Where to Start with Novellas & Short Novels (by genre)
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Considering that I have been recently talking some smack on long books, so I figured it was only fair I provide some recommendations on places to start with some shorter works
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Books Mentioned (all links are affiliated):
RING SHOUT by P Djeli Clark - amzn.to/3hVyKlO
WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T Kingfisher - amzn.to/456DiMq
A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T Kingfisher - amzn.to/3SA6jcT
SISTERS OF THE VAST BLACK by Lina Rather - amzn.to/469Ui4h
ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells - amzn.to/3r4L1sP
THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE by Nghi Vo - amzn.to/3u6HytH
LUD IN THE MIST by Hope Mirrlees - amzn.to/3iBMvZG
REMAINS OF THE DAY by Kazuo Ishiguro - amzn.to/3loRNGn
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway - amzn.to/3ZdP19f
THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe - amzn.to/3Lhj76j
THE HOUNDS OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - amzn.to/3ZbLUPb
MURDER IN THE MEWS - amzn.to/3D0AJgE
THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY - amzn.to/31xKvIZ
AN ENGLISH MURDER by Cyril Hare - amzn.to/2QT4HQD
THE HONJIN MURDERS by Seishi Yokomizo - amzn.to/3WeZwWU
A KISS FOR MIDWINTER by Courtney Milan - amzn.to/30T8ulw
HER CHRISTMAS EARL by Anna Campbell - amzn.to/3PyjbRt
One Night with Her Best Friend by Noelle Adams - amzn.to/3r6XhLU
FROZEN by Meljean Brook - amzn.to/45HyzRa
NIGHT'S DARK EMBRACE by Jeaniene Frost - amzn.to/3PxIYcF
KRAMPUS AND THE CRONE by Honey Phillips - amzn.to/3fH4Cca
THE KING'S SPINSTER BRIDE by Ruby Dixon - amzn.to/33wy6lZ
THE MIDNIGHT BRIDE by Kati Wilde - amzn.to/3Pxd5Rr
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My job is demanding so I save my “priority” reads for weekends but lately even my easier weeknight reads are feeling too long to finish while I still remember what’s happening - the satisfaction of finishing something within 3 or 4 days is important to my reading rhythm. I can’t speak for other readers but it’s definitely why I’ve gotten into YA and middle grade as an adult. I just want to finish a thing within Monday-Thursday.
I very much identify with this - during the week, it's hard for me to commit to long or complex books. I just don't have the brainpower!
One of my favorite things about T. Kingfisher's horror stories that she often plays with an idea from early horror that are less well known but with her own twist. It makes it a lot more fun to approach some of the ideas from early 20th century horror writers who aren't Lovecraft.
I'm also an enormous fan of the Mead Mishaps series. They're all pretty short and they're just adorable, campy but also slightly smutty fun.
aw yeah, I like those Mead Mishap ones! they are cute
I love a novella/shorter novel. Carmilla is a fun one if you are into classics, and The Wayward Children series is great too!
I love the way you describe each book! My TBR is now so much longer lol
I highly recommend “DEFEKT” by Nino Cipri, the second in the LitenVerse series. “FINNA” was the first book, and it’s the one set in an IKEA-like store. It’s very good. But the 5-star read of this series so far is “DEFEKT” - it deals with clones, human emotions, what makes us human. I absolutely loved it!!
I really enjoyed Finna. Now I am excited to continue in the series!! Thanks for the recommendation!
I am so glad you mentioned An English Murder, I remember you mentioning it in a prior video, but forgot to add it to my TBR!
I recently discovered you, and have enjoyed your Christie comments. I am a constant mystery reader, both classic and modern. Love An English Murder, by Hare. My favorite type of holiday mystery.
Thanks for all the great recommendations!!! I love THE MURDERBOT DIARIES and WAYWARD CHILDREN series. I just now popped away for a minute to add AN ENGLISH MURDER and MURDER IN THE MEWS to my shopping cart. My favorite space opera novella by Aliette de Bodard is THE TEAMASTER AND THE DETECTIVE, which I may soon re-read (yet again).
ugh LOVE that Alliette de Bodard story
what a great list! so many I love and so many I want to read. When people complain about The Old Man and the Sea I am so confused because.... it is so short. Hemingway did it exactly right there when it came to that story.
Love this video, and I definitely added some recs to my TBR. I adore Ishiguro but haven’t yet read Remains of the Day…he’s one of those authors whose works I want to parcel out slowly because I know I will love them and want to savour them.
