GREAT SHORT BOOKS

A roundup of the best short reads.

Davis, who has written numerous books about literature and history, believes that books of less than 200 pages can be a good antidote to our troubled times and the stream of doom-laden news. For each of the 58 books on his list, which make up a year’s worth of quality literature, he provides a plot summary, a brief biography of the author, the first paragraph of the book, “Why You Should Read It,” and “What To Read Next.” “A short novel is like a great first date,” writes Davis. “It can be extremely pleasant, even exciting, and memorable. Ideally, you leave wanting more….But there is no long-term commitment.” For readers who find Tolstoy or Melville exhausting, short novels prove that brevity can be the soul of not only wit, but also drama, mystery, and poignancy. Many of the books are well known—e.g., The Old Man and the Sea, The Great Gatsby, Charlotte’s Web, Lord of the Flies—and acknowledged as classics. Others—including Yu Miri’s Tokyo Ueno Station and Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy—deserve wider recognition. James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice retains its wham-bam quality despite appearing in 1934, Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is as tasty as the day it was published in 1985. James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk might even mean more now than when it was first published in 1974. Davis also highlights some excellent novels from recent years—among them, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani, and Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill. Davis admits that there are many good novels that he did not include (he provides a supplementary list of titles in an appendix), but his love of books and reading shines through. From 1759 (Candide) to 2019 (The Nickel Boys), he’s got you covered.

An entertaining journey with a fun, knowledgeable guide.