5 Fast Reads That Will Get You To Your 2018 Reading Goal

Are you one or two books short of your reading goal? These shorter page-turners will get you there with mere weeks to go before the New Year.

Don’t be fooled by its length—this smart, dark novel packs a punch with each of its brief chapters. If you thought your sister was a serial killer, would you turn her in, or continue to clean up her mess? Korede, the ultra-organized, nurturing older sister, works through this dilemma intimately, as though we were reading her diary, and her semi-psychotic younger sister continues to wreak havoc.

Short stories are a fantastic way to get yourself out of a reading slump—especially if you’re the type who finds it hard to get into or stay focused on a novel. The dark undercurrents of our social climate—the threat of bigotry, violence, and misogyny—fuel the stories and central characters in Bender’s sharp, thought-provoking and urgent collection.

You can fit this 133-pager in at night when you’re too stressed or wired to sleep—keeping in mind that those hours are exactly when Benjamin wrote this book. Benjamin’s late-night ruminations on the power of sleeplessness, and specifically the relationship women have long had with sleep, are thoughtful and poetic. Benjamin’s words will both captivate you and, somehow, allow you to rest easier.

Because Jacobson’s writing is so familiar, funny, and interspersed with drawings, this book is a joy to read. From her stream-of-consciousness essays about sleepless nights on the road to her recollections about the beginnings of her success on “Broad City,” this collection reads like a hilarious, vulnerable diary and we were lucky enough to find the key.

This is the one to turn to on December 31 when you have one book to go. Graham has written 64 tiny pages worth reading and her funny and frank advice will not only help you hit your reading goal, but will also lead you into 2019 on a worry-free foot.