I'll always champion Michael Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery novels; Elric Saga and the Corum series in particular. All under 300 pages and some of the most creative fantasy I've ever read!
Great List Mike. Helpful. A young adult / middle grade series that was a nice break with short/easy reads was: Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan. Easy "popcorn read" as Mike says that was enjoyable as an adult. I have loaned them out to a friend that needed an easy, fun book and she is really enjoying them as well. Food for thought for others out there. Keep turning the Page. :)
I am re-reading HP for the umpteenth time. I am on OotP (870 pages). They do go fast. They're just so immersive. You feel like you are right there. They will always be a comfort read for me. Always wanted to read Percy Jackson, too!
I have to say I recommend the Sherlock Holmes short story collections as well as Junji Ito short story collections. I haven't read Robert Howard though, but I do agree with you on Mr. Lovecraft Mike! 😊❤📚
Great vid! 300 page urban fantasy books are the perfect palate cleanser for me too. Right now it’s the Alex Verus series that’s doing the trick for me - first few Jacka was finding his feet like Butcher but towards the middle of the series (it’s 12 books) it got noticeably stronger and now I’m all in with a few books to go.
Great recs Mike, very happy to see Forgotten Realms on the list. Started reading Drizzt few years back and I really liked them and one definitely should read them as separate trilogies/mini-series rather than all 30/40 in one go. Read a trilogy once a Quarter for example and you are set for 4-5 years of fun in between the more serious books.
Great video idea Mike! Urban fantasy lovers might like to get away from the United States for a few hours and visit The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. I think there are 10 or 11 titles? Also, the Supernatural TV series has a bunch of novelizations. My go-to standalone sci-fi author is John Scalzi for quick thrill rides. Jeff Vandermeer, Genevieve Cogman, Jeff Noon, Adam Christopher, Martha Wells, and Jeff Lindsey (Dexter) are a few other fast-paced authors. And who can resist Lee Child’s Jack Reacher? Thanks for all you do for us! 😺✌️
This was so helpful. I am a constant reader who is currently training for a marathon (R&R = reading and running!) and big books with intensive immersive worlds and tons of characters are just a no go right now. My brain and body are way too tired to comprehend any of that so I've been on the hunt for quick, easy standalone novels. Thanks so much! Love your channel!
I'm in the middle of this right now and reading Dresden. I ended up reading the first 6 in two weeks, but it didn't feel like it. Quick reads are exactly what I needed
I have been on a soft break from big books and reading through The Sandman for the first time! Really enjoying it. It’s “easier” reading but still full of heavy topics and quality writing.💛 Also got my mom into the Dresden Files! She’s been spacing out the “arcs” in between more serious things. Changes is next and I am impatient for her to return to the series!
I've read all the Dresden Files, almost back to back. I went back later, & listened to a few of the audio books. They were awesome! Normally, I loath audio books, & never listen to them. James Marsters won me over! He only gets better as the books go on. I enjoy Blake Crouch as well. If you like near-future sci-fi, then I recommend 'One', & 'The Passengers', by John Marrs. Since you love Stephen King, I recommend 'Bentley Little, & Jonathan Janz. The most unique novels I've read are 'Chasing The Boogeyman', & 'Becoming The Boogeyman', by Richard Chizmar. The author himself is a character in his own novel, & the town is where he actually grew up.
Been meaning to try the Dresden files for a long time now but haven't figured out a good place for it. I'm in the middle of Malazan right now and could probably use a palate cleanser so might have to go and get book 1.
For those who want to find shorter fantasy options, I'd suggest Fritz Lieber's "Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser" series, which are basically a collection of short stories of these characters & are highly entertaining.
Perfect timing. I’m on the hunt for a new book. Last year I switched it up to Westerns during my “Fantasy burnout”. I blame Rhythm of War I think I will try “Techno-Thriller” for a shot in the arm.
The great thing about the drizzt books You don't need to feel intimidated Because there's 40 books in the series As you said y They are broken up mostly into trilogies And the great thing is you don't really have to start all the way back at the beginning trilogy you can grab almost any trilogy and he'll give you Little bit of backstory there It's beginning to get you familiar with the characters that are in this particular Trilogy So you can just pick the ones that sound the most interesting
Another great option is with Scifi. Specially older ones. They're lean as hell. I just don't recommend much if you're a "character first" type of reader. Not every author focuses as much on character as the average fantasy series, but if you like exploring new ideas and reevaluate things about our own world, then sci-fi is a great choice.
