Is anybody else having trouble concentrating lately? If social distancing is doing a number on your attention span, we've got the perfect solution: novellas. They're longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel. An easy read in between bouts of checking for news updates.
Are you using Overdrive yet? It's a great way to access eBooks and eAudiobooks from the Library. Or the easy-to-use Libby app works on ios, Android and Windows platforms. Drop us an email at [email protected] if you have any questions about getting started with eReading. You can also visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bwglibrary, where we have video tutorials that demonstrate how to get started with each of our apps.
Novellas are a well-kept secret on our eBook platform Overdrive. They're often categorized as short stories, so you will find a mixture of short story anthologies and novellas when you search. You can narrow that search by genre, so that you are searching only for Mysteries, Romance, etc.
Many major authors have written novellas as part of their long-running series. It’s a great way to get a hit of instant satisfaction from your fave author, while learning a little bit of backstory for that series. Here are our best recommendations, all available as eBooks from the BWG Library:
Jack Reacher Series: Lee Child
Lee Child's Jack Reacher series includes many novellas, sometimes included with the paperback versions of his novels. Reacher is a rather large and capable former military policeman who wanders the US, letting trouble find him. Several novellas are available for you: Second Son (#15.5 in the Reacher series), Deep Down (#16.5), Not a Drill (#18.5), Small Wars (#19.5), The Christmas Scorpion (#22.5) and Cleaning the Gold (with Karin Slaughter, #23.6).
Gamache Novels: Louise Penny
Louise Penny's long running mystery series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec includes one novella The Hangman (#6.5). This easy read is written clearly and simply, a perfect lazy afternoon read.
Various: David Baldacci
Mystery/thriller writer David Baldacci offers readers two short takes. Bullseye is a short story, #2.5 in the Will Robie/Camel Club series. Baldacci has also written a standalone short about a hitman called No Time Left, still a mystery/thriller, with an added detour into speculative fiction.
JP Beaumont Series: J.A. Jance
Mystery writer J.A. Jance includes three novellas in her J.P. Beaumont series set in Seattle, and the BWG Library has them all: Ring in the Dead (#20.5), Stand Down (#21.5) and Still Dead (#22.5).
Navy Series: Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber fans can catch a couple of romantic eShorts in the Navy Series: Navy Wife (#1) and Navy Blues (#2).
Various: Courtney Milan
Dive into four novellas from bestselling Victorian romance author Courtney Milan: the standalone The Lady Always Wins and three stories in the Brothers Sinister series; The Governess Affair (#0.5), A Kiss for Midwinter (#1.5) and Talk Sweetly to Me (#4.5).
