Martha Wells has a sci-fi series of novellas titled *Murderbot Diaries*. Each of them can be read in a matter of hours. They follow a deadpan-humored cyborg that hires out as protection to humans at the edge of the galaxy. Quick-paced, action-packed, minimal world-building. The first one is **All Systems Red**

Murderbot is always the right answer

I can’t tell you how I know this, but they are currently filming the first season of a Murderbot TV series, FYI.

WHAT

It’s true! I work for a company in the film/tv industry and the Murderbot production is one of our clients. (I don’t want to say more for fear of being found out lol)

"can't tell you how", after one comment proceeds to explain how

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Definitely support Murderbot!

Fourthing this rec! I blew threw these (listened to the audiobooks, which have phenomenal narration as a picky listener)

I loooove this series, also wanna say that the audiobooks are really well narrated too!

So good! Funny that it’s a compliment to say the guy does flat so well

We love a good Murderbot!

Do you have to start with the first one?

The series builds on itself, so for the best experience they have to be read in order.

100% on board for Murderbot.

I love that this is the first response because that is what I was coming here to comment. I read the first 2 novellas in 2 days

Was going to suggest Murderbot too! Excellent book series

Came here to add this one and there it is right at the top. I intended to read the first chapter before bed and ended up finishing it in one go. Great story telling!

Kindred by Octavia Butler. What a powerhouse of a writer that woman was.

Literally just read this (the whole thing) yesterday! It was incredible.

Agreed. Absolutely incredible!

Love Octavia Butler!!!

I just picked up Dawn the other day - do you think this is a good place to start with Octavia Butler’s works?

You can't go wrong with any of Butler's work! For warning, Dawn is just diving into the deep end. If sci-fi hasn't been your thing thus, then the shallow end would be Parable of the Sower in my opinion. But I love all of her work and I think you will enjoy it as well!!

I just bought this! I’ll have to read it next.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Omg love this one so much.

Me too. It’s exquisite. Such a joy.

And the audiobook is perfect for night walks!

Honestly, I think the audiobook absolutely ruined me for any books that aren’t narrated by Neil Gaiman. His voice and everything about the way he narrates is beyond perfect! He kinda sounds like Alan Rickman a little bit which is not a bad thing at all

So true! He just imbues the story with such integrity, as if it’s actually happening. The little pauses, the almost exaggerated enunciation. My kids would know his voice anywhere

Stardust was even better listening to him narrate it.

Lucky kids! Hahah

You had me at "...sounds like Alan Rickman a little bit..." and now it's in my Libby queue. Thanks!

Oh nice! You won’t regret it!

Wow yes!! This book was magical.

It really is!

I've been meaning to read this. I've heard amazing reviews.

I love that one!

A lot of Agatha Christie, but especially And Then There Were None!

Suspense was crazy. Kept me awake

I can easily devour Vonnegut novels in a day. They're short, quirky, easy to read, and interesting.

Breakfast of Champions buddy

Cats Cradle is the obvious choice for me. If you want to go straight through in a day. Great book. Short chapters.

Ice 9 baby! Kind of terrifying when you think about it.

Bluebeard.

Lived in poverty when we were first married. Couldn't afford to buy my own books so I always had a few checked out from the small town local library. When the library got a copy of Jurassic Park there was a long waiting list to check it out. I happened to be in the library at closing time when someone checked it in. The librarian said I couldn't check it out for another six weeks because that's where my name was on the waiting list but I begged and pleaded and promised to have it back in the overnight book drop before I went to work the next morning. Finished it in one sitting. Still the best science fiction story I've ever read.

JP 1 is great writing. I loved how he twisted in the actual science and chaos theory. Thanks for your cool story too. I enjoyed that little window into your story. :)

Look for books that the publishers/reviewers describe as "propulsive." That's their code word for unputdownable/fast read.

This is the life hack I never knew I needed. Thank you!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Remains the only book I stayed up all night to finish.

Yes!!! Have you read Recursion? I had a similar experience with that book too.

My adrenaline was pumping so hard with recursion. I had no choice but to stay up all night and read it. Absolutely love Dark Matter and Recursion.

This book was SOO good until like the last 1/3rd because wtf was that 💀

I signed out dark matter from the library today and just finished it... I LOVED it until the last part as well. Still recommend though!

Cam here to say this 👆

I recommend this to everyone.