I love Murderbot and binged the entire series on audio earlier this year. I must say that the full-length novel dragged for me, which just emphasized how much skill Wells has in the shorter form. I’m excited for the next instalment but kind of wish it was another novella.
I also adore Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot novellas ❤️
For horror, I would recommend Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke (it’s less than 100 pages, but really packs a punch) and Straight by Chuck Tingle (an LGBTQ+ take on zombies). For SFF, you should definitely check out To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (imagine Interstellar but in book format) and Untethered Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse (which may just be the most perfectly executed novella I’ve ever read). Also, I’d love to get a short story collection recommendation video!
Love Untethered Sky! I meant to mention it but forgot :( Becky Chambers one I liked but didn't love
Omg I didn't know about Straight and I just finished reading it rn after seeing your rec and omg I loved it! It was such an unexpectedly great read! Thank youu. I'm hoping to read Murderbot next. May 2024 be an amazing reading year for you
I love Sour Candy, I read it two years ago, short but super memorable, definitely recommend
Loved seeing your video about novellas! I'm a big fan of those, and of short stories. I wanted to add a couple that I thought you recommended a while back (maybe not): Claire Keegan's "Foster" (88 pages) and "Small Things Like These" (228 pages or so), both in the literary fiction vein, set in Ireland years ago, with beautiful writing. Also, one of my personal favorites is Willa Cather's novella "My Mortal Enemy." It's a character study with a twist, and an unexpectedly moving ending.
My sort of list :)
Can I add to it?
Women of slender means - Muriel Spark
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
The Turn of the Screw - Henry James
Three Blind Mice - Agatha Christie
Grace Notes - Sara Paretsky
This is amazing, I love reading short stories and novellas so I really appreciate this list! I have read Frozen (blue and bulging lol) as well as Ring Shout and both were amazing. I couldn’t get over what a well fleshed out story Ring Shout was and it makes me want to read it all over again after watching this video!
I borrowed both of those T Kingfisher books from the library and definitely plan to buy What Moves The Dead because I liked it so much I’m sure I’ll reread it. I’ve read 5 of her books so far. Enjoyed your video! ❤
Awesome - will definitely will be coming back to this video for continuing recommendations over time. Having been away from reading for quite awhile now and just getting back into it (and BookTube) in the last few weeks, I’ve been loving the pace of reading shorter novels and novellas - the longest thing I’ve read lately is Mansfield Park, everything else is much shorter and I love how much variety I can therefore get through in a week. I agree that the tightness of the stories is really appealing too.
The Remains of the Day definitely on my list. Oh and I have been meaning to thank you as awhile ago I remember you recommending Cold Comfort Farm and so I picked it up recently and it was an utter delight!
Ooo I'm so glad you enjoyed CCF! I think you will love Remains of the Day - it's honestly amazing
I'd also like to toss in some indigenous authors and their novellas- Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot and Thinning Blood by Leah Myers.
I cannot describe how fast i whipped out my phone to add An English Murder to my to be read list when you said “the victim is so hateable”. Huge buzzword (phrase?) for me
lol he definitely is!
Now I'm inspired to go out and read some novellas. Thanks for the recomendations
Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you! This reminded me to try Ruby Dixon and I'd had no idea where to start. Now I know!
Glad I could help!
A Kiss for Midwinter is INCREDIBLE, so pleased to see it get a shout out here!
For horror, I just picked up Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede. It's 288 pages and was recommended to me by my local bookstore. It's marketed as American Psycho meets romance meets feminism. I also picked up What Moves the Dead from your recommendation. Trying to get more into the horror genre. Also love Murderbot! I also wish they'd come back with the Christie facsimile copies!
Yes! I miss those facsimile copies - I didn't get all the ones I wanted while I had a chance :(
Thanks girl I think I’m going to work my way through these! May I recommend Comfort Me With Apples? It’s a horror with a lot to say in 100 pages!
Very well done. XLNT recommendations. Murderbot RULES! Reflecting every part of my life I am an In-The-Middle girl. Dont care for 98% of novellas short story forms. But INTERTISIAL STORIES!!!! love this idea/description. But really dont like super long books either. Went thru Robin Hobbs fantastic--literally HA!--Ship trilogy and was swept away. Took me couple weeks to recover. So my limit is about 400-450 ppgs. Will look at page count before I purchase too. What about the two new Ilona Andrews novellas? THey are pretty great too. Bought a bunch. Hope you get a piece. PS trying Ruby Dixon AGAIN.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon is really good, and really short. I would've liked it to be a touch longer, but I loved it.
