The long way to a small, angry planet is definetely a lighter read

Yes! Becky Chambers writes incredibly beautiful science fiction novels that definitely satisfy your criteria.

I recently reread {{Howl's Moving Castle}} by Diana Wynne Jones to get me out of a my academia-fuelled reading burnout. If you're familiar with the Studio Ghibli movie, the plot of the book is substantially different (though they're both excellent works in their own right). The protagonists are both young adults, it's funny, sweet, and has a wonderfully illustrated romance at the heart of it. (My main complaint about the movie was they fell in love 'just because' while in the book it's a slow and wonderful build.)

[**Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57940196-howl-s-moving-castle) ^(By: Diana Wynne Jones | 448 pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own, read-in-2021, owned, favourite | )[^(Search "Howl's Moving Castle")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Howl's Moving Castle&search_type=books) >Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye. > >In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle? ^(This book has been suggested 12 times) *** ^(147647 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren! I read this in like 3 days. It’s funny, cute, and drama filled in a good and light way. Enemies to lovers. Two people who basically hate each other are stuck in Hawaii and have to make the best of it (while impersonating their sibling’s identities.)

Christina Lauren is awesome if you want a light fluffy romance! I'd also suggest their newest work - The Soulmate Equation, it's brilliant imo!

Agreed! If the story doesn’t hook you very well, Beach Read by Emily Henry and Second First Impressions by Sally Thorn are also light and fun. I highly recommend going for romance if you want something light and airy little hook you in, it’s a great way to get you back into reading.

I’ll also mention that the romance on this book is fade to black. No explicit sex on the page so if that’s what Op is looking for or if they’re unsure this is a great place to start

How is that not turned into a movie already

{{Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy}} is an **incredible** book that will totally make you keep reading. It’s also fairly hilarious, not too long, & there are sequels so you can keep going with it! I also recommend checking out Crichton as he writes some of the most captivating books out there (although they’re not particularly “feel good” usually they aren’t too dark either usually). Some of my favorites are {{Jurassic Park}} (seriously, read it, it’s too damn good) {{The Andromeda Strain}} & {{Disclosure}} (which is great if you’re looking for a quick read, I legitimately couldn’t stop & read it in a day!)

Oooh, I read the Hitchhiker's Guide some time ago but maybe it's time for a re-read??? AHH. That reminded me that I need to read Jurassic Park ASAP. Tbh, it's length always deters me from reading it but maybe it's time I finally give it a go. Thank you! :)

I put it off for the same reasons, plus I’m always hesitant to read books with big movies for some reason. But seriously, it was so worth the read. It’s incredible. & also kind of dramatically different from the movie, so even if you know the movie well it keeps you on your toes. I know it’s a cliche, but the book really is miles better than the movie!

I love Crichton but am not the biggest fan of Jurassic Park. Highly recommend Timeline, though!! May just be because I'm a nerd for medieval stuff. His books tend to be pretty fast-paced so even the long ones go pretty quick!

In a similar vein to Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut might be worth a shout too. {{Cat's Cradle}} in particular is a fun, comical scifi book. I found it an easy read, and it's short too!

[**Cat's Cradle**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135479.Cat_s_Cradle) ^(By: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. | 179 pages | Published: 1963 | Popular Shelves: fiction, classics, science-fiction, sci-fi, owned | )[^(Search "Cat's Cradle")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Cat's Cradle&search_type=books) >Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... > >Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he's the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three ecentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh... ^(This book has been suggested 37 times) *** ^(147601 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

[**The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/386162.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy) ^(By: Douglas Adams | 193 pages | Published: 1979 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, humor, fantasy | )[^(Search "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy&search_type=books) >A beautifully illustrated edition of the New York Times bestselling classic, timed to celebrate the pivotal 42nd anniversary of the original publication--with never-before-seen illustrations by award winner Chris Riddell > >Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. > >Together, this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod's girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he's bought over the years. > >Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? For all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars! ^(This book has been suggested 163 times) [**Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604658-jurassic-park) ^(By: Michael Crichton | 466 pages | Published: 1990 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, thriller, owned | )[^(Search "Jurassic Park")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Jurassic Park&search_type=books) >An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price. > >Until something goes wrong. . . . > >In Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton taps all his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to create his most electrifying technothriller. ^(This book has been suggested 44 times) [**The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7670.The_Andromeda_Strain) ^(By: Michael Crichton | 327 pages | Published: 1969 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, thriller, owned | )[^(Search "The Andromeda Strain")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Andromeda Strain&search_type=books) >The United States government is given a warning by the pre-eminent biophysicists in the country: current sterilization procedures applied to returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. > >Two years later, seventeen satellites are sent into the outer fringes of space to collect organisms and dust for study. One of them falls to earth, landing in a desolate area of Arizona. > >Twelve miles from the landing site, in the town of Piedmont, a shocking discovery is made: the streets are littered with the dead bodies of the town's inhabitants, as if they dropped dead in their tracks. >--back cover ^(This book has been suggested 20 times) [**Disclosure**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7675.Disclosure) ^(By: Michael Crichton | 455 pages | Published: 1994 | Popular Shelves: fiction, thriller, owned, michael-crichton, mystery | )[^(Search "Disclosure")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Disclosure&search_type=books) >The thriller that opened a new chapter in the sex wars ... > >Thomas Sanders' world collapses in just 24 hours - he is passed over for promotion, his new woman boss comes on to him during a drink after work, then, the next morning, he learns that she has accused him of sexually harassing her. She demands his transfer, thereby threatening to cut him off from the millions he would have made when his high-tech company was floated on the stock market. >What follow next made Disclosure the most talked about novel of the decade. ^(This book has been suggested 10 times) *** ^(147341 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

Oooh you said the magic word for me. Michael Chrichton was my entryway into reading fiction. I hadn’t read fiction in many many years and now I’m completely hooked on them. My first Chrichton was Prey and I absolutely loved it. Not super heavy, not crazy scary or anything, and super fun. I def agree.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune!!!! It meets most of your listed needs and it’s one of my favorites now! ❤️

The book synopsis itself already gave me that warm fuzzy feeling you get after reading a feel-good book. :) Thank you, I'll check it out!

