Four Great Reads for People Who Are Short on Time
The Busiest Time of Year
Is it just me, or does September always seem like one of the busiest times of year? When I was still teaching, I thought it was just the craziness of getting the new school year up and running. Now I realize that it is just as eventful as a parent. Many of the same back to school challenges exist at home. New wake up times, new drop offs, new routines depending on which kids are home and when…
Even if your kids have flown the coop so to speak you’re probably getting inundated with direct and subliminal messaging that it’s time to prepare for the holidays. Halloween! Thanksgiving! Christmas! Buy everything now, or there will be absolutely nothing left for your sorry self with which to set your holiday table or adorn your front door.
So, for those of you feeling short on time but still hoping to read some great literature, I’ve got you covered. Each of these short stories has something special about them, and they can all be read in brief bits of time (and still be finished before your next book club meeting or work deadline).
The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman
If you have ever served on any kind of committee or board, this book is for you. If you have ever listened to someone who has served on a committee or board, this book is for you. If you have ever laughed at the absurdity of people in general, this book is most definitely for you.
In classic and hilarious Backman style, Lucas, our protagonist, knows that the perfect evening is spent devoid of other people. His perfect plans for continuing to do so go up in flames when the apartment board rings his doorbell demanding to see his frying pan. At each turn of events, he suggests practical solutions that somehow lead him to be inevitably more entangled with the other residents, which was very much not in his plans.
I promise you this one is worth the read. It is laugh out loud funny and a page turner. We could all use a little more laughter in our lives. Thank goodness we have Frederik Backman to give it to us.
The best part? If you are an Amazon prime member, this ebook is FREE! It is available on kindle and audible here.
2. Foster by Claire Keegan
Claire Keegan is an Irish author who I came to know through my book club. (See? Book clubs are beneficial in so many ways. Check out my post on why I love my book club so much here.) She has a great talent for making every word count in her short stories. I would in fact go so far as to call her a master of the short story. Every word in her stories matters and tells the story perfectly. Not a word is missing, and not a word lies unnecessarily on the page.
Foster tells the story of a young Irish girl who is taken by her father to stay with relatives on their farm. She is unsure when or whether she will be returned to her family, but she soon begins to hope she’ll be allowed to stay as she blossoms under the couple’s care and affection. There is something she must learn about the couple’s life before she came, and one way or another her summer there will need to come to an end.
This is a beautiful story about the ways love and care will always bring out the best in people. If you’re looking for a heartwarming story with hints at heartache, this one is for you. Grab your copy here.
3. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Yes, I’ve included two short stories by Claire Keegan in this list. She’s that good. In Small Things Like These, we are introduced to Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man living in a small town in Ireland in 1985. While out delivering coal early one morning, Bill makes a discovery at the local convent that forces him to face serious questions about his past and what is happening behind the closed doors of the convent. Bill wrestles with how to confront what he saw and the reader is confronted with the question of how far one should go to do what is right.
This quiet story of empathy and hope set against the backdrop of a small town that stays silent about the wrongs they see because the town is owned in one way or another by the Church raises questions about the injustices we all turn a blind eye to in our own lives and why we do so.
This book was also recently made into a movie starring Cillian Murphy. I saw it, enjoyed it, and felt that it stayed true to the book. You can grab your copy of the book here.
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
This one is a classic, and you very well may have already read it in school. If you haven’t read it since then, it may be worth a revisit. George and Lennie, our two protagonists, form an unlikely bond that keeps them connected as a chosen family before the term chosen family was coined (or at least before it became a common part of our vernacular). Steinbeck’s tale of two California laborers and their trials as they struggle to achieve their shared dream of owning land and a shack to call their own is timeless and universal. This book is great for discussions of friendship, meaning, and shared dreams. Looking for a great choice for your September or October book club when parents are overwhelmed with back to school events? Look no further! Grab your copy here.
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