We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

    22 Amazing Novels Under 500 Pages For People Who Want To Read More

    Let's get reading!

    Shreya Mali
    by Shreya Mali

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Trevis - ₹456

    A woman playing chess
    amazon.in

    If you've spent the past few months letting Beth Harmon live rent-free in your head after watching the TV show (I know I have), you should definitely read the book. I didn't even know this existed until my best friend told me about it, and I read it over the weekend. It's going to give you a better look at the moves she plays, both in chess and the general self-destructive ones.

    In case you haven't heard of The Queen's Gambit, it's the story of Beth Harmon's rise in the male-dominated world of chess.

    Get it here.

    2. Pine by Francine Toon - ₹438

    Cover of the book with a deer on it
    amazon.in

    This one is a really underrated book, it deals with so many themes and genres and balances it all perfectly with a great plot and some gorgeous writing that'll keep you turning the pages. It's a story set in a remote small town, where a man named Niall and his daughter, Lauren encounter a strange injured woman on their way home on Halloween night.

    Get it here.

    3. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson - ₹359

    A blue cover of the book with flowers on it
    amazon.in

    If you're in the mood to get your mind gears running with a classic whodunnit set in the modern world, you should definitely check this one out. It's about a girl named Stevie who has been accepted into a prestigious private school named Ellingham Academy. But the school has a dark past and Stevie wants to uncover the mystery of what happened ages ago to the wife and daughter of the academy's owner. This is the first book in the Truly Devious series and you'll definitely want to pick up the next week immediately after this.

    Get it here.

    4. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - ₹297

    A maze-like cover of the book
    amazon.in

    If you're looking at the cover and going, "Huh, that's weird", things only get weirder from there. Jason Dessen is kidnapped by a mysterious man, he's knocked out by this man and when he wakes up in a world that's so similar to his own yet nothing like his own. It's a story that makes you go, "If I had made that decision 5 years ago, what would my life be like now?".

    Get it here.

    5. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager - ₹1,433

    Cover of the book with a person running through the woods
    amazon.in

    There are few genres that hook me as well as a thriller and this one was no different. It's a story about a woman named Emma who went to summer camp as a teenager, where three of her new friends went missing, never to be found again. Years later, she's asked to return to the camp.

    Get it here.

    6. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - ₹70

    Cover of the book that has an insect on it
    amazon.in

    This is another book that was recommended to me by my best friend and when he first told me what it's about, I thought he was joking but nope, it's a story about a man named Gregor Samsa who wakes up to realise that he's actually been turned into an insect. This book might just give you a new perspective on your life.

    Get it here.

    7. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - ₹584

    Cover of the book with two women
    amazon.in

    This was the last book I read in 2020 and it ended up being one of the most memorable ones. It's about a pair of twins named Desiree and Stella who have grown up in a community where African-American individuals only move their generation ahead with white people so the babies will have a lighter skin tone and thus, a chance at a better life. Living in a country that has an obsession with fair skin, the themes mentioned in this book hit a little bit too close to home.

    Get it here.

    8. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - ₹394

    Cover of the book
    amazon.in

    I went into this book thinking it would be just like the TV show but turns out, there are very few similarities and yet this book is just as good (if not better) as the TV show. It's a ghost story but it's not just about the ghosts that live in the Hill House but also about the demons that live within the main characters.

    Get it here.

    9. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - ₹247

    Cover of the book with a truck parked in a clearing
    amazon.in

    Aristotle and Dante are teens who meet at a swimming pool randomly and seem to have nothing in common but as time goes by, they start to develop a very strong friendship that might just turn into something else.

    Get it here.

    10. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera - ₹223

    Cover of the book with two men in an hourglass
    amazon.in

    This was one of my favourite books that I read in 2019, it's got the perfect balance of romance, intrigue and great main characters that you can't help but root for despite the title of the book. The story is set in the future where you're given a warning on the day you die so you can get your affairs in order. Mateo and Rufus are strangers who have been given this warning and they're just trying to enjoy the last few hours of their life.

    Get it here.

    11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - ₹328

    Cover of The Bell Jar with a woman applying make up
    amazon.in

    So, if you're just looking for a fun light-hearted read, this might not be the book for you, it deals with some pretty heavy topics but it leaves you with this profound sense of sadness after you read it. It's also really thought-provoking and emotional for someone who has dealt/is dealing with mental illness. It's also got feminist themes in it that just seem so ahead of its time for the 1960s. If you're new to reading, it'll make you realise books can be so much more than what they seem.

