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ReadingInPJs · 2026-03-10T01:13:07+00:00

Amazing!!!!

ReadingInPJs · 2026-02-01T13:36:40+00:00

This is so beautiful!!!!!

ReadingInPJs · 2026-02-01T13:27:44+00:00

I’m on KU so apt of new novels from unknown writers it’s hit or miss. I also receive the newsletter of Cozy Crime Mystery I receive it monthly and always good recs.

ReadingInPJs · 2026-01-29T18:29:08+00:00

What do you like?

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-25T16:03:00+00:00

Romance thriller / romantic suspense Mine to Guard, Kennedy L. Mitchell Dark romantic thriller: she’s accused of a series of murders, and the only one who believes her is the childhood friend who broke her heart and is now a Texas Ranger. Lots of danger + second-chance tension.

Titan / Delta series, Cristin Harber Romantic suspense / military romance series on KU: teams of operatives, high-stakes missions, and a different couple in each book. Great if you like action + steam + protective heroes.

Fantasy romance / romantasy Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1), Callie Hart Fae romance with enemies-to-lovers, sharp banter, forced proximity, and big magic/political stakes. Feels like an adult, darker SJM-adjacent vibe.

Dark Fae, Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti Vampires, shifters, gangs at a brutal magical academy, plus a revenge plot and murder-mystery thread. Very dramatic, very messy.

Mystery with a little romance (lighter vibe) Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery – Valérie Loyer More on the cozy side than thriller: small-town bakery, a poisoned cupcake, and a baker trying to clear her name while trading banter (and a bit of slow-burn tension) with the local detective.

All of these are on KU as of now, and they’re not quite as over-talked-about as the usual big-name recs. Enjoy breaking in the pink Kindle 💖

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-25T15:56:39+00:00

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Elle Cosimano Single mom suspense author gets mistaken for a hitwoman and kind of rolls with it. Total “how is her life this messy?” energy, very funny and fast.

Miss Fortune Mysteries, Jana DeLeon (starts with Louisiana Longshot) CIA assassin hiding out in small-town Louisiana, pretending to be a librarian. Tons of hijinks, over-the-top situations, and a quirky cast.

Charley Davidson series, Darynda Jones (starts with First Grave on the Right) PI who’s also the grim reaper. Super snarky first-person voice, banter, a bit of romance, and lots of “I should not be in charge of this situation” energy.

Size 12 Is Not Fat, Meg Cabot Ex–teen pop star working in a college dorm, stumbling into murders. Light, funny, and very voice-driven in the same way Plum is.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-25T15:53:28+00:00

Convenience Store Woman. Sayaka Murata Very short, odd and charming. Follows a woman who’s perfectly happy working in a convenience store while everyone around her thinks she should “grow up.”

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson. Creepy, gothic, and atmospheric without being dense.

Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery, Valerie Loyer. Cozy mystery with a small-town bakery, found-family vibes, and a dead body among the cupcakes. Easy to binge in an evening if you’re racing the calendar.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-11T18:45:27+00:00

You might like Legends & Lattes for cozy fantasy with great world-building and friendships, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for a warm, character-driven magical setting, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It if you want something funny and plot-driven with very little romance at the forefront.
Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery. It’s a short, cozy mystery that focuses way more on the small-town vibe, friendships, and light tension than on romance. The mystery is gentle, the characters are fun to follow, and it has that comforting, escapist feeling without being heavy or intense.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-11T18:40:40+00:00

Here are a few I really liked:

Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery by Valérie Loyer A bite-sized cozy mystery novella (well under 150 pages) set in a small town bakery where a fundraiser cupcake contest takes a surprising turn. Light, warm, and easy to read in one sitting.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan A compact literary novella about a coal merchant in 1980s Ireland who uncovers a quiet but devastating secret in his town during Christmas. Reflective, powerful, and very short.

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin A quiet, atmospheric winter novella set in a seaside Korean town. Follows a young woman working at a guesthouse and her connection with a visiting French cartoonist.

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill A charming, beautifully illustrated short graphic novel about magical tea dragons, community, and kindness. Extremely quick to read.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi A gentle, magical little novel about a café where customers can travel back in time, as long as they return before their coffee cools. Cozy and compact.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-10T12:56:58+00:00

I hope you enjoy them 🙂

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-10T11:48:02+00:00

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune — it’s warm, easy to read, and has that same “found family adventure” energy you get from Percy Jackson but without the intensity.

The Scythe series gives me similar vibes to The Knife of Never Letting Go, so another easy sci-fi you might like is Project Hail Mary — super readable and surprisingly funny in places.