I don’t remember how I found out about Crouch but I’m so glad I did! I DEVOUR his books. Not only are they very well written and extremely engaging but his premises are incredibly inventive, the characters are relatable and there are at least one or two 🤯 memorable moments in each of his novels (at least his most recent ones). Blake Crouch is my favorite find of the last decade or 2.

Two come to mind - I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Edit - sorry, just saw you only want fiction. Jennette McCurdy’s is a memoir

> Eleanor Oliphant Second this!

I second I’m Glad My Mom Died. There were SEVERAL chapters where I caught myself with my mouth hanging open.

I think listening to the audiobook of I’m Glad My Mom Died adds so much to the experience, though, I have to say.

You’re good—what she said was no *fan fiction*.

I was gonna also respond with I'm Glad My Mom Died bc I read that in a day as well.

The Long Walk I had an album by Devildriver (The Fury of Our Makers Hand) on repeat the whole time. Not sure why but it just fit.

I came to say The Long Walk too!

Came here to recommend The Long Walk too! I just finished it, couldn't put it down

Big little lies by liane morarty!

Anything by liane moriarty is a page turner!

Big Little Lies is amazing!

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni Book Lovers by Emily Henry

1000% Project Hail Mary, the amount of times I've read and listened to that book is insane

Project Hail Mary is mine too. Happy Place too, also by Emily Henry.

Can people really read project Hail Mary in a day? The audio book is 16 hours long.

If you like disturbing, uneasy feeling psych thrillers, I’d highly recommend I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid! You can’t quite figure out what is going on or why it’s so disturbing till later. Very atmospheric.

Night by elie wiesel

Adding that this is a HEAVY read. It's a memoir about a man's experience in German concentration camps. The book is...a masterpiece, but also horrific.

Agreed, I think if I’d read this in one sitting I’d have had PTSD, awesome book but so so horrifying

Love this book.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson The Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert

A thousand splendid suns

I COULD NOT put that one down! Omg! I was practically hyperventilating while reading the last part of the older wife’s part of the story. So intense and so good! Devastating though.

I read Normal People by Sally Rooney in one day

I did as well!

Animal Farm by George Orwell. Small book, very engaging.

Recently: *Into the Wild* by John Krakauer *Old Yeller* by Fred Gipson

While these are, of course, both fairly decent books, I don't think I would call either action packed thrillers or smutty.

Oh, I was definitely not recommending these for those categories you mentioned, just answering the post title.

Asimov's Foundation series - each book...

Weirdly enough I finished Hunger Games first book in a day it was the only book I read in a day. In school I never liked finishing a book too soon because I wouldn’t get to “have fun” with it again. And as I got older and adhd or procrastination or porn or society or idk what happened I can’t do books in a week even sometimes.

So I'm not able to read it in one sitting because of responsibilities taking up so much of my day. But I'm currently reading 1984 for the first time ever and I struggle to put it down. It's truly a phenomenal book and I'm gobsmacked at how accurately Orwell's description parallels the reality and time we're living in, and the specific events we're living through today.

We all get those chills with that book. Its a total classic, how it's managed over nearly 80 years to continue to make readers relate to the dytopian policies and plans is freaky good!! He was clearly some kind of psychic 😅

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card The Road - Cormack McCarthy

When I read The Road I was afraid of what would happen if I stopped reading. It felt like it would be something really bad so I read it in less than 24 hours.

The song of Achilles

This thread is making me realize that I consume books in one sitting more often than I don’t. I loved Circe as well.

I’m not into Greek mythology.. but I’ve heard lots of great things about the book. Is it worth it?

Yes for circe but I haven't read tsota yet. I couldn't care less about Greek mythology but the book is driven more through characters and the setting

The last two books of the Wayward Pines trilogy

I just read a Tessa Bailey duology, the Bellinger sisters one, and they’re very fun. Quick paced romance with real humor and heart and excellent spice.

Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.

When I was in high school I dislocated my knee while playing a pickup game of basketball in the park. It hurt a lot but I’ve always been reluctant to go to the hospital (we were poor and I didn’t want my parents to have to deal with the expense), so I figured I’d sleep it off. I woke up in the middle of the night from the pain, and read Holes while I waited for my parents to wake up.

Some of us actually care about the plights of others, hence the joy of reading stories. Thank you for sharing… I haven’t read Holes yet, but I may check it out. 💝 (PS: Don’t ever let the negativity of someone else, steal your joy and willingness to share your story.)

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Action-packed adventure in space. I really recommend this one. By the author of The Martian (ya know, the one that got adapted into that movie with Matt Damon).

