Squeeze Reads: Great Books for the Time-Crunched
by Iva-Marie Palmer
Mom brain. It’s real. You forget stuff. You have no attention span. You lose your train of… What was I just saying?
Raising kids and juggling life is hard, and it can be downright disturbing when you wake up one morning and realize you’ve not read anything more than the back of a cereal box (and, okay, your favorite celebrity blog) in weeks.
The books below are what I call squeeze reads — the kind of reads that can be nibbled on in short bites, that proceed at a fast clip, or aren’t too long. Pick one up the next time you’re feeling pressed for time but still in need of some mental sustenance.
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Funny Stuff
In the middle of one of those days, it sometimes helps to lighten the mood and remind yourself that this thing called life is pretty funny. These comedic memoirs and essay collections are easy reads that deliver on the quick.
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I Know I Am, But What Are You?
Like Tina Fey, Samantha Bee is a mom, and like Tina Fey, she’s funnier than us. In this memoir, she relates stories from her very varied life in a laugh-out-loud manner. If laughter really is the best medicine, dole these stories out one-a-day to restore your sanity.
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Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Available from:Kaling clearly has things to say, and in an entertaining way. After all, the star of “The Mindy Project” is also its creator and writer (and previously a writer on “The Office”). This memoir delivers a laugh-a-minute, all infused with Kaling’s unique perspective.
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Bad Feminist
You want to get all think-y, but you also want it to be fun. A Twitter genius and lover of pink, Gay is fearless but fun, and her cultural criticisms tackle everything from “Fifty Shades of Grey” to “Girls.”
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I Was Told There’d Be Cake
Available from:Crosley’s quirky, easy-reading essays are the literary equivalent of a quick coffee with your most quip-ready friend. These bite-sized pieces are perfect for fans of David Sedaris and writers of his ilk.
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Kid Stuff
You don’t have time to read a 500-page, can-also-double-as-doorstop tome. And The Goldfinch, though great, just looks daunting, no? Some kids’ books give you just what you need, escapism-wise, without getting too heavy, literally or figuratively.
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The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket
Available from:Barnaby Brocket’s parents just want to be normal. The normalest. So when they bring home Barnaby, a boy who floats, he’s not the delightful addition they wanted. This easy-read tackles some heavy themes, but without a heavy hand (and with some clever jokes that seem to be written with the adult reader in mind).
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From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
This is a classic kids’ tale you’ve likely read, maybe even to your kids. But for every mom who fantasizes about disappearing for just a day, this short-and-sweet story of two kids who run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is extra-special when viewed through a grown-up lens.
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Why We Broke Up
Maybe, every now and then, you long to be a teen again. This YA novel about first love will probably make you glad to stay right where you are. Written as a long break-up letter, separated into chapters, this one is easy to put down and pick back up as time permits.
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Twisted Like Gone Girl
One thing’s for certain: Gone Girl is a fast read. But once you’re done, what’s next? These reads are creepy, fast-paced psychological thrillers and pure escapism (one hopes!).
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You
Told from the point of view of a charming psychopath, You will not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for those who allow themselves to indulge in the up-close-and-very-personal musings of a stalker, this is a compelling read that proceeds at a fast clip.
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The Girl on the Train
Fans of Gone Girl are already claiming that this is its successor. A psychological thriller that offers up plenty of antiheroes like Amy and Nick Dunne, Hawkins’s debut is the ideal quick read: one that leaves you regretful that it’s over.
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Mr. Peanut
Available from:You just know this is going to be one of those books when it starts with a couple who meet at a Hitchcock seminar. Multi-layered and fast-paced, this one weaves together a marriage-gone-wrong plotline with an addictive police procedural (and the stories of two detectives with their own set of problems).
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Classics Under 250 Pages
Maybe you want to feel good about yourself. Maybe you want to feed your brain. Maybe you just want something with style and substance.
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The Great Gatsby
You read it in high school but have you revisited it since? (And not just the movie.) Parties, jazz, drinks, glamour, and love gone wrong — seems like a good remedy if your days are feeling a touch humdrum.
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Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Available from:Truman Capote’s dazzling novel goes down like the perfect cocktail and leaves you buzzing in all the right ways, which is not to say it’s frothy and light. With dark notes on depression and loneliness, the book contrasts heavily from the Audrey Hepburn-centered film.
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The End of the Affair
Available from:If you’ve ever found the romances of Nicholas Sparks a bit too saccharin, this 160-page novel takes you in the opposite direction. Love, jealousy, life, death, pleasure, pain — every page of this short book offers up a nugget to think about.
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Other Stuff
Things to read are everywhere but choosing the best is hard. Instead of scrolling your Facebook feed hoping to find something brilliant, try these.
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One Story
This Brooklyn nonprofit delivers the perfect periodical for moms hungry for a lit fix: One short story every three weeks, delivered to your mailbox. There’s also a second mag, One Teen Story, that’s yes, a YA short story. Subscribe at one-story.com.
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theSkimm
This daily newsletter, written by two friends in their twenties, is the no-excuses way to stay up to date with current events. The news-buff writers boil down the day’s top headlines into a digest of must-know stuff, so busy people everywhere can stay informed without trying to tackle the entire newspaper. Sign up at theskimm.com.