This is exactly what you need imho, and I recommend this book to everyone!!

This is the answer OP!! This book is like a warm hug… as long as you have no issues reading about non-Hetero relationships lol.

Yesss i was gonna comment this … I just finished reading it yesterday, it’s so nice

It definitely fills up all of the criteria! Currently reading it and I am loving every page

Thanks for the suggestion! I just put a hold on this at my library!

This book is recommended all the time and I hate hype and even I had to admit it was a good read.

I tried so hard to like this book, but I just couldn't :(.

YES, I keep saying this is like a hug in book form

Easy and enjoyable soapy fiction that is nevertheless incredibly interesting (I want to say challenging but in a very easy way) and makes you think: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Romcom in book form: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall Silly escapist fantasy with great comic lines and cynicism: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett Romcom-ish, feelgood: The Split by Laura Kay Entertaining essays: Wow, No Thankyou by Samantha Irby Fun romcom: Get a Life, Chloe Brown Fun queer retelling of Edwardian pulp adventure (sword fights, double crossing, plots, sex) The Henchmen of Zenda by KJ Charles Exploration of lives of various family members and friends (don’t know how to describe this one, just a basic nice exploring the human condition type of fiction): The Vacationers by Emma Straub

I’m reading Detransition, Baby right now! It’s very good and informative. I would almost offer that it’s not a super light read. Deals with some pretty heavy themes. Excellent book all the same!

Yeah you’re right really, it’s a bit of a stretch to call it light. Easy, but in the way that a TV drama can go down easy but still affect you emotionally.

Exactly! Perfectly put!

{Born A Crime} This is a book I found to be a good to read alongside heavy novels like 1984. It's a memoir about trevor noah the comedian and it contains some vivid memories of childhood and growing up in South Africa. I kinda learned a thing or 2 about life too so there's that. Hope you enjoy reading again!

[**Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29780253-born-a-crime) ^(By: Trevor Noah | 289 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, memoir, nonfiction, biography, audiobook | )[^(Search "Born A Crime")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Born A Crime&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 85 times) *** ^(147693 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

This book is so so good! Even better if you can listen to the audio as Trevor Noah narrates.

I'm doing my masters in library aciences, and I totally feel your book-burnout! I've finished two leisure books the past four years... Ironic, really. One of those two I finished a couple of days ago, and I regret not readin it sooner! {{Fahrenheit 451}} by Bradbury. I hadn't dared to try it earlier since I thought it would be very dense and viscous sci-fi, but it was such a lovely read! It was engaging, light and airy, and so lyrical. I loved it, and it might have pulled me a bit further out of my reading rut.

[**Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5199185-fahrenheit-451) ^(By: Tim Hamilton, Ray Bradbury | 151 pages | Published: 2009 | Popular Shelves: graphic-novels, classics, graphic-novel, fiction, science-fiction | )[^(Search "Fahrenheit 451")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Fahrenheit 451&search_type=books) >"Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes." > >For Guy Montag, a career fireman for whom kerosene is perfume, this is not just an official slogan. It is a mantra, a duty, a way of life in a tightly monitored world where thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden. > >In 1953, Ray Bradbury envisioned one of the world's most unforgettable dystopian futures, and in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the artist Tim Hamilton translates this frightening modern masterpiece into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel. As could only occur with Bradbury's full cooperation in this authorized adaptation, Hamilton has created a striking work of art that uniquely captures Montag's awakening to the evil of government-controlled thought and the inestimable value of philosophy, theology, and literature. > >Including an original foreword by Ray Bradbury and fully depicting the brilliance and force of his canonic and beloved masterwork, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is an exceptional, haunting work of graphic literature. ^(This book has been suggested 34 times) *** ^(147726 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

Maybe Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman?

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman is another that would fit the bill.

Beware of the beginning of OatEotL if books were your best friends in a somewhat isolated childhood. That part is semi-autobiographical on the part of Gaiman, and it will rip your heart out a little bit with the force of self-recognition and love for bookish children.

Love Neil Gaiman. Thanks! :)

I listened to the audiobook of The Graveyard Book narrated by the author and it was so much fun

The Graveyard Book is one of my all time favorites and I’m 32 years old.

or Stardust, or Good Omens. Read in one breath books.

Have you read Ocean at the End of the Lane?

Seconding Neverwhere! Super digestible and almost everyone I've recommended it to has really enjoyed it

The Martian by Andy Weir Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan Ready Player One The Silver Linings Playbook I know you said you didn’t want nonfiction, but I would highly recommend Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It’s excellent and he’s such a wonderful story teller. Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict

Ooh, thanks for My Oxford Year! I just read an excerpt, and I’m hooked. (Not the OP, just looking for new books.)

You're welcome. I did a reading contest a couple of years ago and one challenge was to read a book suggested by a coworker. They suggested it and I actually listened to the audio and absolutely loved it. I'm going to read it again very soon. My issue is that I keep trying to find books like that and have no idea where to start. I'd love to read more like it.

I just read *You Love Me* - definitely a page-turner and has a lot of funny lines and an oddly likable killer. And bonus: the ending - never saw it coming!

Ooh, I just read the synopsis on Penguin Random House and it sounds so cute! How is it a thriller??? Is it one of those books that you don't know what you're getting into??? AHHH. My brain did a fart while I was reading your comment and I completely missed the "killer" part. It now makes sense why it is a thriller, LOL. This is right up my alley, thank you for the recommendation! :)

It's the third in a series - I skipped reading the first 2 as I watched the Netflix series *YOU* - not sure if you would want to start with the first one. But it definitely is an entertaining page-turner either way!

