Quarantine Comforts: Some Happy Books to Read Right Now.

Hello! 

Even in ordinary circumstances, books are my solace. When life seems unbearable or even mildly inconvenient, I turn to books to pull me out of my world and transport to somewhere, anywhere else. 

So when the world is a hot mess, like it is right now, of course I find comfort in my shelves, in stories and people having a much better time than any of us. 

Especially now, books are my everything. Well, books and Vim Liquid...my jhadu and my magical skinny mop...but books are right there on the top of my list..I promise.

I also think that now is perfect time to read happy books. 

Books full of joy, heart warming characters, fuzzy feelings and just oodles and oodles of comfort. Hence this post. 

A post dedicated solely to some Happy Book Recommendations. 

I will say though, I don't often read that many happy books. 

Murder.

Mayhem.

Moodiness. 

:) 

Angst. 

History. 

I am quite surprised that I could even come up with this list, it did take me an age to think of these titles though. 

:) 

So here we go....

HAPPY BOOKS TO READ DURING THE QUARANTINE: 

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows: This BOOK! This freaking BOOK..has my whole heart. It's a thing of beauty. Warm, heart-felt, moving, sad, joyful and just fuzzy and full fo the nicest and kindest people you could think. Also features a writer, an usual book club, war and a love story that just warms the cockles of my heart. 

The Netflix movie was that bad too. The books is of course wayyyyyyyyyy better. If you haven't read this, please do. 

You absolutely need to read it this instance. 

I loved it so much that it's one of those rare instances where I read in on my Kindle and still bought a physical copy because my shelves needed to have it.

I read back in 2014 and here's a review.  

Plot Summary: To give them hope she must tell their story.

It's 1946. The war is over, and Juliet Ashton has writer's block. But when she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey – a total stranger living halfway across the Channel, who has come across her name written in a second hand book – she enters into a correspondence with him, and in time with all the members of the extraordinary Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 

Through their letters, the society tell Juliet about life on the island, their love of books – and the long shadow cast by their time living under German occupation. Drawn into their irresistible world, Juliet sets sail for the island, changing her life forever.

2. Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick: Another book that though not entirely, giddily happy still managed to leave my crying happy tears. A book full of good people and kindness and heart. It was a quick read that I think I read in one sitting and loved so much. It also has a doggo, which makes any book a million times better. I read it back in 2014 and reviewed it HERE.  

Plot Summary: Amber Appleton has a lot to be thankful for.

OR 

Amber Appleton has never had it easy.

Both are true. On the one hand, she's got the best friends a seventeen year old could ask for and a loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy. On the other, her mum frequently has too much to drink, Amber's never quite sure where her next meal will come from and ever since her mum's latest boyfriend kicked them out, Amber and her mum have been living in the back of a school bus.

Amber has always found it easy to be upbeat, to find the light in the darkest of situations. Until, that is, an unimaginable tragedy occurs. Forced to rethink her way of life, can Amber remain a rock star of hope?

This is the story of a very special teenager, whose faith and hope is tested to the limit.

3. The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary: This book is just mushy and lovely and heart warming and who couldn't do with some romance in their lives right now? Huh? This book is full of sweetness and love and good people. It's fun and light and perfect to sink into right now. 

Plot Summary: Tiffy and Leon share a flat

Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met...

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they're crazy, but it's the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy's at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. 

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven't met yet, they're about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window.

4. Ruskin Bond Books: Seriously, this man puts so much heart and love in his stories that reading his books always lifts my mood. Comfort and love and just bucketloads of heart. His children's books are always delightful, as are his spooky tales and stories of love and longing. I cannot think of a better time to escape to the hills with Ruskin Bond for company. 

5. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion: A love story with a twist. Funny, fuzzy and full of wonderful moments this was such a happy book to spend time with. Read my full review Here. 

Plot Summary: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

6. The Collected Works of A.J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: Books about books and bookshops are their own kind of wonderful and basically my bookish kryptonite. I will never pass up on the chance to read a book about books and booksellers, I think it's my heart's deepest desire to someday run a bookshop of my own, while that may or not may not happen, I can at least vicariously live that life via books. 

Read my rave review HERE. 

Plot Summary: On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. 

7. The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn: Ah! Ah! Ah! 

British. 

Regency. 

Love. 

Romance. 

Sexy times. 

Whats not to love!? 

There are 7 books in this series based in the same family and all of these books are amazing and engaging and full of pyaar. Even if you aren't a big romance reader, these books will still win you over. God, I haven't read them in years and I want to find them right now and re-read them. 

These books are about to be adapted into a Netflix series and I CANNOT WAIT! 

8. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren: A good old-fashioned rom-com! My sister and I read and enjoyed this book last year and highly recommend it if you are looking for something romantic to read. 

Here's a brief plot summary:

Olive is always unlucky; her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. While she's about to marry her dream man, Olive is forced to play nice with her nemesis: the best man, Ethan.

Yet Olive's luck may be on the turn . . . When the entire wedding - except for Olive and Ethan - gets food poisoning, there's an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside, Olive and Ethan head for paradise. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him spirals out of control.

Forced to play loving newlyweds, she and Ethan find themselves in closer proximity than they ever expected. Soon, Olive finds that maybe she doesn't mind pretending. In fact, she's beginning to feel kind of . . . lucky.

9. Left from the Nameless Shop by Adithi Rao: This is such a lovely heartwarming book with wonderful people in it! Just the perfect kind of book to read while we are social distancing and quarantining! We loved this book and have reviewed it here. Read, read, read! 

10. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin: This book broke my heart a little bit. It is a sweet little story about afterlife and offers a unique perspective on the cycle of life and death. I've reviewed it here. 

Hope you find something that you liked here! 

Have a great weekend, guys!