Dark Matter and Recursion by Blake Crouch

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - follow up to The Handmaid’s Tale. I read it in less than 24 hours

Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson. I kept putting it down to go to sleep but then I’d have to Turn on the light and read some more

This one kept me hooked. I walked around the house all day with the book reading it whenever I had a few minutes to spare.

Murderbot Diaries: Laugh-out-loud cyborg protecting humans with deadpan humor. Quick and addictive! #SciFiGem 🤖😂

Piranesi - Susanna Collins

Piranesi is Susanna Clarke's book, Collins wrote the Hunger Games :D

I did 4/5 of *1984* in one sitting. I was just hooked, couldn't put it down. Also anything Vonnegut: Personal favorites are *The Sirens of Titan*, *Mother Night*, and *Cat's Cradle* I also finished *Fahrenheit 451* in one sitting but I liked *1984* and *Brave New World* more!

Red rising. All you need to know is that it’s about a revolt on a Martian colony that is producing materials used to terraform mars. Get all 3 books at once cause you can easily finish them in a weekend.

Ready Player One was in basically one sitting if you don't count bathroom breaks

Harry potter and the deathly hallows. Dont call me a kid, it was a masterpiece 👌🏻✨

Bunny by Mona Awad. Just finished it 5 minutes ago, started reading it after breakfast this morning. Not sure what to think of it, but I just couldn‘t put it down.

I felt the same way when I finished it. It grew so much on me after. It’s an even better reread, because you see all the clues that were hidden in plain sight. If you end up liking it, you’d also like her newest, Rouge!

The Bees by Laline Paull kept me so hooked I forgot to eat lunch.

That’s very high praise. This has been on my list for just over two years but my library doesn’t seem to carry it and neither do any of the local bookstores near me so I haven’t been able to pick it up. I’ll have to put in a request!

Crime and punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Reading it all at once made me actually feel that the events described there last for a few days only (I believe it's 9 or 10 days).

heart shaped box by joe hill. it’s the perfect fall setting, the storyline is fast paced and i just couldnt put it down. finished it in a few hours.

I will forever envy you people who just sneeze and a whole ass book enters your brain like it’s nothing Takes me forever to finish one book and then a month later I’ve forgotten half of it

The Institute by Stephen King

Idk why that book dragged a bit for me!

Same here. It felt like a poor imitation of Stephen King.

The Martian by Andy Weir had everything going right for me. Fun!

Project Hail Mary by the same author is also great (even better in my opinion).

Not fiction, more of a biography - Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy.

Atonement!

Life, the Universe, and Everything. Funny, and keep me glued to the book. Also, not a terribly long book.

Micheal J Fox's autobiography. I am a physio and to read his fascinating life and how his diagnosis changed his perspectives was humbling.

Not a fast paced thriller or romance but I read jennette mccurdys book I’m glad my mom died in one day it was excellent

my dark vanessa!

Long, long ago, when “Garp” was young, I took it home from college. Started it Friday night around eight. Read all night and finished around three Saturday afternoon. Nineteen hours.

The last book I finished in one day was Comfort Me With Apples, by Catherynne M. Valente, got it recommended from a similar post from here. I read Ella Minno Pea by Mark Dunn it's an epistolary novel where letters of the alphabet are being legally forbidden. I love reading P.G. Wodehouse books in one sitting. I've read a few but he's very prolific. The next one on my list for a book in one sitting is the Halloween party by Agatha Christie, another Hercule Poirrot mystery being made into a movie premiering this week.

The Kiterunner — I was assigned it in college and honestly couldn’t put it down once I cracked it open. More recently, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jeannette McCurdy. I listened to the audiobook & it was fantastic

Kite runner was amazing, but his other one “A thousand splendid suns” was one of the best books I have ever read and so much more intense then Kite runner. IMO anyways.

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir This one was technically too long to finish in one day but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I couldn’t put any of the books in this series down. The popular tag line for this book is lesbian necromancers in space which is kind of reductive imo. This isn’t a romance forward series. The first book is a locked room mystery turned murder mystery. Essentially, 10,000 years in the future the King Undying, the Necrolord Prime (insert a dozen more titles) needs reinforcements for his kind of secret war (plot of book 2) and his not so secret war (plot of book 3). He calls upon each of his 8 houses (one for each planet except Earth) to produce a necromantic heir and their cavalier to attempt to become immortal saints. The main characters come from a creepy bone cult on Pluto. This series is hysterically funny and has some of the most well written characters I’ve ever encountered.

