ISO books that are real page turners, but on the lighter side. I tend to really be lagging on longer reads, so I feel like I need something that’s easy to get sucked into the story and then hard to put down. I’m finding a lot of my reads much too easy to put down unless they’re really short, but I don’t want it to stay that way.
Humour is a plus, but not a must.
No romance, fantasy, or sci-fi, por favor
I’m also very lazy with series and am unlikely to get past the second or third book, so be advised.
I’ve read and enjoyed:
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Ossman (4/5)
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley (4/5)
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (4.5/5)
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (4.5/5)
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (4/5)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (4.5/5)
Also love James Herriot and Gerald Durrell
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (5/5)
Am also interested in:
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, Maus, and Persepolis
by VerdeAzul74
4 Comments
A short read I recently enjoyed was Shawshank Redemption
A bit longer of one that I think fits your criteria that I enjoyed was Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
P.G. Wodehouse
Try anything by Rose George, Judy Melinek, Caitlin Doughty, or Mary Roach.
– **Where’d You Go, Bernadette** by Maria Semple – A witty, fast-paced novel with a quirky protagonist and an entertaining structure.
– **A Man Called Ove** by Fredrik Backman – Heartfelt, funny, and compulsively readable. If you like Herriot and Durrell, you might appreciate the mix of grumpiness and warmth.
– **The Uncommon Reader** by Alan Bennett – A short, charming read about the Queen of England discovering a love for books. Light but clever.
– **Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore** by Robin Sloan – Not quite fantasy or sci-fi, but an addictive, fun literary mystery with a modern twist.
– **The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾** by Sue Townsend – A hilarious coming-of-age story full of dry humor.
– **The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared** by Jonas Jonasson – If you liked *Three Men in a Boat*, this has a similar absurd humor and page-turning quality.
If you’re open to non-fiction, maybe try **Bill Bryson**—his travel books (*A Walk in the Woods*, *Neither Here Nor There*) are light, funny, and engaging.
Hope you find something that grabs you!