hunter Helen Larkwood is invited to take down the largest carnivore she’s ever hunted. Her daughter Marie has come along to find veterinary work, but the New Outback has other ideas. Together, they’re about to find out just how unforgiving their homeland can be.
Welcome to the Land Down Under that Time Forgot. Prehistory meets a high-tech future in the Queensland Crater universe, with primal thrills and pulse-pounding action! (40 pages)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman’s book would be considered a short novel at 181 pages. This book contains sadness, happiness, and monsters hiding in the dark. It tells a story of a man who returns to his childhood home. He remembers a girl from his childhood and with it memories from his past come flooding back. Memories that are strange, frightening and dangerous.
Of Love and Other Demons
by Gabriel García Márquez
Another short novel at 160 pages. Young Sierva Maria cruel parents all but ignore their daughter. Until she is bitten by a rabid dog and they arrange for a proper exorcism. Priest is designated to keep watch over her–only to realize that he is in love with the girl.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
by Truman Capote
Maybe you have heard or even seen the 1960’s film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Now is your chance to read the short novel (160 pages). Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany’s. Set against the gleaming Manhattan skyscrapers, Holly charms her way into the swankiest parties in town.
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies. You will have to dedicate a little more time reading this novel as its page count is 208. It is the story of young Santiago, who leaves home in search of worldly treasures. His journey teaches us the wisdom of listening to our hearts and following our dreams. It is a story that combines magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson
A well known classic that is only 34 pages long. Perhaps you know the story but have yet to read it. Don’t we all have a little of Mr. Hyde lucking inside ourselves? This is a tale about the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll and the drug that unleashes his evil, inner persona, Mr Hyde.
The Yellow Wall-Paper
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
This is a story you can tackle in one sitting at 24 pages. Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of her child, a woman is urged to rest for the summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wallpaper.
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo
by Zen Cho
Set in 1920s in London, a writer meets a famous author she eviscerated in a review. The author is more intrigued. Jade is irresistibly drawn to the prospect of adventure he offers. But if she succumbs to temptation, she risks losing her hard-won freedom–and her best chance for love. (76 pages)
Good luck reading a book you can finish in a day. We believe in you! Be sure to follow our newsletter for exciting new updates and announcements.
