10 best books under 200 pages to read instead of doomscrolling in 2026

Imagine if every time you reached for your phone, you reached for a book instead. Sounds unrealistic? Maybe. But here's the thing. Reading just 100 or 150 pages often takes about the same amount of time many of us spend scrolling social media without even noticing. The difference is that one leaves you wondering where your evening went, while the other leaves you with a story you'll remember for years.

Here are 10 books that prove a great read doesn't have to be a long one.

Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra (Ruskin Bond)

If you've ever wanted to escape to the hills without leaving your sofa, this collection does exactly that. Through stories inspired by his own life, Ruskin Bond writes about childhood, family, friendships and the quiet beauty of Dehradun. Nothing dramatic happens, yet somehow every story feels comforting.

Why you'll want to read it: It's like spending an afternoon with your favourite grandparent, listening to stories that make ordinary life feel special.

Rosarita (Anita Desai)

A young woman travels to Mexico hoping for a change of scene, but a chance meeting with a stranger turns her trip into something far more mysterious. The story slowly blurs the line between memory, imagination and identity, leaving you questioning what is real until the very end.

Why you'll want to read it: It's short enough to finish in one sitting, but you'll probably spend days thinking about what really happened.

The Guest Cat (Takashi Hiraide)

A cat that doesn't even belong to them starts visiting a quiet couple living in Tokyo. That's the story. Yet somehow, this little visitor quietly changes their lives in ways they never expected.

Why you'll want to read it: You don't have to be a cat person to love this book. It gently reminds you how the smallest moments can end up meaning the most.

Kitchen (Banana Yoshimoto)

After losing her grandmother, Mikage finds comfort in the one place that has always made sense to her: the kitchen. Along the way, she forms unexpected friendships with people who are carrying their own grief.

Why you'll want to read it: It talks about loss without making you feel weighed down. Instead, it leaves you with the comforting feeling that life slowly finds its way back.

I Have the Right to Destroy Myself (Kim Young-ha)

This isn't an easy book, but it is impossible to ignore. It follows a mysterious narrator who introduces himself as someone who helps people who have already decided to end their own lives. His life becomes tangled with these people searching for meaning, love and escape in modern Seoul.

Why you'll want to read it: If you enjoy books that make you stop every few pages just to think, this one will stay with you long after you've finished.

The Disaster Tourist (Yun Ko-eun)

Imagine booking a holiday to a place because something terrible happened there. That's the business Yona works for until she begins to question just how far companies will go to make money.

Why you'll want to read it: It's clever, funny and just a little unsettling. You'll probably find yourself looking at modern tourism very differently afterwards.

The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

A woman with postpartum depression is told the best thing for her health is to stay inside and rest. Alone in a room with nothing but faded yellow wallpaper, her thoughts slowly begin to spiral.

Why you'll want to read it: It's one of those classics that's surprisingly easy to read. Creepy, powerful and less than 100 pages long, It is one of the most influential short works in feminist literature.

The Blue Bedspread (Raj Kamal Jha)

The story begins with a man writing a letter to a newborn baby. As the night unfolds, he slowly reveals painful family secrets and memories, one piece at a time.

Why you'll want to read it: The writing is beautiful without being difficult, and it's the kind of novel that quietly pulls you in until you realise you've read half the book without noticing.

Small Things Like These (Claire Keegan)

Bill Furlong is an ordinary coal merchant preparing for Christmas when he stumbles upon something that forces him to question whether doing the right thing is worth the cost.

Why you'll want to read it: It's proof that you don't need twists or cliffhangers to keep turning the pages. The story is quiet, deeply moving and impossible to forget.

The Stranger (Albert Camus)

Meursault doesn't react to life the way people expect him to. After an unexpected crime, he finds himself judged not just for what he did, but for who he is.

Why you'll want to read it: Don't let its reputation as a classic put you off. It's surprisingly readable, and it's one of those books that sparks conversations because everyone takes something different from it.

No one is saying you have to give up social media completely. Sometimes a few funny reels are exactly what you need after a long day. But every now and then, swap the endless scroll for a short book instead.

-Compiled by Salma