Oh, I will have to check out your Star Wars video! I've always been curious about the books. But, of course, there are bazillions, so it's overwhelming to even know where to start.
I switch genre, tone, and length all the time, in part to maintain freshness. A few fantasy series with shorter books: Vlad Taltos, Steven Brust - Top tier heist fantasy; start with Jhereg. Garrett, P.I., Glen Cook - Noir in a fantasy world. The protagonist is just back from the war (a pretty obvious Vietnam analog) and is now a private investigator. Excellent characters and strong plots. Start with Sweet Silver Blues. Valdemar, Mercedes Lackey - I'd start with either the Heralds of Valdemar series (Arrows of the Queen) or the Collegium Chronicles (Foundation). Strong characters with heart and tightly crafted plots. I'll also mention the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Vol. 1 is short stories, while volumes 2A and 2B are novelettes and novellas. The stories were chosen by SFWA to present some of the best of science fiction before the Nebula Awards began, and they are gold. (Volumes 3 and 4 are collections of Nebula winners and aren't quite up to the standard of these, though still quite good.)
Some of my favorite short books: - The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - Eaters of the Dead, Sphere, and Prey by Michael Crichton - The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick - The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Cycle of the Werewolf, Thinner, and the 4 novellas collected in Different Seasons by Stephen King - or just go with a short story collection
Reading through Different Seasons now. The movie is so far better than Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Not fan of the prison r*pe stuff. But I'm still reading hoping it improves.
Solid suggestions. Personally I gravitate to classic SF off the Gollancz SF Masterworks list when I want something short in between big reads - they're typically shorter books and have cool concepts and ideas that feel refreshing.
The best shorter fantasy series I can recommend is Paul Kearney's "The Monarchies of God". 5 books series, about 300 pages each with excellently fast paced narratives. He's somehow still about to write well-fleshed out characters and world building and the story is epic in scope. 5/5 stars, highly recommended.
Speaking of classics, I read Richard Matheson's I Am Legend not too long ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading more books of his in the future.
Just started through the Star Wars EU at your suggestion and it's terrific! To this list I would add the James Bond books which are a fun fast read. A little dated but that's fun in its own right.
I think you could place The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell in this type of category, too, as a palate cleanser. I’ve only been through The Last Kingdom so far, but I enjoyed it a lot and I’m excited to make my way through the series. I think they’re all 400 pages or less. Haven’t watched the show!
These are what’s nice about Guy Gavriel Kay. None of his book are gigantic and the vast majority are stand alones. They aren’t usually fast paced though. Eiji Yoshikawa has three short novels if you aren’t in the mood for a 1,000 page novel like Musashi or Taiko. Something like the Vorkosigan saga or The Company Wars may be good sci fi series. Legend of the Galactic Heroes books are my personal palette cleansers. Xanth books are short and pretty bloody funny. There’s quite a few of them too Lastly, I would suggest Percy Jackson. I preffered these to Harry Potter when I was in middle school and they still make me laugh. Probably not masterpieces of literature but If you really need a mental break you might enjoy these. Happy Reading!
I always try to switch up between bigger fantasy books and other smaller books or different genres in between my fantasy books. Example: I finished Words of Radiance recently, moved on to Lord of The Flies (a classic that was exactly 200 pages), and now I’ve moved back to Dragonbone Chair for my fantasy fix. After this, probably Edgedancer for a shorter book, and then maybe some nonfiction to help keep things fresh.
I'm surprised you didn't mention sci fi. Some people don't realise that some classics of the genre come in the short story format: Cordwainer Smith's The Rediscovery of Man, Vonnegut's Bagombo Snuff Box, etc. Or one can pick up many classical novels that are under 300 pages and easy to read. Let's say Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, Michael Moorcock's Behold the Man, or any H. G. Well's novel.
Michael Moorcock and sword & sorcery genre in general. Short enough reads that I balked at your "under 500 pages" disclaimer. cue ain't nobody got time for that. Currently I'm used to reading 100-200 page long books. Right now reading Dumas' Three Musketeers, and at about 200 pages out of 600, I'm liking it, but I'm also acutely aware of how much more stuff Moorcock and Howard could've pumped into the same page count.
