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Between essays, presentations, and academic readings, the life and dynamic of a book-loving university student is in need of a drastic change. These two personalities are viewed as oil and water; destined to never mix. What if I tell you there’s an alternative? A parallel world where books don’t have to collect dust while waiting until summer break to be picked up again?
The answer is simple: short books. Ones that fit comfortably in a corner of your backpack and can easily be slipped out between classes or in those ten minutes you get when you walk from one classroom to another. Books that, when you pick them up again, you’ll remember exactly what happened before you put down the bookmark. Before you know it, you’ll be finishing these quick reads and checking out the other recommendations in this article.
- Galatea by Madeleine Miller
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Retrieved from Amazon
Number of pages: 56
Original language: English
For the Greek mythology fans, this beautiful retelling of Galatea is something to be admired. The author behind Circe and The Song of Achilles gives Galatea’s character more depth to her determination of wanting to be more than the creation of a man. Her strength and intelligence while handling motherhood, and her need to escape (among other characteristics), show how Miller planned and drew inspiration from feminist literature. It proves how some stories remain immortal or adaptable to our reality because some problems have never really changed, like the perception of the feminine body and person. As the shortest book on this list, it is bound to make you want to read the original myth for comparison and, consequently, fall down the rabbit holes of mythology and/or feminism (highly recommended roads!).
- Mujeres Violentas by Mayra Santos Fébres
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Retrieved from Amazon
Number of pages: 128
Original language: Spanish (only)
Continuing the idea of feminism, Santos Fébres wrote her first collection of short stories around the variety of female identities that are part of the Puerto Rican identity. Through 12 unique narratives, each one varying in length, the author breaks many stereotypes and explores the different struggles female-identifying individuals have to face because of their existence. With plots that are accurate to reality, readers can feel identified, empowered, and connected to the different characters created by Fébres. One of my favorites has to be ‘La hija’, which is an amazing example of how flash fiction can capture meaningful values and emotions in only a few sentences. If you get your hands on this book, keep an eye out for it.
- De coco y anís edited by Marissel Hernández Romero and César Colón Montijo
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Retrieved from Amazon
Number of pages: 158
Original language: Spanish (only)
If you are up for a break from the typical writing style, De coco y anís is one of those books that could reawaken your love for writing, and even reading as a whole. Like the previous one, this book is a collection of texts, but with a twist. More than 10 authors, such as Yvonne Dennis Rosario, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, and Gloriann Sacha Antonetty Lebrón, joined forces to write about one important man: Rafael Cortijo Verdejo. He is a major figure for black and afro-diasporic Puerto Rican music, who challenged many prejudices of the 19th century and opened doors for future musicians. What makes this reading so memorable is how untraditional it is, since it groups varying formats to enhance the plot like: music, drawings, paintings, photographs, and new styles of narration. In the end, every author does something different, which guarantees something for everyone. Short stories, essays, investigations… you name it! Aside from entertainment, the memory they preserve of Cortijo is important for the future knowledge of Puerto Rico’s black history and its participants. They make this side of history accessible for the reader to be curious about.
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez
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Retrieved from Amazon
Number of pages: 118
Original language: Spanish
This book is one of those typical high school summer readings that sticks with you; it deserves the chance to be revisited. Considered a classic, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1996) hooks you solely with its first line: “On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on”. The intrigue of identifying the killer, the simple language, and its fast-paced fashion makes the plot easy to follow and perfect to not lose the thread between the times you pick up the book. It brings a sense of familiarity to the Latin American reader, like myself, with references to traditions and cultures that are woven into the understanding of the setting. I may be slightly biased as a Triple G fan (personal nickname for Gabriel García Marquez), but you would still have to read it to prove me wrong. In that case… win-win situation!
- Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin
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Retrieved from Amazon
Number of pages: 59
Original language: Spanish
Much like Chronicle of a Death Foretold, this story grips the attention of the reader instantly with the first dialogue between David and Amanda. Schweblin does an amazing job of creating a surreal narrative, full of suspense and horror, that establishes the dream-like setting where all the action occurs. Without spoiling too much, the presentation of profound themes (like the struggles of motherhood, guilt, and the negative effects of certain environmental concerns) behind the connection between a mother and her child, is stunning. They do not overwhelm the reader, but they definitely leave you pondering after finishing the text. And what better way to finish a story than by having a hundred questions?