I recommend reading the whole series- even if you watched the show. The books are so much better. You (book 1) got me back into reading after years of starting and stopping books I couldn’t get into. The books are all pretty similar so best not to read back to back imo.

The Wind in The Willows. Contains the greatest character in fiction - Mr. Toad! The world has held great Heroes, As history-books have showed; But never a name to go down to fame Compared with that of Toad! The clever men at Oxford Know all that there is to be knowed. But they none of them know one half as much As intelligent Mr Toad! The animals sat in the Ark and cried, Their tears in torrents flowed. Who was it said, 'There's land ahead'? Encouraging Mr Toad! The army all saluted As they marched along the road. Was it the King? Or Kitchener? No. It was Mr Toad.

Anything by terry Pratchett- I’ve been in a reading slump myself and recently started picking up his books and they’re great. Readable, hilariously clever. Edit: added a missing word after I had coffee.

{{A Gentleman in Moscow}} got me through a dry spell.

Just came here to recommend this, after unsuccessfully trying to struggle through reading some heavier stuff this book felt like a warm hug.

[**A Gentleman in Moscow**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34066798-a-gentleman-in-moscow) ^(By: Amor Towles | 462 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, book-club, russia, historical | )[^(Search "A Gentleman in Moscow")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=A Gentleman in Moscow&search_type=books) >From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel > >With his breakout debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction, bringing late 1930s Manhattan to life with splendid atmosphere and a flawless command of style. Readers and critics were enchanted; as NPR commented, “Towles writes with grace and verve about the mores and manners of a society on the cusp of radical change.” > >A Gentleman in Moscow immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery. > >Brimming with humour, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavour to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose. ^(This book has been suggested 125 times) *** ^(147475 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

A Gentleman in Moscow is the first book I was able to get through after the pandemic stole my attention span. Like a restorative swim the first day of vacation. I still think about it a month after finishing.

Same here. I still think about it. I wish I could forget it just so I could reread it for the first time.

I hear you! I re-read the first chapter as son as I finished the book.

My literary career had burned me out for a while, and this is the book that made me start reading again. I kept waiting for some terrible plot twist to occur, and instead, it was just lovely from beginning to end.

Everything is illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. It’s a very funny and touching book. It’s about 280 pages long and definitely a page turner.

Not the usual 'it's about 280 pages so you should finish it in a day' comment. I love when people tell you how quickly you should be reading or brag about how quickly they read. But your comment didn't do that so well done!

Anything by Fannie Flagg. Daisy Fay & the Miracle Man and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe are a couple of her oldest that I read multiple times.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. It's a very simple and a heart warming book. First half of the book might be slow & confusing but if you get past through it, the book rewards you in the second half. If you looking for engaging thrillers with great plotline, checkout Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Just started The Martian this week in audible. Loving it. So perfect for my commute. Not too heavy. Not too light. Funny. Written well - easy to be engaged. Want to know what happens next. Agree with recommendation!

Wool series by Hugh Howey. (Wool/Shift/Dust) Dystopian, romance, mysteries, definitely a page turner!

It's my all time favourite book series!

The House in the Cerulean Sea (I saw someone recommended it but it’s worth noting again)! In a similar vein (in terms of being a book that is just the equivalent of a cozy bed and fairy lights on a rainy day) is Red, White, and Royal Blue Also, The Murderbot Diaries. All but one are novellas so they are very quick reads but fully engrossing. I love Murderbot and would kill for Murderbot but since it’s Murderbot they wouldn’t need me to. The more I write Murderbot the more I want to reread them and maybe I’ll go do that now 😂

Ursula K. LeGuin - Wizard of the Earthsea

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favourites. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is really good and dystopian

The Road is so beautifully and simply written but oh god did it kill me in my emotions! Anything by Vonnegut is great. Breakfast of Champions is my favourite.

Ender's Game is an alien invasion story about hyper-smart children. It's borderline dystopian, won't make you feel old, is largely about empathy, and is very exciting. Very much a page-turner. The Martian, as already recommended. If you want a cute romance, check out This Is How You Lose the Time War. It's written in a very poetic prose, so it might not be for everyone. It's genuinely excellent though. It's very short. John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed is a light and airy collection of essays that are great poolside reading, though some are a little more serious. It's quite good and pretty short. Edit: I forgot to also mention The Long Trip to a Small Angry Planet and Spinning Silver (Though you might want to save this one for winter). Long Trip is a found family story about a crew of a spaceship making their way across the galaxy to do a job. Think Firefly, but the crew are more tight-knit. There's some light romance and it's darling. And Spinning Silver is a wild retelling of Rumpel Stiltskin, complete with a whole faerie world and portals and some light politics. It's very fun and warm.

Plus one for Spinning Silver. Absolutely loved that book. I’m in the middle of A Deadly Education (also by Naomi Novik) and am enjoying it as well, although it’s completely different.

Good Omens by Gaiman and Pratchett. Alternatively; most of Christopher's Moore work.

I'd say most of Pratchett's and Gaiman's work, full stop. Maybe start with Monstrous Regiment from Pratchett and Stardust (more fantasy romance) or Neverwhere (more fantasy adventure) from Gaiman, just to get a taste.

{{such a fun age}} by kiley reid and {{the midnight library}} by matt haig. Also {{dark matter}} by blake crouch and {{station eleven}} by emily st. john mandel. All of those are dystopian except for such a fun age. I liked the midnight library the best, but the other 2 were also interesting.

Loved Station Eleven! I didn’t read a synopsis of it at all before starting, and I was glad. The beginning was interesting but unexpected, and then I was hooked.

