Books to Read in 48 Hours
If I don’t hit my yearly reading goal, I shall consider my life a complete and total failure.
I personally like to include quick reads in my rotation to beef up my book count. This year’s goal is 68 books which I thought was pretty ambitious but then someone said theirs is 200 and now I’m like ????? I’m competing in the children’s league? I’m in the weenie hut? Cool.
[JK life is not a competition :) I don’t have to compare myself to others or feel bad for not ‘keeping up’ :)]
Obviously, everyone has different reading speeds, but here are 7 recommendations you could potentially probably read in 48 hours.
This is the only book on the list that is non-fiction. For a more detailed description and to see other celebrity memoirs, check out my recommendations here! If you are interested in memoirs but don’t know where to start, this would be a great introduction.
The title alone is gripping enough to catch your attention! Fast-paced and deeply honest, I sat on my back patio and read this for 2 days straight.
File this under Popular Books That Live Up to the Hype. If you have seen everyone talking about it (which you probably have) and you've been wondering if you should give it a try (which you should) then this is the sign to do so.
It’s a genre I don’t come across too often–literary sci-fi–but it's more like diet sci-fi–it's not science heavy at all and really just uses sci-fi concepts to pose philosophical questions about the nature of humanity.
It takes unexpected directions and connects different storylines in unique ways. No spoilers, but it includes time travel, computer simulations, and a global pandemic. Ya know, all fun, lighthearted topics!
This book defies all descriptions. I’m not even going to attempt to describe it. It’s one of those books you just have to experience for yourself.
The metaphor I have come up with to best describe the reading experience is this:
You know those images that are zoomed in really far and magnified by 2000x and the goal is to try and guess what the image is by only seeing one extremely close up pixel? And the image slowly pans out and you're like “I still don’t know what this is”...until finally enough of the image is revealed and you realize “Oh! It's a monarch butterfly! Of course it is!”
That’s what reading this book is like. You have no idea what is going on until all of the sudden you realize “THAT’S what it has been about!”
I will warn you though, the first few pages are extremely confusing, STICK WITH IT and don’t give up. This sounds like the wildest sell for a book but read it and then come back and tell me I’m right!
Can we take a moment to appreciate what a baller name Aldous Huxley is? Anyways, this book was published in 1932 but is still relevant and deeply resonates with readers today. Sometimes I struggle with pre-modern texts–something about the language style feels jilted and I struggle to follow along, but this one I had no issue with.
It is a dystopian novel set in a future with genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy. If you like psychological explorations of manipulation, conformity, and blind acceptance of status quo, this one might be for you.
Listen. I need you to read this book.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things more like I’m Thinking of the Ending of This Book Three Years After Reading It Cuz It Was SO GOOD.
That was a lot of words, but you get the picture!
You think you know what’s going on, but YOU DON’T! With a twist you won’t see coming for miles and miles, it's psychological, mysterious, edgy, and just dark enough to be totally gripping.
I don’t even know what else to say about it to convince you to read it except this: if there is one book on this list that you read, let it be this one.
Are you ready for this premise: an alien is sent to earth disguised as a human in order to infiltrate society and carry out their mission of stopping technological advancement. Sounds intense, right?
Wrong! The flavor is instead actually lighthearted and humorous. It reads like one of those “I forced a bot to watch 1000 hours of X and then write its own”.
This ‘alien’ has to quickly learn human norms and customs and he is absolutely appalled and disgusted by every facet of humanity, from the way we look (noses are apparently grotesque) to the way we talk and act.
A few years ago, I had read Matt Haig’s other book “The Midnight Library” and honestly, I wasn’t the biggest fan, so I was a touch hesitant to read this one. But literally page 1 I was like never mind! This book is amazing!
If there are two books on this list that you read, let this be the second.
*Tyra voice* Animal Farm, but make it modern.
In 50 years, this book will be labeled a ‘classic’ and taught in schools to discuss historical social and political themes.
Much like how Animal Farm is about a group of talking animals on a farm, but it's really about the oppressive totalitarian regime, Pet is about a monster that comes to life from a painting, but it's really about identity and society’s denial of injustice. Highly original, it is haunting yet adventurous, gripping and thought provoking without being dense.
Which book(s) are you going to read from this list? You could read them all in, like, *does math* 2 weeks! Let me know what you think if you do. I’m always down to discuss ~thots~.
