I’m currently listening to this mellow, instrumental, folksy playlist and it’s dark and rainy outside, Kiddo has gone to bed and what I’d enjoy most would be to burrow under the covers with a previously unread Jill Shalvis book. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while and now seems to be the right time!
I read a lot. Hey, it’s one of the requirements of being a book blogger (I guess?) but I also read for work. I read contemporary romances, fantasy, some sci-fi, classics, paranormals, historical romances, comics – pretty much anything in both YA and adult variety except for crime and horror. I read children’s books to my kid and I read non-fiction stuff like feminist theory for my studies.
But I find myself returning to the same (type of) books whenever I’m feeling tired and just want to turn off the day’s worries for a while. You know that feeling when you’ve been around the whole day and your feet really hurt, or maybe you’ve got a cold that has you feeling fuzzy, or you’ve heard too many bad news that day, or the idea of going out just seems too much?
Whenever I feel like that, I go for romance. Not necessarily fully-fledged romance, but something – a YA fantasy, a historical novel, anything – with a happy ending and a bit of smooching. It makes me feel better when I read about other people getting their happily-ever-afters – I don’t think it has anything to do with unfulfilled fantasies or whatever, it’s just comforting to read about good stuff instead of listening to the awful things happening around the world. Is this a very escapist thing to do? Yes, of course, but I find this particular form of escapism to be beneficial.
I often re-read old favourites, like Harry Potter or Jane Austen’s novels, but here’s a list of books I found to be perfect for a pick-me-up (you know I can’t resist making a list…):
- Janet Evanovich: the Stephanie Plum books
- Jill Shalvis: see this post for ideas
- Mary E. Pearson: The Kiss of Deception
- Rainbow Rowell: Fangirl or Attachments (I haven’t reviewed this one yet but it’s amazing)
- Sarah MacLean: see this post
- Neil Gaiman: Stardust
- Kody Keplinger: The DUFF
- Tessa Dare: see this post
- Katie Fforde: The Wedding Season
- Jenny Colgan: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris
What are your go-to reads for when you feel uncomfortable in your own skin?
Or do you do something completely different when days get rough?
I’d love to hear from you! :)
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