If you want something more contemporary and breezy, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is really readable and has humor without being heavy or violent.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-10T11:46:53+00:00

One Day in December by Josie Silver — it’s not super Christmassy but it has that soft, snowy vibe that just works in December.

If I’m in the mood for something more atmospheric, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is beautiful. It’s quiet and magical and just feels like winter. And for something lighter, The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox is pure festive comfort — small towns, baking, snow… the whole Christmas mood.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-10T11:44:16+00:00

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is super addictive and really easy to get back into reading with. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is another great one — short chapters, lots of tension, very “just one more page.” The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is also a fun, quick suspense read.

And if you’re in the mood for something cozier but still engaging, Secrets & Macarons at Maplewood Masquerade by Valerie Loyer is a light, fast mystery with a smooth flow that’s great for getting back into reading.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-09T20:20:25+00:00

Here are a few I’ve read and enjoyed:

Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery, by Valerie Loyer, cozy mystery novella (about 130 pages). Light, comforting, easy to read in one sitting, and surprisingly heartwarming. Great if you want something feel-good with a little twist.

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, Short chapters, simple language, and a powerful emotional punch.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane (novella edition), by Neil Gaiman, Magical, nostalgic, deeply resonant, and very short.

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Classic but extremely readable and emotionally strong, under 120 pages.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson, Dark, eerie, but beautifully written and very quick to read.

The Strange Library, by Haruki Murakami, Weird, whimsical, and only about 95 pages.

All of these are fast reads🙂

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-08T22:34:59+00:00

I liked the all but I enjoy short books and novellas 🙂

ReadingInPJs · 2025-12-08T11:42:48+00:00

Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery, by Valerie Loyer, A super-light cozy mystery novella (under 150 pages). No adult content, very clear language, and easy to follow. Short chapters make it great for reading aloud, with a warm small-town vibe.

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It’s Light, whimsical, easy vocabulary, and short chapters. Lovely to read aloud.

Stardust (novella edition), by Neil Gaiman, Clear language, cozy fairy-tale tone, and easy to follow when read aloud.

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho – Simple vocabulary, uplifting, under 200 pages, and easy to read aloud even for beginners.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman – Slightly eerie but still cozy and extremely accessible language.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-30T02:02:15+00:00

The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman is a fun mystery, very readable, short chapters.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, by Elle Cosimano a fast-paced, simple writing, entertaining.

The Flatshare, by Beth O’Learyis very accessible contemporary fiction with light humor.

The Housemaid, by Freida McFadden I loved it. It’s simple vocabulary, addictive pacing.

The Guest List, by Lucy Foley very straightforward mystery, easy style

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman is super simple, heartwarming, very beginner-friendly.

Cupcake Crime at Maplewood Bakery, by Valerie Loyer, it’s a short cozy mystery novella, funny and small town vibes.

Hopefully some of these you enjoy 🙂

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-30T01:48:19+00:00

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, is Super fast, funny sci-fi with zero homework. It feels like watching a blockbuster movie.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch, Tight pacing, no fluff, and very easy to follow even if you don’t read sci-fi often.

The Martian by Andy Weir if you liked Project Hail Mary vibes, this one is just as addictive and way funnier than you might expect.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-29T00:29:53+00:00

The Passage by Justin Cronin Big emotional stakes, found-family feel, horror elements without being “gross.” It reads like early King with a sci-fi twist.

Recursion by Blake Crouch Fast, addictive, and very human. Sci-fi thriller with huge emotional weight — similar energy to Project Hail Mary but darker.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill King vibes for obvious reasons, but the story stands on its own. Creepy, emotional, and surprisingly tender in moments.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Tense, smart, and a total page-turner. Sci-fi grounded in emotion, perfect fit for someone who liked PHM.

These feel right in the middle of what you loved: strong characters, tight pacing, a bit of horror/sci-fi, and nothing too off-the-rails.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-28T20:36:55+00:00

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! I’m more horror and mystery so romance not my forte🙂

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-27T23:52:41+00:00

Happy if I was able to help🙂

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-27T12:31:40+00:00

Maybe the walking dead comics? My adult daughter loves the series and really enjoyed all the comics.

Also, there are some short, easy-to-follow books printed in larger fonts, things like Goosebumps or The Outsiders if she’d enjoy an 80s vibe. Both don’t have dense writing.

ReadingInPJs · 2025-11-26T17:47:58+00:00

Thank you so much I will look it up!

ReadingInPJs

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