Similarly to the best TV shows you can’t quit watching after just one episode, there are books you can’t put down after reading just one chapter. Then the chapter turns into “just a couple more,” and there you are, at 3 am with your eyes drowsy, reading the endnotes. For many, it might have been one of the beloved children’s books or one of the classic novels that had them gripped but also sowed the seeds of their love for books.
With today’s dynamics and overload of responsibilities, many would probably agree that reading for the whole day, perhaps on a weekend or a day off, is an incredible luxury. Hence we usually stick to just a few chapters. However, sometimes you come across books that are hard to put down. Books so tempting that you decide that house chores and sleep can wait. However, unlike your situationship, the best books you can’t put down are worth losing sleep for. Perhaps not every night, but every fortnight. Interested to learn what books kept members of the r/books community prisoner, Reddit user jollyflyingcactus asked, “What’s a book that was so good/enjoyable that you couldn’t put it down?” The thread with just over 1K comments revealed the many gripping books that bookworms couldn’t stop reading until the very last page. But beware, these books had people either rushing back to the library to get other parts of the series, had them up reading into the early morning, and some were so enthralled that they had to be reminded to eat. Finishing a book in one sitting is a serious commitment, yet it’s a very fulfilling one.
Below, we’ve compiled some of the picks from the thread, which shared books that you can’t put down and must bury yourself in until they’re finished. Whether you’re looking for the best books to get back into reading or books you can read in one sitting, you will find plenty of worthy suggestions. If you have read a book from the list and would recommend it to others, make sure to give it an upvote. Also, what was that one book (or more) that held you captive until the very last page? Share it in the comments!
#1 Discworld (41 Books) By Terry Pratchett
PunkandCannonballer said: “Every Discworld book. I blast through all of them in one sitting.”
Sketzz replied: “Yep, started last year and am around 17 books in. Discworld is simply amazing.”
Image source: Terry Pratchett , PunkandCannonballer
#2 A Short History Of Nearly Everything By Bill Bryson
“For those with an active curiosity. I loved it, answered so many questions. I would like to retitle it as everything you could have learned in High School if your teachers weren’t so drab and boring.”
Image source: Bill Bryson , vandalia
#3 The Martian By Andy Weir
“The Martian by Andy Weir read it in a single sitting.”
Image source: Andy Weir , Cryptic_Creatures
#4 The Stand By Stephen King
srmlutz said: “I picked it up on a whim and it absolutely gripped me.”
Cranks_No_Start replied: “I blasted through the Stand when I first read it. I even picked up the “Extra” version when it came out for a reread. IIRC it had 400 extra pages vs the original and I was so hooked it could’ve been longer.”
peb396 answered: “That was my experience. Was summer break and I had never been a “for pleasure” reader. Wanted ti work on that so I read “The Godfather” first. Then I saw the unabridged version of “The Stand” and literally read ot through two nights. I was gripped.”
Image source: Stephen King, srmlutz
#5 Project Hail Mary By Andy Weir
Zesto_Sunshine said: “To all you people who mentioned Project Hail Mary… DAMN YOU! My dog may need to make his own supper.”
Accurate-Let-3579 replied: “And then you’ll spend years finding something like this to read, that can play roller coaster with your emotions like this book did. Imagine my torment, I read this when it came out and I’ve been searching for another one like it, still.”
Image source: Andy Weir, Zesto_Sunshine
#6 Memoirs Of A Geisha By Arthur Golden
“I started it on a flight to Japan and ended up missing a whole day of exploring Tokyo because I couldn’t put it down.”
Image source: Arthur Golden , PMmecutedogpics
#7 The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd By Agatha Christie
Home_Gnome11 said: “I almost exclusively read in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genres, but for whatever reason I had the desire to try something new and was convinced to pick up Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. It was the very definition of unputdownable. It’s the first book I’ve ever started and then did nothing else until I had finished it, knocking it over in one session. I have now read a bunch of other Agatha Christie novels and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is firmly in my top 5 all-time favorites. I guess change can be good sometimes.”
newb4213 replied: “M*rder of roger ackroyd absolutely blew my mind.”
Image source: Agatha Christie, Home_Gnome
#8 The Help By Kathryn Stockett
“I read that start to finish in a day.”
Image source: Kathryn Stockett , bigmomma179
#9 The Murderbot Diaries By Martha Wells
“The Murderbot Diaries. Rarely have I been so blown away when I had mediocre expectations. It’s one of those sci fi stories where the setting is used to its full potential.”
Image source: Martha Wells, Gromps
#10 Into Thin Air By Into Thin Air
“It prompted an Everest reading marathon that continued for weeks. I still re-read it occasionally.”
