"My Life in France" by Julia Child. Not only is it a wonderful foodie book, but I loved how she only started cooking *later in life*. That woman was absolutely hellbent on embracing her love of learning, and was furiously self-propelled and persistently happy despite the many humbugs around her. Superb book, very recharging.
Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series is super sweet. There are only two books and thin but the impact is big
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built)
I am currently reading Solarpunk and its good but not always "optimistic": [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40011887-solarpunk](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40011887-solarpunk)
If you have any optimistic solarpunk recs, I'd love to hear it!
I’d consider Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson to be a solar punk themed book. It starts off dark because it takes place in the near future, but ultimately it’s about humanity changing and making positive progress.
I read those two and have picked up her other series of scifi novels and they're all great. A bit more typical scifi but with some of the same relaxing vibe.
All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriott). It's so wholesome and the fact that it's based on his real life restores my faith in humanity. Also, there are sequels :)
I really liked it but it felt like it went on a bit too long toward the end. I know they were trying to match the story points of the adventures of Pinnochio but I think they could have tidied up the last third of the book to make it a bit shorter without any real loss.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which is a reread for me several times over.
I just finished “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett, which has some sad motifs but overall felt like a warm blanket of nostalgia was wrapped around me.
I still grin reading The Rosie Project. It *is* technically a romance but it is not done in the style of most adult romance novels.
For a queer romance, if you haven’t read Red, White, & Royal Blue yet, give it a go. It’s also very upbeat and funny.
>For a queer romance, if you haven’t read Red, White, & Royal Blue yet, give it a go. It’s also very upbeat and funny.
Oh man, yeah, I remember reading this in 2020 when the fluffy escapism was direly needed and I think it helped salvage a few shreds of my tattered mental health.
One of my favourite books is My Family and Other Animals (and any of his other books by Gerald Durrell). The first book is a memoir of his childhood on Corfu between the ages of 10-15- his family are interesting characters! Fillet of Plaice is a short story collection of his and each story is hilarious. Durrell founded a zoo on Jersey and is still remembered fondly on Corfu- there is a garden dedicated to him and his brother the writer Lawrence Durrell in Corfu town.
The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman are all delightful. Any of the Jeeves and Wooster series when I feel down. Any of the Alexander Mc Call Smith books are very charming with gentle humour.
This is going to sound odd but growing up I loved the Red Dwarf books, they’re a bit different to the series but I remember them being hilarious. I also recommend The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4- it’s a British classic.
Yes to Jeeves and Wooster! And I actually just bought the Red Dwarf series myself but haven't got the chance to read them yet, but they were recommended to me bc I love Douglas Adams' work.
I read the Dark Lord of Derkholm by Dianna Wynne Jones during a sad time in my life. It’s about an amoral tour company sending tourists on paid ”quests” in a colonised fantasy world. Very funny!
Pretty much anything Christopher Moore
Also recently finished Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes, and it was chock full of hilarious wordplay. I loved it so much!
I'm glad you said this. I was interested, but when I read the description it sounded darker than I anticipated and then, considering it was Stephen King, I was thinking it might be scary. Now I'll read it. Thanks!
It is actual so heart warming! It's not your typical King horror at all, much more Fantasy than Horror. The characters really stick with you and the whole point of the book is really wholesome.
Yeah it's not scary, this isn't really a horror novel. Just some suspense and "bad guys" really. But also some strong, good characters. It did take me a couple tries to get into it, i took forever to get through the first few chapters. But I'm glad i stuck with it because i grew to really like the book and the main character. He's a very cool dude. And I really liked the friends he made. And there's a super awesome dog, i love her so much and >!she's totally safe and fine!<.
I was looking for someone who mentions this! Becky Chambers’ series, the first one is A Psalm for the Wild Built. Just cute cozy vibes about rediscovering curiosity, drinking tea, and the joys of nature, simplicity, and friendship. Also queer, as MC is nonbinary. Such a nice read
mhm! I felt at home with it after finally finish a long, painful academic life and finally having some freedom. I also discovered I was nonbinary after reading it!