Two of my go-to palette cleanser authors are Terry Pratchett (not only Discworld) and Becky Chambers. One for the wacky humour and imaginative stories and the other for cozy easy reading but dealing with what it means to be human.
Sometimes I go to a classic I read as a kid for school. S.E. Hinton’s, Rumble Fish and The Outsiders. Another fun reread for me is Jaws, by Peter Benchley. It’s just a fun book to read. I like all the extra things in the book that weren’t in the movie. It’s like getting deleted scenes. If not Jaws, some other movie based book. I liked reading something familiar, but you get a little something extra.
I’d recommend the Wingfeather saga by Andrew Peterson if you’re looking for some easy middle grade fantasy that really keeps you engaged. There are 4 books and it’s a great read for kids too.
I like the idea of a pallet cleanser. I have been reading the Dune series. I just finished God Emporer. Chapter house is next, but a scenic bypass would be nice
I recommend the Mennik Thorn series by Patrick Samphire. It's my favorite quick read! It's about a snarky wizard detective solving a murder (sound familiar?). The main character is often down on his luck, but it sets the stage for his sarcastic sense of humor. I saw it on Amazon so I looked it up on Goodreads and the top review made me laugh. I laughed even harder when I realized the review was posted by the author! I picked it up instantly and do not regret it. This series need more recognition! Great video Mike!
Awesome video as always! Something that might interest people that for me fall into that 'bubblegum' territory are LitRPG books. Specifically I can recommend The Good Guys series and The Bad Guys series by Eric Ugland as quick, short books that blend fantasy and humor pretty well into an isekai-like setting. They are mostly between 300-500 pages and there are like 25 books between the two series that you can use as little palate cleansers and still get a fun story.
A lot of good recommendations Mike. All of the Drizzt books are great! I often use murder mysteries as a palate cleanser. No true crime or thriller, just good old Agatha Christie kind of stuff.
Found myself in a little slump after reading The 2 Evan winter books,Dune,The stand and then First 3 red rising books and then Empire of Silence in row,so decided to dive into dark matter and loving it,just ordered Jurassic park and Firestarter as well.
personally, i like to read manga as a quick "palette cleanser". not only is it finished in one sitting, it also involves a lot of staring into the artwork itself. a really nice pace breaker in terms of reading long and/or heavy books. i like the horror ones or anything strange that's not the conventional teeny bopper manga reads.
I read a huge variety of books. My pallet cleansers are Carter Brown mysteries. They can all be read in 90 minutes. You can find them on the cheap at used bookstores. Stark House Press has been collecting three titles as one book.
I need a small break from series. I grabbed a couple of stand alone novels from my shelves and used a random wheel spinner online to pick the book. I ended up with, Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I read Klara and the Sun by him last year and still think about the story. I'm hoping I will like this book as well.
I’m a new reader. Can you tell me how you read multiple genres? I was reading ASOIAF and I loved that first book. But I stopped because I wanted to read 11/22/63. And now I can’t get back into ASOIAF because 11/22/63 is so good.
I think some of the appeal of Discworld is that all the books are manageable and there are 41 of them. Dan Wells' "John Wayne Cleaver series is a good supernatural horror series. I recently started trying to pick up as many Goosebumps books as I can to read with my kids.
Thank you for another great video. I love book recommendation videos. Have you ever made “Are you knew to a genre” videos? With book recommendations for new to the fantasy genre, horror genre and sci-fi genre, maybe even split up in YA and adult recommendations.
The alien books based off the movies but not total novelizations are pretty great small books. I really enjoyed bighunt a anthology about the Marines from the second alien movie.
Sandman Slim Book 1 by Richard Kadrey is 388 pages and although it's the opener to a 12 book series it's fine as a stand alone as well. The only series I can think of that is like the Sandman Slim series is The Dresden Files but it's in no way a copy. Sandman Slim is pretty much action from start to finish, but even with that there is good character development and lots of snappy dialogue some of which is laugh-out-loud funny.
