Books for the Busy Person

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TL;DR

This newsletter offers book recommendations for those with limited time or focus, highlighting short stories and novels that provide meaningful reading experiences in brief moments. It includes curated lists from Atlantic writers and explores the value of concise literature.

A roundup of suggestions for what to read when you’re short on time or focus

A pile of books — Helena de la Guardia / Getty

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.

Many of us wish we had more time in the day to sit with a book: to get stuck in place for hours, entirely immersed. But reading in short chunks doesn’t have to mean a shallow experience: Some works even benefit from those constraints. Today’s newsletter rounds up our writers’ suggestions for what to read when you don’t have much time—or much focus—to spare. I hope you enjoy however many moments of reading you can steal away this weekend.

Books for the Busy Person

Seven Books to Read When You Have No Time to Read

By Bekah Waalkes

These titles are worth picking up, even if you have only a moment to spare.

Read the article.

What to Read When You Have Only Half an Hour

By Celine Nguyen

A short story has velocity and verve, and the best ones create an immediate, instinctual bond between the reader and the characters. (From 2024)

Read the article.

The Books We Read Too Late—And That You Should Read Now

By The Atlantic Culture Desk

One of the great, bittersweet pleasures of life is finishing a title and thinking about how it might have affected you—if only you’d found it sooner.

Read the article.

Still Curious?

How Gen Z came to see books as a waste of time: Young people might be responding to a cultural message: Reading just isn’t that important, Rose Horowitch wrote in the Books Briefing newsletter in 2024.

You can read any of these short novels in a weekend: These books may be brief, but they use their limited word count to demonstrate the power of concision, Bethanne Patrick wrote in 2022.

Other Diversions

How to be manifestly happier.

An extraordinary account of a dangerous marriage

Let’s talk about RFK Jr.’s workout pants.

PS

I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. William P. shared this photo of “the rock” at Morro Bay, California, “with evening light illuminating the ice plants covering the sand dunes.”

I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.

— Isabel