Short Books To Read in a Day

Brilliant books that you can finish in one sitting. 

Think you don’t have time to read? Think again. Some of the most powerful reading experiences come in slim, perfectly formed packages, stories and ideas that linger long after the final page. Whether you’re finding your way back to books or searching for something to immerse yourself in at one sitting, these concise reads prove that it doesn’t take long to fall under a book’s spell. All you need is an afternoon, a train journey, or a quiet pause in the day and the right book in your hands.

Good night, Baba

By Sayan Dutta

SALIS MANIA CHOICE AWARDS 2026 NOMINEE

AMAZON HOT NEW SELLER IN PARENTING MEMOIRS, FAMILY LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS

Discover the moving story of a father-daughter bond that is capturing hearts across the charts. A top-ranked new release in Family Life, Memoirs, Parenting and FATHER-DAUGHTER bonding.

Every night begins the same way.

A glass of water. A pillow fluffed. Lights dimmed.

But somewhere between "good night" and sleep, something extraordinary happens.

In those quiet minutes, a father learns about love that asks for nothing, time that refuses to slow down, and a little girl who is already growing beyond his arms.

"Good Night, Baba" is a collection of intimate reflections from the edge of a child's bed — small moments that reveal the big truths of parenting memory, and the quiet ache of watching childhood pass.

For anyone who has ever watched a child fall asleep and wished the moment would last forever.

Design as Art

By Bruno Munari

One of the last surviving members of the futurist generation, Bruno Munari's Design as Art is an illustrated journey into the artistic possibilities of modern design, translated by Patrick Creagh, published as part of the 'Penguin on Design' series in Penguin Modern Classics.

'The designer of today re-establishes the long-lost contact between art and the public, between living people and art as a living thing.'

Bruno Munari was among the most inspirational designers of all time, described by Picasso as 'the new Leonardo'. Munari insisted that design be beautiful, functional, and accessible, and this enlightening and highly entertaining book sets out his ideas about visual, graphic, and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use every day. Lamps, road signs, typography, posters, children's books, advertising, cars, and chairs— these are just some of the subjects to which he turns his illuminating gaze.

How do we see the world around us? The Penguin on Design series includes the works of creative thinkers whose writings on art, design, and the media have changed our vision forever.

Bruno Munari (1907-1998), born in Milan, was the enfant terrible of Italian art and design for most of the twentieth century, contributing to many fields of both visual (paint, sculpture, film, industrial design, graphics) and non-visual arts (literature, poetry). He was twice awarded the Compasso d'Oro design prize for excellence in his field.

If you enjoyed Design as Art, you might like John Berger's Ways of Seeing, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.

'One of the most influential designers of the twentieth century... Munari has encouraged people to go beyond formal conventions and stereotypes by showing them how to widen their perceptual awareness.' - International Herald Tribune

Time Is a Mother

By Ocean Vuong

New York Times Bestseller

"Take your time with these poems, and return to them often.” —The Washington Post

The New York Times-bestselling collection of poems from the award-winning writer Ocean Vuong

How else do we return to ourselves but to fold

The page so it points to the good part

In this deeply intimate second poetry collection, Ocean Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of personal and social loss, embodying the paradox of sitting in grief while being determined to survive beyond it. Shifting through memory, and in concert with the themes of his novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong contends with the meaning of family and the cost of being the product of an American war in America. At once vivid, brave, and propulsive, these poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicenter of the break.

The author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds, winner of the 2016 Whiting Award, the 2017 T. S. Eliot Prize, and a 2019 MacArthur fellowship, Vuong writes directly to our humanity without losing sight of the current moment. These poems represent a more innovative and daring experimentation with language and form, illuminating how the themes we perennially live in and question are truly inexhaustible. Bold and prescient, and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence, Time Is a Mother is a return and a forging forth all at once.

Cinder House

By Freya Marske

USA Today Bestselling Author

Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske – a queer Gothic fairy tale novella perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher.

‘A spellbinding haunting’ – Lex Croucher, author of Trouble

You think you know Cinderella’s story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.

You’re halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.

Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her furious ghost is trapped in her father’s house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.

Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.

Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.

‘Whimsical, romantic, and bittersweet’ – Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning

Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this spellbinding novella from Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light and the queen of romantic fantasy.

The Store of Life

By Shruthi Harikrishna

Salis Mania Choice Awards 2026 Nominee

What would you put in your basket if you were to shop at the Store of Life? Your decisions fill the basket of your existence. This insightful and imaginative book takes you on a curated shopping experience through life itself, prompting deep reflection on your choices and gently nudging you toward a life of purpose and joy. Along the way, you'll discover practical "shopping hacks" to fill the jars of your mind, body, and soul—guiding you toward becoming the best version of yourself.

As you wander through aisles of possibility, you'll notice that some items, like envy and anger, are sold at ridiculously low prices. But when they pile up, they leave little room for kindness, patience, or happiness. Are they truly worth the cost? Or would you rather pick up the priceless bundles of forgiveness, legacy, and inner peace? The Store of Life invites you to ask the important questions that matter—ensuring that when you finally reach the checkout counter, you feel not guilty or depleted, but enriched and content.

With a lighter basket and filled with meaning, you’ll walk away knowing you've made wiser choices. After all, isn’t that what we’re all striving for? So, as you suck on the devilishly delicious candy of decision-making and stroll through life’s tempting aisles, let Shruthi Harikrishna guide you with her delightful humour and no-nonsense wisdom. The checkout line comes for us all—so shop wisely.