Nice recommendations, Mike. There is a horror series that I've started which might be interesting to you or your viewers. It's the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K Hamilton. It's basically an R rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. I've read the first two books Guilty Pleasures and The Laughing Corpse, and I've enjoyed both. It feels similar to the Dresden Files.
In regards to the Star Wars books. Eu has a ton of good books but one of the things Disney has done well is the publishing side. Plenty of newer books set in Star Wars that are very good fun (and normally easy) reads to find!
My kind of list. I'd throw in the best game book series of all time. Lone Wolf by Joe Dever. The world has a very Euro-feel. You level up a character over the course of 20 books following the main character from 15 years old to 50. Books 1, 2, and 3 are a great trilogy. But these are firmly in the YA realm. Holmgard Press have done a beautiful new publishing run as well as expanding a few of the books.
Mike have you read any James Rollins? I think you might like his books Subterranean or Excavation. I found and read them years ago after reading JP and the Lost World and it scratched the same itch for me. They’re stand alones but he does have a pretty long series too but I haven’t read those.
Stephen King is known for writing tomes, but he has a lot of very good short books too. Salem’s Lot, The Long Walk, Cujo, Later and The Green Mile are just a few off the top of my head.
I’d say my short book recommendation is Devolution by Max Brooks. It kept me gripped the whole time. Lead me to the Troop, which got me back into reading.
Hitchhiker's Guide for sure should be on the list, the Discworld series, and except for American Gods, most of Neil Gaiman's stuff are fairly quick reads
You could try "rivers of london" series by Ben Aronovitch. These books are shorter than DF. Very brittish gritty humour. Dresden are probably better written, but I have still liked the books.
@@Roondawg_Valhalla Yeah I got lucky, only had to buy the first one second hand, the rest I got from publisher. With that said I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and am on book 3 now
I've said it before Mike and I'll keep repeating myself. Go read Word Fantasy Award winning book Thraxas!!!!! Small books, fast paced, great characters!!!
I'll always champion Michael Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery novels; Elric Saga and the Corum series in particular. All under 300 pages and some of the most creative fantasy I've ever read!
I really enjoy reading Louis L'Amour for quick reads and as a palate cleanser.
LAmour is my favorite palate cleanser
Huge fan of the Legend of Drizzt! A few misses but nothing will make you want to stop reading them.
Great List Mike. Helpful.
A young adult / middle grade series that was a nice break with short/easy reads was: Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan. Easy "popcorn read" as Mike says that was enjoyable as an adult. I have loaned them out to a friend that needed an easy, fun book and she is really enjoying them as well. Food for thought for others out there.
Keep turning the Page. :)
Re-reading Lord Of the Rings right now. Loving it but it’s daunting at the moment. Considering taking a break. This video is a big help.
Andy Weir is another author you could go for when you want something that's good and not too long.
Loved Project Hail Mary
I am re-reading HP for the umpteenth time. I am on OotP (870 pages). They do go fast. They're just so immersive. You feel like you are right there. They will always be a comfort read for me.
Always wanted to read Percy Jackson, too!
I have to say I recommend the Sherlock Holmes short story collections as well as Junji Ito short story collections. I haven't read Robert Howard though, but I do agree with you on Mr. Lovecraft Mike! 😊❤📚
Yes!!! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the win!
Yes ito. Shiver and uzumaki i would recommend.😊
@@turtleanton6539 oh I've read those 2 already. Uzumaki was the first manga by Mr. Ito I ever read. 🙂❤️📚
Great vid! 300 page urban fantasy books are the perfect palate cleanser for me too. Right now it’s the Alex Verus series that’s doing the trick for me - first few Jacka was finding his feet like Butcher but towards the middle of the series (it’s 12 books) it got noticeably stronger and now I’m all in with a few books to go.
Awesome list catching up on the Cosmere makes me want to reach for something on the slimmer side lately.
Great recs Mike, very happy to see Forgotten Realms on the list. Started reading Drizzt few years back and I really liked them and one definitely should read them as separate trilogies/mini-series rather than all 30/40 in one go. Read a trilogy once a Quarter for example and you are set for 4-5 years of fun in between the more serious books.
Great video idea Mike!
Urban fantasy lovers might like to get away from the United States for a few hours and visit The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. I think there are 10 or 11 titles?
Also, the Supernatural TV series has a bunch of novelizations.
