Book Box | Fast-paced feel-good books
Read these four fast-paced reads to keep you company when the silence settles in or when you want to break a reading slump
Dear Reader,
These last few days, on trips from the market, my backpack has been bursting — butter and baking powder for apple crumble, bread, eggs, lettuce and tomatoes for sandwiches. There’s been cooking and eating and lots of confabulation.
Yesterday was full of walks on winding mountain paths, through leaves of yellow and red and then down to the market for coffee.
“Don’t say we are having a coffee chat please, Mama”, implores my youngest, “it sounds like recruiting season at a B school”.
So it was coffee and conversation, followed by sunny lunch at Johnson Café sharing persimmon salad and butter garlic trout and then home to lazing under patchwork quilts with squeals and giggles and non-stop chatter.
And then suddenly, the holidays are over. Books, shoes, socks and phone chargers are gathered up, the clutter crammed into backpacks and they are on the night bus back to Delhi.
The house is spick and span and empty and so silent. Our dog has departed too, seeking distraction in the delights of the neighbour's garden or maybe curled up in a corner somewhere. Even the pigeons on the roof are soundless.
As for me, there is only one way I know how to weather this separation from my girls with fortitude — and that is to find the right books. I have a pile on my windowsill — two murder mysteries, one sci-fi thriller and a YA fantasy.
Drastic times call for drastic measures. I am compelled to confess to you, dear Reader, that I go through them all, one by one, and by the time I emerge a few days later, things don’t seem so bad after all.
Here they are for your reading pleasure — perfect for breaking out of a reading slump and magical if you’re in the mood for fast-paced stories that will distract you from the dolefulness of the day, all four are excellent.
Book 1 of 4: Starter Villain by John Scalzi: PG Wodehouse meets Douglas Adams in this snarky sci-fi story set in a start-up world where villains rule the world. Our hero, who is a washed-up business journalist is inducted into this universe with PowerPoint presentation slides that say things like "Villains here are not bad or evil people, they are merely "professional disruptors: the people who look at systems and processes; find the weak spots, loopholes and unintended consequences... and exploit them… for the advantage of their client base". Add non-stop action with sentient cats, striking dolphins and surveillance satellites to this mix, and you have a rollicking romp of a thriller. It sounds fantastical and also spookily likely to come true in the next few years.
Book 2 of 4: Caraval by Stephanie Garber: Hunger Games meets The Night Circus meets Dungeons and Dragons in this immersive fantasy about a game world where two sisters play for their lives. Reading the book feels like being in a game world where you encounter all sorts of strange characters — and you need to decide whether to trust them, whether good or evil or merely non-player characters (NPCs) just there to add to the atmosphere. What’s eerie is that you can pay for things in this world by answering questions about yourself. This personal information is then stored by the system to manipulate you — does this sound fantastical? or just true to online life? Read the book to find out. And if you, like me, are hooked, there are more books in this series to look forward to.
Book 3 of 4: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera: An unsolved murder is dug out of obscurity by a true crime podcast and suddenly best friend Lucy finds herself in the harsh glare of public attention as primary suspect. Lucy tells her story in breathless chapters that alternate with pacy podcast episodes as the action builds towards a climax that’s peopled with all sorts of suspicious characters and many delicious secrets. The writing is simple and the plot is propulsive. As a fan of shows like Only Murders in the Building and true crime podcasts like Serial, I especially loved how this book paired a true crime podcast with a long-forgotten case. Rebecca Makkai did this a few years ago with her best-selling I Have Some Questions for You – this one is even better.
Book 4 of 4: What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie: Downtown Abbey meets Agatha Christie in this murder mystery set in a wealthy gated community in London. Add financial intrigue, bored rich kids on social media and (another) true crime podcaster and you have a classic murder mystery with snarky social commentary thrown in as well. I loved how the action shifts between multiple narrators, each with their distinctive voice. If you liked Bella Mackie’s bestselling How to Kill Your Family, you will love this one.
That’s my round-up for now for fast-paced and feel-good. I’d love to add some more titles to this list — do send in your favourite fast-paced reads. And until next week, Happy Reading.
Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya’s Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@gmail.com
The views expressed are personal
Continue reading with HT Premium Subscription
