#Quick Reads

[mxlktxa]

“abigail?” you were at the edge of her bed, kneeled down to meet her face. abby scrunched up her face before huffing while turning to face you. those pretty blue eyes met your worried expression, the mind of the muscular blonde racing with what could possibly be wrong, all while seeming to not care.

“what?” she huffed, sitting up snd rubbing her eyes. you only stood up just to attempt and scoot into abbys bed, “what are you doing?”

“im cold,” you whispered, looking at her with those puppy dog eyes she loved yet hated so dearly, “and i cant sleep.”

“jesus, youre in college, yknow. basically am adult,” abby muttered, subconsciously pushing you down to lay with her, arms wrapping around you all snug and warm. you couldnt fight the grin that creeped up on your face, burying your face in the dirty blondes chest and sighing gently.

“thank you, abigail.”

“stop calling me abigail. abby is fine.”

“okay, okay,” you let the room fall silent for a second, still trying to fight that stupid smile she gave you, “good night, abby.”

“yeah. night.”

shameless plug, tlou masterlist - quick reads/rambles

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"Bunnicula" by Deborah and James Howe

[once-upon-a-reblog]

AHHHHH????

I AM FREAKING OUT

(Also here’s the book in question)

[azazel-dreams]

The Double Clue & Other Hercule Poirot Stories by Agatha Christie (Quick Reads)

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[oracleofmadness]

I loved this! I think as far as sequels go, this was just perfect. Alex heads into kan homeland, Galacia, accompanied by Angus and kan horse, Hob (btw, the horse is fine). Staying in kan hunting lodge, Alex discovers that the caretaker has passed away and in such a way that has started rumors of a Moroi. Readying the house for Miss Potter (one of my all-time favorite experts in mushrooms), Alex hires a local duo to help out around the place.

Of course, the Moroi that even Alex knows ka should have initially believed in at this point turns out to be a bit more real than just a rumor. This Moroi and what it does really remind me of sleep paralysis which is something I struggled with for a little over a year, and trust me, it's a terrifying experience.

I really liked this. I think one of my favorite aspects of this book was learning so much more about Alex and particularly T. Kingfisher's created country, Galacia. It's horrifying but also cozy and funny. I just hope I get to see more about Alex. I am in such awe of this author and their creativity and humor. The balance between feeling scared and cozy vibes is just brilliant.

Out February 13, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

[spoldhamauthor]

WIN AN EBOOK! The Bite-Size Book of Silly Sunday Zombie Limericks

Simply write a limerick of your own! The one I judge to be the best/funniest/scariest/most original wins a Kindle copy of The Bite-Sized Book of Silly Sunday Zombie Limericks.

Competition ends Midnight GMT Saturday 2nd November. Not affiliated with Tumblr. No cash alternative.

Good luck!

Bite-Sized limericks with a zombie or horror theme, this fun read for horror lovers is a compilation of some of the Silly Sunday Zombie Limericks written by S P Oldham and previously shared on Written Undead or on her website. After requests to put them all in one place, the author finally gave in and put this book together. A refreshingly different take on the horror genre, not to be taken too seriously. If you just want something to dip and out of, this one is for you. Only £1.99/$2.99

[ariella-monti]

Radio Romance: Slow Burn Novella Available July 16

It’s pub month for RADIO ROMANCE! My next spicy novella will be available for purchase on July 16 and I’m trying a little something different this time.

Was June nonexistent for you too? Because if you told me we went from May to July and completely skipped June, I’d believe you.  Anyway, HAPPY JULY!  It’s such an exciting month in my little corner of the world. I have so much to share. Let’s get to it.  It’s pub month for RADIO ROMANCE!  My next spicy novella will be available for purchase on July 16 and I’m trying a little something…

[ghostjelliess]

Looking for an Icarus retelling where baby boy isn't a warning against hubris but a promise of freedom?

Here go (short story).

[motherbookerblog]

Book Review - The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5. I was in such a rush to review The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers that I ended up reviewing out of order. I finished this one before I read Samuel Burr’s mystery but promptly forgot about it when it came time to review. That’s not a reflection of the quality of the novel but just how engaged I was by the other book. After all, this is the kind of books I like. It’s Japanese…

[backtothefanfiction]

Okay so Nano Update for the day, I did hit the 5,000 word count goal for the day, woohoo. Still not fully finding my stride with my story but I’ll get there.

I am however realising more and more how grateful I am to myself for all the work I did on Angel to give myself a good writing practice. I feel more and more like a proper writer every day to the point it just feels second nature. I am a writing machine!

Thanks to the poll yesterday I did do a little more work on the Peter in the Office piece while at work today in my down time, but it’s still taking me ages to really get into and finish and I don’t know why because I am so excited about the idea and can’t wait to share it with you all. (Maybe that’s why, because I’ve built it up in my head so much.) Anyway, I’m hoping to have it done and posted soon so hopefully I can start blitzing some of the other prompts I put on the kinktober (now kink til Christmas) list.

However after last nights before sleep quick write, I feel like I want to do a couple more going forward just to keep everyone fed and watered while they wait for the big stuff so expect lots of little pieces. They are just so easy to write and leave me feeling all fluffy and fuzzy before bed, or satisfyingly angsty depending on the time of the month.

Anyway, that’s my update for the day. Check in again tomorrow!

[siddheshmm]

it's gonna be a fun mini vacation 🤜🤛

[mxlktxa]

"yknow you talk in your sleep?" abby questioned, turning in her bed to look across the room, seeing you focusing way too deeply on your laptop. your eyebrows knitted together, barely turning your head to let abby know you were listening to her, that you heard her.