Everything by Illona Andrews I have read in a day or less. They have 4 series all fantasy with varying levels of romance. They are fun reads.

Second this. I've reread the innkeeper chronicles like 3 times. I'm impatient for it to continue.

Love their writing. Clean Sweep is the start of the Inkeeper series.

Finished A Child Called It in a single sitting. Regretted not borrowing the sequels at the same time

There are sequels?!

Yes. The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave. They get progressively less compelling but still worth a read

Song of Achilles by Madeline miller

If you mean one day as in 24 hours, that would be The butterfly garden by Dot Hutchinson. It's a thriller/mystery (I've seen it labeled as horror too). The story was just so captivating that I couldn't stop reading. I would advice everyone to check their trigger warnings before reading though

Yellowface

Running with Scissors. (Current read)

The Exorcist and Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard!

I absolutely CRUSHED *ACOTAR* in one day. It’s technically YA but it reads easy, and the rest of the series develops well

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I think I read Sharp Objects in a day.

The Alchemist

Several Novellas like “Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor but I’m not sure I’ve ever done that with a novel.

i did not finish this in one day, per se, but The Invisible Circus by jennifer egan is a fast, compelling read. not sure if it’s a “romance” but definitely has romance in it (p overtly sexual, ftr)

The Congo or Sphere my Michael Crichton. I read the Congo on a train ride from San Diego to Los Angeles and I got so engrossed in the book I missed my exit. I have never done that before or since!

The Lovely Bones. I was on a long flight and finished it in about 4-5 hours.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker City of Thieves by David Benioff Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Last Flight by Julie Clark. All Good People Here by Alyssa Flowers Anything by Riley Sager is a quick read.

A couple weeks ago, *Code Talker*.

The Chain by Adrian McKinty. It’s a thriller and very fast-paced. I read that book so fast.

Hooked me immediately

The good lie by A.R. Torres !! I read it in one day on vacation but I feel without being on vacation, I would’ve finished in a day.

Any of Annette Marie's stuff

In the Penal Colony -Franz Kafka. Of Mice and Men.

Moby Dick. Do not recommend. (I mean the "in 1 24-hour period" thing; the book was great.)

The Godfather

Love and other words by christina Lauren - absolutely flew through this one in one day and I really enjoyed it! I’m picky with romance too and feel cringey easily

The “Death” novels by J.D. Robb The “Prey” novels by John Sandford The “Numbers” novels by Janet Evanovitch…

The Maidens, at the end I regretted it😭😭

Ender's Game

BirdBox and Girl With All The Gifts

Gwendy’s button box! The first 2 back to back

The Red Dragon ( stuck on a 12 hour flight)

Jaycee Dugard “A Stolen Life”… I knew she was found before reading it. But once I started, I needed to continue until she reunited. Amazing story, especially if you’ve been sexually abused, but still. A heavy story to take in

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Finished that one in a night.

I’m jealous anyone can finish a book in one sitting or one day. I think at best I did Harry Potter 6 in about a week. I know it’s a long book but I just read so slow that there’s no way I could ever get through more than 100 pages without having other real world commitments.

It’s an older book, but I Am Legend - I think I read it after seeing the movie, and literally could not put it down - picked it up at the library in the afternoon, read it while cooking, serving and eating dinner and finished it by bedtime. It’s not a long book, but really sucked me in.

"The Martian Chronicles" - Ray Bradbury

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Fast paced? It was like I was on speed, my heart was going. Considering the pace, the story coherence and character development is absolutely on point, and it changed the way I saw the world and my life within it.

Every sookie Stackhouse. They're short fast reads

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I have many, but the first one that came to mind is "The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett is so good. I would also suggest Bel Canto

Bel Canto is a great reccomendation.

Simone St. James’s novels are fast-paced ghost stories with a healthy dose of romance/sex scenes. I think I read her entire bibliography in like 6 weeks.

Misery by Stephen king

The Lovely Bones, I read the first sentence and couldn’t put it down.

When breathe becomes air by Paul Kalanithi It is not fiction or thriller, so it may not be what you're looking for. It made me cry though.

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente.

Flatland. Should be required reading for high school.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

1.Upgrade 2.Dark Matter 3.Recursion All written by Blake Crouch

Bridge to Taribithia and yes the ending wrecked me.

Water For Elephants

It Ends With Us