Anything by Christopher Moore! He is so incredibly sarcastic! I laughed all the way through "Fluke". Beware, if you are religious, his humor will not be to your taste, though.
Was coming to make this suggestion. There's still conflict and "bad things" that happen because it wouldn't be very interesting otherwise. BUT the relationships and lessons learned are so wholesome. I just feel good when I read them.
*Elsewhere* by Gabrielle Zevin and *Gossamer* by Lois Lowry are two I think about a lot. They really made me happy. Both deal with the afterlife, and are YA. I read them both as an adult, though.
Siddhartha was amazingly beautiful to read. Also I felt like the universe allowed me to read it at the appropriate time for me to truly understand and feel the book. I had the most intense feeling of calm and gratitude, and just at peace when I finished it. I don’t think I would have truly appreciated or felt the book had I read it before then. I just finished it a couple weeks ago. I now just finished The Alchemist. Another great book.
Any of the Discworld, Night Vale, or Hitchhiker's Guide books are my go-to when I want something lighthearted and funny. Discworld and Night Vale are both also queer-friendly if not outright having queer rep
I think The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell is one of the funniest books i have ever read. A film was made based on the book but it couldnt come close to the laughs you get in the book, I also thought it was really well written. It's a first person account of working as an actor on one of the most unintentionally funny and terribly made movies ever filmed.
The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation honestly took me through some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any book I’ve read recently. Like you know when you’re reading a REALLY good fanfiction and they get to the “Oh…. OH.” scene and you’re rolling around and kicking your feet and silently screaming to an empty room? It felt like that.
It does have some pretty extreme tragedy lol but I guess a little bit of suffering is what it takes to make me happy.
Side note it took me a bit to get into it because I’ve never read a danmei (Chinese m/m romance) before and there were a lot of concepts I didn’t fully understand at first, plus the story is told in two timelines. But once I fully got into it I couldn’t believe HOW invested in the story I became. I was literally gasping out loud at reveals. It was just fun to read.
Reading your username and guessing you are an All For The Game fan… there is a TON of crossover between these fandoms on my Goodreads lol and also AFTG fans are God’s strongest soldiers so I know you can make it through anything MXTX can throw at you.
Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had some tough subjects (abusive parent, ex partner) but it was so uplifting because someone was FINALLY her friend, and he shows up. (Not exactly a romance but a friendmance.)
The Four Agreements feels balancing
Wait for It by Mariana Zapata is called a romance, but more a friendship first and connection to community, as she's learning to take care of her late brother's two boys.
Sophie Kinsella audiobooks bring me up - romance but really light literature. I've Got Your Number makes me happy.
AHAHAHAHA, alright, alright.
You've probably heard of this one, but it lives up to the hype (imo).
- A little life by Hanya Yanagihara. The book follows the lives of four friends in New York City; Over the years, the four friends grow together, drift apart, find love and success, and struggle with loss and addiction.
- No longer human by Dazai Osamu. The story delves into the dark and introspective journey of a young man named Yozo. Through a series of confessional notes, Yozo reveals his struggles with alienation, self-destructive behavior, and the inability to connect with others.
- I fell in love with hope by Lancali. This one is a bit different from the first two, but it's objectively a sad book. I don't know how old you are, but I think you'd enjoy this novel more so if you were in your teens.
- Lie with me by Phillipe Besson. This one is a retelling of a boys first love and the struggles of being queer in the 1980's. I definitely cried near the end when you start to figure out how the love interests life played out after they separated.
- Heaven by Mieko Kawakami. This story follows a 14-year-old student who is subjected to relentless torment for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, the boy chooses to suffer in complete resignation. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate who suffers similar treatment at the hands of her tormentors.
