10 Short Books to help you complete the Goodreads Challenge!

December will be the busiest month of the year for most of the bloggers, YouTubers, and people in general. For us, it means the beginning of the Christmas season, but also the final stretch of the year to try and reach all of those reading goals we set up for ourselves almost 12 months ago. There will be a lot of new holiday content, best and worst of the year wrap-ups, and not much time left for reading. 

I reached my GoodReads goal in July this year, which was the first time ever that I managed to read 50 books in 6 months! The second half of the year wasn’t as productive in terms of reading, and as much as I’d love to reach 100 books, I don’t think it will be possible. 

Nevertheless, I can always try and read shorter books in December 2019 to give that slight boost to my reading challenge and finish the year on a high note. 

Here is the list of short and fast-paced books that I’ve already read or planning to read in the future:

ADULT

eLEVATION BY STEPHEN KING

Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis… more

I bought the e-book of “Elevation” for my Kindle a couple of weeks ago, and will most likely read it this weekend.

the vegetarian by han kang

Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, Yeong-hye decides to purge her mind and renounce eating meat. In a country where societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye’s decision to embrace a more “plant-like” existence is a shocking act of subversion… more

This book… It’s definitely short, but I only recommend it if you were ever interested to see what all the hype was about. It was the most disturbing book I’ve ever read, and honestly, can’t recommend it to anyone. Check my review for more thoughts on this book.

the grownup by gillian flynn

A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection… more

The only book by Gillian Flynn that I haven’t read yet! But that’s only because I can’t seem to find it anywhere.

my sister the serial killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first… more

GoodReads 2019 Awards nominee and the book everyone has been talking about this year, “My Sister is a Serial Killer” is only 226 pages long! Isn’t that reason enough to pick it up?!

the incendiaries by r.o. kwon

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn’t tell anyone she blames herself for her mother’s recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transfers to Edwards from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe… more

Another book that’s been on my radar since its release in 2018. The first reviews were very positive, but I noticed that the rating of this book has been dropping on GoodReads as more and more people read it. Hmm…

YA

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there’s another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go… more

I just read this book in November and I can see why everyone likes it. I think I’d enjoy it better if I read it in my teens or early twenties. But it’s still an amazing book, highly recommend!

the little prince by antoine de saint-exupéry

Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince. Richard Howard’s translation of the beloved classic beautifully reflects Saint-Exupéry’s unique and gifted style. Howard, an acclaimed poet and one of the preeminent translators of our time, has excelled in bringing the English text as close as possible to the French, in language, style, and most important, spirit… more

If you’ve never read “The Little Prince”, it’s time to do it! It’s one of my favorite books, and I grew to cherish it more as I got older. I remember reading it as a kid, and most of the “lessons” went over my head. Re-reading it in my twenties was the best experience ever!

stargirl by jerry spinelli

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don’t stand out–under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes–for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body… more

I first heard about “Stargirl” from Kayla @Booksandlala. It’s one of her favorite books, and I’d love to give it a try!

Wayward Children Series by seanan mcguire

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And finally, what can be better than a fantasy series where each book is only 200 pages long?! I attempted reading “Every Heart a Doorway” by Seanan McGuire this month and, sadly, I didn’t like it. You can read my full review here, but basically it was nothing I expected it to be. The hype around this series is so big that my expectations played a trick on me, and I ended up not enjoying the first book in this series.

What short books do you recommend? How many books do you still need to read this year to reach your Goodreads challenge?

Let me know in the comments below!

Other posts in the “End of the Year” series:

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UPDATE (Dec 8th 2019):

Emily @BookswithEmilyFox just posted her list of short books to read before the end of the year. I love her channel, so I thought I’d share her video here as well! 🙂

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