EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

I'm looking for books to get back into reading for fun. I've not read anything in years that wasn't for an assignment. I want to change that and read at least 5 books this year. Last month I read my first book, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I started Bloodmarked, but the length of the books are intimidating for me. I'm hoping with a shorter book I can get back to enjoying reading. I used to read lots of fantasy and YA books, but I'm open to new genres. Any ideas?

Nice that you're getting back into reading!

Of course, what I recommend is colored by my own preferences, but here go my two cents:

Animal Farm is a novella that's short, fun and meaningful, and a classic moreover; so I think it would check many of your boxes.

Fahrenheit 451 is the shortest of the dystopian classics and I thought it was a good read. Perhaps not necessarily a 'fun' book though.

The Dwarf is another one that I personally recommend and that isn't too long. The author is a nobel prize winner, but it's not too tricky and can be very funny at times.

The Old Man and the Sea and Of Mice and Men both aren't too long.
It's hard not to like the fantastical sci fi classic Journey to the Center of the Earth.
There's so many options! You can read Roadside Picnic in a weekend.
Read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for a guaranteed laugh.

Fantasy in particular has a tendency to come as a tome, so exploring other genres might, as you say, well be a good idea! I think that in the end, it's the writing style that's most important, really, rather than the length of a book. If the voice resonates with you, you can fly through the pages like a hot knife cuts through butter.

I could have so many good books to suggest, if only they were translated into English.

Kerstin Gier feels like a safe pick, though I've only read the Precious Stones Trilogy (Rubinrot and forward).

Have you read anything by Jonathan Carroll? His writing flows very well, and most of his books my library has are around 200 pages.

Seanan McGuire could be a good match for you. Though in her series I really recommend starting from the beginning (not to mention: the books get longer as the series progress). Rosemary and Rue is a good test if you like the way she constructs characters, and Every Heart a Doorway can tell you if you like her style in general (also this one is pretty short).

Maybe some fantasy classics? I was pretty much raised on Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey, and they still hold up pretty well.

Finally, if you don't mind reading something online, you could go to sites like http://strangehorizons.com or https://reactormag.com and look for short stories/free excerpts to read; https://thewyrmhole.com even promised me a short story selection straight to my inbox every month (and no, they're not paying me for advertising). That could be a good way to find an author whose style suits you the best.

What an awesome goal - good for you! I too get intimidated by larger books. To help I tend to pick books with really short chapters so it feels like I'm accomplishing something :-).

Anything by Emily Henry is good, if you want to try a rom/com beach style read. I liked Book Lovers.

Looking for something classic, I've always loved Ordinary People.

Good luck on your goal!

Kinda fantasy, but also SF: A Psalm for the Wild-Built is lovely; I plan to reread it soon. There's a short sequel that is optional if you like it.

Literary SF, according to some: Binti is a very well-regarded novella, with sequels. I've not read it yet but am doing so for group this month.

SF: One Day All This Will Be Yours is a humorous time travel romp from someone who usually does serious epics; I enjoyed it.

ni wrote: "I'm looking for books to get back into reading for fun. I've not read anything in years that wasn't for an assignment. I want to change that and read at least 5 books this year. Last month I read m..."

Welcome back to reading! I'll recommend Soulless #1 in a steampunk/paranormal series by Gail Carriger. I would never have read this if not recommended to me by a friend. Loved the series. Witty dialogue and even though over 300 pages a fast read. Happy reading!

(Turns out I loved all 101 pages of the first Binti and am reading the other two, also!)

Here are some shorter books that I enjoyed 🙂

The Outsiders
Liar
The Shadow Club
Skeleton Creek
Lord of the Flies
Bonechiller
Boot Camp
When Jeff Comes Home
Among the Hidden
House of Dark Shadows
The Haunting of Hill House

YA fantasy is my favorite genre, but I'm just noticing that I can't think of any that are short 😂 The only one I can think of is The Wizard Test, but I wasn't a huge fan of that one myself.

For a selection in a different genre, I recommend: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Recitatif: A Story by Toni Morrison