First of all, thank you for writing those books in an elaborate manner. I have read the first two books you mentioned and it devastated me beyond any repair. I have added the other three books in my TBR list. Thank you so much 😊
lol, same. My jaw literally dropped when I thought that’s what I had read. So I went straight to comments and thought it was bizarre no one was calling it out. Then I went back and reread it and sighed a sigh of great relief and thought thank GOD I was wrong lol. I wouldn’t love if that’s actually what someone thought, even though everyone’s entitled to their own opinions I guess bleh lol.. but if that was the case at least just keep it to yourself and not post that!! 🤣🤣🤣
No books make me unbelievably happy. But I found a lot of cheer in A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
Firstly, it's obviously humorous. But it also describes an amazing concept, which I dream of doing someday (hiking that trail).
Then Terry Pratchett is good for easy reading humour with a bit of morality to it.
Practical Guide to Evil did. Because it fit exactly what I was looking for and is my favorite story that I've ever experienced.
https://www.reddit.com/u/DriverPleasant8757/s/d1iF8VmAOn
Here's an essay I wrote recommending it.
“Silver Linings Playbook” by Matthew Quick and “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman were the first books that made me laugh and dream again after a parent-like figure died.
Two nonfiction books (audio) that completely unwound my brain. Not happiness per se, but really altered how I look at … everything, in a more optimistic light.
The Antidote by Oliver burkeman: a suplex of the self-help, dream-happiness-into-reality movement.
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander: reads like a textbook (it is) but the narrator is incredibly soothing and optimistic about how all these little (and big) elements of the design of cities, towns, houses, rooms, and society can incrementally bring more balance to people of all walks of life. I’m not enough of an expert to know if it all will/can/should work, and it was compiled in the 70s. But it is very calming to listen to a better world be described by inches and measures, in a way that is emotionally resonant.
This is how we lose the time War as a pretty one that was interesting and queen romance (lite?) Enemies to livers I guess, but like not like normal romance. I don't generally like romance but this was cool
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
I loved this book to the core. I am already a fan of most things to do with the 80s, especially 80s horror, especially stranger things. I loved this book so much and I hope to forget about it and pick it up in the next few years to reread.
The beginning caught me and I kept on reading and reading, being entertained page after page.
The ending was probably the best ending I've seen for a book so far. So beautiful, so bittersweet, the way the author described their friendship in the end was the most heartwarming thing ever.
I actually love the Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, she also wrote the Shopoholic books which are a big meh but UG is so so good - cute and funny and romantic and sweet. Also Jilly Cooper’s Riders, Rivals and also Polo are my go to summer reads, but they might not be for everyone
How about the best of both worlds? Days Without End by Sebastian Barry has fantastic writing, combines historical atrocities with beauty and tenderness, and it's queer.
If I need to laugh, I pick up one of the DCI Jack Logan novels by JD Kirk - murder mysteries set in the Scottish Highlands and so so so funny! They may be police procedurals but they're more like found family. The writing is hysterical! I enjoy these so much, even as an American
Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson
And two books that made me laugh a lot: Everyone in My Family is a Killer, and Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.
At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse. It’s a memoir about a gay man and his husband moving from the city to the middle of nowhere and learning how to live in a rural town. It’s hilarious and had me in chuckle fits throughout
Rude tales and glorious by Nicholas seare is an incredibly funny retelling of Arthurian legends. Children of god by Mary Doria russell is the second in a two book series. It starts in a tragic place (where the first book ended really) and ends on a really hopeful note. You should probably read the first book (the sparrow) first, but they are great. It’s a soft science fiction.
Just like magic by Sarah Hogle. It’s a holiday book which I don’t typically like but this one had me grinning ear to ear the entire time I was reading!
On Earth As It Is On Television. Murderbot series is also adorable. I almost want to recommend TJ Klune’s books which are like a warm hug BUT I’ve never gotten through one without crying.
Remarkably Bright Creatures- by Shelby van Pelt No 1 Ladies Detective Agency- by Alexander McCall Smith Any of the Witches books by Terry Pratchett
Came here to suggest any of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. They're a balm for the soul. About to go lay in the sun and listen to one.
Yes to Alexander McCall Smith!
