
Top 5 smol books
Hello friends!! Welcome to Top 5 Tuesday!! This week’s topic is top 5 smol books!!
Yes, last week we did the huge books, and this week we are celebrating the teeny books. You know, the ones that make it easy to pack 17 of in your handbag (or large pockets). Just in case you get some time. At that social event you said you’d go to. And now you regret all of your life choices. But hey, at least you have a book (or 12) on you!!
My top 5 (read) smol books were all actually extra chapters that I ticked off on Goodreads. Then there were a few audiobooks, so I skipped them too. Then there were the original 12 Fence comics by C. S. Pacat, to be completely honest. So I’m taking those out of the mix and starting at things over 32 pages, UNLESS it tells a story. But I also skipped a bunch of ‘stories’ in lieu of ones that I remembered the plot of. So, the below is kind of a mixed bag of weird things…
If you missed the January-March 2023 topics, they are out now!! Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted here @ Meeghan reads.

top 5 smol books
The Girl Who Steals Christmas — C.G. Drews

Ok, so The Girl Who Steals Christmas by C.G. Drews (aka PaperFury) is technically a 15 page short story that is set before The Boy Who Steals Houses. And while I wouldn’t normally count it, this story made me SOB. IN PUBLIC. It was an emotional rollercoaster of wonder and tears.
Also, I really just want to use this opportunity to scream about The Boy Who Steals Houses again. Also, The Kings of Nowhere which you can read on Drews’ Patreon account where The House for Lost Things (the third and final book in the trilogy) will be added very soon!! And everything that Drews writes. Magic.
Opal — Maggie Stiefvater
Opal by Maggie Stiefvater is a short story set after The Raven Cycle, but before The Dreamer Trilogy. It’s actually quite sweet in a slightly terrifying way.
Opal tells the story of Ronan’s… adopted daughter (? trying to figure out how to explain this without spoilers is weird) who makes an appearance in the series. It’s told from her perspective and (from memory) also shows some scenes from the main story itself. Or plot points that were referred to.
Honestly it’s been a while since I read this 38 page story, so I could be wrong…

How the Marquis Got His Coat Back — Neil Gaiman

If you have read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (and everyone should), then you have done yourself a disservice if you haven’t followed it up with How the Marquis Got His Coat Back.
This 64 page short story fills in the blanks for the Marquis that aren’t in the main story itself. You know, because Richard and the Marquis go off in separate directions.
The story itself is good — not amazing. But really, anything that puts me back in the Neverwhere world is top tier for me. Speaking of, I wonder how The Seven Sisters is going…
Kindred Spirits — Rainbow Rowell
Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell is probably the first ‘entire book’ on this list. Which, at 96 pages long, is quite an accomplishment. And by entire book, I mean it’s not part of another series and the characters don’t turn up anywhere else.
I also remember when this book came out — it was a freebie that bookstores were giving away as part of World Book Day. But only in the UK. I ended up buying my copy from eBay and paying exorbitant postage costs, for it to then be released later as part of Rowell’s tiny short story collection (is it a collection if it’s two stories?!), Almost Midnight.
It’s completely nerdy and it about two people standing in line to watch the newest Star Wars film. It’s also very sweet.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead — Tom Stoppard

This is probably the most unusual book on this list. Partly because Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is actually a play. But also because it’s one of the books that I studied in school that I genuinely LOVED.
At a teeny 118 pages, and first published in 1966, this story adds to the overarching plot of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Yup, it’s THAT Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. And it’s quite cleverly told in between the other scenes of the original play. There are genuinely points where R&G walk off the stage of Hamlet and could then walk onto a stage of this, with Hamlet (the character) in the very far background.
If you’re a fan of Shakespeare I would highly recommend this. Even for the witty banter alone!

FYI, I have built a database of everyone who know of that has joined a Top 5 Tuesday topic. Which means, I should be able to come and visit blogs every week to find your posts. You won’t necessarily need to link your posts below (unless you want to). But, if you’re new or I’ve not found your blog, please drop a comment below with a link to your post, and I will add you!
PARTICIPANTS
Jillian the Bookish Butterfly
The Punk Theory
Katie’s Cottage Books
Your Book Friend
Books Are 42
Biblio Nerd Reflections
The Pine-Scented Chronicles
Zezee with Books
Peat Long’s Blog
DB’s Guide to the Galaxy
What are your top 5 smol book?



4 Comments
Aishwariya Laxmi
Dear Meeghan, I subscribe to your blog. I’ve done a similar post in the past on my blog. Here’s the post – https://aishwariyalaxmi.com/2021/08/22/10-classics-with-less-than-200-pages/ I love the cats design on your blog coz I, too, love cats, but I don’t have any at home. I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at cat pics and videos on the internet. I’d love to be a part of this blog hop ( Top 5 Tuesday) and be added to your blog list if it’s okay with you. So it means that every Tuesday I release my Top 5 list right? Just checking coz it’s very early in the morning here in India and I’m a bit sleepy still 🙂
meeghan
Hi Aishwariya! Yes, if you post on Tuesdays and link or tag my blog, I should get a notification and I will add you to the list of attendees, linking back to your post when I do mine (which at the moment is after everyone else so I can link to other blogs). Hope you have a great day!
dbsguidetothegalaxy
Yeah I was confused looking at my Goodreads and seeing books I KNOW aren’t short and then I realised they were audios and you know how annoying Goodreads is with page counts 😄. And then had to scroll past the unpublished books before I could see anything I could use.
I really need to read Almost Midnight! But also I haven’t read Anyway the Wind Blows either so ahhh I need to get to that… whenever
meeghan
Midnights is super cute though, and really short!! I highly recommend both stories in it. It’s so heart-warming 🥰