TOP 5 TUESDAY –Top 5 books under 300 pages

Hello lovelies!

Here’s my weekly Top 5 Tuesday hosted by the wonderful  Shannah @Bionic Bookworm Blog (go check out her blog; it’s amazing!). This week will feature (as the title suggets) my Top 5 books under 300 pages. I love books under 300 pages since they’re usually quick reads and make me feel better about myself because they allow me to efficiently progress on my 2019 reading challenge! However, it’s hard to find well-developped plots because the length does not allow authors to develop the plot as much as they could if they went over 300 pages so I Here we go:

The Rapture of Lol V. Stein by Marguerite Duras (181 pages), originally published in French

What drew me in, was the writing style. Or rather, the lack thereof. My teacher told me that it was nearly impossible to write an essay about Duras’s writing style because her writing is empty of embellishments. She simply tells a story. The intricacies lie in the story and what a story it is! The book deals with Lol Stein formely engaged to Michael Richardson, who left her at the ball for an older woman: Anne-Marie Stretter. She cannot cope. She slowly goes down the path of insanity. Ten years later she’s married and has three children. She spies on her best friend and the meetings she has with her lover…who becomes Lol’s lover.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (201 pages)

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about family, love, music and passion. It teaches you to appreciate the little things: moments with loved ones, sunny days spent basking in the sun, a beautiful melody…This story teaches you about life and its gifts but also death and its pain. It’s beautiful.

The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke (127 pages), originally published in German

The story begins with the main character, a teenage girl, who’s sitting at the table with her mother and her brother. In the middle of the table stands a large pot of cooked mussels. They’re waiting for the father’s return. The evening wears on and as the mussels go bad, so does the evening as we glimpse at the issues that are tearing this family apart.

“I wrote this book in August 1989, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. I wanted to understand how revolutions start. It seemed logical to use the figure of a tyrannical father and turn the story into a German family saga.” – Birgit Vanderbeke

Secret Vampire by L.J Smith (Night World #1) ( 242 pages)

I read this when i was twelve or so and it has stayed with me ever since. it’s very cliché and it was written in the 90s but it’s a quick and lovely read. I was obsessed with The Vampire Diaries and I wanted to read everything by L.J. Smith. This holds sentimental value. Synopsis: “The diagnosis for Poppy was death. there was no hope–until James, her best friend and secret love, appeared in the hospital. But this was a James she didn’t know. He offered Poppy eternal life. Only he could open the door to the Night World. They’re soulmates–but can she follow him into death and beyond?” (Goodreads)

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt (288 pages)

Synopsis: ” This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation. Then Jordan dumps Courtney — for a girl he met on the Internet. Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.” (Goodreads)

This a perfect summer contemporary read! The premise is interesting and the book delivers its promises. I did not expect the book to pull at my heartstrings as much as it did. I loved the characters and their relationship felt real and raw. Incredible and undeniable chemisty. Perfect.