My go-to standalone sci-fi author is John Scalzi for quick thrill rides.
Jeff Vandermeer, Genevieve Cogman, Jeff Noon, Adam Christopher, Martha Wells, and Jeff Lindsey (Dexter) are a few other fast-paced authors.
And who can resist Lee Child’s Jack Reacher?
Thanks for all you do for us!
😺✌️
This was so helpful. I am a constant reader who is currently training for a marathon (R&R = reading and running!) and big books with intensive immersive worlds and tons of characters are just a no go right now. My brain and body are way too tired to comprehend any of that so I've been on the hunt for quick, easy standalone novels. Thanks so much! Love your channel!
Happy to help!
I'm in the middle of this right now and reading Dresden. I ended up reading the first 6 in two weeks, but it didn't feel like it. Quick reads are exactly what I needed
Some times late on a weekend night I’ll make a cup of coffee and sit back and read a Goosebumps book cover to cover. Great way to relax for me 😁
Thank you for this! I've only been reading huge books for the past year, and I've had trouble finding some good smaller books
I have been on a soft break from big books and reading through The Sandman for the first time! Really enjoying it. It’s “easier” reading but still full of heavy topics and quality writing.💛
Also got my mom into the Dresden Files! She’s been spacing out the “arcs” in between more serious things. Changes is next and I am impatient for her to return to the series!
I've read all the Dresden Files, almost back to back. I went back later, & listened to a few of the audio books. They were awesome! Normally, I loath audio books, & never listen to them. James Marsters won me over! He only gets better as the books go on. I enjoy Blake Crouch as well. If you like near-future sci-fi, then I recommend 'One', & 'The Passengers', by John Marrs. Since you love Stephen King, I recommend 'Bentley Little, & Jonathan Janz. The most unique novels I've read are 'Chasing The Boogeyman', & 'Becoming The Boogeyman', by Richard Chizmar. The author himself is a character in his own novel, & the town is where he actually grew up.
Been meaning to try the Dresden files for a long time now but haven't figured out a good place for it. I'm in the middle of Malazan right now and could probably use a palate cleanser so might have to go and get book 1.
For those who want to find shorter fantasy options, I'd suggest Fritz Lieber's "Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser" series, which are basically a collection of short stories of these characters & are highly entertaining.
I came here to say just this.
Perfect timing. I’m on the hunt for a new book. Last year I switched it up to Westerns during my “Fantasy burnout”.
I blame Rhythm of War
I think I will try “Techno-Thriller” for a shot in the arm.
The great thing about the drizzt books You don't need to feel intimidated Because there's 40 books in the series As you said y They are broken up mostly into trilogies And the great thing is you don't really have to start all the way back at the beginning trilogy you can grab almost any trilogy and he'll give you Little bit of backstory there It's beginning to get you familiar with the characters that are in this particular Trilogy So you can just pick the ones that sound the most interesting
Another great option is with Scifi. Specially older ones. They're lean as hell. I just don't recommend much if you're a "character first" type of reader. Not every author focuses as much on character as the average fantasy series, but if you like exploring new ideas and reevaluate things about our own world, then sci-fi is a great choice.
Oh, I will have to check out your Star Wars video! I've always been curious about the books. But, of course, there are bazillions, so it's overwhelming to even know where to start.
I switch genre, tone, and length all the time, in part to maintain freshness. A few fantasy series with shorter books:
Vlad Taltos, Steven Brust - Top tier heist fantasy; start with Jhereg.
Garrett, P.I., Glen Cook - Noir in a fantasy world. The protagonist is just back from the war (a pretty obvious Vietnam analog) and is now a private investigator. Excellent characters and strong plots. Start with Sweet Silver Blues.
Valdemar, Mercedes Lackey - I'd start with either the Heralds of Valdemar series (Arrows of the Queen) or the Collegium Chronicles (Foundation). Strong characters with heart and tightly crafted plots.
I'll also mention the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Vol. 1 is short stories, while volumes 2A and 2B are novelettes and novellas. The stories were chosen by SFWA to present some of the best of science fiction before the Nebula Awards began, and they are gold. (Volumes 3 and 4 are collections of Nebula winners and aren't quite up to the standard of these, though still quite good.)
