QualismaBooks worth your time

Ranked list · refreshed weekly

Books you can read in a day

Five hours or less — books you can genuinely start and finish in a single day.

Five hours or under at 250 words per minute, which is one determined day of reading. Reading time is estimated from the page count at roughly 300 words a page, so treat the figures as close rather than exact — and if you read faster or slower than average, the reading-speed control adjusts every number on the site. Shortest first.

59 books

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1
Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Macbeth

William Shakespeare

135 pages · 3.90★ on Hardcover

≈ 1h6.9/10
5
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

336 pages · 3.48★ on Hardcover

≈ 1.5h5.0/10
7
The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl

John Steinbeck

90 pages · 3.45★ on Hardcover

≈ 2h5.0/10
9
Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

188 pages · not widely rated yet

≈ 2h
11
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

The Time Machine

H. G. Wells

114 pages · 3.75★ on Hardcover

≈ 2h6.2/10
12
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli

144 pages · 3.69★ on Hardcover

≈ 2h6.0/10
14
Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm

George Orwell

112 pages · 4.10★ on Hardcover

≈ 2h7.8/10
15
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Serviceberry

Robin Wall Kimmerer

113 pages · 4.14★ on Hardcover

≈ 2.5h7.8/10
16
Candide by Voltaire

Candide

Voltaire

208 pages · 3.78★ on Hardcover

≈ 2.5h6.4/10
17
Night by Elie Wiesel

Night

Elie Wiesel

126 pages · 4.28★ on Hardcover

≈ 2.5h8.6/10
19
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

228 pages · 3.35★ on Hardcover

≈ 2.5h4.5/10
20
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny

Timothy Snyder

130 pages · 4.22★ on Hardcover

≈ 2.5h8.2/10
21
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse

152 pages · 4.01★ on Hardcover

≈ 2.5h7.4/10
27
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Peter Pan

J. M. Barrie

176 pages · 3.82★ on Hardcover

≈ 3h6.4/10
28
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

180 pages · 3.71★ on Hardcover

≈ 3h5.9/10
29
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

162 pages · 3.84★ on Hardcover

≈ 3h6.5/10
30
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe

185 pages · 3.72★ on Hardcover

≈ 3.5h5.9/10
31
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The Awakening

Kate Chopin

187 pages · 3.53★ on Hardcover

≈ 3.5h5.2/10
33
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

Charlotte's Web

E. B. White

196 pages · 3.96★ on Hardcover

≈ 4h6.9/10
36
The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver

Lois Lowry

205 pages · 3.97★ on Hardcover

≈ 4h6.9/10
37
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison

205 pages · 4.02★ on Hardcover

≈ 4h7.1/10
38
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

208 pages · 3.63★ on Hardcover

≈ 4h5.3/10
39
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Mrs Dalloway

Virginia Woolf

232 pages · 3.75★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h5.9/10
41
Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn

Family of Spies

Christine Kuehn

221 pages · not widely rated yet

≈ 4.5h
44
Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros

Threshing Day

Rebecca Yarros

224 pages · 4.25★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h8.0/10
47
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway

264 pages · 3.62★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h5.3/10
48
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

227 pages · 3.93★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h6.7/10
49
Scion by James Islington

Scion

James Islington

228 pages · 3.85★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h6.5/10
50
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson

352 pages · 3.76★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h5.9/10
51
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

The Outsiders

S. E. Hinton

229 pages · 3.92★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h6.7/10
53
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath

234 pages · 3.94★ on Hardcover

≈ 4.5h6.7/10
57
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke

245 pages · 4.22★ on Hardcover

≈ 5h7.9/10
58
All About Love by bell hooks

All About Love

bell hooks

248 pages · 3.75★ on Hardcover

≈ 5h5.9/10
59
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

Steppenwolf

Hermann Hesse

256 pages · 3.95★ on Hardcover

≈ 5h6.7/10