Hello! I just finished my first book after a decade! Due to unmedicated ADHD and other complicating factors, I hadn’t been able to read a whole book but now I have! I raced through None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell and LOVED IT. I’m hoping to get some recommendations from folks who’ve read that book and may have a similar taste to me.
What I liked about it:
– fast paced
– shorter chapters
– punchy
– character focused
– gritty and dark
– complicated
– psychological intrigue
– contemporary
Thank you so much!
by No-Goose3981
5 Comments
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Any Agatha Christie novel. I’m diagnosed with ADHD and struggle to stay focused on a book. I found Agatha Christie novels, especially Poirot, are great at keeping my attention.
They tend to be fast paced, have fairly short chapters, character focused due to her novels being in the whodunnit style. In terms of being gritty and dark, the books tend to involve a murder (or several) but whether can be considered complicated – that’s a matter of opinion. I wouldn’t necessarily define her books as complicated but they certainly keep you guessing and they feature plenty of psychological intrigue.
The main draw for me personally is being able to write down notes as I go about the characters, their motives, their friends and enemies, and try to solve the mystery before it’s revealed (usually to no avail).
EDIT: as I side note – I find audiobooks to be much easier to consume. Being ADHD, I can listen to an audiobook whilst doing something else at the same time which keeps me focused a lot more than if I was sat reading a physical book. Audiobooks aren’t for everyone but it may be worth a go if you haven’t tried them!
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Vital signs of Revolution
Here is quite a big list to look at. See if any are of interest based on what you wrote.
1. Dungeon Crawler Carl
Fast, funny, chaotic. Short chapters and constant momentum.
2. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
Warm sci-fi. Character driven more than plot heavy.
3. Red Rising
Quick chapters. Big emotions. Easy to get hooked.
4. True & Absurd Lawsuits That Really Happened
Real cases. Short chapters. Weird and oddly gripping.
5. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Quietly funny. Sad in places. Very human.
6. None of This Is True
Fast paced. Dark. Keeps pulling you forward.
7. Middle Child Diaries
Light, funny, very relatable. Easy to read in bursts.
8. Things That Shouldn’t Be True: Animal Facts That Defy Common Sense
Short sections. Constant “wait, what?” moments. Fun and surprising.
9. The Maid
Simple language. Strong voice. Very readable.
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Different perspective. Short chapters. Sticks with you.
The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This is probably my best suggestion for your list. It’s complicated in a puzzle sort of way. You have to be ok with not knowing what is going on and why for longer than normal.
The Plot and The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Pretty straightforward thrillers with some interesting twists.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells if you’re ok with sci fi. They don’t have psychological intrigue, but they do have the other items in your list.