Short Reads
95 books under 20,000 words. Perfect for a single sitting — each takes under an hour and a half to read.
Reader guidance
How to use short reads
Short reads are useful for first-time readers, sampling across genres, classroom excerpts, and quick archive exploration. The list is sorted by length so the smallest works appear first, but each card still links to its canonical catalog record.
How to Get Out of Your Own Way
Self-Help & Growth
The Portrait Painter's Guide
Arts & Creativity
The Art of Letting Your Children Fail
Parenting & Family
How to Talk to Your Children
Parenting & Family
The American Experiment
History & Civilization
What Nobody Warned Me About Adulthood
Essays & Reflections
The Breakfast Revolution
Food & Kitchen
A Life in Books
Biography & Memoir
The Inner Critic
Psychology & Mind
The Secret Life of Cells
Science & Nature
Scale or Fail
Business & Money
How to Build Something from Nothing
Business & Money
The Open Source Manifesto
Technology & Innovation
On Identity and Illusion
Philosophy & Ethics
Fear and Other Teachers
Psychology & Mind
The ROI of Kindness
Business & Money
Goa After the Party
Travel & Places
Debugging Your Career in Tech
Technology & Innovation
The Media's Blind Spot
Politics & Society
What My Father Built
Biography & Memoir
The Partition Diaries
History & Civilization
How to Think About Time
Philosophy & Ethics
The History of Writing
History & Civilization
On the Other Side of Fear
Essays & Reflections
The Art of Surrender
Spirituality & Faith
From the Diary of a Ten-Year-Old Writer
Biography & Memoir
How Loneliness Changes the Brain
Psychology & Mind
Value Investing for the Rest of Us
Business & Money
The Philosophy of Forgiveness
Philosophy & Ethics
How to Write a Script That Sells
Film & Visual Media
The Art of Slow Making
Arts & Creativity
The Fasting Handbook
Health & Wellness
How to Fire Your Boss
Business & Money
The Revenue Blueprint
Business & Money
Triggers
Psychology & Mind
Monsoon Road Trip
Travel & Places
How to Design a Room
Arts & Creativity
Salads That Don't Suck
Food & Kitchen
How to Eat Clean on a Budget
Health & Wellness
How to Develop Your Artistic Voice
Arts & Creativity
The Attention Diet
Psychology & Mind
The Mughal Legacy
History & Civilization
How to Live Out of a Backpack
Travel & Places
What the Evidence Shows
True Crime
The Rajasthan Road
Travel & Places
What I Learned from Writing 1500 Books
Writing & Craft
What Climate Change Looks Like from Here
Environment & Earth
How to Reduce Your Footprint
Environment & Earth
Stop Waiting for Permission
Self-Help & Growth
Night Trains to Nowhere
Travel & Places
A Brief History of Doubt
Philosophy & Ethics
How to Appreciate Modern Art
Arts & Creativity
The Art of the Side Hustle
Business & Money
On Growing Up Late
Essays & Reflections
The Raga's Secret
Music & Sound
The Practice of Being Present
Self-Help & Growth
Spice and Smoke
Food & Kitchen
The Ecology of Cities
Science & Nature
How to Be an Indian Abroad Without Embarrassing Yourself
Humor & Wit
When Grief Becomes Wallpaper
Essays & Reflections
Rewired
Psychology & Mind
The Road to Leh
Travel & Places
The Anxiety Equation
Psychology & Mind
How to Love Someone Without Losing Yourself
Relationships & Love
How to Watch a Film
Film & Visual Media
The Architecture of Temples
Arts & Creativity
How to Produce Music from Your Bedroom
Music & Sound
The Ferry to Andaman
Travel & Places
My Year of Writing Dangerously
Biography & Memoir
What Your Blood Tests Really Mean
Health & Wellness
The Crime That Shocked India
True Crime
The Procrastinator's Playbook
Self-Help & Growth
The Attention Merchants
Psychology & Mind
Blood and Silence
True Crime
The Automation Playbook
Technology & Innovation
The Micro-Business Revolution
Business & Money
What Ancient India Exported to the World
History & Civilization
Unsolicited Advice from a Twenty-Something
Essays & Reflections
The Art of Public Speaking
Language & Words
The Anti-Hustle Manifesto
Self-Help & Growth
What Your Teenager Wants You to Know
Parenting & Family
What History Forgot
History & Civilization
What the Constitution Promises
Politics & Society
How to Let Go of What Isn't Yours
Self-Help & Growth
The Astronomer's Lament
Science & Nature
How Sleep Rebuilds the Mind
Psychology & Mind
Embrace the Suck
Self-Help & Growth
What Modernism Meant
Arts & Creativity
How to Carry What You Can't Put Down
Essays & Reflections
My Stare: A Collection
Essays & Reflections
AI and the Future of Art
Technology & Innovation
How to Live Sustainably (For Real)
Environment & Earth
The Unconscious Negotiator
Psychology & Mind
The Art of the Equation
Mathematics & Logic
The Ethics of Ambition
Philosophy & Ethics