“I don’t have time to read since all the books are too long”.
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. Many people look at the size of books and are disheartened or intimidated by them. In truth, reading doesn’t have to feel like a rhythmless chore or an obligation you drown in.
If you want to start off on your reading journey, or get your reading mojo back, The Bombay Circle Press has put together recommendations for books less than 100 pages that you could potentially devour in one sitting.
Foster by Claire Keegan (90 pages)
What if, for a little while, you were given the chance to belong somewhere else?
Foster follows a young Irish girl who is sent to live with distant relatives while her mother prepares to give birth to another child. Arriving at the Kinsellas’ farm, she finds herself in an unfamiliar world, but one filled with a tenderness she hadn’t experienced before.
Mr. and Mrs. Kinsella welcome her with care, gradually giving her the attention and affection she needs. As the girl settles into their household, a new rhythm emerges between them. But the warmth of the home is accompanied by an undercurrent of grief and secrets.
In barely 90 pages, Keegan creates a soul-stirring story about childhood, belonging, loss and the unexpected ways love can transform us. Give it a try when you want a small book with a very big heart.
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky (86 pages)
A lonely young dreamer. Four nights. A chance encounter. And a love story that exists somewhere between reality and imagination.
In White Nights, Dostoevsky follows an unnamed narrator who wanders the streets of St Petersburg, living more vividly in his imagination than in the world around him. One night, he meets Nastenka, a young woman waiting for someone she loves to return.
Over the course of four nights, the two share their hopes, disappointments, and dreams. Their brief friendship begins to blur into something more complicated, raising questions about loneliness, desire and the stories we construct to make life feel less empty.
It’s one of Dostoevsky’s gentler works, but beneath its romantic surface is a deeply moving portrait of solitude and longing.
Read this one on a placid night because if you’ve ever fallen in love with the idea of someone, rather than the person themselves; you might find a little bit of yourself here.
Chess Story by Stefan Zweig (87 pages)
A chessboard becomes the setting for an astonishing psychological warfare in Stefan Zweig’s gripping novella Chess Story.
The story unfolds aboard a steamship travelling from New York to Buenos Aires, where the passengers encounter Mirko Czentovic, a world chess champion whose extraordinary talent is matched by his aloofness. But the real intrigue begins when Dr. B, a mysterious and reluctant chess player, enters the game. His relationship with chess is shaped by an intensely disturbing experience during his imprisonment by the Nazis, turning what appears to be a simple game into a battle between obsession, isolation and the mind itself.
You don’t need to know anything about chess to read this one. Just bring your curiosity and maybe you might be whirled into a Chess fever immediately afterwards… or be left slightly spooked by it.
Teething by Megha Rao (73 pages)
Who said poetry isn’t as impactful as a novella?
Megha Rao’s Teething is a story narrated in verses, a heartrending tale that follows Achu, who uncovers her family’s dark past following the suicide of her brother, Kochu, after his kiss with a neighbour’s son sparks a scandal. As she pieces together their family’s history, the narrative explores childhood trauma, grief, and the complexity of love amidst bereftness.
Before we proceed just know that this is not for the faint-hearted. It’s her memoir narrated unapologetically, wherein her words viscerally exacerbate the gauntlet of emotions that comprises life. There’s something fitting about the title itself: teething is painful, necessary and a little messy. Rao’s collection embraces that messiness rather than trying to smooth it over as she ascertains that both love and loss are transient.
“The best thing about falling apart is that you will have the privilege of experiencing survival. Experiencing growth and transformation.”
The lines above will have you glued. Pick it up when you only have ten minutes and who knows you might find yourself staying for thirty… or forever entranced by the puissance of poetry.
Trust us: don’t be fooled by their length. At 100 pages or less, these recommendations are like pocket swords that can slay dragons and expand your consciousness in ways unimaginable. To nurture the habit of reading, especially now in a world subsumed by AI, The Bombay Circle Press Bulletin will ensure that its readers never run out of recommendations and keep augmenting their intellectual horizon.