My edition’s 288 pages, but honestly, the exact number doesn’t matter as much as how those pages feel. 'Strange but True?' is the kind of book where you start reading at noon and suddenly it’s dark outside. The chapters are short and punchy, which makes it addictive—just one more, and suddenly you’ve blown through half of it. The story’s set in this suffocating suburban neighborhood, and every detail, from the creaky porch steps to the protagonist’s frayed sweater, adds to the atmosphere. Length-wise, it’s shorter than, say, a Stephen King doorstopper, but it packs just as much tension. Bonus: The epilogue is only three pages but haunted me for weeks.
288 pages in the version I read last summer. What stuck with me isn’t the number, though—it’s how the book plays with time. The present-day scenes are interspersed with these fragmented memories, so the structure makes the whole thing feel labyrinthine. The physical book is light enough to carry around, but the story? Heavy. Perfect for fans of 'Sharp Objects' or 'the push.'
Checking my shelf right now—my copy of 'Strange but True?' is the Harper Perennial reprint, and it’s 288 pages. What’s wild is how much space the story occupies in my head compared to its actual length. It’s a deceptively simple premise—a woman shows up claiming to be carrying her deceased boyfriend’s child—but the layers of guilt, grief, and secrets make it feel sprawling. The font’s pretty standard, so it’s not one of those books that pads things out with huge margins. If you’re a slow reader like me, it’ll take a few nights, but the payoff is legit. Also, side note: the UK edition has slightly different cover art that’s way creepier.
I picked up 'Strange but True?' on a whim at a used bookstore, drawn by the eerie cover and the promise of something unsettling. The edition I have is the paperback from 2005, and it clocks in at 272 pages. It’s one of those books that feels longer than it actually is because the pacing is so tight—every chapter ends with this gnawing sense of dread. I remember finishing it in two sittings because I just couldn’t put it down. The way John Searles builds tension makes those pages fly by, even though the story itself is deliberately slow-burn. If you're into psychological thrillers with a side of suburban Gothic, this one’s worth the time.
Funny thing is, I later lent my copy to a friend who lost it, and when I rebought it, I realized there’s a newer edition with a different page count (around 288, I think?). So it might depend on which version you grab. Either way, it’s a solid weekend read.
272 pages in the original hardback! I know because I dog-eared my favorite scene—page 148, where the twist hits like a truck. Searles’ writing is so economical; not a single page feels wasted. The dialogue crackles, and the flashbacks are woven in so smoothly that you don’t even notice how deep you’re sinking into the mystery. Pro tip: Don’t flip to the end early. The page count might seem short, but the emotional weight lingers.
2025-12-05 05:37:31
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Strange short stories
Gabriela Berri
10
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Bedtime stories, fantasy, fiction, romance, action, urban,mystery, thriller and anything more you can think ...
Just a warning ... none of them are normal.
Tru Parker didn’t know how ideal her life was until everything normal and safe evaporated in an instant. With her mother gone and nightmares plaguing her sleep, it takes the iron will of her best friend to help her fit in again at school. But that’s hard to do when supernaturals start popping up all around her -- and she learns that one of them killed her mother. Even worse, she realizes she might not be human herself. You’d think that the two swoon-worthy guys dogging her steps at school would make life better, but deciding who to trust only comes after more heartbreak, danger, and self-discovery. Unlikely alliances form around Tru, and together they work to debunk supernatural lore and decipher a prophecy that places two people in the center of it -- the boy she’s falling in love with and herself. The TRUE NATURE SERIES is created by KAREN LYNN BENNETT, an eGlobal signed author.
Meet Esmerelda Sleuth. Sleuth is her name and investigating is her game. (Paranormal Investigating, that is.)
Esmerelda makes a good living as an investigator in a rather progressive firm. She lives a stable and sensible life until she meets Lance; an old money "hottie" who works for a real estate firm next to her building. After accepting an invitation for a weekend getaway party, she quickly discovers that Lance has a secret. He is wealthy. That part is true. And, yes, he's procured a job as a realtor in the building next door. His secret is that he belongs to an underground society of humans who didn't abandon their connection to magic centuries ago when religion declared it evil and he has traveled through time specifically to find her and bring her back to his time to marry him. If that isn't enough of a far fetched tale to absorb, he informs her that she was born in his time to a family belonging to that same secret society and was promised in marriage to him as an infant. When enemies who didn't want to see the union of families take place made attempts on her life, her parents sent her into the future and erased her memories of them as a precaution.
