Top Ten Tuesday is currently hosted byΒ Artsy Reader GirlΒ and has weekly topics for bloggers to respond to and share a love of all things books! I love thinking up my responses and the weekly blog hop to see what everyone else wrote!
This week, the prompt is “Books Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Book Slump.” The key to getting out of a slump is mixing things up! Try some different genres, shorter books, something weird, graphic novels or get back to classics!
Here is a mix of different books across genres that I’d recommend!
Personally, I love getting stuck into Marvel Unlimited’s endless back catalogue for some quick reading hits, but I know superheroes aren’t for everyone! (But seriously, there is some incredibly complex storytelling and character development in Marvel comic books; they are not just for kids!)
1. Watchmen by Alan Moore
Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed historyβthe U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect.
Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, the Hugo Award-winning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as an unknown assassin stalks the erstwhile heroes.
If you don’t usually read graphic novels, give this classic a try. It has depth of plot, characters, thought-provoking themes and some real gut punches while also being very quick and easy to read due to the illustrated format.
2. Saga (Volume #1) by Brian K. Vaughn
The sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults.
Collects: Saga #1-6.
A comic book I’d highly recommend! It’s definitely written for adults; it’s weird and funny (and violent) with complex and relatable characters. Plus, it’s short; you can read six issues easily in just over an hour! And then you have the rest of of the series!
3. Secrets of A Summer Night (The Wallflowers #1) by Lisa Kleypas
Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands . . . no matter what it takes.
Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitorsβif only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.
Annabelle is determined to resist Simon’s wicked propositions, but she can’t deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plansβand it will take all of Annabelle’s courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear.
I didn’t think I liked historical romance, or romance books that have covers like this. I only read this because of the series title! I could not put this book down. Lisa Kleypas is a fantastic writer! The characters have depth, and while the plot is typical for the romance genre, it is well crafted, and I could even identify some themes. Plus, the third book in this series is one of my favourites ever!
4. The Duke & I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn
In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a princeβwhile other dictates of theΒ tonΒ are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiableβ¦but notΒ tooΒ amiable.
Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honestΒ for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.
Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and societyβjust as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friendβs sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.
The plan works like a charmβat first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of Londonβs elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule…
Kleypas is definitely superior, but if you like the TV show and want some familiar fluffy romance, then Bridgerton is a very easy read. I think the second book (The Viscount Who Loved Me) is probably the best.
5. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of βSmile Mart,β she finds peace and purpose in her life. In the store, unlike anywhere else, she understands the rules of social interactionβmany are laid out line by line in the storeβs manualβand she does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a βnormalβ person excellently, more or less. Keiko is very happy, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, increasingly pressure her to find a husband, and to start a proper career, prompting her to take desperate actionβ¦
I checked, I’d not mentioned this for ages, so I feel safe to include it! This is short (less than 200 pages), the author’s style is simple, clear and easy to read, but it’s also weird and different! This is one of the books that got me excited to read contemporary lit. again!
6. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?
They are super popular for good reason, unlike a lot of massively popular and hyped books! They are well written, smart, very engaging and easy to read. The characters are incredibly charming! These books are about as light and uplifting as I can imagine a murder mystery to be, and even each new book that comes back is better than the one before!
7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever . . . but will the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she’s not what they expectedβa skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she’ll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. Anne is not like anyone else, the Cuthberts agree; she is specialβa girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.
Look, I didn’t mention Jane Austen… and in her absence, Anne makes it onto yet another TTT list! Sometimes, going back to a proper classic is what you need. I reread these a couple of years ago, and they are so fucking delightful and for something written in 1908, surprisingly easy to read! Everything is wonderful. Anne is a fabulous character. The books aren’t particularly long, and they are written in nice short little chapters.
8. A Man With One Of Those Faces by Ciamh McDonnell
The first time somebody tried to kill him was an accident.
The second time was deliberate.
Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history…
…or else theyβll be history.
Sometimes, something silly is what you need! This is a fast-paced mystery thriller that is also wonderfully, hilariously Irish. The character interactions are fantastic. I had a great time reading this!
9. Carrie by Stephen King
Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother’s religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she’s kept secret since she was a little she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem. And when she finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, Carrie feels like she’s finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates’ vicious taunts is over . . . but an unexpected and cruel prank turns her gift into a weapon of horror so destructive that the town may never recover.
King is an author I return to every couple of years. He is a very easy read, but many of his books are on the longer side, which is why I picked this! Carrie is under 300 pages, and it’s also probably still my favourite. It’s horror, but it’s a hard-hearted reader who won’t have empathy for Carrie and be on her side! Her destruction of the town felt like a powerful and satisfying revenge to me (admittedly, I’ve not read it since I was a teenager!).
10. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, ambitious wizard, known only as the Dragon, to keep the wood’s powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman must be handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as being lost to the wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows – everyone knows – that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia – all the things Agnieszka isn’t – and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But no one can predict how or why the Dragon chooses a girl. And when he comes, it is not Kasia he will take with him.
This book was everything it promised! It has actual witches and wizards doing magic, it’s fairytale, and it has a bit of romance that I really enjoyed. After reading a lot of books that promised witches and didn’t deliver them, this really helped me get out of a slump!
11. Piranesi by Suzzanna Clarke
Piranesiβs house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the houseβa man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
I am sneaking this one on the end because I keep using it on lists, and it feels boring when I just talk about the same books week after week! BUT… this is a great one to get out of a reading slump. It’s short (under 300 pages), it’s intriguing, mysterious, it unravels at a perfect pace, and it’s different! I’ve never read anything like this before! It also has a 100% success rate for recommendations,






Aww, Anne of Green Gables. Such a good book.
Convenience Store Woman was a fascinating novel.
Thursday Murder Club is such a great choice! Also I so need to read Lisa Kleypas, been meaning to for so long.
I like to read romance to get me out of a slump and I like the sound of Secrets Of A Summer Night.
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/
I need to finish Saga. I loved the first book.
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is one of my favorite books of all time. Definitely a comforting, slump-busting read. I also really liked THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB when I read it. I need to reread it and then move on with the series.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com