8 short books you can read while getting your Durham degree

Did you fail your Goodreads challenge last year? That’s okay, because this year you won’t. Here are eight short and manageable reads you can do while getting your Durham degree, because your love for reading shouldn’t suffer at the hands of summative season.

A Short Stay in Hell – Steven L. Peck

Set in the afterlife, our protagonist realises that everything he thought he knew about dying was wrong. So begins his journey to leave hell – but this task is even harder than he predicted. A short but gripping read. Extra fitting if you’re living in accommodation you hate. Might make you feel better.

Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan

This is a small but impactful book. It’s 1980s Ireland and Bill Furlong has just made a brutal discovery. Avoiding any spoilers, this is a story about hope, complicity, and courage, and, at only 128 pages, it’s a good way to get reading without having to commit to a long book on top of your studies.

The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett

A delightful and cosy read – perfect for the dreary Durham winter and early spring, when everything is green.

More generally, this is here to represent reading something easy and familiar. Reading a childhood favourite can be both relaxing and eye-opening. Because I am annoying, I will paraphrase Proust here: sometimes, the real journey of discovery is not in seeing new sights (reading new books) but in looking with new eyes.

Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin

Most Read

I’m gagging at how much the PhD student Jade’s vibey cardigan on The Traitors cost

Oh no, there’s been a tragic update in Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s relationship

Finally, OnlyFans father and son speak out and share the gritty logistics of their joint venture

A study in love and shame, Giovanni’s Room is a striking and tragic tale of queer love in 1950s Paris. Baldwin is a beautiful writer who renders his protagonist’s struggle with identity with achingly beautiful prose. A short but brilliant novel.

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

If you’ve ever thought you were the world’s biggest yearner after writing a Tindur about someone at the Billy B, Jay Gatsby will definitely give you a run for your money.

The Great Gatsby is a dazzling tragedy. If you’ve said you’d read this but never got around to it, this is an easy but thrilling read for when you’re fancying a break from studying and required reading.

Madonna in a Fur Coat – Sabahattin Ali

This is a story about disillusionment: about loving, waiting, and dying. It’s another one for the yearners of Durham who want to feel a little less alone as they watch everyone else join the 72 per cent club.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson

A weird little book – in the best way imaginable. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is an atmospheric, spooky read with a whole host of unusual characters.

You can skip this one if you’re in University College, lol.

The Chrysalids – John Wyndham

A wonderfully fast-paced and original novel. The kind of book you can read in one sitting (it’s actually fairly difficult NOT to, because it’s genuinely unputdownable). Plus, I don’t know anyone who has read this so I need to yap about it.

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Durham Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.