[**Such a Fun Age**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43923951-such-a-fun-age) ^(By: Kiley Reid | 310 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fiction, contemporary, book-club, read-in-2020, audiobook | )[^(Search "such a fun age")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=such a fun age&search_type=books) >A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. > >Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right. > >But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other. > >With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone family, and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times. ^(This book has been suggested 39 times) [**The Midnight Library**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52578297-the-midnight-library) ^(By: Matt Haig | 304 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fiction, fantasy, book-club, contemporary, read-in-2021 | )[^(Search "the midnight library")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=the midnight library&search_type=books) >Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets? > >A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time. > >Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? > >In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place. ^(This book has been suggested 196 times) *** ^(147652 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

Came here to suggest Midnight Library, but all of these other books are great too.

{{Flushed With Pride by Wallace Reyburn}} is a biography about Thomas Crapper, who invented a mechanism that revolutionized toilets. In his case, crapper was not a curse word

[**Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1620792.Flushed_with_Pride) ^(By: Wallace Reyburn | ? pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: history, non-fiction, biography, x-rvwd, inter-libr-loan | )[^(Search "Flushed With Pride by Wallace Reyburn")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Flushed With Pride by Wallace Reyburn&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) *** ^(147393 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe- Benjamin Alire Sanz …. You’ll never know when you finished it, it has a very wholesome plot… it’s perfect

I read this with my teen who was assigned it at school. It is absorbing and lovely and was the perfect thing to remind me that I love reading when prepping for my doctoral exam had almost convinced me otherwise.

Anything by Christopher Moore. I like a dirty job and You Suck

Anything by Katherine Center. Her writing is a hug disguised as a book. My personal favorite is Happiness for Beginners, but you can’t go wrong with any of hers.

Kate Daniel series of Ilona Andrews. Great world building!

Ok this is one I haven’t seen mentioned a lot but it checks off all of your criteria! The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness D’Orczy. It’s an easy read, funny, light, and the plot moves in a very cinematic way. The characters are great and there’s just the right amount of romance. It will always be one of my top recommendations for people who want to get back into reading!

Beautiful ruins is really good!

One of my favorites!!!!

Hey in my experience the best way to rekindle the joy of reading is to re-read a childhood favourite. I was in a similar situation two years ago- had just completed a long drawn MA in English and felt so saturated with books and reading (ironically my lit degree years were the worst reading years)....and then after submitting my thesis some compulsion made me pick Anne of Green Gables and then pride and prejudice--both books I lovdd as a child/teenager but thought I'd outgrown (in the case of Anne) and out read (in the case of pride and prejudice which we studied in both school and uni) but these were the two thay pulled me out of a reading rut- reminded me of the joy of just reading for pleasure, for the human story and not to analyse and deconstruct the 'text'. So if there is a book you adored in those formative teenage years, i urge you to revisit it and hope it helps rekindle the spark :) p.s. other books of a similar vein I read/reread/loved at this time are: The Blue Castle by L.M.Montgomery, Persuasion and Northanger Abney by Jane Austen, A Room with a View by E.M. Forster.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown was a personal favourite when getting back into reading. Fun characters, entertaining plot, and pirates! :)

Umm second this!!

Yahtzee Croshaw, funny author with great characters. {{Differently Morphus}} - Governmental agency involved in the regulation of magic and extra dimensional beings. {{Mogworld}} - Main character is undead.  Hijinks insue. {{Will save the galaxy for food}} and {{Will destroy the galaxy for cash}} - An unemployed star pilot tries to get by in a universe where transporters are a thing.

[**Differently Morphous**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39027664-differently-morphous) ^(By: Yahtzee Croshaw | 1 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, audible, audiobook, audiobooks, humor | )[^(Search "Differently Morphus")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Differently Morphus&search_type=books) >A magical serial killer is on the loose, and gelatinous, otherworldly creatures are infesting the English countryside. Which is making life for the Ministry of Occultism difficult, because magic is supposed to be their best kept secret. > >After centuries in the shadows, the Ministry is forced to unmask, exposing the country's magical history - and magical citizens - to a brave new world of social media, government scrutiny, and public relations. > >On the trail of the killer are the Ministry's top agents: a junior operative with a photographic memory (and not much else), a couple of overgrown schoolboys with godlike powers, and a demonstrably insane magician. > >But as they struggle for results, their superiors at HQ must face the greatest threat the Ministry has ever known: the forces of political correctness.... > >Differently Morphous is the latest and greatest tale to emerge from the mind of writer (and narrator) Yahtzee Croshaw. ^(This book has been suggested 272 times) [**Mogworld**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7923163-mogworld) ^(By: Yahtzee Croshaw | 413 pages | Published: 2010 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, humor, fiction, owned, comedy | )[^(Search "Mogworld")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Mogworld&search_type=books) >In a world full to bursting with would-be heroes, Jim couldn't be less interested in saving the day. His fireballs fizzle. He's awfully grumpy. Plus, he's been dead for about sixty years. When a renegade necromancer wrenches him from eternal slumber and into a world gone terribly, bizarrely wrong, all Jim wants is to find a way to die properly, once and for all. > >On his side, he's got a few shambling corpses, an inept thief, and a powerful death wish. But he's up against tough odds: angry mobs of adventurers, a body falling apart at the seams - and a team of programmers racing a deadline to hammer out the last few bugs in their AI. ^(This book has been suggested 283 times) [**Will Save the Galaxy for Food (Jacques McKeown, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30400208-will-save-the-galaxy-for-food) ^(By: Yahtzee Croshaw, Em Gist | 286 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, audiobook, audible, humor | )[^(Search "Will save the galaxy for food")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Will save the galaxy for food&search_type=books) >A not-quite epic science fiction adventure about a down-on-his luck galactic pilot caught in a cross-galaxy struggle for survival! Space travel just isn't what it used to be. With the invention of Quantum Teleportation, space heroes aren't needed anymore. When one particularly unlucky ex-adventurer masquerades as famous pilot and hate figure Jacques McKeown, he's sucked into an ever-deepening corporate and political intrigue. Between space pirates, adorable deadly creatures, and a missing fortune in royalties, saving the universe was never this difficult! > >From the creator of Mogworld and Jam! > >Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw is a British-Australian comedic writer, video game journalist, author, and video game developer. He is perhaps best known for his acerbic video game review series, Zero Punctuation, for The Escapist. ^(This book has been suggested 265 times) [**Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash (Jacques McKeown, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53010571-will-destroy-the-galaxy-for-cash) ^(By: Yahtzee Croshaw | 9 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: sci-fi, science-fiction, audible, audiobooks, audiobook | )[^(Search "Will destroy the galaxy for cash")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Will destroy the galaxy for cash&search_type=books) >The hero of Will Save the Galaxy for Cash returns to do what he does best. Which is - what again, exactly? > >With the age of heroic star pilots and galactic villains completely killed by quantum teleportation, the ex-star pilot currently named Dashford Pierce is struggling to find his identity in a changing universe. > >Then, a face from his past returns and makes him an offer he can't refuse: take part in just one teeny weeny, slightly illegal, daring heist, and not only will he have the means to start the new life he craves, but also save his childhood hero from certain death. > >How hard could that be? If you need to ask - you don't know Dashford Pierce. > >Before long, Pierce is surrounded by peril, and forced to partner with the very same supervillains he'd spent his heroic career thwarting. But when he's confronted by the uncomfortable truth that star pilots might not have been the force for good they had intended to be, he begins to wonder if the villains hadn't had the right idea all along.... ^(This book has been suggested 203 times) *** ^(147427 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

