Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s post is top ten quick reads/books to read when time is short. While I don’t typically go out of my way to seek out novellas, I’ve read some really great ones recently. Here’s some of the best fast reads that I’ve come across:
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. This is a deliciously creepy retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, and Kingfisher nailed it in her own unique, cozy horror style.
- The Lost Honor by Cait Marie. After devouring the books in her fantasy series, I couldn’t wait to read more about my favorite characters, even if I thought it might break my heart.
- The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. A short fantasy story that captivated me and held my attention, making me wish it was a full-length story.
- Bloody Summer by Carmen Maria Machado. This delves into the genre of horror without it becoming too overwhelmingly scary, and was a fantastic introduction to Machado’s writing.
- Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. I loved the chance to revisit one of my favorite characters from Legends & Lattes, and get to know some of their backstory in this low-stakes cozy fantasy book.
- Jade Shards by Fonda Lee. It’s always so hard to say goodbye to the characters from my favorite series, and this novella let me see some of them in a different way.
- The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow. I don’t even know what I could say about this book that could possibly do it justice, but if you read fantasy and pick one quick read from the list, this should be it. Trust me.
- A Toy Story by Hannah Murray. If you’re looking for a quick and spicy read, this is a great one that actually had a plot and a HEA to it.
- Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk. A magical detective hunting a serial killer for the chance to save her future with the woman she loves makes for a fast-paced story that kept me glued to the pages.
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This is a really short book of vignettes telling the story of a young Latina girl coming of age in Chicago, and it offers a little of everything—laughter, heartbreak, joy, pain, and the reality of life for this young girl, growing up in poverty.
Hm, turns out that I read more novellas and short books than I realized, and managed to get a full list of ten together! Even better, they spanned a pretty wide range of genres and topics, and were by a diverse group of authors.
What are some of your favorite quick reads? Have you read any of the same ones as me? What did you think?
Categories: Top Ten Tuesday
Leah's Books 
I don’t seek out short novels or books with short page counts, but those I do typically go with a series that I enjoy. Usually they add something nice to the bigger picture stories. I’m glad you have some shorter stories you enjoy too. 🙂
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I’ve come across these as a combination of some appearing as a part of series that I’m enjoying, to fulfill a challenge prompt, or as a recommendation from someone else. It’s nice to read a short book once in a while, after a doorstopper, you know?
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These look good. I want to read some Alix E Harrow.
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
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Oh you should! This short story is a good way to start. Enjoy your week as well.
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Thank you 😊
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I enjoyed reading both of Baldree’s books last year. I hope he has more for us this year.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/under-read-books-i-read-in-2023/
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They were such fun and heartwarming reads! I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
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The House on Mango Street sounds good.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
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It is! I think you’d probably enjoy it.
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The Amazon Original stories can be amazing, can’t they? I wish they’d publicise them more, I keep missing whole series that turn out to be amazing.
My TTT.
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I know! I hardly ever catch them when they’re out, but when I do? They’re so good!
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And all of your comments went through 😊
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I checked out The Six Deaths of The Saint on Amazon, and you can read AND listen to it for free on Kindle Unlimited, so I picked it up. Looking forward to it. Here’s my TTT: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2024/02/06/top-ten-tuesday-quick-reads-books-to-read-when-time-is-short/
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It’s so good – I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Oh, what a fun list. The only books I am familiar with is Bookshops & Bonedust and the Jade series, though I haven’t read them yet – I did read Legends & Lattes though. I have that Fonda Lee series on my TBR, and hopeful to get to it this year.
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The Jade City books are incredible, and one of my favorite series! I really hope that you love them as much as I do.
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The House on Mango Street was so good! While I haven’t read Bookshops & Bonedust yet, I did love Legends and Lattes.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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The House on Mango Street was a surprisingly moving read for such a short book! I liked Bookshops & Bonedust, but it’s different from Legends & Lattes.
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I recently read Bookshops & Bonedust and loved it. Happy reading. My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/top-10-short-books/
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It’s different from Legends & Lattes, but I still loved it in its own way!
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#7 was on my list today, too! It was so good!
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That was such a great read!
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