6 Books To Put In Your Pocket And Take With You Everywhere

I was hanging out with one of my friends recently and she was telling us about how when she went to a party she didn’t reallyyyy want to be at, she brought her book in her coat pocket. Conveniently, not only did she have a perfect escape if socialization became far too monotonous, but she also had a go-to conversation topic to get the conversation started right.

That got me thinking: what books are ideal pocket books? The ideal pocket book has to be small enough to fit in your pocket, but also interesting enough that the conversation won’t immediately die out after someone asks about the title (yes I know half of you bringing books places DON’T want to be talked to, but imagine meeting a super cute book babe somewhere and then they’re not interested because you happened to be carrying Lord of the Flies). To solve all of your book picking conundrums, I bring to you: 6 books to fit in your pocket and take with you everywhere.

Girls Can Kiss Too by Jill Gutowitz

The Conversation Starter: Being gay, pop culture, niche twitter celebrities

I of course had to start out with the book my friend was actually carrying. Girls Can Kiss Too is a series of essays by comedian and internet persona Jill Gutowitz about what it was like to grow up a young-ish queer millennial, but from a pop culture perspective. I’ve only read the introduction so far and I already love it, plus it’s a great conversation topic. As an added bonus, the short essays format means that if you start reading and get distracted, you won’t totally forget all of the character’s names and need to start over.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

The Conversation Starter: Stockholm syndrome, was this book actually good

I had not so great opinions of this book when I read it, but not everyone felt that way. The one thing that is true is that everyone who read it had very STRONG opinions, regardless of the direction they went in. This book is about a girl who gets kidnapped and begins to suffer from Stockholm syndrome. It’s small enough to fit in your pocket, and controversial enough that you’ll be able to have a heated debate, or find an avid ally, in anyone who read it.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Conversation Starter: “I saw the TV Show”, Cool Girls

This is my favorite book of all time. Hands down. It’s so good and it was also one of my first forays into psychological thrillers written by and about women. I wholly advise that you give this book your full attention, but it also makes a great pocket book because it is both decently small and it was made into a TV Show, so casual non-readers will still have something to talk about when they see it. Flynn is the author of Gone Girl as well, so you can prove that you’re a coooooollll girl who’s down for everything (or, like, a fake cool girl who’s going to ruin your life)

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Conversation Starter: High quality books, childhood trauma

If you’re trying to look ~cultured~ this is the book for you. It’s small but it’s also a nonfiction memoir which won awards. People might be confused why you’re reading this book so long after it came out, but they’ll still be proud of you for reading such a high quality book. Walls writes about her childhood, so you can seamlessly transition from giving a tl;dr of the book to asking your crush about their deepest childhood secrets.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

The Conversation Starter: What makes good poetry, Feminism

Okay guys. I know Rupi Kaur is kind of controversial in that people make fun of her poetry all the time, but I kind of love it??? Her poetry makes for a great pocket book because not only is it small, it also has sooo many convenient stopping points so you never feel torn between joining the conversation and reading until the end of the chapter.

The Ex Girlfriend of My Ex Girlfriend is My Girlfriend by Maddy Court

The Conversation Starter: Being gay, advice columns, niche instagram celebrities

This book is COLORFUL so if it pokes out of your pocket even a little bit, people will want to know what book you’re reading. It’s filled with advice from Maddy Court, more popularly known as @XenaPrincessWorrier on Instagram. If you read this book, you’re showing that you value advice. You’re healthy. You evaluate your problems, ask for advice, and then apply the solutions. What’s not to love!

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What are your favorite pocket books? Let me know in the comments!