Great Short Books: A Year of Reading―Briefly

Why isn’t more attention given to short books? Davis suggests they’re the literature equivalent to stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s signature line. They get no respect.

LibraryThing colleagues who have perused my reviews know I have a penchant for shorter books. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve critiqued works in the 350-to 500-page tier by suggesting that a word-slashing editor could have dramatically improved the final product. Hence, it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Davis’ thumbnail summaries of 58 short books — most of them under 200 pages.

Of course, there were some predictable entries (“The Great Gatsby,” “Animal Farm,” “The Stranger,” etc.) There are also a handful of classics show more I’ve long viewed as over-rated (Sorry, Ernie, “The Old Man and the Sea” was a total slog — even in its brevity).

Although, I wish the author had included more works, his efforts helped me to compile a list of nearly a dozen recommended reads. They include “Sula,” “The Ghost Writer,” “The Lathe of Heaven” and “Agostino.”

While I agree with some who suggest that Davis’ summaries are a bit dry, I loved the book’s user-friendly format. Each entry, organized alphabetically, begins with the first lines of the book, serves up a plot summary, shares details about the author and has a section titled “Why You Should Read it.” Each entry ends with suggestions on what to read next.

Speaking of endings, my time is up. Writing a long review about a tome that touts the virtues of short books would border on hypocrisy. show less

During the pandemic, author Davis, of “Don’t Know Much About…” series fame, found relief from anxiety through short fiction. He selected his top 58 to profile in this book. With only a couple of exceptions, the books are less than 200 pages in length. The book profiles include the opening lines, a non-spoilery plot summary, an author bio, a case for why you should read the book, and recommendations for what to read next.

Although the featured books are short, they’re not what I would consider light reading. The authors include Chinua Achebe, Margaret Atwood, Albert Camus, J. M. Coetzee, Ernest Hemingway, Kazuo Ishiguro, Thomas Mann, Toni Morrison, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This book would be a good guide for readers who want show more to sample the works of lots of heavyweight writers within a relatively short span of time. show less

I really like how this book is organized: each entry has the first lines, a robust plot summary, information about the author, an explanation of why the book should be read, and suggestions on what to read next.

I was less enthralled with the content, as I had read over half of the works Davis discusses. Still, I'm sure it will inspire others to pick up some good books that can be read in a few hours.

Received via NetGalley.

Mini-essays introducing readers to iconic and rediscovered

these are a compilation of stories by the great writers of the past , well done , enjoyed all the stories and would recommend this if you want to dip your toe in and see who's style of writing you may like to deep dive into .