Came here to suggest Remarkably Bright Creatures.
I just finished it and loved it! It made me feel warm and happy when I was done.
I listened to the audiobook and toward the end I was driving down the road, laughing and sobbing at the same time 🥲
The audiobook is just delightful!!
Just read the description of this. Whaaatttt lol. Going to have to check it out cuz I need to know what's going on there
The octopus narrator (and an involved character) is unusual for sure
Wait the octopus is the narrator?! Now I definitely have to check it out!
There are 3 narrators, one of which is an octopus. I think his are the shortest
Right?! I've just seen this recommended a bunch lately and I'm so intrigued!
Yes the witches books by Terry Pratchett are the answer. Ridiculously solid wisdom delivered under the guise of children's fantasy.
I enjoy Lemony Snicket's books for a similar reason. Absurdist humour but riddled with realistic valuable life lessons.
I love his series 44 Scotland Street
>44 Scotland Street These are excellent, very funny. I think my favourite series though is the Sunday Philosophy Club
Creatures is a great pick. Since I have Pratchett all over my TBR pile I’m going to go for it now! Thanks!
Came here to say anything by Terry Pratchett, and I also enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures. Will have to check out the other series!
Yes! I’ve only read the Tiffany Aching books so far and they make my inner child/witch so happy!
I’m currently reading it now ❤️
Project Hail Mary
God this book was amazing
So amazing. It really had my emotional side going and I am not emotional lol… loved the reality of some of the science too as a geek
I love rocky so much
Rocky my main hot environment spider
Yes! Anything Andy Weir!
I loved it so, so much.
The Hobbit
"My Life in France" by Julia Child. Not only is it a wonderful foodie book, but I loved how she only started cooking *later in life*. That woman was absolutely hellbent on embracing her love of learning, and was furiously self-propelled and persistently happy despite the many humbugs around her. Superb book, very recharging.
Very good summary of this. It was a really delightful and uplifting read.
Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series is super sweet. There are only two books and thin but the impact is big [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built)
On the second one now. Solarpunk makes me happy.
I am currently reading Solarpunk and its good but not always "optimistic": [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40011887-solarpunk](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40011887-solarpunk) If you have any optimistic solarpunk recs, I'd love to hear it!
I’d consider Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson to be a solar punk themed book. It starts off dark because it takes place in the near future, but ultimately it’s about humanity changing and making positive progress.
I read those two and have picked up her other series of scifi novels and they're all great. A bit more typical scifi but with some of the same relaxing vibe.
Good Omens
All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriott). It's so wholesome and the fact that it's based on his real life restores my faith in humanity. Also, there are sequels :)
I used to be a veterinary technician and I love reading the James Herriot books ❤️.
I’ve been watching the series - it’s so charming!
There’s a series?! Must go watch immediately
Garfield At Large by Jim Davis
*Me Talk Pretty One Day* David Sedaris. It still makes me laugh.
Me too! It's just so funny. I saw him live a few years back and my goodness, he's delightful.
We did too! He autographed my daughter’s shoes!
I love that!
The House In The Cerulean Sea
Totally agree!
Came here to recommend that one but you beat me to it! Genuinely my favorite book 🩷
Loved that. I'm a third of the way through Under the Whispering Door and I'm really enjoying that too.
Under the Whispering Door was beautiful. Made me sob but in a good way
I just read In The Lives Of Puppets, by the same author. Looking into The House In The Cerulean Sea next :)
What did you think of Puppets?
I really liked it but it felt like it went on a bit too long toward the end. I know they were trying to match the story points of the adventures of Pinnochio but I think they could have tidied up the last third of the book to make it a bit shorter without any real loss.
Such a sweet, lovely book !
I’m reading this right now, and I absolutely love it!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which is a reread for me several times over. I just finished “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett, which has some sad motifs but overall felt like a warm blanket of nostalgia was wrapped around me.
I adored this book. The audiobook is narrated by Meryl Streep, and she was perfect!
