6 short books that prove size doesn't matter

Call me a philistine, but my heart sinks when another doorstopper novel lands on my desk. As GLAMOUR's Books Editor, recently I've noticed a trend towards gigantic tomes: Jonathan Franzen's Purity was around 600 pages, the Booker-prize nominated A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is over 700, as is Brokeback Mountain author Annie Proulx's new one, Barkskins, out June. All wonderful, respected authors, yes, but my first thought is: when on earth am I going to get time to read this?

Before you get judgy, let me ask you this: did you enjoy BBC1's recent War And Peace adaptation? I know six million of us did. I wonder how many of those six million have read Tolstoy's 1200 page book though? I haven't and have no intention of doing so.

I prefer my literature more bite-size. Many of my fellow-bookworm friends disagree - what can provide a greater escape from modern life than immersing yourself in an epic tale, they ask? Your attention span has been destroyed by social media, they wail. They point out that with Kindles we don't have to lug around handbag-busting hardbacks.

My favourite novel of recent times is Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler. Small and perfectly formed, it's a poignant, evocative story of what happens to a group of smalltown friends when one of their number become a rockstar. His short story collection, Beneath The Bonfire, is excellent too, as are Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn's recent spooky novella, The Grownup, Anna North's acclaimed The Life And Death Of Sophie Stark and Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth. And look out for the new one from Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. The Pier Falls, published May, is a collection of nine brilliant short stories, perfect for dipping into when you have a spare moment.

I love an author who properly edits their work, who polishes their prose until it sings. Anyone can waffle on but it takes a great writer to distil a story to its essence. I apply the same make-it-snappy criteria to other art-forms too. I point-blank refuse to watch movies that last longer than two hours. I suspect a flabby film is a sign that no one had the guts to tell the director to edit it down. Same goes for the indulgent double album - name me one that's all killer no filler? (OK, apart from The Beatles' White Album, Prince's Sign O' The Times or Stevie Wonder's Innervisions). Nope, for me, when it comes to culture, short is sweet.

And with that in mind, I'll stop there.

@Kerry_Potter

CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY BELOW FOR KERRY'S TOP SIX SHORT(ER) BOOKS, REVIEWED IN 140 CHARACTERS OR LESS...