Last year we put together this GUIDE TO: Catching up on your Goodreads Goal and this is basically part 2.
Use this post for catching up on your Goodreads goal or just for a time when you want to read some short books.
Poetry:
As always poetry is a good go to for short books. We have a whole recommendation guide here, but here are some we have read more recently.
welcome to ghost town by Gretchen Gomez (194 pages): This collection is very short, but the poems are a bit longer. She explores loss and abusive relationships.
Storyteller: 100 Poem Letters by Morgan Harper Nichols (106 pages): This is literally just 100 poems written as letters to people. It is very well done and is uplifting.
break your glass slippers by amanda lovelace (160 pages): This is the first book in lovelace’s new series of books and takes a more direct retelling approach that her prior works. If you enjoy her poetry, you will enjoy this one. Check out Tree’s review here.
poems I sleep next to by Shelby Eileen (155 pages): This is a lovely poetry collection that explores may different topics. The author uses many unique formats which were a nice change of pace. Tree enjoyed some poems more than others.
For Everyone by Jason Reynolds (102 pages): This is a gorgeous collection of poetry that would be a perfect gift for a graduating student. Tree purchased her own copy and can’t wait to reread it and be able to mark it up.
Fiction:
Bookish & The Beast by Ashley Poston (288 pages): This is the third book in Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series and is a geeky Beauty and the Beast retelling. Tree has a review going up for this one next week so keep an eye out! But, spoiler: she loved it!
Dear Martin by Nic Stone (210 pages): We both love this book and truly think that everyone needs to read this one. We follow a Black teen who after an altercation with the police ends up writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther Kind Jr. and explores racism, microaggressions, and how he can live as a Black person in the United States today. The audiobook is also amazing too.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (236 pages): I (Tree) will be honest, this book was not my favorite, but LaCour truly knows how to pack a lot of emotion and the deep feelings of grief and loss into a short book. Plus the cover is GORGEOUS!
Middle Grade:
These books tend to be shorter and go quicker. Alternatively, the font can be printed slightly bigger with more space between lines, making the pages fly by.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds (192 pages): This book follows a young Black boy who inadvertently joins his school’s track team and it changes his life. I have said it a million times, but anything Jason Reynolds writes is phenomenal and this middle grade book is no different.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (245 pages): Okay this isn’t a tiny book, but it is told in prose so it goes veryyy fast. This follows a kid who plays basketball and I (Tree) does not remember much, except that it was really.
City of Ghosts (272 pages) & Tunnel of Bones (307 pages) by Victoria Schwab: These books fly by as you follow Cassidy Blake and her parents around the world on their tour its most haunted cities for their TV show, The Inspectors. As her parents go looking for proof of ghosts, the last thing Cassidy wants to tell them is that she sees them everywhere, all the time. She also has a ghost best friend named Jacob that travels around with them.
Short Audiobooks:
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (5.5 hours): Anything Elizabeth Acevedo touches is amazing and her narration with the other woman who narrates this is amazing. I will say in the beginning it is a bit hard to keep track of who is who, but it pays off.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds (4 hours): This audiobook is short and yet you learn so much. Jason Reynolds narrates (I love his voice) and he does such a good job using subtle cues to infuse this performance with emotion and humor.
Eloquent Rage by Brittany Cooper (7 hours): Even though this is a 7 hour audiobook, it really flies by. In it Brittany Cooper covers a multitude of social issues in a knowledgeable and accessible way. She also narrates it herself, which makes it feel less like an audiobook, and more like one of her “home girl interventions.”
Memoirs:
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate (304 pages): This one is great on audio too as Jenny Slate narrates. Tree reviewed this one on Instagram if you want to read that here. This is an odd little book and if you like extended metaphors to explore life or a Jenny Slate fan you should check it out!
Save Yourself by Cameron Esposito (240 pages): This is an entertaining memoir that you can read even if you do not have experience with Cameron Esposito’s comedy. She explores what it was like to grow up Catholic and come out as a lesbian, being a woman in comedy, heartbreak, and more. Tree found it very interesting.
Yes She Can: 10 Stories of Hope & Change from Young Female Staffers of the Obama White House (279 pages): This is a collection of essays from young women who worked at the Obama White House. Tree loves political books and the focus on young women is great to see with this one. Each essay is written by a different woman and it was cool to see all of the projects they worked on. Working at the White House is intense and you truly see this through their essays.
Graphic Novels:
The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown (112 pages): This graphic novel teaches you so much about the Syrian Refugee crisis paired with gorgeous illustrations. There is minimal text so you truly focus on what is important.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comics, vol. 1 & 2 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Robert Hack (160 & 176 pages): These were really quick and fun reads, especially for a already established Sabrina fan. It was interesting to see a darker, more grotesque of the universally know teenage witch though.
Misc:
Legendary Ladies: 50 Goddesses to Empower and Inspire You by Ann Shen (128 pages): This is a gorgeous collection of art and short essays that teach you about various goddesses.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo, Bree & Tree
Words About Words 
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