Recommendations: Quick Reads

Hey all, Dani here.

For my post today, I’m taking inspiration from Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books. She recently had a post where she talked about books she loved that were under 200 pages, and I thought that sounded like a good idea…plus I wondered what shorter reads I would include on that list. However, I’m going with books under 300 pages for my restriction on what qualifies for a short read or a quick read.

First up, Hounded by Kevin Hearne. I don’t have a review for this one on my blog…but I do remember it being on my old failed Blogger blog years and years ago. Hmm, I suppose that means I’m due for a re-read so I can review it here. Anyway, this is the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles and it follows Atticus, a 2000 year old Druid, and his Irish Wolfhound companion Oberon. There is action, humor, and a whole lot of gods/mythology involved. –Looking on Goodreads it says that only the foreign editions are under 300 pages, but I checked my copy and the end of the story is just under 300 pages. Also, this is such a fun story that you fly through it. Another reason it is a quick read.

Next is Dreadnought by April Daniels. I’ve mentioned this one on a few lists, specifically the LGBTQ+ Recommendations, but I’m going to keep mentioning it because I really enjoyed it. The book is a quick read and I feel like Danny, our main character, is absolutely fantastic, and I just love her story. Danny was born male, but identifies as female. When a superhero dies in front of her, she is suddenly granted his powers and they transition her physically to her ideal body. So Danny has to deal with both of these new adjustments, because becoming a superhero isn’t easy, especially when you add in how friends and family react to her transition.

The next book on my list is Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is another book deserving of a re-read and then a review on this blog. I first listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by the author, and that was before I started this blog, and then I read the physical book a few months into this blog’s life, but I was only blogging like once a week or so back then, so I was not focusing on a lot of reviews and such like I am now. But this is basically a Regency era romance with magic thrown in. Specifically this first book is the author’s take on Pride and Prejudice, so if you enjoy those sort of tales, do check it out.

After that I have to talk about Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger. This is another book I’ve talked on and on about before, but there’s just something about magical alcohol that just drew me in. It is such an interesting concept and I think more people should check the story out.

Reliquary by Sarah Fine is next. I have definitely enjoyed Fine’s adult books more than her young adult ones, but all of them have been so interesting–which is why it baffles me that I never picked up the third book in this trilogy. I should do that soon. It follows Mattie, who finds herself diving into the black market of magic in order to find and save her fiance who has become addicted to magic and then kidnapped. Oh, and to save him she’ll have to team up with his brother Asa, who just happens to be a rogue magic dealer. You should read this book for Asa alone, but the rest is great too.

For another quick read, try The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg. I have read each of the books in this series during a 24 Hour readathon, and they are perfect for it. I do believe they are right around 200 pages in length, and I think the magic system is very intriguing. Paper magic is especially fascinating, because it involves folding paper, reading words off paper, and more. It is so intricately described in such a short amount of pages. I loved it.

Next is the glorious Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner. This follows a girl named Cameron who loves making clothes and costumes. And she loves making costumes of characters in comic books, video games, etc., even though she doesn’t read them or play them. But when she is pretty much chased out of her local comic shop by an employee who is very anti-girl-geek, she decides to borrow some of her twin brother’s clothes and go back to the store as a guy. Toss in being invited into a D&D group at the store and then a building romance with the Dungeon Master and you have an interesting and cute geeky romance story.

Finally I have all the released novellas in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire: Every Heart a Doorway, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, Beneath the Sugar Sky, and In An Absent Dream. (Why do I only have reviews for two of these?! I’ll have to fix that, lol). The fifth book–Come Tumbling Down–is expected to be released in January 2020. The reason each of these books makes the list while other books in this list only get one is that these books are technically standalone reads. Yes, I very much recommend reading them all, and the longest of the series is just over 200 pages, so they are all pretty fantastic shorter reads. The whole series follows children who have gone through portals or fallen through to other places (sort of like Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, or similar stories), and the first book has quite a few of them gathered together at a school, because once the other realm is through with you, how do you just go back to the normal world? It isn’t easy, but being around others who have also been through it helps. The descriptions in these books are wonderful for such compact reads, and the characters are quite diverse in temperament and sexual identity, and I have just loved reading all of these books. I’ll probably re-read them before the fifth book is released.

All right, well that is all for me today, but I will be back soon with more bookish content.