Great Short Books

Great Short Books: A Year of Reading—Briefly | Kenneth C. Davis

I loved this collection of essays of 58 novellas recommended by Davis. Each entry includes opening line, plot synopsis, biographical information, an argument to convince you to read it & further recommendations. At the back of the book is a list of several more great short books. There are obvious entries: Animal Farm & The Great Gatsby, however the choice of book by some authors was surprising (Evil Under the Sun & Surfacing come to mind). (cont)

vivastory This book also introduced me to a few books I was unfamiliar with. As someone who loves novellas, this was a real treat.
Book 6 of #MidwayBOTY23 2y

vivastory Side note: When I bought this at the beginning of the year it was on a novella display at B&N. I picked up 3 novellas, along with this book. I have read 2 of those & 1 of them will be making an appearance on my list. 2y

monalyisha This seems like a fantastic idea for a book! 2y

Megabooks I really enjoyed this too! 2y

Branwen I need this immediately! It looks incredible! 2y

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vivastory

Great Short Books: A Year of Reading—Briefly | Kenneth C. Davis

pick

As I have mentioned numerous times before the past couple of years I have had a real appreciation of short form works, so Davis' collection of 58 books around 200 pages (nearly all fiction), was intriguing from the moment i first read about it. Each entry contains: opening lines, a plot summary that offers enough enticing details about the book to intrigue without spoiling major plot points, fascinating biographical details, a thoughtful (cont.)

vivastory argument as to why you should read it & concludes with further recommendations. Plus at the back of the book are a list of further recommendations. There is this statement in the afterword, ā€Of course, these are the views of one 'Common Reader.' I am certain that someone else might propose a different canon. But that brings me back to my starting point. Yes there are so many books-great short books, but you can choose your own adventure.ā€ It is (edited) 2y

vivastory this spirit of informed enthusiasm that pervades the book that made it a joy to read & eager to move several of the titles up my TBR. 2y

kspenmoll Your review has me wanting to read this book! 2y

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vivastory

Great Short Books: A Year of Reading—Briefly | Kenneth C. Davis

In the entry for The Great Gatsby I just learned that there's going to be a Great Gatsby musical. As someone who loves Florence and the Machines, I admit I'm intrigued.

IndoorDame Ooh, this sounds weird and awesome! I‘m totally in! 2y

vivastory @IndoorDame Right? I hope it comes to pass! 2y

TrishB This sounds interesting. Went to see Florence a couple of weeks ago, she‘s great. 2y

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Catsandbooks Oh I love Florence so I'm definitely interested in this!!! 2y

vivastory @TrishB That sounds fantastic! Years ago I had tickets for a summer music fest with Porno For Pyros & Florence and the Machines as two of the headliners. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. 2y

Branwen OH MY GOD! š±ā¯¤ļø¸ā¯¤ļø¸ā¯¤ļø¸ 2y

TrishB I‘ve seen her a few time and she‘s been amazing. She also has a book of poetry. 2y

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vivastory

Great Short Books: A Year of Reading—Briefly | Kenneth C. Davis

The biographical notes in this book are very interesting. I just read that Carson McCullers at one point lived in a house with Auden. Richard Wright, who had favorably reviewed Heart is a Lonely Hunter, met McCullers around the same time.

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Megabooks

Great Short Books: A Year of Reading—Briefly | Kenneth C. Davis

pick

I think Parnassus is right that this would make a great gift with one or two short books, if you could swing it. Davis gives plot summaries and brief author biographies as well as his own thoughts on 58 short books by everyone from Hemingway to Morrison. Some books have been pushed up my TBR (The Hours, Lucy) and others I had never heard of at all and am now dying to read (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit). I‘ll tag these ā¬‡ļø¸

Cinfhen

Megabooks

The old man and the sea

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Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

BarbaraBB Good choices! I loved Oranges, The Old Man and The Hours! 2y

Billypar I also really enjoyed Oranges (and everything I've read by Jeanette Winterson). Sula is another great one. 2y

Megabooks @BarbaraBB @Billypar thanks y‘all! I have not read enough classics, so these books will be a good way to fit in more while keeping up with new releases. 2y

Centique Oranges is wonderful, I agree, and The Hours is really beloved. Have to try some more of these! 2y

Megabooks @Centique it was a great jumping off point to add to my TBR! 2y

vivastory When I bought this at B&N it was on a display table with a bunch of novellas. I ended up buying a few on the table (one of which: Lessing's Fifth Child was included in the book) 2y

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vivastory

Great Short Books: A Year of Reading—Briefly | Kenneth C. Davis

I just came across Davis' book in the article linked below on the joys of novellas. Scheduled for publication next month, this account of a year of reading novellas sounds very intriguing. I have always greatly enjoyed works that can be read in fewer sittings & several of my favorite reads this year are novellas.
https://www.ft.com/content/ce0aa969-e20b-4ca9-9e5a-2adaa8f3b696

youneverarrived I love a good novella. Recently finished The Outsider by Camus which was on my tbr for years! 3y

vivastory @youneverarrived What did you think of it? I reread it a couple of years ago. 3y

youneverarrived I still can‘t make up my mind about it š† I really like the philosophy and ideas behind it but I wasn‘t a big fan of the story itself if that makes sense. What did you think after rereading it? 3y

vivastory @youneverarrived I completely agree with you. I'm glad that I read it. I'm even glad that I revisited it as it has been several years & it's a quick read, but as you say it feels like a work that has been more impactful for the ideas than for the characters etc. I still have enormous respect for Camus. I have The Plague on my TBR which sounds like it might have a bit more of a fleshed out story & rounded out characters. 3y

youneverarrived Definitely. It would be a great book to study/analyse so can imagine it might be better on a reread. I‘d like to read The Plague at some point too. 3y

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