Hi! Female reader here who mostly enjoys literary fiction and nonfiction books. I am hoping for suggestions for your favorite reads that don’t insult your intelligence, however basic and easy-to-read they may be. I long for a list of books that I can kick my feet back and enjoy without using too much brain power (while still employing talented writing and good plot/character development).
Examples of “easy” reads that I highly dislike: Colleen Hoover, Kristin Hannah, Emily Henry..etc. etc. I think you get my point.
by Interweb-Snowflake
10 Comments
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (nonfiction)
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto (fiction—I think this might sound like a dumb book but I really enjoyed it and thought it had a lot of substance)
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (fiction)
Agatha Christie? You can put effort into to trying to figure it out, it you can just kick back and enjoy the ride.
Where the Crawdads Sing is another that might fit that for me. Sure there is a plot, but it’s mostly just the vibes and imagery I enjoy.
Mary Roach and Bill Bryson both write amusing nonfiction that is a delight to read. I’ll also second the vote for Agatha Christie. I’ve been enjoying the humorous memoirs by J. Maarten Troost recently. Fannie Flagg writes charming and worthwhile fiction. If you have any interest in science fiction, try All Systems Red, and anything by Becky Chambers.
– [The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/bea60a60-8dc1-416f-98b3-8ecff3039d0d)
– [Pentecost and Parker](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/eb8c7ae9-41b0-442b-b3f1-8e01870fe219)
– [The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/47260618-eb7b-4664-b3ae-814c1c36eded)
I just read The Lager Queen Of Minnesota and it fits this niche perfectly. I read it almost entirely on airplanes/in airports. It was fun and pretty satisfying with good characters.
Seconding Mary Roach and Becky Chambers. I also like Sy Montgomery, Erik Larson, Oliver Sacks, Temple Grandin, and Malcolm Gladwell.
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is a YA dystopia novel that digs into gender issues, and what women do to each other to survive a patriarchal world.
It had the fast-paced, fun feel of a classic YA dystopia, but was surprisingly beautiful and nuanced at the same time. If you want something that feels literary but reads like an easy YA book, it’s a good one.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas is a lot of fun, if you’re willing to sit through 1 book that isn’t as well edited as the rest. (She wrote the first book really young, but the series as a whole is great.)
**Under the Whispering Door** by T. J. Klune
**The Anthropocene Reviewed** by John Green
Any of Amber Sparks’ or Karen Russell’s short story collections (In general, I really love speculative fiction short story collections for this. Sparks and Russell are two of my favorites in this genre, but I’m currently reading Julia Armfield’s collection **Salt Slow** for the second time and love it. Her novel is fantastic as well, but not what I’d call an “easy” read.)
Frederick Backman
Haven’t read Hoover; heard she’s awful. But Kristin Hannah? Is it really necessary to insult female authors while asking for recommendations? I see this a lot from women, particularly about romance, and it’s quite disappointing.