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@underthecover.books

Instagram · Speaker address

@underthecover.books After a short book to slip in your pocket this summer? We’ve asked authors and booksellers to share some of their favourites under 150 pages, proof that size doesn’t matter. Which books do you think punch above their page count? Let us know in the comments! Or you can get hold of any of those mentioned on the Under the Cover bookshop page (affiliate link in our bio) Thanks to Rob Franklin, Meg Wolitzer, Coco Mellors, Patrick Radden Keefe, Elaine Castillo, Caro Claire Burke, Kaliane Bradley, Gurnaik Johal, Adrian Cepeda at The World’s Borough Bookshop, Kiran Desai, Christy Matthews at Ink84, Mariana Enriquez, Janelle Hales at Liz’s Book Bar and Kristin Griffin at Bard Books for their recs 🧡 📜 The list: Happening and Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux The Summer Book by Tove Jansson The Lover by Marguerite Duras So Late in the Day, Foster and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson The Giver by Lois Lowry Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan The People’s Project by Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones Recitatif by Toni Morrison Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Paradais by Fernanda Melchor With thanks to @center4fiction, @strandbookstore, @dauntbooks, @lrbbookshop, @funnyweatherbooks , @phloxbooks, @thelondonlibrary, @theworldsboroughbookshop, @heywood_hill, @ink84books, @foylesforbooks, @lizsbookbar and @wearebardbooks for hosting us!

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The edit1 shot · 15 text
Shots Text1:45

Performance

Views
796.8K
Likes
29.9K
Comments
337
Engagement
3.8%
Outlier
10.4×
Length · 29 Jun 2026
1:45

Video #35237 · Speaker address

Rapid fire short book recommendationsfrom @underthecover.books

[01]

Overview

The video poses the question "Best book under 150 pages?" to a diverse group of authors and booksellers. Each expert then presents their recommendation directly to the camera, briefly explaining their choice, while on-screen graphics display the book's cover, author, and page count, creating a comprehensive listicle of short reads.

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1Pose a specific question
  2. 2Present expert answers
  3. 3Provide quick justifications
  4. 4Summarize and direct

[03]

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[04]

Classification

Format
Speaker address
Concepts
Question MontageRapid Fire Listicle
Elements
Text OverlayGraphic OverlayLower ThirdMontage Editing
Account
BrandCurator
Topics
Reading LifestyleCultureArt

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Title hook · 45%

Best book under 150 pages?

Verbal hook · 45%

Best book under 150 pages?

Visual hook · 10%

A rapid-fire montage of three different people in distinct locations, all looking at the camera and repeating the same question, creating a dynamic and engaging opening pattern.

[06]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

Best [product category] under [specific constraint]?

  • — Best workout under 20 minutes?
  • — Best meal under $10?
  • — Best skincare routine under 5 steps?

[07]

Hook and payoff

The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back

Hook

The Echoing Question - The central query is repeated by multiple voices in quick succession to establish the video's singular focus and create a rhythmic, attention-grabbing opening.

Payoff

The Actionable Summary - A visual recap of all items mentioned is presented, often in a UI element, paired with a direct call to action to find the complete list, providing a tangible takeaway for the viewer.

[08]

Narrative framework

The structural pattern this video runs on

Framework

The Expert Consensus Montage

A single, specific question is posed to a series of experts, whose rapid-fire, visually-supported answers create a curated list of recommendations.

  1. 1

    The Recommendation Gauntlet

    A rapid-fire sequence where multiple experts present their answers to the core question, following a consistent micro-pattern for each recommendation.

Themes

  • literature
  • brevity
  • expert opinion
  • discovery

Techniques

  • Montage editing
  • Expert sourcing
  • On-screen graphics

Trends

  • Listicle content
  • Expert recommendations

Post caption

After a short book to slip in your pocket this summer? We’ve asked authors and booksellers to share some of their favourites under 150 pages, proof that size doesn’t matter. Which books do you think punch above their page count? Let us know in the comments! Or you can get hold of any of those mentioned on the Under the Cover bookshop page (affiliate link in our bio) Thanks to Rob Franklin, Meg Wolitzer, Coco Mellors, Patrick Radden Keefe, Elaine Castillo, Caro Claire Burke, Kaliane Bradley, Gurnaik Johal, Adrian Cepeda at The World’s Borough Bookshop, Kiran Desai, Christy Matthews at Ink84, Mariana Enriquez, Janelle Hales at Liz’s Book Bar and Kristin Griffin at Bard Books for their recs 🧡 📜 The list: Happening and Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux The Summer Book by Tove Jansson The Lover by Marguerite Duras So Late in the Day, Foster and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson The Giver by Lois Lowry Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan The People’s Project by Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones Recitatif by Toni Morrison Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Paradais by Fernanda Melchor With thanks to @center4fiction, @strandbookstore, @dauntbooks, @lrbbookshop, @funnyweatherbooks , @phloxbooks, @thelondonlibrary, @theworldsboroughbookshop, @heywood_hill, @ink84books, @foylesforbooks, @lizsbookbar and @wearebardbooks for hosting us!

Text overlays

  • title · beginning

    Best book under 150 pages?

  • contextual · middle

    Rob Franklin Author

  • informational · middle

    Happening or Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux

  • contextual · middle

    Meg Wolitzer Author

  • informational · middle

    The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

  • contextual · middle

    Patrick Radden Keefe Author

  • informational · middle

    So Late in the Day 64 pages

  • informational · middle

    Foster 88 pages

  • informational · middle

    Small Things Like These 128 pages

  • contextual · middle

    Gurnaik Johal Author

  • informational · middle

    Recitatif by Toni Morrison 96 pages

  • contextual · middle

    Adrian Cepeda Bookseller The World's Borough Bookshop

  • informational · middle

    Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

  • call-to-action · end

    Browse the full list at the link in our bio

  • title · end

    The best books under 150 pages

Transcript

Best book under a 150 pages. Best book under a 150 pages. Best book under a 150 pages. Happening or A Simple Passion by Annie No, just like perfectly crafted. Summer good by Tove Jansson, which I absolutely adore. This beautiful, vivid book of a child and a grandmother. I loved it. Marguerite Durand's The Lover. It's really all vibes, no plot in the best possible way. So I love short books. To me, the master right now of this kind of writing is Claire Keegan. Just the diamond intensity, the distillation that can be read in a sitting. Either Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen or Rank Carson's autobiography of Red. I don't know if this is a 150 pages, but I wanna say The Giver by Lois Lowry is very short and very good. By Francoise Sagan. I think it's kind of disgusting that she was that talented at 18 years good, like, grotesque. Resitative by Toni Morrison. It's this amazing story of these two friends, and at no point are you ever sure of what their races are. You can read one character as white, one as black, but what doesn't change is, like, a really interesting tangled friendship. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Absolutely incredible book. He's one of my favorite authors. Authors. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. I think it's a little masterpiece, a complete gem. Kick the Latch by Katherine Samland. That's great. I think The Turn of the Screw, to me, is one of the best short novels ever and probably the best ghost story ever. The People's Project, it's really all about being resilient in times of turmoil and general uncertainty of everything that's happening in the world. I mean, all books should be under a 150 pages, first of all. Recently, I read Paradise. Really disturbing and rank, but straight. You just like flip through it. Love it. You read it in afternoon.

Rapid fire short book recommendations | Viral Hooks