In keeping with the new year theme that’s seemed to define my return to LTC thus far, I figured I’d share another of my New Year’s resolutions today: read more books. According to my Goodreads profile, I finished 15 titles in 2013. I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate, but in any case, this year I’m aiming for 20.
While there are certainly some books that are worth relishing over a good, long period of time, I figure I’m going to need at least a few quick reads to achieve my goal. Since lots of you may be looking to do something similar this year, I figured I’d share a few of my favorite quick reads (books I finished in less than a week) from my recent reading history.
1. Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford
Admittedly, I read this book over the course of a short cross-country trip I had to take back in September, so I had lots of time for reading on planes. That probably helped me finish this novel more quickly than usual, but I also stayed up late every night devouring as many pages as I could because Willow Frost was just so captivating. This book told a story filled with emotion and developed so vividly that I can still picture each of the characters as I write this – months after actually reading it.
I’ve also heard great things about Jamie Ford‘s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, so I’m definitely planning to make that one of my twenty books in 2014. If you’ve read his first bestseller and haven’t yet had a chance to pick up Songs of Willow Frost, I highly recommend that you do.
2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Ok, bear with me because the next two books are both by famous female television comedy writers/stars. But they are really not the same, unless you count the fact that they are both hilarious.
I’m generally not a huge reader of non-fiction comedy, but Mindy Kaling‘s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? really turned me on to the world of books that are funny. I am now entirely obsessed with Mindy, addicted to her show (The Mindy Project on FOX), and anticipating her next book like none other. I am not lying when I tell you that every person I know who read her first book loved it, and this includes people with much different literary tastes than my own.
Furthermore, it’s on this short list because it was a quick, easy read, so you really have NO reason not to at least try it. Please, I beg you, join my Mindy fan club. You will not be sorry.
3. Bossypants by Tina Fey
After learning to appreciate a good funny book thanks to Mindy Kaling (see above), I was really anxious to read Tina Fey‘s huge bestseller, Bossypants. Lucky for me, an awesome coworker brought the book in as her gift in our office-wide holiday gift exchange, and I got to take it home just in time for Christmas vacation!
Bossypants is one of those books that’s super easy to read in teensy tiny snippets if you have to. If you’re really looking for a book to fly through, look no further. I read this book in less than 3 days, thanks in large part to the fact that I couldn’t resist reading a few pages absolutely every time I had a free minute. I loved that it didn’t require a huge time commitment on my part to get plenty of laughs and entertainment. Tina Fey is a very funny woman, and I really enjoyed this glimpse into her life beyond the few things I really knew about her before reading.
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So…based on my totally unscientific review of books I’ve read quickly in recent times, I’ve determined that funny books make for easy reads, and easy reads are going to be key to achieving my reading resolution this year. Imagine my delight when, as I was writing this post, I discovered Thought Catalog’s list of 15 Must-Read Books to Satisfy Your Inner Comedy Nerd. Turns out I’ve already read 3 of the 15 (I’m also a Chelsea Handler fan), so I’m thinking I’ll try to incorporate at least another 2 or 3 on this year’s reading list.
Any recommendations? Be sure to share, and check back throughout the year (or follow me on Goodreads) for updates on my 20-book challenge!
Less Than Challenge 