8 Great Books You Can Read In A Day

There are some terrific books under 300 pages, and today I'm sharing 7 of them with you. These books don't compromise on quality or literary value — if anything, their length just shows how good the authors are at their craft.

And yes, in the video I said I was recommending seven books instead of eight. Mea culpa!

00:00 Short Books?
00:53 Some Sci-Fi Vignettes
1:42 My Favorite Autobiography
2:54 An Epic Poem
3:23 The Best Living Poet?
4:33 A Modern Italian
5:47 Modern Philosophy
6:56 Some Existentialism
7:53 Contemporary Fantasy

Books Mentioned:

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[luizappicanco]

I would recommend reading two short books together: death of Ivan Ilitch by Tolstoi and hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. The types of relationship each main character establishes with life and death are so different, practically opposite (one had everything in life and is painfully aware of the emptiness he feels; the other has nothing and is heartbreakingly ignorant of how much she is missing), but for some reason I struggle to think of one without remembering the other.

[guilhermeferrao]

Siddartha by Hermann Hesse is a wonderful read. Can be read in under two hours but it's made to be enjoyed and digested for a much longer period. I highly recommend

[castorphans]

I'd add two books to the list: "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", by Leo Tolstoy, which is about 80 pages long; and "Death in Venice", by Thomas Mann, which is quite the same length. Unforgettable books.

[robertbreaux]

Animal Farm is a great one day read. Also deserves multiple reads. Great book.

[MAFion]

My short recommendations: Albert Camus's The Stranger, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Foe by Ian Reid (a terrific philosophical thriller).

[hopelore]

I loved the Martian Chronicles! I rarely hear people talk about it so hearing you bring it up was a pleasent surprise. It solidified Bradbury as one of my favorite authors.

[BrandonsBookshelf]

Notes From Underground is so underrated, and yes not as good as crime and punishment or Brothers, but so so good!

[babybuntin]

I’ve never ever been able to read a book in a day, and I love to read. I generally reread passages and sentences as I’m going through a book to make sure I processed the language properly before continuing - should I do this, or is it not necessary? To me, reading is as thorough intellectual work as writing. Should I have this philosophy or should I not put quite as much time into going over the same excerpts again and again? As much as I appreciate this channels refreshing approach to reading quality instead of quantity, I still think that the prospect of wolfing down a 300 page book of any genre in a day is a bit ambitious, especially to those of us with ADHD. Love the content tho man, keep it up x

[hansolo]

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is an excellent short piece you could read in a couple of hours

[BrazilianPride]

Might I suggest "The Abolition of Man"? Only 80 or so pages, but they pack a punch

[RAyLV]

I was surprised to see that most people agree a 300 page book can be read in a day!
The most I was able to read in a single day was just 50 to 60 pages.

[ruimanel]

I recommend for a day read the Overcoat by Gogol. It has around 80 pages but the amout of themes and the depth of how each are explored as mindblowing. As Dostoievsky mentioned once "we are all sons of the overcoat".

[lelouchvibritannia]

I'm Italian and I think Calvino's ability to mix realism, surrealism and fantasy is incredibile, an italian Borges

[andrewkuzik]

I’m so happy you included “Invisible Cities.” I’ve read it over 3 times and still do not fully understand it.

[zenosaibam]

I would like to suggest the short stories collections from J. L. Borges as The Aleph and Ficciones, the Metamorphosis from Kafka and Reunion from Fred Uhlman

[jfarmerswatermelon]

Interesting list🤩I would recommend 1.The stranger by Albert Camus 2. Cain by Jose Saramago 3. The trial by Franz Kafka 4. The blind owl by Sadegh Hedayat 5. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 6. Persuasion by Jane Austen 7. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

[annamariacurrivan]

I love hearing people talk about books they love. The comments this podcast are amazing, full of ideas about great books to read in a day! Thanks!

[jerryrichardson]

_The Heart of Darkness, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, Civilization and it's Discontents, The Prince, A Moveable Feast, At the Mountains of Madness, The 39 Steps, The Powerhouse, Satori in Paris, The Last Tycoon, In Our Time, Wylding Hall, Utz, On Liberty, The Present Age(SK), The Doors of Perception, Truth Imagined, Running Wild_ by J G Ballard.

[tfpp]

I’d recommend Flatland, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Both are super short, definitely day-reads.

My recommendations are The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Chinatown by Thuan, The Autography of Red by Anne Carson, The Metamorphosis by Kafka…