    This novel revolves around Esther, who is a part of an internship program in New York City, she should be happy that she has this but she's just completely lost without any direction.

    Get it here.

    12. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera - ₹339

    Cover of the book with waves on it
    amazon.in

    Yes, I really love Adam Silvera's books and the themes explored in them because they aren't just your typical YA novel, they deal with real issues like grief which is especially prominent in this one. Griffin has lost his first love, Theo in a drowning accident, when he goes to his funeral, he ends up running into Theo's boyfriend, Jackson whom he really doesn't like but weirdly enough, Jackson is the only one who can understand Theo's grief.

    Get it here.

    13. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - ₹399

    Cover of the book with a woman in a green dress
    amazon.in

    If 2020 has left you with a desperate need to escape to a different time, this book is the one for you. It tells the story of Evelyn Hugo, an aging Hollywood starlet who has married 7 men. and many years later, she's finally ready to tell her story. The story transcends across different decades of Hollywood, but it isn't just about the glitz and glamour. It's about the pain and heartache of loving someone and finding true love.

    Get it here.

    14. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - ₹499

    An orange cover of the book with a penguin and a cat on it
    amazon.in

    This classic revolves around Constance and Mary Katherine Blackwood, two orphaned sisters whose family was poisoned at a dinner party. They barely ever get out of their house (much like us in this past year) and live a pretty strange life with their uncle. It's best to go into this book knowing the bare minimum because it tends to take you by surprise.

    Get it here.

    15. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley - ₹319

    Cover of the book with a bird on it
    amazon.in

    This book was so intriguing to them that I read it in a day. It's this unique story about two characters, one is a teenager named Cullen Writter who lives in a town where someone has spotted this really elusive bird, Lazarus Woodpecker. The other is about a missionary in Africa who is questioning his faith. These stories seem worlds apart and just reading this is probably making you question how can this be a part of one book but the author crafts this story wonderfully.

    Get it here.

    16. Dry by Neal Shusterman - ₹330

    Cover of the book
    amazon.in

    I read this book a while ago and yet, I remember it very clearly, it's just one of those books that makes its mark on you because stuff like this could easily happen in real life. Also, the dumpster fire of 2020 made me remember this book very clearly. It's set in Los Angeles, where the non-essential expenditure of water is not permitted due to the shortage. But one day, the tap runs dry and doesn't turn back on.

    Get it here.

    17. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - ₹288

    Cover of The Silent Patient with a chair on it
    amazon.in

    This one is a really popular thriller and rightfully so, it grips from the first page and doesn't let go after you've finished reading it. Alicia Berenson might have murdered her husband years ago and since then she hasn't spoken a word, literally, she hasn't said anything. Theo is a psychotherapist who wants to figure out the truth behind what happened at that fateful night where Alicia murdered her husband.

    Get it here.

    18. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett - ₹351

    Cover of the Good Omens book
    amazon.in

    A comedic book about the end of the world? Yes, we could all use a laugh just about now.

    Get it here.

    19. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman - ₹272

    Cover of Radio Silence with a woman falling
    amazon.in

    This is an underrated book that more people need to check out. It's about the education system and the pressure it puts on the younger generation and the dilemma between following your passion versus what you're supposed to do. Frances has spent her entire life working hard to always be at the top of her class. She listens to this interesting podcast called Universe City and one day, she gets to meet the creator of the podcast, Aled. Things take off from there.

    Get it here.

    20. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - ₹434

    The cover of the book with a child in a well
    amazon.in

    Another great story about childhood with wondrous fantastical elements that'll take you right back to the vivid imagination you once had as a child.

    Get it here.

    21. The World's Favourite: And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - ₹341

    Cover of the book binding
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    All three of these are fantastic mystery books under 500 pages each. Agatha Christie was a master of her craft and you could pick up pretty much any book by her and it would still leave you going "Oh, didn't see that one coming". These 3 are considered her best by a lot of people so if you're new to her work, this is a great place to start.

    Get it here.

    22. 1984 by George Orwell - ₹99

    Cover of the book with an eye on it
    amazon.in

    I just finished this book yesterday and it was a really intense but amazing read. It's set in this society where the world has been divided into three inter-continental superstates. Our main character, Winston resides in Oceania and is a member of The Party, which is the head of the continent. The more I read this book, the more afraid I was that a society like this might just come into existence one day.

    Get it here.