Top Ten Tuesday #23: Short Stuff

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic:

Books that can be read in one sitting, or in a day, or when you’re short on time

Since this meme kicked off my blogging spree last week, I’ve decided to continue with it for a time. The following consists of 10 books and comics I’ve read that I’ve either completed in a day or could have been completed in a day if life’s chores hadn’t interrupted me.

The Only Child by Guojing (illus.)

An illustrated children’s fantasy book about the author’s experience as an only child living under the one-child policy in China during the 1980s. It’s a heartfelt story told using only illustrations that clearly convey the emotions the character feels. I believe the art is done using only pencils, which adds some fuzziness to the illustrations, but I liked it because it fits the dream-like tone of the story.

A Time Code by Ruth Ozeki

A Time Code is part of a series of short memoirs where authors write about their faces. In A Time Code, Ozeki stares at her face in a mirror for three hours and writes about the experience and the thoughts she has while doing so. It’s a wonderful and revealing read that shows that our faces are our own and yet not because our ancestors and culture shine through it, and others place assumptions and expectations on it for who they want/expect you to be.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

A YA fantasy novel about kids who’re trying to cope with living in the real world after residing in fairy lands for a while. This too is a great read that I recommend to all readers who enjoy fantasy novels, especially those like the Chronicles of Narnia and Alice In Wonderland. Every Heart a Doorway asks how would the kids from those stories cope if they returned to the real world and were unable to visit those magical lands again.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff (illus.)

A charming middle-grade comic about the adventures of a Turkish lieutenant who accompanies the daring Delilah Dirk on her various expeditions. This was a fun read accompanied by some beautiful illustrations.

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin, illus. by Luis Royo

An illustrated children’s book about a girl who befriends an ice dragon. The story was moving, but I wasn’t very impressed by it. The illustrations, however, were beautiful.

The Wife of His Youth by Charles W. Chesnutt

A short story about a man who reunites with his wife, who he had married during slavery. I reread this story last year, I think, for a readathon. It’s a good read that touches on discrimination within the Black community.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A YA contemporary epistolary novel. I read it about 4 years ago and have since forgotten much of it. However, there are two things I can recall about my reading experience and that’s (1) the story was great and I was hooked as soon as I started, and (2) I read it all in a day because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from its pages.

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (illus.)

A YA graphic novel about a girl who’s self-conscious about her body and her background as a Russian immigrant. I wasn’t crazy about this story, but it is a good read. I especially recommend it now, considering our political climate and increasing negative opinions about immigrants. The illustrations are cartoon-like but easy to follow.

The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (illus.)

The first in a middle-grade fantasy comic book series about siblings Emily and Navin who move with their mother to the home of their deceased great-grandfather and discover a magic amulet there. Their mother is then kidnapped by a dark creature and the kids must save her. This was a fun read. The majority of it was setup for what’s to come in the next book. The illustrations were okay, but I loved the color choices used, and the little creatures in it were all so cute!

Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky, illus. by Erwin Madrid

A wonderful, haunting middle-grade novel about a girl who observes the negative changes in her parents when they achieve their dream, and tries to save them. The story isn’t scary, but it has an unsettling undertone. It is a fantasy novel that harken back to fairy tales about temptation and how terrifying some adults can be.

And that’s it.

I hope you found something new for your TBR!

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