Most books take days or weeks to finish. But sometimes, we need a book that we can read in one sitting. That is why we have curated a list of the ten best books to read in one sitting. Keep reading to see which books made the list!
We cannot always make time to read a book. But when we do have a free day, there is nothing more satisfying than grabbing a book and reading it as you drink your tea.
These ten books are amazing reads and you can read them in one sitting. Some of them will take less than two hours while others may take around 3 or 4 hours. Some people may read a bit faster or a bit slower and that is okay. The goal of reading is to enjoy the books you read, not to race through them.
The Ten Best Books To Read in One Sitting
- The Employees by Olga Ravn
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
- Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
- Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
- Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
The Midnight Library
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a beautiful story about coming to terms with your choices. It came out in 2022 and made several end-of-year lists for good reason. It is about regrets and how small choices can have a big impact on your life. The protagonist gets to live various lives, trying to find the one that will truly make her happy.
The Metamorphosis
Gregor Samsa is a travel salesman who day wakes up and finds himself transformed into a vermin. This new circumstance makes Samsa ponder his live as he struggles to get out of bed. He stays confined to his room as his family tries to survive without Samsa as the provider of the family anymore.
While this may be a short read, the impact of this novel is huge. It is no wonder that this novel has been relevant for decades. People are still analyzing this short story to truly figure out what Sasma was saying.
The House on Mango Street
Another classic on the list that you need to read is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is a wonderful novel that is short but will stay with you long after you finish the book. Not many authors can write an impactful novel that is also short, making a modern classic in many people’s eyes.
Other Novels on the List
Unfortunatelty, I haven’t had the chance to read most of the other novels on the list. The good thing is that they are short reads and can be read in one sitting or a few days. This is also a great way to keep yourself reading when you can’t make time for bigger novels
Conclusion
That wraps up this list of the ten best books to read in one sitting. How many of these books have you read or plan to read. What other short novels should we have included? Let us know in the comments below!
I liked some of those one sitting reads, Abduction and Uncharted Survival by M.V. Jones it was another excellent one sitting read that I loved as well as my teen daughter. It’s a story in the old West and is a heart warming story of courage and unexpected events. I got my book from Amazon.
Stop making (especially previously traumatized people) feel woefully inadequate withyour ludicrous clickbait! These ridiculous articles: Ten books to read in one sitting! Forty books to read over the labour day weekend! You sound like complete, out of touch, out-for-clicks morons. Go get bent.
Sjoe Lori, that is a bit harsh.
All due respect Lori, just because you can’t finish these books in one sitting, doesn’t mean no one else can. Moreover, I do not understand what trauma has to do with the article. If articles like this trigger you, then I suggest you avoid them. You cannot expect writers to change the way they write simply because you don’t like it.
Well said Lori. You read my mind about this so called book expert, which definetly he is not…
Sweden.
Well, then, why did you click on this article??!!?? Suggestion: keep your venom to yourself.
When is Middlemarch by George Eliot ever going to be on one of your lists. It is a fantastic read with its comments on the political scene and the industrial revolution.
But definitely not in one sitting!!
maybe is you were able to sit unbothered for 30 days straight 🙂
The Midnight Library has been on my TBR for quite some time. I definitely need to check it out. My husband loved Convenience Store Woman. Being the book nerd that I am, I had to enlarge the lead photo to check the titles. I was amused to see that it is a bookcase packed with books on learning a foreign language. Definitely wouldn’t want to read a book on learning Russian in one sitting!
I only read one book in a sitting and that was The Chrysalids
Novel by John Wyndham at 208 pgs.
I’ve probably read 25 books each one in one sitting. That’s not a criticism of you because people have different reading styles. People are often bemused why I read up to 8 books a day, 5 pages here, 15 pages there…
What of other genres, drama & poetry?
Indeed, what of other genres, drama and poetry ?
You don’t rate Death in Venice by Thomas Mann? Tut, tut.
It’s one of the greatest novellas of the 20th C. Can be read in4 hours.
I also read abduction and uncharted survival by M.V. Jones after about 5 pages I couldn’t put it down, a very interesting story with a surprise that I loved!!
My book Abduction and Uncharted Survival is definitely a one sitting read and I am soo glad for all who have read and enjoyed my book, it is available on Amazon. Thanks for the kind comments, M.V. Jones
I just read Abduction and Uncharted Survival it has a slow start but after Juna gets kidnapped the story has very interesting twists that made it a book I would read again.
I love one sitting books and after reading comments I just ordered abduction and uncharted survival from Amazon since it’s under 200 pages, which i consider a one sitting read for me lol
It is the perfect size for one sitting.