Ive been trying to reead some classic Sci-Fi in between giant books. It switches genres and theyre usually no more than 350 pages long.
Bram Stroker Dracula and Mary Shelly Frankenstein. I couldn't believe how short of a book those two were. Tick both classic and horror.
Some of my favorite short books:
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- Eaters of the Dead, Sphere, and Prey by Michael Crichton
- The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- Cycle of the Werewolf, Thinner, and the 4 novellas collected in Different Seasons by Stephen King
- or just go with a short story collection
Reading through Different Seasons now. The movie is so far better than Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Not fan of the prison r*pe stuff. But I'm still reading hoping it improves.
@@samsampier7147 Having already seen the movie, you know the ending. So just enjoy the ride. Apt Pupil gets way crazier than Shawshank
Solid suggestions. Personally I gravitate to classic SF off the Gollancz SF Masterworks list when I want something short in between big reads - they're typically shorter books and have cool concepts and ideas that feel refreshing.
The best shorter fantasy series I can recommend is Paul Kearney's "The Monarchies of God". 5 books series, about 300 pages each with excellently fast paced narratives. He's somehow still about to write well-fleshed out characters and world building and the story is epic in scope. 5/5 stars, highly recommended.
Thank you for the recommendation of short books!! 🎉😊
Speaking of classics, I read Richard Matheson's I Am Legend not too long ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading more books of his in the future.
Just started through the Star Wars EU at your suggestion and it's terrific! To this list I would add the James Bond books which are a fun fast read. A little dated but that's fun in its own right.
I think you could place The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell in this type of category, too, as a palate cleanser. I’ve only been through The Last Kingdom so far, but I enjoyed it a lot and I’m excited to make my way through the series. I think they’re all 400 pages or less. Haven’t watched the show!
These are what’s nice about Guy Gavriel Kay. None of his book are gigantic and the vast majority are stand alones. They aren’t usually fast paced though.
Eiji Yoshikawa has three short novels if you aren’t in the mood for a 1,000 page novel like Musashi or Taiko.
Something like the Vorkosigan saga or The Company Wars may be good sci fi series. Legend of the Galactic Heroes books are my personal palette cleansers.
Xanth books are short and pretty bloody funny. There’s quite a few of them too
Lastly, I would suggest Percy Jackson. I preffered these to Harry Potter when I was in middle school and they still make me laugh. Probably not masterpieces of literature but If you really need a mental break you might enjoy these.
Happy Reading!
I always try to switch up between bigger fantasy books and other smaller books or different genres in between my fantasy books. Example: I finished Words of Radiance recently, moved on to Lord of The Flies (a classic that was exactly 200 pages), and now I’ve moved back to Dragonbone Chair for my fantasy fix. After this, probably Edgedancer for a shorter book, and then maybe some nonfiction to help keep things fresh.
I'm surprised you didn't mention sci fi. Some people don't realise that some classics of the genre come in the short story format: Cordwainer Smith's The Rediscovery of Man, Vonnegut's Bagombo Snuff Box, etc. Or one can pick up many classical novels that are under 300 pages and easy to read. Let's say Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, Michael Moorcock's Behold the Man, or any H. G. Well's novel.
Neil Asher Agent Cormac series are really damn good too if you’re into futuristic sci fi weapons and technology, intense battles, factions and stuff
Michael Moorcock and sword & sorcery genre in general. Short enough reads that I balked at your "under 500 pages" disclaimer. cue ain't nobody got time for that. Currently I'm used to reading 100-200 page long books.
Right now reading Dumas' Three Musketeers, and at about 200 pages out of 600, I'm liking it, but I'm also acutely aware of how much more stuff Moorcock and Howard could've pumped into the same page count.
Two of my go-to palette cleanser authors are Terry Pratchett (not only Discworld) and Becky Chambers. One for the wacky humour and imaginative stories and the other for cozy easy reading but dealing with what it means to be human.
Sometimes I go to a classic I read as a kid for school. S.E. Hinton’s, Rumble Fish and The Outsiders. Another fun reread for me is Jaws, by Peter Benchley. It’s just a fun book to read. I like all the extra things in the book that weren’t in the movie. It’s like getting deleted scenes. If not Jaws, some other movie based book. I liked reading something familiar, but you get a little something extra.