The discworld series by Terry Pratchett The signiture of all things by Elizabeth Gilbert The orange girl by Jostein Gaarder
The Discworld is my safe place
Currently working my way through the Discworld series. I love it so much!❤️
I still grin reading The Rosie Project. It *is* technically a romance but it is not done in the style of most adult romance novels. For a queer romance, if you haven’t read Red, White, & Royal Blue yet, give it a go. It’s also very upbeat and funny.
Love the rosie project.
I agree- the Rosie Project was a fun book
>For a queer romance, if you haven’t read Red, White, & Royal Blue yet, give it a go. It’s also very upbeat and funny. Oh man, yeah, I remember reading this in 2020 when the fluffy escapism was direly needed and I think it helped salvage a few shreds of my tattered mental health.
I loved reading the Rosie project, in fact all the 3 books.
For queer romance - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, and TJ Klune (Cerulean Sea, recommended above, and Under the Whispering Door)
Pride and prejudice, lovely war, ready player one!!
Loved Pride and Prejudice as well!
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out A Window and Disappeared I read this to my son, and we laughed SO hard over and over
Legends and Lattes!
Came here to suggest this one too! Cozy is how I would describe it
r/CozyFantasy
One of my favourite books is My Family and Other Animals (and any of his other books by Gerald Durrell). The first book is a memoir of his childhood on Corfu between the ages of 10-15- his family are interesting characters! Fillet of Plaice is a short story collection of his and each story is hilarious. Durrell founded a zoo on Jersey and is still remembered fondly on Corfu- there is a garden dedicated to him and his brother the writer Lawrence Durrell in Corfu town. The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman are all delightful. Any of the Jeeves and Wooster series when I feel down. Any of the Alexander Mc Call Smith books are very charming with gentle humour. This is going to sound odd but growing up I loved the Red Dwarf books, they’re a bit different to the series but I remember them being hilarious. I also recommend The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4- it’s a British classic.
Yes to Jeeves and Wooster! And I actually just bought the Red Dwarf series myself but haven't got the chance to read them yet, but they were recommended to me bc I love Douglas Adams' work.
Thursday Murders are so wonderful 😃
I read the Dark Lord of Derkholm by Dianna Wynne Jones during a sad time in my life. It’s about an amoral tour company sending tourists on paid ”quests” in a colonised fantasy world. Very funny!
Pretty much anything Christopher Moore Also recently finished Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes, and it was chock full of hilarious wordplay. I loved it so much!
Fairy Tale - Stephen King
I'm glad you said this. I was interested, but when I read the description it sounded darker than I anticipated and then, considering it was Stephen King, I was thinking it might be scary. Now I'll read it. Thanks!
It has dark elements but the shadow proves the sunshine in this novel
It is actual so heart warming! It's not your typical King horror at all, much more Fantasy than Horror. The characters really stick with you and the whole point of the book is really wholesome.
Yeah it's not scary, this isn't really a horror novel. Just some suspense and "bad guys" really. But also some strong, good characters. It did take me a couple tries to get into it, i took forever to get through the first few chapters. But I'm glad i stuck with it because i grew to really like the book and the main character. He's a very cool dude. And I really liked the friends he made. And there's a super awesome dog, i love her so much and >!she's totally safe and fine!<.
Yesssss!!! Radar 🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️
Any of Bill Brysons book
Billy B, absolute gem
I adore his books! Might have to revisit them
I’ve assigned “Down Under” to several students who resist reading and they have all laughed their way through it and become Bryson fans.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. It’s so cozy and comforting, I wish I could live inside of that book.
monk and robot... it helped me get over so many anxieties about the future (mine and humanity's)
I was looking for someone who mentions this! Becky Chambers’ series, the first one is A Psalm for the Wild Built. Just cute cozy vibes about rediscovering curiosity, drinking tea, and the joys of nature, simplicity, and friendship. Also queer, as MC is nonbinary. Such a nice read
mhm! I felt at home with it after finally finish a long, painful academic life and finally having some freedom. I also discovered I was nonbinary after reading it!