Image source: Into Thin Air, Humble-Roll-8997
#11 The Clan Of The Cave Bear By Jean M. Auel
“Wow, haven’t heard that name for a while! I read that when it first came out and I’ve never forgotten it. Every so often i think of it. The sequels are good as well but that first one always stands out for me.”
Image source: Jean M. Auel, zelda13786
#12 The Count Of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas Père
“Was one of those books I was “Forced” to read for school. Was blown away once I got started. Finished it in a weekend. Still need to get the 1000+ page version and do it again just want to find a hardcover. Also for the interested there is an underrated movie adaptation that was made a while ago. I enjoyed it for what it was.”
Image source: Alexandre Dumas père , CaptainKeyes46
#13 11/22/63 By Stephen King
“It was totally unexpected. Very long, could not put it down. Sank hooks into me deep.”
Image source: Stephen King , kryppla
#14 Jurassic Park By Michael Crichton
sparkymiddlefinger said: “The first time I read Jurassic Park I couldn’t put it down. I was late for stuff.”
jollyflyingcactus replied: “”I was late for stuff.” Yeah, that pretty much says how much you enjoyed it. Nice.”
Vbcomanche answered: “Agreed. Actually reading it again for like the fourth time lol. Anything by Michael Crichton is hard to put down.”
Image source: Michael Crichton, sparkymiddlefinger
#15 The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins
jawnbaejaeger said: “It was years ago, but I read it in one sitting, then immediately went to the library to get the other two and read those within a day.”
Ebice42 replied: “I think I read all three books in under a week. Once I started I just had to keep going, see where the madness ended. I thought the movies were OK, with a couple of outstanding scenes. (The hanging tree).”
Image source: Suzanne Collins, jawnbaejaeger
#16 The Silo Series (Wool, Shift, And Dust) By Hugh Howey
“The author teaches the dystopian world through various primary characters – their history, current life, and perspectives.”
Image source: Hugh Howey, SuddenlyCrafty
#17 The Name Of The Wind By Patrick Rothfuss
radioblues replied: “The worst part of reading The Name of The Wind is when you realize what the fanbase has been going through for over a decade. We might never learn what’s behind the door.”
Image source: Patrick Rothfuss, calilav
#18 East Of Eden By John Steinbeck
ruxinisunclean said: “For me it was East of Eden. Before that book I sort of hated reading related to having adhd. I could not wait to crack that book open again everytime I had some time to k*ll. Such a great story and the way it involves so many but I never felt lost. Others that I really enjoyed were the long walk, the road, the collector, and the war of the worlds. I’m just starting American Psycho and Crime and Punishment. Although I’m not as captivated by them so far. We shall see where it leads.”
Beneficial-Match289 replied: “Agree about East of Eden! I started it just looking to k*ll a half hour or so and ended up reading into the early morning. Slept awhile then got up and read the entire next day. Steinbeck’s best IMHO.”
Image source: John Steinbeck, ruxinisunclean
#19 Solaris By Stanislaw Lem
“I read it in a single Sunday afternoon.”
Image source: Stanislaw Lem , matteomunda
#20 Outlander By Diana Gabaldon
“I know a lot of people don’t like it. But I was going through an extremely hard time in my life at the time and sometimes the only thing keeping me alive was that I had to find out what happened to Jaimie and Claire next. That book saved my life as cliche as it sounds.”
Image source: Diana Gabaldon, castironskilletmilk
#21 A Game Of Thrones By George R. R. Martin
“I was in college and my then gf got a copy of this book for $1 from a library sale. I really had very little idea of what it was about. I took it home over Christmas break and sat down to read it one evening. After about 100 pages something really wild happens and in that moment I absolutely had to know what happened. I was enthralled. I sat and read that book cover to cover until after 6am the next morning. I couldn’t put it down.
Here’s the kicker, I did not know it was a series LOL. When it got near the end I could tell there was no way it was going to wrap up all these plotlines and conspiracies. Little did I know I would still be waiting for the ending a decade and a half later….”
Image source: George R. R. Martin, Qlanth
#22 The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
“The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath is the only book I’ve ever read in a day. I started reading and just couldn’t stop. It was like a stranger was inside my head and articulated my thoughts and feelings in a way that was beautiful and tragic. This book was the inner thoughts of a brilliant person with serious mental health issues, but I honestly think it is THE millennial book. It perfectly encapsulates the hopelessness, distrust of authority/tradition, and lack of clarity about what to do with one’s life that characterizes the kids/teens who watched planes destroy buildings on tv, recessions, bailouts, the patriot act, the opioid epidemic, Brock Turner, Breonna Taylor, impeachment, etc…”
Image source: Sylvia Plath, reddit.com
#23 Uprooted By Naomi Novak
alittlebrownbird said: “I love all of Naomi Novik’s books!!”
pinetreesandcake replied: “Currently re-reading Uprooted. You’ve got to read A Deadly Education and subsequent books if you haven’t already, also by Novik. So amazing.”