I’d recommend the Wingfeather saga by Andrew Peterson if you’re looking for some easy middle grade fantasy that really keeps you engaged. There are 4 books and it’s a great read for kids too.
I like the idea of a pallet cleanser. I have been reading the Dune series. I just finished God Emporer. Chapter house is next, but a scenic bypass would be nice
I recommend the Mennik Thorn series by Patrick Samphire. It's my favorite quick read! It's about a snarky wizard detective solving a murder (sound familiar?). The main character is often down on his luck, but it sets the stage for his sarcastic sense of humor. I saw it on Amazon so I looked it up on Goodreads and the top review made me laugh. I laughed even harder when I realized the review was posted by the author! I picked it up instantly and do not regret it. This series need more recognition!
Great video Mike!
Awesome video as always! Something that might interest people that for me fall into that 'bubblegum' territory are LitRPG books. Specifically I can recommend The Good Guys series and The Bad Guys series by Eric Ugland as quick, short books that blend fantasy and humor pretty well into an isekai-like setting. They are mostly between 300-500 pages and there are like 25 books between the two series that you can use as little palate cleansers and still get a fun story.
A lot of good recommendations Mike. All of the Drizzt books are great! I often use murder mysteries as a palate cleanser. No true crime or thriller, just good old Agatha Christie kind of stuff.
⚔️
Found myself in a little slump after reading The 2 Evan winter books,Dune,The stand and then First 3 red rising books and then Empire of Silence in row,so decided to dive into dark matter and loving it,just ordered Jurassic park and Firestarter as well.
personally, i like to read manga as a quick "palette cleanser". not only is it finished in one sitting, it also involves a lot of staring into the artwork itself. a really nice pace breaker in terms of reading long and/or heavy books. i like the horror ones or anything strange that's not the conventional teeny bopper manga reads.
RAY BRADBURY!! , Sherlock Holmes, HG Wells, Phillip K Dick.
I read a huge variety of books. My pallet cleansers are Carter Brown mysteries. They can all be read in 90 minutes. You can find them on the cheap at used bookstores. Stark House Press has been collecting three titles as one book.
I need a small break from series. I grabbed a couple of stand alone novels from my shelves and used a random wheel spinner online to pick the book. I ended up with, Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I read Klara and the Sun by him last year and still think about the story. I'm hoping I will like this book as well.
"I like big books and I cannot lie" lol
Awesome valuable video! I bet if you do this again in a year, Alex Verus will make this list :)
I’m a new reader. Can you tell me how you read multiple genres? I was reading ASOIAF and I loved that first book. But I stopped because I wanted to read 11/22/63. And now I can’t get back into ASOIAF because 11/22/63 is so good.
I think some of the appeal of Discworld is that all the books are manageable and there are 41 of them. Dan Wells' "John Wayne Cleaver series is a good supernatural horror series. I recently started trying to pick up as many Goosebumps books as I can to read with my kids.
You should read Joe Abercrombie's YA series.
I started cycling between Wheel of Time and Star Wars Legends six months ago, now im halfway through WoT and getting pretty far into NJO
Patricia McKillip is criminally underrated as a fantasy author. Her books are amazing. Approximately 300 pages and most are stand alone.
Mike, please tell me why there is a seriously concerning lack of booktubers reading Kurt Vonnegut. What's wrong with the world?
Thank you for another great video. I love book recommendation videos.
Have you ever made “Are you knew to a genre” videos? With book recommendations for new to the fantasy genre, horror genre and sci-fi genre, maybe even split up in YA and adult recommendations.
The alien books based off the movies but not total novelizations are pretty great small books. I really enjoyed bighunt a anthology about the Marines from the second alien movie.
Sandman Slim Book 1 by Richard Kadrey is 388 pages and although it's the opener to a 12 book series it's fine as a stand alone as well. The only series I can think of that is like the Sandman Slim series is The Dresden Files but it's in no way a copy. Sandman Slim is pretty much action from start to finish, but even with that there is good character development and lots of snappy dialogue some of which is laugh-out-loud funny.
If you like Butcher, Codex Alera is underrated. Half of those books are sub 500 pages. I think the others are more like 700.
