Book Recs Under 200 Pages ✨ | The Book Castle | 2024

🕯️ BOOKS MENTIONED 🕯️
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Youth Without God by Ödön von Horváth
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
The Little Snake by A. L. Kennedy
Sometimes A River Song by Avril Joy
Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
🦉 IF YOU WANT TO GET YOURSELF A BOOK... 🦉 (AFFILIATE LINKS)
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🍂 WHERE TO FIND ME 🍂
I N S T A G R A M : / alicebookcastle
G O O D R E A D S : / thebookcastle
⚔️ MYTHOLOGIE CANDLES ⚔️
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🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️
00:00 Intro
01:00 Classics
06:13 Translated from Japanese
10:54 Science Fiction
12:49 Mystery/Horror
14:34 Fiction
17:38 Nonfiction
19:00 Outro
🌙 ABOUT ME 🌙
Hi! My name is Alice and I love books! I read just about everything from classics to contemporary fiction, adventures to mysteries, fantasy to all kinds of non-fiction - and I love reviewing and recommending books, and just generally having a chat about literature. I also adore baking, hot chocolate, crafts and basically everything cosy, soft and peaceful. I currently live in Oslo, Norway.
___
This video is not sponsored. Links to Waterstones, Taschen & Mythologie Candles are affiliate links.

[@ShanReads]

As far as my fav novellas I will never stop recommending -Every Heart a Doorway (book 1) and the rest of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. Each book is under 200 pages and i just loved the characters and world building. -Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo -Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor -All Systems Red by Martha Wells And these are under 250 pages but pack a lot in- Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller Fault Lines by Emily Itami Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

[@TheBookCastle]

😍😍

[@Naraya1981]

To me, Claire Keegan ist the queen of short fiction.

[@ReeceChambers99]

I don't seem to have too many books that are under 200 pages but Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde are two that I can see on my shelves.

[@catsandbats77]

Favorite short books: Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakawa What Moves the Dead and What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher Night by Elie Wiesel Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquevil The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E Harrow

[@TheBookCastle]

😍❤️

[@pamelaberkman3864]

Silk by Alessandro Baricco (translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein). So lyrical and stunning.

[@Coffeetable_bookstax]

Thank you for your picks. A great short and interesting book I’ve recently read was, Small things like these by Claire Keegan.

[@katie5773]

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss is under 200 pages and very atmospheric. Also, Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor is even shorter and very good. And one of my favourites is Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan. It's over 200 pages, but written in short scenes, so counts for short fiction.

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

You highly recommended years ago this book The Ice Palace Tarjei Wesass. I think about this book still. Haunting, atmospheric, sad. A lovely story. 😊

[@TheBookCastle]

Such a good one! 🤍

[@Lynn_Ann_Jackson]

You were one of the first people I followed on You Tube I don’t know how many years ago, now…this video really struck a chord for me, as I very much appreciate a shorter book these days as a caregiver for my mother. My husband and I were literally discussing Animal Farm right before I began watching this!!😄 I read Convenience Store Woman back in February, which I enjoyed, along with Ethan Frome, which is a good one for winter reading. I just finished Clear by Carys Davies yesterday (which comes in at a little over 200 pages at 208), and I highly recommend it…such beautiful writing, and maybe, for many, a little known historical background. Thanks for the great recommendations; I love Japanese translated fiction, as well!❤

[@TheBookCastle]

Wow, thank you for sticking around!! ❤️❤️ Hope you and your mom are doing all right ❤️

[@sharonlovesbooks]

I put You Should Have Left on my Amazon wish list. The only one on your list that I have read is The Great Gatsby which I liked.

[@amena7387]

Thank you Alice ! We never need books, but it is an act of rebellion !

[@AbiofPellinor]

Short books can be so difficult to get right! I agree with all the recs that I’ve read already. I’ll have to pick the rest up! 🩵

[@BJPDesigns]

I’ve read several of these books which are excellent. I’m adding all the others to read too. I would add a few to the list… 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas, and In the Cafe of Lost Youth by Patrick Modiano.

[@sandyokey1019]

I reread Of Mice and Men last year and found I still liked it. I first read it eons ago in high school and have liked revisiting some of the novels to see how they hold up now . The Great gatsby is my favorite book of all time. Your copy is beautiful. I have found I really like books translated from Japanese. I love the spareness and beauty of the prose. I’ll be looking into some (all) of these😊 Thank you for all of these recommendations. 💕

[@TheBookCastle]

🥰❤️

[@bujobyfilo]

Nice choice! I loved Of mice and men and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I highly recommend Silas Marner by G.Eliot. I also liked Like water for chocolate, The pearl and Thornhedge. Pedro Páramo is very strange so probably not for everybody, but I think you would like it too.

