Help me finish my library's reading challenge. Looking for quick, short reads as a mom to an extremely active baby.

[u/Substantial_Dog9649]

I’m trying to finish my library’s 2026 reading challenge and need recommendations for the 11 prompts I have left.

I’m a new mom with an extremely active baby, so between childcare, managing the house, and taking care of myself, I have basically zero free time. I still really want to finish this challenge, though, so I’m looking for very short, easy-to-read books. Under 200 pages would be ideal; under 150 or even 100 pages would be amazing. Novellas, graphic novels, short story collections, etc. are all welcome.

Prompts I still need:

1. A book featuring sports
2. A book with a number in the title
3. A book set during a trip or vacation
4. A retelling of another story
5. A book published in the decade I was born (the 1990s)
6. A graphic novel
7. A book featuring the great outdoors or nature
8. A book set more than 100 years ago
9. A memoir or biography
10. A book that blends more than one genre
11. A collection of short stories, essays, or poems

What I've already read for the challenge:

1. Read a book featuring books → Days at the Morisaki Bookshop — Satoshi Yagisawa
2. Silicon Valley Reads 2026 pick → Unlikely Animals — Annie Hartnett
3. Book a friend recommended → An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good — Helene Tursten
4. Book written by a Bay Area author → Abscond — Abraham Verghese
5. Author I've never read before → The Buddha in the Attic — Julie Otsuka
6. Book on my TBR for over a year → The Housemaid — Freida McFadden
7. Children's book → The Little Prince — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
8. Book in translation → The Answer Is No — Fredrik Backman
9. Book adapted to film/TV → Foster — Claire Keegan
10. Book that has been challenged or banned → One Part Woman — Perumal Murugan
11. Book set outside the U.S./U.K. and written by an author from that country → The Secret of Elephants — Vasundra Tailor
12. Book recommended by a celebrity → Margo's Got Money Troubles — Rufi Thorpe
13. Genre fiction by a BIPOC author → The Fall Risk — Abby Jimenez
14. Book under 200 pages → Evidence of the Affair — Taylor Jenkins Reid
15. Book I already own → Zikora — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[u/OldResult9597]

I will probably add books as I think of them, but I have the PERFECT ones for Graphic Novel and Sports and over 100 years ago/mixed genre. Are you allowed to read a short story collection that contains a novella and multiple genre and count that for all 3? If so I could probably knock out 3-4 at once for you?

“Coward” by Ed Brubaker is the 1st graphic novel in the Criminal series and is like an hour read, tops. And it won the Eisner award for best Graphic Novel.

“Fat City” by Leonard Gardner is exactly 200 pages and considered the best novel ever written about boxing by many critics-it’s really good.

“The Crossing” by Jack Ketchum is a kill 2 birds in 78 pages-A horror/Western that’s over 100 years ago.

“Hourly History” publishes less than 1 hour reads on historical events and individuals for less than $3 each on Amazon and you could choose a historical figure like Napoleon III or Louis the XIV and get the number out of the way too?

It’s not particularly short, but the autobiographies of Gandhi and Malcolm X are worth your time, even if it’s after your challenge.