Possessing virtually no belief in magic, ghosts, psychics, time travel, etc., it takes some doing on Lance's part to convince her to believe his story and go back with him. When she does, the lies, deceit and attempts on her life start all over again. Will she escape emotionally and physically unscathed?
"The Other Side Of the Mirror" is a steamy-paranormal-romance- mystery-thriller and book one of the Esmerelda Sleuth series.
With her enemies in pre-civil war Virginia still seeking her death, Esmerelda is forced to return to the future only days after wedding Lance. Because it was necessary to fake her death in order to stop her enemies from following her to the future, her new husband, Lance, was forced to stay behind. He’d placed a magic box for them to communicate until he found a way to safely be with her beneath the floorboards of the house.
Now, she must find it.
A task that is easier said than done!
“The Magic Box” is book two of the exciting paranormal-romance-mystery-thriller Esmerelda Sleuth Series
One day I woke up without any family members but now she's claiming that I have sisters who are Queens of another planet?!
I thought my regular life is already a complicated mess, yet it all changed when she appeared. And now I suddenly became someone completely different.
What will happen to me now?
Hi! I'm Aimee!
Come and join me to an adventure of finding my real identity.
A Mysterious lake on which the people of a small town away from California very much fascinated but frightened as well. As it was supposed to have connection of some death events with the lake. But still, none could prove the incidents even the police of the town couldn't find any clue.
For some reason some young people got themselves involved in that mystery. But they didn't know even didn't expect these would come out. There was a rumor that some secret illegal scientific research on human was going on which was somehow collected to that lake.
What actually was going on there?
Was the lake responsible for the death?
Who were responsible for that? It was to discover. It was to disclose and it was to stop.
I recently picked up 'Strange Monkey Boy' and was surprised by how chunky it felt in my hands. The edition I have is the hardcover release from 2022, and it clocks in at a solid 428 pages. What's interesting is how the length complements the story's pacing - it's dense with world-building but never feels bloated. The first hundred pages fly by with the protagonist's origin story, while the middle sections take their time exploring the surreal monkey kingdom. The last third accelerates into this breakneck adventure sequence that makes you forget you're holding such a substantial book.
The page count actually varies between editions though. The original paperback runs shorter at 396 pages due to smaller font size and tighter margins. There's even a special illustrated version that pushes past 500 pages with all the bonus artwork. What remains consistent is how the author uses every page effectively - no filler chapters or wasted scenes. Even the glossary of monkey language in the back feels essential to the experience. For readers intimidated by longer novels, this one's worth the commitment because the pages turn themselves once you get into its rhythm.
I love collecting books and keeping track of their details, so I can tell you that 'Love Is Strange' has around 320 pages. It's a great read with a mix of romance and drama, and the length feels just right for the story it tells. The book is engaging from start to finish, and the page count makes it perfect for a weekend binge. I’ve seen some editions with slight variations, but most print versions stick close to that number. If you’re into heartfelt stories, this one’s worth picking up.
The first time I picked up 'Oddly Enough,' I was struck by how deceptively slim it looked on the shelf. Turns out, it packs a punch with around 200 pages, depending on the edition. The stories inside are these quirky little gems—each one feels like a bite-sized adventure. I remember finishing it in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down. The pacing is so tight, and the way the author weaves humor and heart into such brief tales is honestly impressive. It’s one of those books where the page count doesn’t matter because every sentence carries weight.
What’s cool about 'Oddly Enough' is how it manages to feel both light and profound. The edition I have clocks in at 208 pages, but I’ve seen versions with slightly different layouts that might nudge that number up or down. If you’re into collections that blend the whimsical with the thought-provoking, this one’s a must-read. It’s like 'Calvin and Hobbes' met Kafka in the best possible way.