This request was asked by SBTB Tara on behalf of a friend: > I need a book recommendation for a friend. It needs to be a page turner, but it can’t have romance. It also can’t demand a lot of cognitive load. Her husband is in the ICU and wants to sink into something without using her brain. > > I should mention that she’s already read everything by Becky Chambers and the whole Murderbot series. **Amanda** : I did love _Sleeping Giants_ by Sylvain Neuvel, especially on audio. It’s fully narrated, so it feels like a radio play. Reading it might require slightly more attention since it’s more of an epistolary format with journal entries, interviews, etc. Perhaps _Automatic Noodle_ by Annalee Newitz ( A | BN | K | AB )._Dungeon Crawler Carl_ ( A | BN ) is a wild ride and just a really fun experience. I really like Jane Harper’s mysteries. Not too cozy and a great sense of place. **Shana** : I was going to recommend _Dungeon Crawler Carl_. It recently got me through worrying about a relative’s illness. **Sarah** : _The Parisian Heist_ ( A | BN | K | AB ) and _Everyone is Lying to You_ by Jo Piazza ( A | BN | K | AB ). The first is a dual timeline about the woman who made Van Gogh famous, his sister in law Jo. The second is a murder mystery set in the world of online influencers. An older title: _Charms for the Easy Life_ by Kaye Gibbons ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). Three generations of healers in North Carolina set during WWII. **What books would you recommend? Tell us in the comments!**