I’ve got to recommend Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor. WHEW! Talk about packing a punch in a tiny package. I guess it’s more of a short story than a novella but still.
I would suggest the following historical romance novellas or short novels. One of the best writers to try for this is Mimi Matthews. Most of her novels are set in Victorian England and are not all fun and fluff. I read the first two. The third one I haven't read, but it's on my TBR pile for later this year since it's X-mas themed.
Fair as a Star (2020) - Mimi Matthews
The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter (2018) - Mimi Matthews
A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) - Mimi Matthews
Another holiday-themed historical romance I'd suggest is A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong: A Blackshear Family novella (2014) - Cecilia Grant. Even though it suggests that it's part of a series, I didn't read the series and still found this novella to be a satisfying read.
As for contemporary romances or women's fiction, I'd agree that there might be less satisfying standalones but I really enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid's Evidence of the Affair (2018). Also Penny Reid writes some pretty short contemporary novels like the Dear Professor series, Kissing Tolstoy (2017) and Kissing Galileo (2019). Elements of Chemistry: Part 1 Attraction (2015) by Penny Reid is also pretty short, although I have not read it yet.
I read the Honjin Murders last month and now I'm making my way through the English translated series! I would like to recommend The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw as an amazing horror novella, so good and so creepy
In mystery one of my favorite novellas is The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. It’s a Golden Era classic that’s nice and twisty.
Novellas are like impressionist paintings, I love that analogy
RingShout and What Moves the Dead were Excellent, and I'm not someone who generally loves a novella as I tend to have a high Edgar Allen Poe bar for novellas and short stories. Usually they don't measure up for me, but these definitely do. I know people like him, but I just can't with Hemingway. UNFORTUNATELY, I had to slog through both Moby Dick and shorter Moby Dick aka The Old Man and the Sea(I know not technically, but the only recommendation I can give to it is that it's shorter than Moby 😂). Yes, all the Poirot and Marple 👏 👏 I've always liked the Risdaverse series by Dixon and most of them are novellas. How did I miss the Jeaniene Frost novella? 🤷♀️ I love her series. I have Kati Wilde on my TBR. I'll have to move it up some.
Alot of Korean and Japanese translated books I have read recently are fairly short. Something like Idol,Burning 😊
Funny that I do have a recommendation, two actually, a whole author in fact, and that I only have it due to you briefly talking about it and having it on your shelfs for over two years but still unread and not on this list: Kate Chopin!
The Awakening is a perfect September reading despite the casual blink-and-you-miss-it anti-Mexican xenophobia and At Fault another perfect pregame read for spooky season between the general atmosphere and on of the main events actually happening on November 2. Both are a hundred and something pages long.
And then there's her short stories with my favorite being The Storm: A Sequel to the 'Cadian Ball, which is a sequel to At the 'Cadian Ball. I wouldn't say reading both is indispensable but The Ball does help The Storm land a bigger punch.
The Awakening, At the 'Cadian Ball, and The Storm are all in the Penguin Vitae edition of The Awakening along with other gems like The Story of an Hour
I'm saving the Awakening for when I do a Penguin Vitae reading project eventually :)
I’m not that much of a novella person but I hope this will serve as a guide.
I loved reading DESIDERIUM by Okezie Chinonso on Kindle. Novellas are amazing.
Enjoyed House withGood Bones.
👏MORE👏SHORT👏BOOKS👏PLEASE👏...👏YES👏THANK👏U👏💙👏
I am a beginner and i wanna make reading a habit and i cant complete any of novels i have because these are too long , so i thought to start from novellas to be good in reading ❤
Ring Shout is an ATF book for me. It’s truly a remarkable book.
Series: Exists
Mara: I take offense to that
😂😂😂
A good novella is an art. I agree completely about novellas.
Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the Castle
love Shirley!
This is just a bit off topic, but have you read any of the Matthew Shardlake mystery series by C. J. Sansom?
My very favorite series in my favorite historical period. 🥰
You should read when we met by Rahul kabeer.
I love novellas!!
I wonder which publishers accept novella submissions. I am struggling finding one for my novella.
Tordotcom publishes a lot of novellas
Good luck in your writing journey
It probably says a lot about my reading that when I hear "short novel" I think "under 400 pages"
There's definitely something to be said for books that can be read in a day or less.
agreed!
I love novellas!
❤❤❤
When you mentioned "Things Fall Apart," I was surprised you didn't mention the toxic masculinity that deprived the main character and his family from the joys of living.
I'm firmly in the "need more pages" categories. I'd rather read a boring 350 page book over a 200 page book that gives me nothing to hold on to