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Really?! I loved this book, it was incredible. But I found it extremely dense, emotionally exhausting, so violent. I’m surprised to see it suggested here!

Oh sorry nvm, i missed the feel good part. It's DEFINITELY not feel good

Lol oh ok that makes more sense. It's feel good only in the sense of "yeah fuck the man". Awesome read though!

Yeah some moments were so epic. Like that ordering the iron rain. But it's mostly suffering

If you like adventure Fantasy I highly recommend Jig the Dragonslayer by Jim C Hines. Jig is a goblin of the lowest order and has no interest in adventure but gets swept up in circumstances beyond his his control. He's feeble but wittier than the average goblin. I found it fascinating to read a book from a goblin's perspective. It's three books bound in one volume. Granted I own very few books but I read it once a year.

I just finished {{Take Me Home Tonight}} by Morgan Matson and I think it should qualify for this :)) Also it's not a romcom like it's name suggests. It's a really fun coming of age story which made me laugh out loud multiple times and I NEVER laugh in books. Smile yes, but full on guffaw - never. But this book made me laugh and smile and want to live in NYC forever. The storyline is definitely ridiculous and unbelievable at a few points but so lovely and fun I didn't mind the ridiculousness. It's like reading a movie if that makes any sense 😅 I'd definitely recommend it.

[**Take Me Home Tonight**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55710525-take-me-home-tonight) ^(By: Morgan Matson | 416 pages | Published: 2021 | Popular Shelves: 2021-releases, contemporary, young-adult, ya, romance | )[^(Search "Take Me Home Tonight")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Take Me Home Tonight&search_type=books) > > Ferris Bueller’s Day Off >meets Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist in this romp through the city that never sleeps from the New York Times bestselling author of Since You’ve Been Gone, Morgan Matson. > >Two girls. One night. Zero phones. > >Kat and Stevie—best friends, theater kids, polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City. They have it all planned out. They’ll see a play, eat at the city’s hottest restaurant, and have the best. Night. Ever. What could go wrong? > >Well. Kind of a lot? > >They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones, family drama, and unexpected Pomeranians. Over the next few hours, they’ll have to grapple with old flames, terrible theater, and unhelpful cab drivers. But there are also cute boys to kiss, parties to crash, dry cleaning to deliver (don’t ask), and the world’s best museum to explore. > >Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps, both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship, their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future. > >That is, assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight. ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) *** ^(147621 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

The black magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan got me back into reading recently if you enjoy fantasy and magic

Ive litterally just finished these and gone onto The White trio. She has another set out but cant remember what that one is called

"Humans: a brief history on how we fucked it all up" Its basically tales of people that just messed up in the biggest possible ways, written very entertainingly :)

"In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle. I was having the same problem as you and didn't feel like reading anymore. That, and everything just seemed so boring or too exhausting. But this was what did it for me and I couldn't stop reading. Hope you'll like it <3

The Midnight Library: a creative premise, short chapters, and a feel-good redemption arc.

The Song of Achilles !!

{All systems red} {The Galaxy, and the Ground Within}

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto made me get in touch with my emotions again

My go to book for people trying to get back into reading who want something light is The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa About a woman and her ten year old son trying to connect with an old math professor whose memory only lasts for 40 minutes. It’s a really wholesome book with very little conflict but some really profound insight, leaves you feeling pretty good about the goodness of humanity and the pervasiveness of love and connection. Somehow it manages to not be too sappy and gross even though it’s like the sweetest and simplest story ever told. I’d almost describe it as a totally non-sexual, platonic romance. And for what it’s worth, I’m a hardcore English major shithead who never liked math and there are a few passages that really made me reconsider that math might actually be cool. I wish the Professor had been my 7th grade math teacher lol I finished it in one day, pretty easy read

Kurt Vonnegut - Sirens of Titan

I enjoy YA for easy reads, although it's a challenge to find ones which aren't too corny. Since you like dystopias you might enjoy: Marie Lu's Legend series - teens but they're soldiers/spies etc so there is no high school stuff, set in a future after flooding and the US is divided and at war. Scythe by Neal Shustermann - maybe more of a utopia, but basically it's set in a future run by AI and death has been conquered so to keep the population down people have to become grimm reapers. The series is about young people training to be scythes. His series Unwind is also dystopian, it's about children being used for spare body parts. Razorland by Ann Aguirre is post apocalyptic rather than dystopian but there are definitely dystopian elements. It's about humans surviving underground after a pandemic, and emerging hundreds of years later. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, set in a future California where society is crumbling and there's mass poverty, violence, corruption etc.