The intro 😂😂😂
Nice recommendations, Mike. There is a horror series that I've started which might be interesting to you or your viewers. It's the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K Hamilton. It's basically an R rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. I've read the first two books Guilty Pleasures and The Laughing Corpse, and I've enjoyed both. It feels similar to the Dresden Files.
The Discworld books are great palate cleansers. Very digestable and undramatic in the best way possible.
Solomone kane deserves as much love as conan gets
Stay strong Mike ❤❤❤
Amen to a break from the beefy books. I am currently reading Walter Mosley's "Easy Rawlins" mysteries. Not much over 200 pages and loads of fun!
The Thrawn trilogy is great in audio! And Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians series is so fun-read it with my kids last summer.
In regards to the Star Wars books. Eu has a ton of good books but one of the things Disney has done well is the publishing side. Plenty of newer books set in Star Wars that are very good fun (and normally easy) reads to find!
My kind of list. I'd throw in the best game book series of all time. Lone Wolf by Joe Dever. The world has a very Euro-feel. You level up a character over the course of 20 books following the main character from 15 years old to 50. Books 1, 2, and 3 are a great trilogy. But these are firmly in the YA realm. Holmgard Press have done a beautiful new publishing run as well as expanding a few of the books.
I want more novels that take me two months to read like Shogun BUT are totally satisfying. LOL
Mike have you read any James Rollins? I think you might like his books Subterranean or Excavation. I found and read them years ago after reading JP and the Lost World and it scratched the same itch for me. They’re stand alones but he does have a pretty long series too but I haven’t read those.
Stephen King is known for writing tomes, but he has a lot of very good short books too. Salem’s Lot, The Long Walk, Cujo, Later and The Green Mile are just a few off the top of my head.
Fantasy tombs interspersed with other genres, that's my happiness recipe 🎉
Alex Verus! And I do love a good British mystery like Agatha Christie
I’d say my short book recommendation is Devolution by Max Brooks. It kept me gripped the whole time. Lead me to the Troop, which got me back into reading.
The Halo books in the warcraft books are all super fast reads and they are all so good too
I found The Murderbot Diaries to really hit that spot.
I bounced off after book 1.
I needed this! I am also getting tired of big books thanks to Robin Hobb. Just need a few quickies 😂
Hitchhiker's Guide for sure should be on the list, the Discworld series, and except for American Gods, most of Neil Gaiman's stuff are fairly quick reads
Absolutely
Ha I bought the first Dresden Files book because you recommended it. It's the next book on my list
You know if ppl are looking for a short book with your kids I’d recommend Hank the Cow dog.
Usually I get around 2-3 pages in big books, and start reading something lighter. For some reason i always finish the lighter read later tho😅
I love what I've read of Dresden Files but I'm discouraged to jump in to ANY series that is sooooo deep lol. They're on book 20 or something, right?
You could try "rivers of london" series by Ben Aronovitch. These books are shorter than DF. Very brittish gritty humour. Dresden are probably better written, but I have still liked the books.
7:01-8:52 "The Legend of Drizzt", by R.A. Salvatore
I don’t think you can go wrong with anything by Arthur C Clarke. Majority of his books are around 300 pages
Mr mike wearing a ordinary shirt drops the quality of the video
James Herbert`s The Rats, or The Fog. Great horror books.
Gotta love lovecraft. Try baranger illustrated edition. Or Gou Tanabe Manga editions.😊
Been reading Anthony Ryan's A Pilgrimage of Swords series of Novellas. I think you would really dig it, some of the best Novellas I've ever read
I just splurged on all 5 physical copies. First two were not cheap! 😬😅
@@Roondawg_Valhalla Yeah I got lucky, only had to buy the first one second hand, the rest I got from publisher. With that said I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and am on book 3 now
Some great idea thank but you must be a good reader to read small books in 3 days I only wish, keep read I do love most of the books you recommend 👍
Audio books for Dresden Files rock. James Marsters. It doesn’t get any better.
That’s what I keep hearing
Shadow Hunters and Lockwood and co are great yf books.
I've said it before Mike and I'll keep repeating myself. Go read Word Fantasy Award winning book Thraxas!!!!!
Small books, fast paced, great characters!!!
Love the recommendations
Hey Mike read "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" by Stephen King , and try some Star Trek novels .
Go for Bartleby, the scrivener!
I love Star Wars but struggle with the books