Image source: Naomi Novak, Individual_Guest641
#24 I’ll Be Gone In The Dark By Michelle McNamara
“I’ll be Gone in the Dark, Dancer from the Dance, the History of Birth, It Ended Badly: the Thirteen Worst Break-Ups in History, The Secret History of Colors, and Royalty’s Strangest Characters: Extraordinary but True Tales from 2,000 Years of Mad Monarchs and Raving Rulers (I’m on a non-fiction kick).”
Image source: Michelle McNamara, clockjobber
#25 Piranesi By Susanna Clarke
“I loved the World, the descriptions, Piranesi’s view on the World. And I was satisfied with the ending, which doesn’t happen often to me.”
Image source: Susanna Clarke, lamelumi_
#26 Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro
cy-91 said: “I read it in a day. I just sat in my garden for hours reading it. Still one of my favourite days in recent memory.”
pinetreesandcake replied: “Haven’t read the book but the movie has been haunting my memory since seeing it. Like in a good way.”
Image source: Kazuo Ishiguro, cy-91
#27 Red Rising By Pierce Brown
mustaphamond_ said: “It is an amazing series. The first book is great but the following books in the series are freakin fantastic. It’s probably my favorite sci-fi series ever and there’s still 2 books left to be released.”
bananagoat34replied:”If time is in your way, try the Red Rising audiobook. The first book takes a minute to get into, but you’ll want to listen just for the way he reads it.”
DudeDeudaruu answered: “Red Rising is kinda like a better hunger games. I definitely recommend.”
Image source: Pierce Brown , mustaphamond_
#28 The Master And Margarita By Mikhail Bulgakov
“When I first read the book, I could not put the it down, it is incredible. The whole magic and anarchy of the story, the underlying subtle tragedy that seeps in – most of the references I didn’t even understand the first time I read it. But it made me curious about the time the book plays in and the author, so I read more about him, and then I reread the book and it was even more incredible.”
Image source: Mikhail Bulgakov, lemontolha
#29 Crime And Punishment By Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“It was a book I’ll probably read again, understanding the psychology of the main characters described very precisely by the author… the way he represents the reality of human nature … that was an amazing story, I recommend!”
Image source: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, raf97di
#30 The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August By Claire North
“A lot of good books mention, however one that has been in my mind recently, was the First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, my teenage niece was reading it, I just picked it up as she told me it was pretty good, I went in expecting teen love romance, dam was I impressed, very good work on the kid who wrote it.”
Image source: Claire North, Garage_Physical
#31 The Man Who Folded Himself By David Gerrold
“The ultimate, absolute package time travel novel. It contains every possible ramification of time travel – every paradox, every twist, every last way time travel could be used or abused, all in one astonishing story. Despite being entertaining, it also serves as the ultimate treatise on every last thing anyone has ever, or will ever, do with the concept of time travel, all in one book. It is the most complete time travel story ever written. Or, that probably ever will be written.”
Image source: David Gerrold, Petal_Chatoyance
#32 Cannery Row By John Steinbeck
beththebookgirl said: “One of my favorite books! Entertaining and educational. Fabulous characters.”
Jehnage replied: “So little and so much happens and somehow I’m always enthralled like it’s the first time. Can be said for pretty much all Steinbeck books though.”
beththebookgirl replied: “Oh, and the party for Doc scenes! The prep work for it, the frogs! Now, I have to reread it. You are correct about Steinbeck. I prefer Steinbeck to Hemingway.”
Image source: John Steinbeck , Jehnage
#33 The Three-Body Problem By Cixin Liu
Ramol0ss said: “Hard sci-fi with some terrifying moments. Read the last 2 books in like 2 weeks.”
The_LionTurtle replied: “I just finished the 2nd book in an 11-hour marathon session yesterday and started the 3rd book today. Took me a few weeks to mosey through the 1st book, but the 2nd one had me hooked.”
Image source: Cixin Liu , Ramol0ss
#34 The Da Vinci Code By Dan Brown
“It was my can’t put down book. I can only imagine how this sub feels about brown, cruised through it a couple of days, so that’s my input.”