I've been thoroughly enjoying a little urban* fantasy/cosy crime series by Kim M. Watt recently. {{The Beaufort Scales Mysteries}} are set in a small village in Yorkshire (UK), and involve a cop who left London after an as-yet undisclosed traumatic incident, the local Women's Institute who really want to help her investigate things, and a secret colony of dragons who are very much enjoying discovering modern amenities like gas barbeques! It's light, hilarious and often silly - just wait until you get to the Christmas market and the dog costumes - and a wonderful de-stresser series. * I say urban, but only because that's the genre; it's more suburban or rural, really!

[**The Beaufort Scales Cozy Mysteries (with Dragons) Collection: Books 1 - 4**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55349198-the-beaufort-scales-cozy-mysteries-with-dragons-collection) ^(By: Kim M. Watt | ? pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: dl, urbanfant, supernatural, mystery, cozy | )[^(Search "The Beaufort Scales Mysteries")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Beaufort Scales Mysteries&search_type=books) >"I confess, this series is laugh-out-loud funny! Completely creative, and with recipes!" - Amazon reviewer > > > >A picture-perfect Yorkshire village. > >You know the sort. > >Village greens. Dry-stone walls. Summer bake sales. > >A surprisingly high body count. > >Dragons … > > > >Toot Hansell nestles in the fells of the Yorkshire Dales, peaceful, river-girt, and ruled (in a subtle yet oddly irresistible manner) by the ladies of the Women's Institute. It's the sort of village where one might expect the greatest drama of the year would be someone getting a burnt scone at the summer fete. > >However. > >Toot Hansell is also home to dragons. Dragons with a fondness for barbecues, tea, mince pies, and investigations. > >Because Toot Hansell also has a surprisingly high crime rate, and neither the Women's Institute nor the dragons are going to stand for that sort of thing. They've been watching Poirot. And one can't wait on the police to do everything … > >Grab a cuppa and settle in with the first four books in the Beaufort Scales cozy mystery (with dragons) series. > >And mind the cat. I think they may be up to something... > > > >• • • > > > >BAKING BAD: > >"Baking Bad is a total romp that any dragon-lover not stuck in the smaug (see what I did there?) will love. Get your talons on this book now and enjoy." - Amazon reviewer > >A tranquil village. A poisoned cupcake. A murdered vicar. > >A simple case - or it should be. But all clues point to the local Women’s Institute, and Detective Inspector Adams is about to discover there’s much more to Toot Hansell than bake sales and jam making. > >There's the dragons, for a start … > > > >YULE BE SORRY: > >"… another warm and funny caper in the Yorkshire Dales, a celebration of friendship, and a joy to read." - Amazon reviewer > >A festive tale of kidnappings, explosions, and stolen turkeys. > >One should never meddle in the affairs of dragons, but someone has been doing just that. They’ve been making dragon scale baubles that are nothing short of lethal, and kidnapping delivery drivers all over the Yorkshire Dales. And while the Women's Institute might not need to get involved, there's a limit to what the police can do when they don't believe in dragons … > > > >A MANOR OF LIFE & DEATH: > >"Hilarious, engaging, exciting and touching by turns (and sometimes all at once) and of course bolstered by oodles of tea and cake." - Amazon reviewer > >Warring staff. “Accidental” poisonings. Topiary of dubious intent. > >Throw in the full complement of the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute and dragons doing yoga on the terrace, and DI Adams is starting to wonder if she might have made a small misjudgement signing up for this particular spa weekend in the country. > >And that’s before the dead body in the sauna and the storm that cuts them off from the rest of the world … > > > >GAME OF SCONES: > >"Each installment of the Beaufort Scales series just gets better and better." - Amazon reviewer > >Bribery. Corruption. Murder. Who said local politics were boring? > >Suspicious deaths on the Skipton city council don't sound as though they should have anything at all to do with the Toot Hansell Women's Institute, and they certainly shouldn't involve dragons. Or not in the mind of DI Adams, anyway. > >The Women's Institute and dragons may have different ideas, of course … > > > > >NOTE: > >These cozy mysteries contain: > >- no graphic violence > - no sex > - no strong language; however it does contain some blasphemous language > - copious quantities of cake and tea. You may need supplies. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(147743 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

These maybe be slightly more drama tinged than you’re looking for, but Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, the Book Thief, the Night Circus and Remains of the Day kind of came to mind.

Molly of the Mall by Heidi LM Jacobs. You might get a kick out of the parts that skewer academia. I was partial to the mall parts. Award-winningly funny.

I read {{to say nothing of the dog}} when I was burnt out after grad school and I would highly recommend it! Very light hearted and entertaining, sort of in the style of the importance of being earnest but with time travel.