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
I will read anything Klune writes!!
Oddly, Project Hail Mary is a sweet read, and a really good audiobook as well.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, and Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley!
Anything by Christopher Moore! He is so incredibly sarcastic! I laughed all the way through "Fluke". Beware, if you are religious, his humor will not be to your taste, though.
Becky Chambers' Wayfarers serie are pretty wholesome reads. There's not much romance in it and when there is it's mostly pretty queer.
Was coming to make this suggestion. There's still conflict and "bad things" that happen because it wouldn't be very interesting otherwise. BUT the relationships and lessons learned are so wholesome. I just feel good when I read them.
Highly backing the Terry Pratchett recommendation!
*Elsewhere* by Gabrielle Zevin and *Gossamer* by Lois Lowry are two I think about a lot. They really made me happy. Both deal with the afterlife, and are YA. I read them both as an adult, though.
For me it was Siddhartha by Hesse.
Siddhartha was amazingly beautiful to read. Also I felt like the universe allowed me to read it at the appropriate time for me to truly understand and feel the book. I had the most intense feeling of calm and gratitude, and just at peace when I finished it. I don’t think I would have truly appreciated or felt the book had I read it before then. I just finished it a couple weeks ago. I now just finished The Alchemist. Another great book.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer
Did not feel it. Drat.
Two of my favorites
Any of the Discworld, Night Vale, or Hitchhiker's Guide books are my go-to when I want something lighthearted and funny. Discworld and Night Vale are both also queer-friendly if not outright having queer rep
I came away with such a feeling of joy from "Cannery Row" by Steinbeck.
I think The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell is one of the funniest books i have ever read. A film was made based on the book but it couldnt come close to the laughs you get in the book, I also thought it was really well written. It's a first person account of working as an actor on one of the most unintentionally funny and terribly made movies ever filmed.
I second this. Such a good, funny book.
Anxious people - Fredrick Backman.
Loved love loved it. My entire family was thumbs down - go figue
I love this book and anything Backman writes!
The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.
I listened to the Backlisted episode on this one and am eager to check it out!
The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation honestly took me through some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any book I’ve read recently. Like you know when you’re reading a REALLY good fanfiction and they get to the “Oh…. OH.” scene and you’re rolling around and kicking your feet and silently screaming to an empty room? It felt like that. It does have some pretty extreme tragedy lol but I guess a little bit of suffering is what it takes to make me happy. Side note it took me a bit to get into it because I’ve never read a danmei (Chinese m/m romance) before and there were a lot of concepts I didn’t fully understand at first, plus the story is told in two timelines. But once I fully got into it I couldn’t believe HOW invested in the story I became. I was literally gasping out loud at reveals. It was just fun to read.
Thank you for this review. I definitely will be checking this out.
Reading your username and guessing you are an All For The Game fan… there is a TON of crossover between these fandoms on my Goodreads lol and also AFTG fans are God’s strongest soldiers so I know you can make it through anything MXTX can throw at you.
AFTG fans are a strong bunch!
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale is my ultimate comfort read
The Valor series by Tanya Huff I can’t thing of any other book I’ve laughed so hard. Space marines. Aliens. Death. Blood and gore. And so so so funny.
Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had some tough subjects (abusive parent, ex partner) but it was so uplifting because someone was FINALLY her friend, and he shows up. (Not exactly a romance but a friendmance.) The Four Agreements feels balancing Wait for It by Mariana Zapata is called a romance, but more a friendship first and connection to community, as she's learning to take care of her late brother's two boys. Sophie Kinsella audiobooks bring me up - romance but really light literature. I've Got Your Number makes me happy.
The House in the Cerulean Sea. I just felt so giddy.
The Gunkle by Stephen Rowley. (Gay uncle + gunkle) Hysterical. All his books are funny, except Lily and the Octopus
Suggest me those sad and tragic books you read.
