奇譚ルーム

A highly recommended "first real book", and did not disappoint!

The book is essentially comprised of several short stories (while building up to the larger mystery), making this a great novel to read in short bursts. The mystery scenario is fun and original, and even while some answers may be apparent, I was also continually surprised!! The cute animals (and great cover might I add) offered vibrant contrast to what would normally be a serious situation.

Difficulty

Unlike the other often recommended 'first book', また同じ夢を見ていた, this book does not use the standard です・ます grammar format you might be used to from textbooks. However, there are plenty of other crutches that make this an easy first pic:

1. This book uses horizontal writing, which most beginners are quite familiar with from their textbooks or websites.
2. There is ample furigana for those still learning kanji.
3. The book is heavily centered around SNS chat bubble dialogue, so descriptions of scenery, etc, are sparse.
4. The author himself stated that he hopes the "ルーム” books could be an introduction to reading for children, and thinks that the SNS setting would make that particularly easy for them.
5. The short stories make this a great novel to read in short bursts, which is useful for learning, but also very enjoyable.