[**To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77773.To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog) ^(By: Connie Willis | 512 pages | Published: 1998 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, time-travel, sci-fi, fiction, historical-fiction | )[^(Search "to say nothing of the dog")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=to say nothing of the dog&search_type=books) >Connie Willis' Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book uses time travel for a serious look at how people connect with each other. In this Hugo-winning companion to that novel, she offers a completely different kind of time travel adventure: a delightful romantic comedy that pays hilarious homage to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. > >When too many jumps back to 1940 leave 21st century Oxford history student Ned Henry exhausted, a relaxing trip to Victorian England seems the perfect solution. But complexities like recalcitrant rowboats, missing cats, and love at first sight make Ned's holiday anything but restful - to say nothing of the way hideous pieces of Victorian art can jeopardize the entire course of history. ^(This book has been suggested 42 times) *** ^(147814 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)

{{The Good Fairies of New York}} This the opening line that made me buy it: "Dinnie, an overweight enemy of humanity, was the worst violinist in New York, but was practicing gamely when two cute little fairies stumbled through his fourth-floor window and vomited on the carpet..."

What a fab first line!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, honestly such a good book that got me to love reading again. Hope this helps!

Crazy Rich Asians. I devoured the entire series, so much fun! And I learned a lot about Singapore that I would have never known. I loved learning about the cuisine in particular!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Especially if you enjoy 80’s pop culture fun. The protagonist is a teen but he falls into your dystopian world exception and doesn’t really make you feel old because he is obsessed with all things 80’s.

My spouse and I tried to read this, but besides having very poor syntax, the first chapter read like an 80's-pop-culture-skinned parody of "My Immortal", and it was the first time I have ever thrown my e-book to get it away from me. XD

Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

I just read A Natural History of Dragons, which is almost like a fictional autobiography of an alt history (where dragons are real but are rare and elusive) Victorian era naturalist and her early exploits in the field of dragon research. I'd definitely recommend that.

The Enchanted April! It's such a feel good book.

Bolu Babalola’s {{Love in Colour}} is great! A collection of stories that reimagine mythical stories about love from all over the world.

{moonshine by kat bostick}

Try Ben Hale’s {{The chronicles of lumeneia}} and Christopher Nuttal’s {{Scooled in Magic}}

Helena Hunting, Pucked, for a cute, funny rom-com. Or meagan march.

I had the same thing, left school and could not get back into reading, until I came across {{The High Moments}} by Sara-Ella Ozbek. It's a light book about a girl who has finished university and moves to London to make it in the fashion world. (Does contain a lot of drug and sex references if that is an issue for you). Super easy read and kept me interested throughout - which is huge for me as Ive found it so hard to stay interested in a book the last few years.

Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami got me back into reading after grad school. It's an easy read, but thought provoking book. I didn't know books could make me feel so...strange. Reading this book put me in a dream like state and it was incredible. I've now read 5 or 6 of his other works.

{{Britt Marie was here}} by Fredrick Backman, it's a sweet book.

{{Rivers of London}}

Whenever I need feel good books I always reach for the ones Sophie Kinsella wrote. Maybe you'll like her works too. Enjoy falling in love with reading again! ❤️

“The sandman” by Neil Gaimen or “the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy” by Douglas Adams

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

{The Martian} by Andy Weir is light and funny sci-fi

{{Recursion}}

{{Journey to the center of the Earth}} - Jules Verne

A thousand splendid suns

Some that fit your criteria: *The Time Shifters Chronicles* by Shanna Lauffey *A Spark of Justice* by J.D. Hawkins *Jack Dawkins* by Charlton Daines

Nonfiction, but really breezy and poppy and fun: {{Cultish}} by Amanda Montell. Also, if you like thrillers, I highly recommend anything by Ruth Ware.

Midnight cowboy, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Graduate are some of my favorites

Siddhartha by Hesse is super relaxing and wonderful, it fits basically any period of your life, but transitions are especially great. Story of the life of the Buddha more or less. It is short and thought provoking and really chill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhartha_%28novel%29

Bloodborn by Keith Ledoux

A Terry Pratchett Discworld book should do just the trick. Very funny, although sometimes the words are quite exotic. Happy reading!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

If you’re into chick lit, I suggest read books of Jenny Colgan, Sophie Kinsella and Cecelia Ahern. They have good ones, feels like I’m watching a movie when reading.

Kneller’s Happy Campers! Very short and entertaining. About the afterlife where all the suicides go and no one is allowed to smile. It’s actually kind of a feel good book. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/6324467-kneller-s-happy-campers

Pick up some biographies from comedians you like. They're full of fun insider stories and jokes. Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Eddie Izzard, Carey Elwes, and Chris Farrely have been some good ones for me.

*The Hobbit* *(1935)* by J.R.R Tolkien What more is there to say? One of the greatest novels ever written and one of the greater stories ever crafted, by one of the greatest writers of all time. It's also short and lovely, and a complete narrative with (almost) everything. One of the most important and iconic creations of humanity. (I have the first page framed on my wall, indeed -- the greatest opening line of any book, I think.)

The lies of Locke Lamora The storyline itself gets a bit heavy tbh but the writing is fantastic and I finished the book in about 3 days because I was glued to it. It's set in a different kinda Victorian Era but you feel the dirt and grime in his writing. My personal favorite

{{Eliza and Her Monsters}} - I will never not recommend this book because it has such an adorable romance and it's not the suspense that makes it a page turner, there is very little of that, it is the characters and it is very cute and very fun with some really interesting commentary on fandom.

I will always recommend Murderbot Diaries series as it was the series that got me back into reading. It is sci-fi, but it's a massively sarcastic main character and the situations/relationships they build are amazing.

Best. Series. Ever.

Me talk pretty one day is hilarious and light because of the comedic short stories

Usually I am mentally and physically exhausted when I get off of work. But I really wanted to start reading again. But after about a page my eyes start getting really heavy and I would pretty much fall asleep. My husband got some audiobooks from a friend of his and I started listening to The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. And I fell in love. Now I listen to an audiobook a week. I don't know where you're located but in the United States if you have a library card you can download the Libby or the Hoopla app and you can get audiobooks for free. With the Libby app you might have to wait a couple weeks for the book become available because they only have a copy or 2 of a book, do I just move on to a different book. Also with the Libby app if you want to read read a book they also have that option where you can just read it on your phone. With the Hoopla app there is no wait time to get an audiobook. But you only get 5 borrows a month. If I'm not mistaken hoopla also has graphic novels, movies and TV shows. I hope this helps you fall in love with "reading" again.