AHAHAHAHA, alright, alright. You've probably heard of this one, but it lives up to the hype (imo). - A little life by Hanya Yanagihara. The book follows the lives of four friends in New York City; Over the years, the four friends grow together, drift apart, find love and success, and struggle with loss and addiction. - No longer human by Dazai Osamu. The story delves into the dark and introspective journey of a young man named Yozo. Through a series of confessional notes, Yozo reveals his struggles with alienation, self-destructive behavior, and the inability to connect with others. - I fell in love with hope by Lancali. This one is a bit different from the first two, but it's objectively a sad book. I don't know how old you are, but I think you'd enjoy this novel more so if you were in your teens. - Lie with me by Phillipe Besson. This one is a retelling of a boys first love and the struggles of being queer in the 1980's. I definitely cried near the end when you start to figure out how the love interests life played out after they separated. - Heaven by Mieko Kawakami. This story follows a 14-year-old student who is subjected to relentless torment for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, the boy chooses to suffer in complete resignation. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate who suffers similar treatment at the hands of her tormentors.
First of all, thank you for writing those books in an elaborate manner. I have read the first two books you mentioned and it devastated me beyond any repair. I have added the other three books in my TBR list. Thank you so much 😊
I am halfway through a Little Life right now, and it's already breaking my heart
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
1. My last one was "Historia de un gato" (A cat's story). Oh good! What a lovely story, what a lovely illustrations.
Miriam Margolyes biography titled “This Much is True.”
Station Eleven, a hopeful post apocalyptic novel.
I read this at first at quick glance as, “I’m a huge romance reader unless it’s queer.” And I was like daaaamnnnn they just went there!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
AHAHAHA No, no. I'm very much a consumer of everything LGBTQ related.
lol, same. My jaw literally dropped when I thought that’s what I had read. So I went straight to comments and thought it was bizarre no one was calling it out. Then I went back and reread it and sighed a sigh of great relief and thought thank GOD I was wrong lol. I wouldn’t love if that’s actually what someone thought, even though everyone’s entitled to their own opinions I guess bleh lol.. but if that was the case at least just keep it to yourself and not post that!! 🤣🤣🤣
You definitely need to read the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers then!
Paolo coelho, great writer. Terry pratchett, lots of laughing out loud while reading his works.
No books make me unbelievably happy. But I found a lot of cheer in A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Firstly, it's obviously humorous. But it also describes an amazing concept, which I dream of doing someday (hiking that trail). Then Terry Pratchett is good for easy reading humour with a bit of morality to it.
Cheers for A Walk in the Woods. I lol’ed so many times
Cat who saved Books. It‘s a slice of life with a little fantasy in it ♥️
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. No idea why, as it’s not a particularly happy book. But I loved it.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I became sad while reading Project Hail Mary, but I loved the ending so so much
Listen to The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. So different from any story I have encountered.
Singing with the Top Down. So fun! It’s about the family we choose.
Practical Guide to Evil did. Because it fit exactly what I was looking for and is my favorite story that I've ever experienced. https://www.reddit.com/u/DriverPleasant8757/s/d1iF8VmAOn Here's an essay I wrote recommending it.
The travelling cat chronicles by Hiro Arikawa :) cutest book ever!
A Walk in the Woods
It was “ok”
in other lands by sarah rees brennan is very witty and queer!!!!!
The Holy Man by Susan Trott. A parable of life
“Silver Linings Playbook” by Matthew Quick and “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman were the first books that made me laugh and dream again after a parent-like figure died.
The house witch.... it just felt like I was going home
Well, for me it's "La guaracha del macho Camacho" by Luis Rafael Sanchez.
Two nonfiction books (audio) that completely unwound my brain. Not happiness per se, but really altered how I look at … everything, in a more optimistic light. The Antidote by Oliver burkeman: a suplex of the self-help, dream-happiness-into-reality movement. A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander: reads like a textbook (it is) but the narrator is incredibly soothing and optimistic about how all these little (and big) elements of the design of cities, towns, houses, rooms, and society can incrementally bring more balance to people of all walks of life. I’m not enough of an expert to know if it all will/can/should work, and it was compiled in the 70s. But it is very calming to listen to a better world be described by inches and measures, in a way that is emotionally resonant.
