Hello lovelies! How are you? Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Artsy Girl and today’s topic is a freebie! Since it’s getting close to the end of the year and a lot of us are trying hard to catch up on our reading challenges, I thought I’d share some quick reads with you today. Most of them are very short, some of them have formats that make them very easy to read and a couple are just really hard to put down. I hope you’ll find something you want to read and good luck with your challenges!
1. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill – 72 pages
This little graphic novel about a girl who rescues a tea dragon and makes new friends is one of the loveliest things I’ve ever read. Just thinking about it makes me feel soft. It’s got beautiful art, a sweet story and diverse characters. It’s also free to read online.
2. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor – 96 pages
Nnedi Okorafor is one of my favorite SF writers and this novella is a wonderful place to start with her work. It follows a Himbla girl who’s the first of her people to leave her home planet to attend an intergalactic university.
3. Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot – 143 pages
This nontraditional memoir about mental health by a Native American woman packs a very big punch, in it’s very few pages. It’s exquisitely written and very powerful.
4. The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin – 182 pages
This is a beautiful story about two princesses who’re about to enter an arranged marriage. It’s got intricate world-building, character development and a slow burn romance. And it’s only a novella!
5. The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan – 211 pages
My favorite David Leviathan novel is told in a very traditional format: it’s literally the dictionary of a relationship. Each page has a short text exploring what one word means in the context of their relationship. It’s brilliant.
6. Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed – 255 pages
This YA contemporary about a Muslim girl dealing with Islamophobia after a terrorist attack is equal parts sweet romance and impactful coming of age story. It’s one of the best contemporaries I read this year and a very quick read.
7. Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor – 266 pages
If you’ve read Laini Taylor’s other books, but not picked up this one yet you’re in for a treat. In this collection she tells three magical about the power of a kiss. It’ll make you fall even more deeply in love with her lyrical writing and wonderful world-building.
8. The Wicker King by K. Ancrum – 305 pages
This dark YA book about two boys intense relationship is told in very short chapter (often less than a page long) interspersed with multimedia elements like photographs, drawings, mixed tapes and more, which makes it feel about half it’s length.
9. The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill – 320 pages
Louise O’Neill’s feminist Little Mermaid retelling has the kind of prose that flows like water and before you know it you’ve read a couple hundred pages. It’s also gorgeous, so you won’t want to put it away.
10. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – 360 pages
The longest book on the list is also one of the fastet to read. The protagonist is a Dominican girl from a strict religious family who’s a poet and her coming of age story is told in verse.
Have you read any of these books? What are your favorite quick reads? Have you finished your reading challenge yet? Or are you still working on it?
I actually own a few of these and have some earcs on my kindle! Omg lips touch is so good but so underrated. I should reread that book, especially since I do actually need a few short books to meet my new reading goal.
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I’m so glad I’m not the only one who adores Lips Touch! I’ve been thinking about rereading it too, it’s wonderful and the illustrations are lovely 💕
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Yess I’m so happy you included The Wicker King! I feel like it’s extremely underrated and is SUCH a fast-paced read! Loved this post 🙂
Here’s my TTT!
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Thank you so much! 😊 I love The Wicker King so much, I wish it had more hype!
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I had no idea Binti was under 100 pages! I’ve been meaning to read it because I loved Akata Witch, but I somehow missed that fact. I just ordered a copy of it though, so thanks for reminding me.
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Akata Witch and Binti both have such wonderful heroines! I hope you enjoy Binti 😊
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This is such a great topic choice! The Queen of Ieflaria is going straight on my TBR and Heart Berries sounds amazing. I need to read more First Nations voices, so I need to pick that up, too.
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Thank you so much! They’re both wonderful reads, I hope you enjoy them! 😊
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I just went and read The Tea Dragon Society after reading your post. It’s so cute!
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That makes me so happy 😊 It’s the cutest!
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Ooh these all sound intriguing! I shall definitely be reading The Tea Dragon Society! Thank you for the recommendation 💕
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I’m so glad you think so and I hope you love The Tea Dragon Society, it’s so lovely! Thank you 💕
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I love this!!
I need to read The Poet X and The Wicker king
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Thank you so much! 💕 They’re both wonderful, I hope you enjoy them!
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The Tea Dragon Society 😍 I definitely need to buy a physical copy of that because it’s so cute!!
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Me too! It’s the cutest 💕
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I read Heart Berries and did not like it at all!! It had great reviews and is a quick read, but it didn’t go over all that well with me. I thought it was just okay.
Here’s a link to my Top Ten Tuesday post for this week: https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2018/12/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-free-little.html
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Great post and great list!! Sadly- I don’t think I am going to finish my challenges regardless.. I was so close too.
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Thank you so much! That sucks, but hopefully you’ve still read some amazing books this year 😊
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This is an excellent topic. I know a lot of bloggers are still trying to meet several challenges. I still haven’t read Nnedi Okorafor, but I do have Akata Witch on my shelf. I read Love, Hate & Other Filters last month and adored it. I love The Poet X so much! Elizabeth Acevedo’s poetry is amazing. Great list!
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Thank you so much! I’m still trying to catch up on a few myself. I adore Akata Witch, it’s even better than Binti. I hope you enjoy it! 😊
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basically im adding all these books to my immediate tbr bc december has been a slow reading month AND I REFUSE TO END THE YEAR LIKE THIS lol
this is such a great list and its super helpful ❤
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LOL I really need short books to beat my reading challenge too! I think I’ll try The Surface Breaks next! Happy reading love 💕
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LOL, don’t we all? I hope you enjoy it and good luck beating your challenge lovely! 💕
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Thanks for sharing this great list of books! They sound interesting (and as a bonus, the covers are gorgeous). Binti and The Poet X sounds lovely!!
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Thank you so much! I may have a thing for pretty covers…
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I think many of us do!
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Oh wow, I didn’t know you could read “The tea dragon society” for free! Thank you so much for letting us know. And I am definitely checking out Binti 🙂
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I was so excited when I found it! You’re so welcome! I hope you love Binti 😊
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Never heard of the Tea Dragon Society but am super excited to read it, and some of the other books on this list too!
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It’s a really lovely read! I hope you enjoy it! 😊
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I have only 4 books left to complete my challenge, but I’m feeling a bit slumpy so who knows if I’ll be able to finish it 😢😢
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Maybe if you pick some short ones? Good luck!!! 💕
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These are the perfect books to fit into the end of the year 😄 I recently read Love, Hate and Other Filters, it’s truly such a quick, engaging read 😊
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Thank you! 😊 Right? It’s so good! 💕
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Katie O’Neill’s illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The Surface Break also has such a pretty cover! Awesome post for the end of the year, everyone’s scurrying to complete their book challenges 😛
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Thank you so much! 😊 I’m a sucker for pretty covers and pretty illustrations!
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I’ve heard so many good reviews of The Poet X. Definitely going to add that to my TBR for next year!
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It’s a great read! I hope you enjoy it!
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