10 Short, Fast-Paced Books to Kickstart Your Yearly Reading Goal

206 pages

This is the perfect novel to read if you plan to reconnect with nature this year and stop spending so much time staring at screens. When teenager Yuki Hirano’s parents send him to a forestry training program far from the city (or even cell signal), it feels like a punishment. But as he learns his way around the forest, gets to know the trees, and discovers mountain legends, he finds much to love about Mt. Kamusari.

214 pages

Starting a new year can be tough. Do you need a laugh? If so, this memoir is for you! LGBTQ advice columnist John Pual Brammer is accustomed to mixing his personal life, sense of humor, and heartfelt thoughts into his writing. In this memoir, his ability to laugh at what once made him cry really shines. From growing up as a gay biracial kid in rural Oklahoma to career woes to learning to use his writing to help people, Hola Papi is an earnest and uplifting book about finding your place in the world.

293 pages

If your hopes for the new year include leaning into your witchy side and caring less what straight men think of you, then you simply must read Cackle! After an unexpected breakup, Annie moves to a small town in upstate New York in search of a new life. She quickly falls in love with the new town — and with a charming new friend, Sophie. Sophie takes Annie under her wing and helps her find a fresh start. But Annie soon notices that everyone in town seems a bit afraid of Sophie. Could it be she’s more powerful than she seems?

272 pages

This antiracist memoir is well crafted, accessible, and perfect if your New Year’s resolutions include reading more nonfiction and/or educating yourself on systemic racism and what you can do to fight it. Laura Coates became a lawyer because she felt called to fight for vulnerable populations. But her legal career taught her something very different: “The pursuit of justice creates injustice.” In this memoir, she explores the many flaws in our legal system and some of the many cases she’s witnessed where the law harmed those who most needed its protection.

224 pages

If you like slice-of-life fiction, dry humor, and books that acknowledge the current cultural moment, this new novel is for you! Chinese American ICU doctor Joan has always been a straightforward person who enjoys the simple things in life. This makes her relationship with her materialistic brother challenging, and makes her feel like she can’t meet her mother’s high expectations. But when her father dies and her mother is determined to grow closer to her children, Joan is pushed from her comfort zone. And then there’s a global pandemic that will completely change every aspect of Joan’s life.

240 pages

This lyrical historical fiction novel throws you right into the thick of its mystery, romance, and heartbreak. In the midst of WWII, a young couple moves to an island called Lyra off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Simon, the son of an industrialist, is tasked with finding the strange glowing blue lights that have fascinated onlookers for decades. His wife Elle was young and impressionable when she settled down in Lyra to start a family. Fifty years later, Elle’s memory is fading, but she still feels compelled to answer the lingering questions about why her husband’s mission was never completed.

115 pages

I personally think poetry collections are a fabulous way to start your reading year. For one, they’re often quick to read. But they can also spark your creativity, and a feminist, queer, fiery collection like this one can help get you in the right headspace to go fiercely into the new year with confidence and passion. Andrea Gibson’s poetry always makes me think about how I relate to the world around me, and this new collection with poems about climate change, space, and so much more has my favorite writing of Gibson’s yet.

208 pages

This literary psychological thriller with a fascinating concept will grab you from page one. Just after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans teenager Ham is on a Greyhound bus trying to figure out what happens now. Making things even more confusing is his necklace containing a tiny bone fragment of a saint, given to him by his foster mother. While wearing the necklace, the saint has some control over Ham’s thoughts and actions. As Ham decides to return to New Orleans, can he free his body and mind from the saint’s control?

224 pages

There’s no better time to read sci-fi than January when you’re already envisioning the future, right? And this new book by the incredible Nnedi Okorafor is the perfect pick to read right now. Anwuli Okwudili was born with a disability and later experienced a terrible car crash. As a result, she lives with a variety of biotechnological enhancements. After being attacked in a market, she finds herself villainized by the public and goes on the run, where she meets a man with a similar story and unique abilities who joins her on her search for a safe place.

155 pages

We could all start the year with a little self-care and self-love, right? This short book by poet and writer Yrsa Daley-Ward has beautiful writing and useful exercises to bring your best self into 2022. Through a combination of lyrical prose and poetry, Daley-Ward encourages readers to peel back the layers we’ve built up based on societal expectations and get to know the real, unique, hidden person beneath. Although this is difficult work, Daley-Ward’s beautiful writing shows how important and inspiring it can be as well.