Best Books for Reading

Sumizeit turns nonfiction books into short summaries you can read, listen to, or watch.

Quick summary

If you want to read more but keep stalling, start with books that move fast. The best books for reading are the ones you can't put down, and narrative nonfiction does that better than most fiction. Try Bad Blood if you like a thriller, Born a Crime if you want to laugh, Educated if you want a story that stays with you, and Atomic Habits if you want a book that changes your routine. Below are ten picks, plus a plan for actually finishing them.

Why picking the best books for reading matters

Most people who say they don't like reading have simply picked the wrong books. They tried a dense classic or a business book that made a single point over three hundred pages, got bored, and decided reading wasn't for them.

That's a bad conclusion from a bad match. Reading is a skill, and like any skill it feels better once you're doing something you enjoy. So your first goal isn't to read the best book. It's to read a book you want to finish.

That's why these picks lean toward stories. Real events told with pace and tension keep you turning pages. Once you've finished two or three, your attention span recovers, and harder books get easier.

1. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

This is the true story of Theranos, a startup that promised to run hundreds of tests from a single drop of blood. The technology didn't work, and the company hid that for years. Carreyrou, the reporter who broke the story, writes it like a thriller. You'll read it in a few sittings.

It's a good first pick for anyone who says they don't have time to read. Try the Bad Blood summary.

2. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Noah grew up in South Africa under apartheid as a child of a Black mother and a white father. His story is funny, sad, and surprising, and the chapters are short. You can read one while waiting for coffee.

Plenty of people who don't read much finish this one. See the Born a Crime summary.

3. Educated by Tara Westover

Westover grew up in a survivalist family in Idaho and didn't enter a classroom until she was a teenager. She later earned a doctorate from Cambridge. It's an intense story about family, learning, and the price of change.

Here's the Educated summary. If you like it, read her story alongside our Educated book summary post.

4. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

McDougall starts with a simple question. Why does his foot hurt when he runs? That leads him to a reclusive tribe of runners in Mexico's Copper Canyon. The book is part adventure, part science, and part story about a wild race. You don't need to care about running at all.

Check the Born to Run summary.

5. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Gawande is a surgeon, and he writes about what medicine can and can't do for people near the end of life. It sounds grim, but the book is warm and practical. It asks how to live well when time is short, and it's useful for anyone with aging parents.

Read the Being Mortal summary.

6. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Bryson sets out to understand how we know what we know about the universe, the earth, and life. He's a funny writer, so a book about science turns into a pleasure. You can dip in and out, which suits a busy reader.

See the A Short History of Nearly Everything summary.

7. Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Rosling shows that most people have a gloomy and outdated picture of the world. He backs up his case with data and stories from a long career in global health. It's upbeat, and it changes how you read the news.

Here's the Factfulness summary.

8. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Some books are best read because they make the rest of your life easier. Atomic Habits is one. Clear shows you how small changes add up, and it's a good book to read if you want to build a daily reading habit.

Use the four laws on your own reading. Make it obvious by leaving a book on your pillow. Make it easy by starting with ten pages. The Atomic Habits summary explains all four.

9. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Alderton's memoir of friendship, heartbreak, and growing up is funny and raw. It reads fast and feels like talking to a friend. Pick it up if you want something lighter.

See the Everything I Know About Love summary.

10. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Gilbert writes about creativity and fear, and she's persuasive about why you should make things even if nobody asks. It's a good book for someone who's been meaning to start a project. The chapters are brief, so you can read in short bursts.

Check out the Big Magic summary.

How to read more, starting this week

A list of good books doesn't help if you don't open them. Here's a simple plan.

Pick one book from the list and set a small goal. Ten pages a day works well. Attach it to something you already do, like your morning coffee or the train ride home. Keep the book where you'll see it.

Don't force yourself to finish a book you hate. Give it fifty pages. If it isn't working, put it down and pick another. Quitting a bad book is a sign of good taste, not weak discipline.

Try swapping some screen time for reading. Our post on how to replace 30 minutes of Netflix with a book shows how. If your phone is the problem, read how to stop scrolling addiction.

When you don't have time to read a whole book

Sometimes you want the ideas without the hours. Summaries help. A good one gives you the main argument in about fifteen minutes, and you can decide whether to read the full book.

That's what Sumizeit does. You can read, listen to, or watch a summary, so a book fits into a commute or a lunch break. If you've always said you hate reading, check out how people who hate reading still learn from books. For a longer look at the habit, our guide on how to read more books covers what works.

You'll also want to hold on to what you read. Our post on how to remember what you read gives you a few simple techniques. And if you want to set a yearly goal, see how to finish your reading list before the end of the year.

Want more book ideas?

Browse 100 life changing nonfiction books, see the best books for personal growth sorted by the problem you're stuck on, or ask what you should read next with our reading recommendations. You can also explore the full Sumizeit library.

Final thought

You don't need to read the greatest books ever written. You need to read books that make you want to read more. Start with a story that grips you, build the habit, and let your taste grow from there.

Pick one title today and read ten pages tonight.

Sumizeit turns nonfiction books into short summaries you can read, listen to, or watch. Try it at sumizeit.com.