The Introverted Detective: light reading suggestions

Today's topic is light reading. My suggestions for a light, summer/fall read are here. I saw how well the last post about book suggestions went and decided to suggest more series and standalones for you. Enjoy!

The topic at hand was chosen because the book suggestions seem to do well. If you have light book suggestions put them in the comments and I might check them out. Meanwhile, let's talk light reading.

Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys

Nancy Drew mystery books go all the way back to 1930 and haven't stopped. There are several series of them, including the classics (175 books approximately), Nancy Drew Girl Detective (approximately 47 books), The Supermysteries that have Nancy paired with the Hardy boys (6 girl detective-based ones, and 36 from the 1980s/1990s), The Nancy Drew Files (124 books), graphic novels, and the handful of mostly kid-focused Nancy Drew mysteries (Nancy Drew Notebooks, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew). I excluded Nancy Drew On Campus as a series on this list because it failed harder than ever, and I never liked those (mostly drama!).

Photo courtesy of Geek Tyrant

The Hardy Boys usually follow Nancy Drew in popularity, mostly because of the Supermysteries. These two book series are written by the same publishers and both are ghostwritten. The series for these two brothers (Frank and Joe Hardy) are as follows: Classics (58 books), Several editions that happened after publishers changed over a few times, The Hardy Boys Casefiles (127 books), the Supermysteries, 2 short-lived spin-off books connected to Tom Swift, The Clues Brothers (17 books aimed at younger kids), Undercover Brothers (39 books, last book planned but never published), graphic novels, The Hardy Boys Secret files (19), The Hardy Boys Clue Book (16), and The Hardy Boys Adventures (25 so far). Best of luck finding the Tom Swift books (2 in all), but if you do let me know if they are worth finding.

The basic concepts of both are that Nancy and the Hardy Boys stumble upon mysteries and solve them with the help of their friends. See my first two sources for specific titles. I suggest these as light reading because a child or an adult can pick this up. There are revised copies of both series (some did them favors, others not so much - you be the judge). Aside from a word that we no longer use (chum means friend, keep in mind), it is an easy afternoon read on your porch or your couch. It is fun, can be read in mere hours, and you can easily read more than one in one day. Pick one up sometime. Keep in mind that some series have different audiences and may have more drama involved. They aimed at all ages.

Annie's Unraveled Mysteries

I am a suspense junkie, but I also like cozy mysteries every once in a while as a palette cleanser. These mysteries have enough edge to them without straying from the cozy category. They center around a woman who moves to Texas after a nasty divorce. She creates a friendship with her outgoing neighbor, has an off-and-on romance with a police detective, and makes her living on crochet design books and crocheting custom items. You can tell it was a nasty divorce from an emotionally abusive man because she is gaining confidence back in every book and her plan was to start over somewhere else. Her daughter is also in college in Texas (which motivated her to move to Texas). As usual, mysteries find her (whether she is walking into a murder scene or she befriends the wrong person during an event). It's worth an afternoon read. They are only 25 ish chapters long.

If you want to check out all the books (all 12 of them), check it out at this link. I'd highly suggest this to anyone who likes light but edgy mysteries.

Photo courtesy of boxes.hellosubscription.com

The Chronicles of Narnia

Courtesy of Pinterest

The seven books may be found in the children's section, but they are so delightful you'll consume the whole series in a week or less. The books have been renumbered to place them in chronological order on the Narnia timeline. I put this here because anyone can pick it up and enjoy it. They are short, meaningful, and keep your attention. The series is about a fictional land called Narnia, ruled by the lion Aslan and plagued by a white witch they must fight against. Read it. It's good.

Click here to see the original publishing order and the renumbered order of books.

NUMA Files

An adventure novel is just what I need after a hard day at work and a stressful week. I want to forget what is going on in my adult life and focus on lost treasures, hidden secrets, and hunting for hidden holes in shipwrecks. Clive Cussler and two other co-authors (Graham Brown and Paul Kemprecos) have a spinoff from the Dirk Pitt series called NUMA Files. It continues on even though Cussler himself has passed on (in 2020). Our main characters are Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala, two friends who work for NUMA (National Underwater Marine Agency) and stumble upon all kinds of archeology and environmental plots. It's a fun adventure without a sex scene. I'd say anyone could read it and love it.

Click here for the current series list.

This is an ongoing series, so this link may not be accurate next year. If you read this in 2024 dig for an updated list.

Photo courtesy of Ebay

Bridgerton

Courtesy of O The Oprah Magazine

I don't know how necessary a book description is, since Netflix has taken this series and made it famous. I read the books first, though. Simply put, the Bridgerton family (a highly respected family) has 8 kids and they all get married in a series of 8 books set around the year 1812. There is scandal, there is sex (be warned, don't hand this to your young children), and there is drama. It's a fun ride and you don't have to think too hard to enjoy it. The characters in this series also show you what their marriage looks like (proving that none of these characters are perfect). The people behave like real people. It's refreshing.

Here is the list of books. There are spinoff books that are easily found on this same link.

Conclusion

This has been reading suggestions that are light, easy reads. I could have put some other series on here, but I kind of wanted to keep this list cozy. I have several other mystery series I could suggest and I might do so later on. I don't keep as much cozy on my bookshelf as I thought. I hope you like this type of blog. If you do, comment that you want more and I'll gladly give you more. Cheers!

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