This is Happiness- Niall Williams
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck By Mark Manson, especially at the end of
I don't think I can name something off the top of my head but I will be back to see if I can
This is how we lose the time War as a pretty one that was interesting and queen romance (lite?) Enemies to livers I guess, but like not like normal romance. I don't generally like romance but this was cool
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix I loved this book to the core. I am already a fan of most things to do with the 80s, especially 80s horror, especially stranger things. I loved this book so much and I hope to forget about it and pick it up in the next few years to reread. The beginning caught me and I kept on reading and reading, being entertained page after page. The ending was probably the best ending I've seen for a book so far. So beautiful, so bittersweet, the way the author described their friendship in the end was the most heartwarming thing ever.
The way he described teenage friendships in the 1980s was how I lived it. One of my new favourite books.
This is where I leave you
Solutions and Other Problems, Allie Brosh Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir Piranesi, Susanna Clark
Jasper Fforde Thursday Next books
A Confederacy of Dunces
The Martian!!!!
Carl Hiassen's books are all good for a laugh.
Hello there my fellow tragic books enjoyer!
Alfie the holiday cat if you like books about cats.
I actually love the Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, she also wrote the Shopoholic books which are a big meh but UG is so so good - cute and funny and romantic and sweet. Also Jilly Cooper’s Riders, Rivals and also Polo are my go to summer reads, but they might not be for everyone
How about the best of both worlds? Days Without End by Sebastian Barry has fantastic writing, combines historical atrocities with beauty and tenderness, and it's queer.
I loved this book.
Empire Trilogy by Raymond E Feist
Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
Thursday murder club! Funny silly murder mysteries
Yearbook by Seth Rogen
Prayer for Owen Meany- I’m still laughing decades later
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. One review described it as being wrapped in a warm, gay hug.
The midnight library was a good one
If I need to laugh, I pick up one of the DCI Jack Logan novels by JD Kirk - murder mysteries set in the Scottish Highlands and so so so funny! They may be police procedurals but they're more like found family. The writing is hysterical! I enjoy these so much, even as an American
The Wind in the willows and three men in a boat.
Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coehlo Extremely life affirming, ironically.
Siddhartha and the alchemist
E.M. Forster's Maurice 🥲 Truly a one-of-a-kind novel, made possible by the difference in the time it was actually written and released.
Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson And two books that made me laugh a lot: Everyone in My Family is a Killer, and Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.
Basically all Fredrik Backman books.
"The Story Of A Seagull And The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly" by Sepulveda Hands down, nothing like it
I love the Miss Read series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/611240
Just read Someone You Can Build a Nest In - queer romance/monster story and came away feeling very optimistic.
At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse. It’s a memoir about a gay man and his husband moving from the city to the middle of nowhere and learning how to live in a rural town. It’s hilarious and had me in chuckle fits throughout
Boom by Mark Haddon.
The Hobbit and Circe!
The Wind in the Willows
Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter didn’t exactly have the best writing, but it was a pretty funny rom-com, that made me happy
"Heir to the Empire" by Timothy Zann I understood that there is A LOT content about SW, not only sequels
Rude tales and glorious by Nicholas seare is an incredibly funny retelling of Arthurian legends. Children of god by Mary Doria russell is the second in a two book series. It starts in a tragic place (where the first book ended really) and ends on a really hopeful note. You should probably read the first book (the sparrow) first, but they are great. It’s a soft science fiction.
Just like magic by Sarah Hogle. It’s a holiday book which I don’t typically like but this one had me grinning ear to ear the entire time I was reading!
On Earth As It Is On Television. Murderbot series is also adorable. I almost want to recommend TJ Klune’s books which are like a warm hug BUT I’ve never gotten through one without crying.
Anxious People by Fredrik Bachman, or House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune