I've been doing a lot of heavy reading lately and need something that I can read in-between or on the side to decompress and relax a bit. Anything is welcome as long as it's a) comforting, b) not a very demanding read, and c) optionally possibly unhinged and/or probably objectively sort of bad. Genre and age demographic doesn't really matter, it can literally be some book you've read when you were a kid.
I'm currently especially in the mood for romance novels or books with strong romance subplots as well as middle grade fantasies. Some examples for things I usually find comforting are the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series by Jenny Han, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and all its sequels and spin-offs) by Rick Riordan, and Castle Gripsholm by Kurt Tucholsky. Thank you!
by cosmicblobs
5 Comments
If you want to be entertained and aren’t fussed about objective quality, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. The first one is City of Bones. I started the series in middle school and kept up with the series for way too long lol. There’s the main series than a bunch of companion series, so it can be a short trilogy or a 15 book odessy depending on how much you feel like getting into the extended world building. (Similar in structure to the PJO extended universe, actually)
The romance plot is also unhinged lmao
Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik is perfect. While you CAN read it on a deep level if you want to, you can absolutely still love it surface-level as well.
The romance sub-plot is a slow burn, but I think it’s incredibly well done and comes together in a way that left me entirely satisfied. One of those series that I genuinely believe gets better with every book, and it starts off on a strong note!
Book one is called *A Deadly Education*.
Unhinged/War: The works of Sven Hassel
Comforting: *Before The Coffee Gets Cold* by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I have some romance options, they’re f/f because that’s basically all I read.
Scatter by Molly J Bragg – lesbian superhero romance! Imagine a great romance combined with a popcorn action flick and this is what you get, but gay.
Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae – the chillest romance ever about two women in Portland who slowly fall for each other over an mis-sent text.
Murderbot by Martha Wells