[@TheBookCastle]

Ooooh I’m always up for a weird book 😍

[@evam6961]

Thank you for sharing(((: My fave short books are white is for witching, our wives under the sea, the little prince and elena knows

[@TheBookCastle]

I really want to read Our Wives Under the Sea 😍

[@ReadingNymph]

Short stories are so good, I can't wait to read I Who Have Never Known Men

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

Me too. Problem is it flies off the shelves so fast here in Thailand, I miss getting a copy . 😊

[@ShanReads]

This vidoo is exactly what i need right now as ive been in a bit of a slump. And w/ my work schedule i havent had much time to read. Didnt realize how many novellas I've already read. Added You Should Have Left and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.

[@TheBookCastle]

I’m glad you liked it! 🥰 Fingers crossed that your slump passes soon!

[@CarmenMPerez-yg7nw]

Excellent recs. Thanks!

[@LeanneRose]

I looooooove short books! I love how precise and concise the writing is. And if I’m approaching the end of the month I don’t feel like I can start a long book because I won’t finish it before month end… 😅Thanks so much for your recommendations.

[@TheBookCastle]

Me too! 🥰

[@franniecamden]

Siddhartha….Hermann Hesse and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn are two of my favorite short novels. I loved Of Mice and Men but will not read it again because it makes me it was so upsetting to me but a beautiful book. Thankyou …..

[@melinam7519]

Thank you for the recommendations! My favourite short books are Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Chess by Stefan Zweig and the Time Machine by H.G. Wells

[@TheBookCastle]

Thanks for sharing!! 🥰

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

I see you read Siddhartha, I highly recommend his other book Gertrude. 😊

[@melinam7519]

⁠@@jenniferrosebruce6385 thank you, I‘ve added it to my tbr

[@rojaachar]

You're so beautiful! I feel you resemble Murphy Napier. She's a booktuber as well. Love your recommendations. Anybody who recommends other than romance and violence is my go-to booktuber. I love middle-grade. That's what got me to your channel and I'm glad I found your channel. Love and regards from India. 🤍💐🙏🏽

[@TheBookCastle]

🥰❤️

[@prairierose1115]

Thanks!

[@smokiencooper4264]

So many great recommendations! Thank you!

[@TheBookCastle]

🥰❤️

[@starlasell5698]

Thank you for sharing your shorter reads! I've read many of these, but Animal Farm has been on my shelves, unread forever! I loved The Stranger by Albert Camus. 😊

[@cthulhuelena]

Thank you for the recommendations! Definitely adding a few to my tbr! Animal Farm and The secret history are also my two favorite books. The other one is a non fiction book translated into English as Zoo Station (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo in German).

[@oh5793]

i read many of these

[@brontosaurus-jg8yu]

Like your chanel so much😊. My favourite short dystopia is "The machine stops" by E. M. Forster.

[@TheBookCastle]

Thank you! 🥰

[@eileennielsen5165]

I think my FAVORITE short bk. is 84 Charring Cross Rd. The first time I read it, I think I was 18/19. Still have that copy. Another good little book is: "Who Owns The Mountains" by John Muir. My small bk. of Psalms is always nearby. I am presently in a Rehab. after a surgery a week ago. I did bring a like bk. of short stories by Rosamunde Pilcher called The Blue Bedroom. Everyone is soooo good and am really enjoying when I can read! I've really gotten into her and other older authors this yr. Once I read Winter Solstice this past Jan. I became hooked on her! Do you read her? Probably a stupid question, I've never known anyone who had such a diverse reading life! You are a brain! I so enjoyed whatching tonight. Perfect timing. Had a bad week-end and worse day today!! I am very sick. Should have brought my TBR cart in with me!😋😂😂😂😂 Thanks for cheering me up Alice. You're a great person!

[@monica_has116lentilsand2cats]

I hope you feel better soon! Rosamunde Pilcher is a guaranteed mood-lifter in my opinion. If you like her writing you might enjoy a book tuber called Gina‘s recommendations. She‘s a „hard-core“ Pilcher-Stan and reads a lot of cozy/comfy, vintage British fiction. Her channel‘s called „Gina Reads“ and I‘m sure she has a „Favorites“ video. Rehab is hard - but you‘ll come out stronger and ready to tackle your life again. For sure. ❤

[@TheBookCastle]

Thank you so much! Hope you feel better soon ❤️🥰

[@ririschannelx]

Assembly by Natasha Brown 😊

[@cottagecorequeen112]

for a second I thought that's Nicola Coughlan with her book reccs!

