I was looking at all the responses to the Calling All Booksworms post, and want to ask for my own recommendations. I need a few happy, uplifting books where people don't do really terrible things to each other.
I love to read, but recently I've read a few apocolyptic type books and they seriously have me thinking about becoming a doomsday prepper. They were so dark and pessimistic! I need something to get me out of this funk.
Suggestions?
ETA: For anyone who likes dystopic fiction, I just read the Joshua books. They are a new author, and they were free kindle books when I downloaded them. Often new/free kindle books aren't well written, but these were pretty good. And they were engaging, so I do recommend them. But wow the author has a pessimistic view of human nature.
(I've previously read all of Janet Evanovich, which are funny and light. So, something else?)
I am loving all the suggestions. I will read almost any genre (I don't like poetry, but pretty much anything else from nonfiction to sci-fi and everything in between), so keep them coming!
I am enjoying reading my DD's books with her as well. I never knew The Black Stallion was so good! Next we will try Mary Poppins. There's a whole host of animal books out there we will read. Reading kids' books is soul-saving.
Do you like historical fiction? If so you might want to check out Philippa Gregory. She wrote, among a bunch of novels, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The White Queen (actually that one is part of a series).
It's my delicious little secret - juicy historical fiction! :P
I also love Antonia Fraser's biographies. She has a great one on Louis XIV, and later in time Marie Antoinette. I also loved her book Mary, Queen of Scots.
All of these will engage you and remind you that people have always been evil and always will be. There have always been good and brave people too.
PS: I love dystopic fiction myself but it can get you in a funk.
ETA: As far as uplifting - I like Philippa Gregory's books because they bring to life women of history (even though they probably are a stretch for accuracy). They are just fun to read. I stay glued to them.
yeah, after some cormac mccarthy, or even my beloved, beloved margaret atwood, the world can look pretty dark.
my sweet escapist faveys are old mary stewart romances. they're perfectly clean by today's standards, exciting, beautifully written (unlike 99% of romances) and feature truly delightful heroines.
and sometimes i just dive gloriously into childhood favorites. my friend flicka, wind in the willows, alice in wonderland, and the ubiquitous dr suesses.
:) khairete
S.
LOL I don't have any suggestions but your post made me laugh. I read "The Hunger Games" and "Gone Girl" in the same week and just needed a break after both. They were both so disturbing in an all-consuming way that haunted me in my sleep too!
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
A Year of Pleasures - Elizabeth Berg
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Jane - Robin Maxwell
LOL I've read over 80 books this year and these were the only ones that were happy & uplifting.
I'm going to have to go google "dystopic fiction"
I like Lauren Willig's historical fiction. Like the Scarlet Pimpernell but sillier. unless the whole French revolution thing brings you down, but they just gloss over it. its more a bumbly spy misunderstood romance.
I thought water for elephants was a total downer, ans secret life of bees is sad how her family treats her, ugg. I like While Oleander if you are going along those lines but still people being not nice. cold mountain was good but has bad people eat pray love barf
"three cups of tea" might be uplifting for you, There is an anna quinlin book called Blessing that isn't too bad about a young mom that leaves a baby to be raised by the hirehand of an old southern lady.
lol I love harry potter, that bad guy isn't real. I also love the Narnia books by CS lewis
the book thief was very good but anything about the holocaust rips my heart out.
gosh it is hard to find a book that gives me warm and fuzzies now that I think about it. uggg.
I own every Nora Roberta book. She is a great author!
A really good series to start with would be the Chesapeake Bay series... Four books in it.
I also like the Phillippa Gregory books. :)
Memoirs of a Geisha is good.
Try Lisa Lutz's Spellman series. It's about a family of private investigators, with the middle child Izzy as the predominate narrator. Funny but with a touch of seriousness.
If you like chic lit, Jennifer Crusie is a hit, as is Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Chelsea Handler's books are incredibly funny, but stay away if easily offended.
Hope those ideas helped. You could also check out Goodreads, they have user-voted Best Of lists that are a good way to start a new genre or find something different.
Here are a few antidotes to gloom and doom fiction -
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - This is the first book in a series, but the way it's written, each book in the series may also be read as a stand-alone. The book will take you traveling to Botswana, and the main character, Precious Ramotswe, is so much fun. And if you enjoy it, there are more books to read! I think the series is up to 10 or 12 books now.
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen - A novel set in a traveling circus during the 1930's.
If you like both sci-fi and comedy, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is laugh-out-loud funny.
You could also go classical and read some Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is my personal favorite. (Then you could watch the version of it that has Colin Firth playing Mr. Darcy - yum!)
Jennifer Weiner's books are fun reads.
That is why I stopped going to a book club. Seems like all "literature" has to have people doing terrible things to each other. I know you need some conflict or it is not an interesting story but does every book have to be a complete downer?
We were going through our books to take to used book store to trade in this weekend. I found "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Highly recommend.
(I also found my high school diary, which had some "terrible" things - or at least I thought so - that was pretty funny).
Also found "Love" by Leo Buscaglia.
Both of these are non-fiction. having a hard time thinking of fiction, though. Will be following this post :)
Ya know what?
From about when my daughter was in 4th to 5th grade, and even now in 6th grade, I liked reading my daughter's books.
ie: the 'Fablehaven" series, the "The Mysterious Benedict Society" series, the "Sisters Grimm" series, the "The Books of Elsewhere" series.
Real good series. And just fun. I like to read for fun, not heavy adult fiction stuff. Because I want to read and relax but enjoy what I'm reading. And personally I did sooooooooo much heavy reading in college and pre-kids, that I really just now want to read, for fun. Not do any heavy thinking.
But these books are great! And yes, smartly written.
And my daughter loves that I love reading her books!
She says I'm the only cool Mom, that actually reads books like them!
LOL
And she likes talking to me about it.
If you're looking for something light, my mom enjoys Debbie Macomber (especially at Christmas). She said that they are quaint and romantic (think Hallmark channel movies), but I just can't find the time to read books lately!
Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott (anything by her)
No. 1 Ladies Detective series
Honestley some of the best books I've read in the last few years are kids books. They have pretty deep subject matters but almost always have happy endings.
Wonder
Because of Mr. Terupt
Out of My Mind
The Wednesday Wars
Okay for Now
Almost Home
Cinder (a cyborg Cinderella)
The Book Thief
Camp Girl
Hi Fellow Bookworm!
Here are a few that I really loved:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - if you are a dog lover (or even if your are not) this is a great read!
The Cider House Rules by John Irving - Amazing.
Lightning by Dean Koonts - or any of his earlier novels for that matter.
the Twilight Series - Just kidding...don't read those. ;)
I love that you asked this question...I usually have to read a "lighter" book after reading something deep like that.
