6 Fiction Books You Can Read in a Day

Sometimes there’s nothing better than soaking up an epic novel for weeks on end. But, you might not the mental bandwidth for “War and Peace” right now, and that’s OK. 

I love a good tome, but many of my favourite novels are sharpened little gems. It’s immensely satisfying to finish a book in a single day or two. So, inspired by the lovely Anika over at Chapters of May, I thought I, too, would celebrate quick reads. Without further ado, here are six fiction books you can read in a day.

• 

• 

• 

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Length: 198 pages
Navigating between the Indian traditions they’ve inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations.

This is a breathtaking, slim, Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories that you will have you in its grip. Each story of love and loss is beautifully written as Lahiri transforms the subtle into something immensely captivating. Lahiri writes with such grace and allure; you know a book is something special if multiple short stories can make you well up in a single sitting.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

Length: 120 pages
A man returns to the town where a baffling murder took place twenty-seven years earlier, determined to get to the bottom of the story. Just hours after marrying the beautiful Angela Vicario, everyone agrees, Bayardo San Roman returned his bride in disgrace to her parents. Her distraught family forced her to name her first lover; and her twin brothers announced their intention to murder Santiago Nasar for dishonoring their sister.

Yet if everyone knew the murder was going to happen, why did no one intervene to try and stop it? The more that is learned, the less is understood, and as the story races to its inexplicable conclusion, an entire society–not just a pair of murderers—is put on trial. 

This taut murder mystery doesn’t have many of the magical realism trappings of Márquez’s large tomes, but it is just as engrossing. ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ is a compelling, moving story exploring injustice and mob hysteria that you can devour in one sitting.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Length: 361 pages
A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Beach Read is a sweet, uplifting novel, but heavier than you might anticipate. Emily Henry delved deeper than I was expecting, but I loved it more for that.

The dynamic between January and Gus stole my heart. Besides some clichés, the dialogue can’t be faulted, and I was giggling along with all their snarky banter and awkwardness. Through the weekly writer’s clinics included in the bet, research trips, and dates, Henry provides us with a satisfying slow burn. The tension between January and Gus was tangible. Yet, there is so much heart beyond the main relationship. Henry tackles hard-hitting topics with such a tenderness and with the power to make you both laugh and cry.

• 

• 

• 

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Length: 352 pages
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife

In need of something fun? ‘The Bromance Book Club’ is pure entertainment through and through. This rom-com is fast-paced and engaging from the outset, and you will fly through it in just a few hours. Too often, people disregard romance novels as trivial. Yet, in this book alone, they lead to discussions of toxic masculinity and how it is important for men, as well as women, to open up. An enjoyable fiction book with touching messages that you can enjoy in a single day.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Length: 142 pages
It’s New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany’s. With her tousled blond hair and upturned nose, dark glasses and chic black dresses, Holly Golightly is top notch in style and a sensation wherever she goes. Her brownstone apartment vibrates with martini-soaked parties as she plays hostess to millionaires and gangsters alike. Yet Holly never loses sight of her ultimate goal.

Witty, wistful, and alluring, Capote’s fabulous novella shares a lot in common with its star character, Holly Golightly. Holly will leave you feeling the same way she leaves the story’s unnamed narrator: charmed and wanting more. 

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

Length: 291 pages
Annika and Jonathan met in chess club ten years ago, become college sweethearts, then broke up. Now, 10 years later after a chance meeting in Chicago, they’re at very different places in their lives. Can things be different this time around? 

If you’re craving a quick, sweet contemporary romance, look no further. Told over two timelines with alternating perspectives from Jonathan and Annika, this is simply a story about two people rekindling their love for one another. There is an ease to Graves´ writing that will keep you turning the pages, and she portrays tackles the topic mental health with such grace.

What fiction books have you flown through within a day?

Be sure to check out Anika’s post for more recommendations!
Looking for more reading inspiration? Here are my thoughts on the 11 books I read in May!