[@TerryJ950]

Such a fun video, Alice, and some great recommendations. Two books I recently read under 200 pages are Foster by Claire Keegan and Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Manyika - the title is almost as long as the book! 😂

[@TheBookCastle]

Yay, I’m glad you liked it! 🥰 Hahah, it’s a good title tho!

[@BrookeReadsBooks333]

Ohhhhh I needed this, I’m in such a slump! And all I have are 400+ page books on my TBR and it’s giving me a 🙇🏻‍♀️. Any tips to get out of the reading slump?

[@TheBookCastle]

Reading slumps are the worst!! What I usually do is to just take a break from reading for a while, or read something light, fun and easy (or graphic novels)! ❤️

[@BrookeReadsBooks333]

@@TheBookCastle great suggestion! 🤍

[@XOXOLOLA100]

I enjoyed “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells- a fun sci-fi with a character that reads neurodivergent (imo). I loved the reading experience since it kind of feels like you are seeing through the eyes of a character in a shooter video game ( there quite a lot of action)

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

Love again from Thailand 😊❤

[@TheBookCastle]

🥰

[@1984isnow]

Ive bought maybe 30+ books this month, so i put a book buying ban on myself!, youre not helping! 😂 interested in more than a few of your recs.

[@TheBookCastle]

Hahaha, sorryyyyy 😂❤️

[@ignomegalo]

two tiny books with snake in the title: Tread on a Snake by Hiromi Kawakami The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily by Goethe

[@TheBookCastle]

Love that! 🥰❤️

[@ignomegalo]

@@TheBookCastle Hope you would find them enjoyable

[@oyasumikisi4935]

Thank you for this video, I'm always interested in short books. I'm so surprised, several of the classics I always assumed were longish books so I never checked them out! Have you read 'The ballad of Black Tom' ? It's technically horror but not scary and under 200 pages.

[@TheBookCastle]

I’m glad you liked it! I haven’t read that book, but I’m always interested in horror that isn’t scary so thank you for the rec! 🥰

[@monica_has116lentilsand2cats]

Hi Alice! Excellent video idea. Definitely picked up a whole slew of recommendations. Love that! Thank you. ❤ My recommendations for short(ish) and wonderful books are: o „Last Night at the Lobster“ - Stewart O‘Nan -> It‘s about closing night in an American chain restaurant during an incoming snow storm. But - it is so much more than that. And the writing… oh my. I re-read it frequently. If you have not yet read any Stewart O‘Nan, I cannot recommend him highly enough. Especially „Lobster“, „Emily, Alone“, and „A Prayer for the Dying“. Though the latter two are decidedly longer. o „A Whole Life“ - Robert Seethaler -> Austrian author; written in German, but the English translation is excellent; the title pretty much gives away the story; it is beautiful and haunting, sad but strangely uplifting and incredibly atmospheric o „Summerwater“ - Sarah Moss -> A rainy, Scottish summer; a group of strangers in vacation cottages; tension; hopes and dreams; excellent nature writing. I don‘t want to give details - let‘s just say this one packs a wallop… o „A Judgment in Stone“ - Ruth Rendell -> Murder mystery - truly original and gripping; not a who-dunnit, but a why-dunnit done expertly o „We Have Always Lived in the Castle“ - Shirley Jackson -> If I want to sell this book to a fellow reader I just tell them that it contains the sentence: „Therefore it was not pride that took me into the village twice a week, or even stubbornness, but ONLY THE SIMPLE NEED FOR BOOKS AND FOOD.“ Again, best to go into this story not knowing anything. o „The Moon and Sixpence“ - William Somerset Maugham -> Art, artists, Paris/Fance in the early 1900s; incredibly atmospheric o „Mornings at Seven“ - Eric Malpass -> A little English boy and his very eccentric family; a favorite since my childhood A few people mentioned „Ethan Frome“, „84 Charing Cross“, and „Chess Novella“ and I whole-heartedly agree with their recommendations. ✅📚 Ahem, I might have gotten a bit carried away with my recommendations. It happens. Happy reading, Monica

[@TheBookCastle]

Amazing, thank you for sharing all those recs! 😍😍

[@ame1861]

Favorite short books: Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (approx 170 pages) Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac (approx 250 pages) After Dark by Haruki Murakami (approx 200 pages) Ice by Anna Kavan (approx 200 pages) My Childhood by Maxim Gorky (approx 240 pages)

[@TheBookCastle]

😍😍

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

After Dark. A brilliant read 😊

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

Favorite short book 204 pages (can this count?) Is Gertrude by Hermann Hesse.

[@TheBookCastle]

Totally counts! ❤️

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

​@@TheBookCastle had a recount 204. Have you read this book Alice?

[@TheBookCastle]

Haven’t read it, but really want to try something by that author one day!