Image source: Dan Brown , cavegoatlove
#35 The Priory Of The Orange Tree By Samantha Shannon
“I’m currently reading it and I can’t put it down. I’m a big fan of multiple POV’s in a story, and each character’s story throughout the book so far has been very interesting. I’m excited to see how they all come together in the end (I’m about halfway through). I also have not read many novels with lgbt representation, specifically wlw representation, and this is the reason why I sought this book out in the first place. Shannon does a very good job depicting a genuine sapphic romance. It’s over 800 pages and my girlfriend has to remind me to eat on the weekends because I’ve been obsessed lol. I’m off to read it right now actually!”
Image source: Samantha Shannon , Deep-Big2798
#36 Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow By Gabrielle Zevin
“Most recently it was ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style.”
Image source: Gabrielle Zevin, afoxcalledwhisper
#37 Throne Of Glass By Sarah J. Maas
“I loved the style of the storytelling and the world building. Definitely a fantastic series. Also Harry Potter (lost count of how many times I’ve read Harry Potter lol)! I was going to say Name of the Wind, but you’ve already been hooked by it!”
Image source: Sarah J. Maas, AshTree14
#38 Lonesome Dove By Larry Mcmurtry
Pickle_12 said: “It was 800 pages.”
InvestigatorOdd6150 replied: “Started reading it yesterday and couldn’t put it down, just woke up and about to start back up.”
autogeriatric answered: “I was like – ugh, a Western. My friend kept at me to read it and swore I would love it. Loaned me his copy and I was lost to the world until I was finished.”
Image source: Larry McMurtry, Pickle_12
#39 Ubik By Philip K Dick
“I finished every chapter thinking “just one more chapter” and wanting to know what was going to happen next.”
Image source: Philip K Dick, 12zoo
#40 Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
“Amazing and a sublime read. Hop on it.”
Image source: Chinua Achebe, roisauce
#41 Remarkably Bright Creatures By Shelby Van Pelt
“Recently, I read it. I found the octopus’s POV fascinating, and the storyline came together beautifully!”
Image source: Shelby Van Pelt, turkeytowel
#42 Fight Club By Chuck Palahniuk
Jimmytwofist said: “I read myself to sleep every night. Not the night I started Fight Club. I was awake all night reading that one.”
biendi replied: “Yes! just reread this last week and it was even better than i remember.”
Image source: Chuck Palahniuk, Jimmytwofist
#43 The Nightingale By Kristin Hannah
“My husband brought me an ARC from his library and it felt absolutely kismet. The Russian folklore and fierce protagonist, Vasya, had me absolutely hooked. I have been sucked in by many books that way, but only special ones like Harry Potter have felt quite so transporting. I couldn’t stand being pulled back into “real” life.”
Image source: Kristin Hannah, Moe_6891
#44 Captive Prince By C. S. Pacat
“The one that sticks out to me was C. S. Pacat’s Captive Prince trilogy. I finished them within two or three days. I remember only stopping to sleep whenever my eyes began to get blurry.”
Image source: C. S. Pacat , danteslacie
#45 Shoe Dog By Phil Knight
“It’s written so beautifully. It truly inspired me.”
Image source: Phil Knight, CompetitiveRip399
#46 The Poet X By Elizabeth Acevedo
“It was the most recent book I read in one sitting. I’m a slow reader so it had been years since the last time I had read something in a single sitting.”
Image source: Elizabeth Acevedo , kneelbeforeplantlady
#47 Light In August By William Faulkner
dicentra8 said : “Weirdly last night one particular book I couldn’t put down came to mind and now I bump into this topic here?! For a book that I picked very randomly (my father probably bought it with the newspaper) but somehow couldn’t put down: Light in August by William Faulkner.”
minimus67 replied: “I read it a few months ago and I agree with you, it is really compelling. I just couldn’t quite figure out exactly why. Anyone who has been led to believe that Faulkner is too dense or difficult should start with Light In August.”
Image source: William Faulkner , dicentra8
#48 The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid
calijen said: “It was the fastest I’ve ever finished a book. I was obsessed.”
jollyflyingcactus replied: “You’re the second person to mention that book. It catches my attention when more then one person mentions the same book.”
Image source: Taylor Jenkins Reid , calijen
#49 The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair By Joel Dicker
“I had to ask my parents to hide it so I could study for uni exams. Read it for a 4th time last year and still can’t put it down.”
Image source: Joel Dicker, reddit.com
#50 The Sunrise By Victoria Hislop
“It was really excellent historic fiction, and painted such a vivid picture of Cyprus. I flew through it because I never wanted to stop reading.”
Image source: Victoria Hislop , reddit.com
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