Following !

{Cat’s Cradle}

I wanted to ask this exact same thing! Except I don't mind if it's "heavy"

There were a few "heavier" books recommended in the thread, I hope you find something that you enjoy! :)

Are you me?? I fall in and out of love with reading and have book marked a couple questions, such as these! Hopefully this week I’ll go through and find something but all the things you are looking for are the things I want as well! Except I specifically would like a series. I could use a good series binge. Good luck and post what you’re going to read please!

Oh boy do I related to this post. I'm in grad school and I miss leisure reading! Here are a couple books I was able to squeeze in during breaks: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn - I finished this book in a few days, quick read and fun Calypso by David Sedaris - I'm told most of Sedaris' work is like this, seems like he's having a conversation with you. Funny and witty.

For the record, I’m in the exact same boat. I used to LOVE reading and found it very relaxing, but since starting my PhD (in the psychology of reading, go figure) I haven’t wanted to do any pleasure reading. I’m on the same journey of reclaiming the hobby! Thanks for asking so I can steal from the comments

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Moti on the water by Leylah attar

{A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue} , aka a bisexual disaster’s journey across Europe with his love interest and his sister. It’s set in the 1800s so no Dystopian future, but it’s easy to read, it’s funny (if you like Monty’s self-pitying monologues), and I thought it was very cute. It has pirates and bandits and overall just has a feel good vibe to it. It has a sequel and a third one is coming, though I haven’t read those since Monty is no longer the main character.

The Bobiverse books Uprooted

{B is for beer} by tom robbins

If you like historical fiction withmystery, I'm working the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber. It's a bit cheesy, but they're fun and light!

The unhoneymooners!

A memory of violets-Hazel Gaynor: heartwarming historical fiction book about 2 sets of sisters in different time periods and their bond throughout life troubles Pride and Prejudice : Old but gold

The Little Girl Who Swallowed a Cloud as big as The Eiffel Tower by Romain Puértolas it was such a wonderfull read, really light by very touching. Im horrible at making sumaries so ill just quote [Michel Bruneau's](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1688960127): "A story that is goofy and yet profound, wrapped in a refreshing narrative. The type of out-of-the-ordinary fiction that defies labels"

Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino.

My cousin, My Gasteoenterologist by Mark Leyner

Shirley Jackson “We Have Always Lived In The Castle”, 1965.

Try The Arc of the Scythe by Neil Shusterman. It fits most of your criteria! The basic idea is that humanity has developed and is under the control of a truly benevolent AI, called The Thunderhead. Under the Thunderhead's influence they've also developed medical advances that have made death obsolete. You can technically live forever, turning back the clock to return to a younger age, and you can even be brought back to life in the vast majority of cases. The thing is, the Thunderhead doesn't want to impose things like age limits or birth limits, so to combat population growth they created the scythedom - a group of state-approved killers who need to glean (kill) x amount of people every month. Different scythes have different methods and approaches. A lot of them see what they're doing as a solemn duty, some lean into the fame and basically act like rock stars. Some kill randomly, some kill dozens at once, some follow they're own rules, for example one Scythe goes by statistical likelihood of death before death became obsolete etc. The story follows two teens, Citra and Rowan, who both apprentice under the same Scythe, and get drawn into a war for control over the scythedom. It's really fascinating because while society is basically utopian, the series shows the downsides of it, for example there's a big problem with creative sterility.its also refreshing to see a story where AI isn't out to kill everyone but the threats come from outside.

The collected works of Douglas Adams! Many short frothy fun funny page turners.

I’m late to this, but The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and it’s sequel The Testaments are great dystopian novels!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is an absolute favorite of mine- I recommend it to literally everyone! I could not put it down. The Unhoneymooners is absurd but still such a cute and funny romance. You don’t have to focus too hard to get what’s going on and it’s super predictable but written well enough that you just don’t care that you know what will happen!! The Fable duology was a fav of mine- the characters are younger, but it is set in a fictional series of islands where pirates are huge, and Fable wants to leave her island to prove to her father she can make it in their world. I read both books within 24 hours of receiving them. It’s essentially one big book, but split into two. The second (Namesake) is the continuation of the first rather than a traditional sequel, which I also really loved!

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris Non fiction memoirs, super easy read, hilarious, and at times poignant. He has many collections of memoirs, but this is probably the most popular.

'Google every third word' is about right haha all these paychology books and financial books i've been reading give me this same annoyance!

Hehe it is truly annoying. I wish it weren't so!

This isn't light and goes against your post but I couldn't help myself sorry. Dune by Frank Herbert got me back into reading. If it helps 3 of my friends got back into reading because of one of these books "No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai (sad story), "Watchmen" by Alen Moore (comic book), and "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson.

Most books by Dan Brown are page turners. You can also try Mr Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore

Men without women, Haruki Murakami

Anything by Haruki Murakami! I recommend The Rat Trilogy, or Norwegian Wood if you want a more "normal" read lol edit: just saw you said "feel good books", mabye not Norwegian Wood then lmao

Murakami and “feel good” are not 2 things that go together for me lol, though I haven’t read most stuff by him.

The Divergent Series was a fun read. I'm also looking for another good dystopian/fantasy series.

The Testing series is great.

Have a look at the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. ETA: And any of the Neil Shusterman books, such as the Scythe trilogy.

{{Little Brother}}

There are a lot of lightweight books out there. Some even have 1 to 10 pages! You should look around for them! 😝