"yeah," abby sat up in her bed, "you started talking about clowns falling from the sky? said that they didn't like cheesecake and they were inviting you to a sleepover."

"what? that doesnt make sense."

"oh trust me i know. but i recorded it all just in case you wanted to deny that you talk in your sleep," abby laughed, chucking her phone at you. on the screen was a recording dated for three in the morning, lasting for a minute and a half, "give it a listen."

"after i finish studying."

"ugh, always with the studying," abby stood on her feet, plopping down on your bed. you only watched as her eyes scanned everything of you but not your face, "lets go out to a party tonight. have some fun."

"abby-"

"cmon, pretty girl. itll be fun," abby was damn near begging you at this point, leaning in to finally make eye contact with you. both of your minds racing with both innocent and vile thoughts, abby licking her lips, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth. you, on the other hand, sat giving abby those doe eyes she could never get over, wishing you would just lunge at her already.

"we can just... have fun here," you shrugged, slowly closing the laptop and pushing it to the side, "i dont like big crowds, abigail."

"stop calling me abigail," the strong woman in front of you uttered before caressing your soft cheek to pull you in for a kiss that she had been waiting to share with you for far too long.

technically part 1 here :)

shameless plug, tlou masterlist — quick reads/rambles

𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴; @jinxtheplanet @solaceocean

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"The River" by Gary Paulsen Book 2 of the Hatchet series

Thank you @kerryvaughan for the rec! ❤️

[once-upon-a-reblog]

I THINK I MIGHT HAVE PEAKED

(no I'm not serious I'm just so incredibly happy)

[azazel-dreams]

Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle (Quick Reads)

Rating: ❤��❤❤❤❤

[sarah-aliterarylife]

5 Quick Reads

For our most recent public holiday in the UK, I wrote about my favourite doorstep novels (big books to get stuck into and take your time over).

Today, we’re going in a different direction, and I’ll be talking about some of my favourite quick reads.

We all live busy lives, and much as I love a big book, occasionally I crave the opposite: a short book I can read in a single weekend (or over 24 hours, if I’m on leave from work).

Here are five of my favourites:

Animal Farm by George Orwell (144 pages)

Ignore anyone who laughs at you when you tell them you’re reading this (which happened to me one day at work – it is possible the man in question thought I was talking about something else!).

Subtitled “A Fairy Story” this is actually anything but. A novella about the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm, who overthrow their human master Mr Jones and take over the running of the farm themselves, it’s a satire about totalitarian regimes (specifically Communism) and what happens when idealism is replaced by corruption and greed.

Granted, communism isn’t the most cheerful subject to acquaint yourself with on a sunny weekend, but Animal Farm is entertaining, powerful and terrifying in equal measure.

Shopgirl by Steve Martin (220 pages)

Yes, that Steve Martin. He writes books too!

I read this last year as part of a reading list. The prompt was “an author with the same initials as you”. I’m not the biggest Steve Martin fan, but I enjoyed the film version with Claire Danes and the author himself as her love interest, and so, over 3 long nights during the 2022 World Cup, I gave it a shot.

Shopgirl is a fun read, telling the story of Mirabelle, a lonely, adrift shop assistant who works in an LA department store. Mirabelle is pursued by two suitors: the older, emotionally unavailable millionaire Ray, and penniless, equally adrift Jeremy. It’s dark, funny and just a bit cool. I loved it.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (180 pages)

You didn’t expect me to write a list of quick reads without including The Great Gatsby, did you?

The quintessential novel of the Jazz Age, The Great Gatsby is one of the few novels that both myself and my sister thoroughly enjoyed. The tale of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his doomed romance with the socialite Daisy Buchanan, told by Gatsby’s acquaintance Nick Carraway, there is a reason this one regularly makes an appearance on lists of the greatest novels ever written.

It’s very readable, it’s concise, and it doesn’t meander. The characters are flawed but likeable, and most importantly they are relatable.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of making Jay Gatsby’s acquaintance, sit down this week and do so immediately. You won’t want to leave.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (104 pages)

One for a dark, cold, rainy night. I was gifted this book as a student, as part of a bound boxset of mystery and horror novels. It was part of a larger collection of short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson. Many people know what a “Jekyll and Hyde character” is, think they know the plot and hence avoid the book. Don’t be that person.

It reads like a mystery thriller, so if you’re not into horror novels (like me), there is still much here for you to enjoy.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is very much the perfect short story, an absolutely riveting thriller. The plot races along at a breakneck pace (Stevenson himself wrote the original draft in less than three days), and if you’re anything like me, you’ll wish by the end that you didn’t already know what was coming!

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (192 pages)

One night, in the days before Netflix and Disney Plus, I was bored. I was in search of something to watch on TV and began channel hopping, when I came across a film called Wide Sargasso Sea. I had missed the first few minutes, but something about it grabbed me instantly. I was riveted and didn’t move from my seat until the film was finished. I’ve never seen it shown on any television channel or streaming service from that day to this. Having searched fruitlessly for months to find a copy of the film (these were the dark days when such things were not instantly available), I decided instead to read the novel on which it was based.

A prequel to Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway, a white heiress living in Jamaica, who meets and marries the young Mr Rochester. It is essentially the story of how their marriage disintegrates and she becomes the Madwoman in the Attic of Charlotte Bronte’s novel.

I later donated Wide Sargasso Sea to a book swap shop in Tenerife, in the hope that someone else would discover it and love it as much as I did. And perhaps one day the BBC will decide to show the film again!

What are your favourite quick reads?