I call it hope-core! I’m eager to read the recs because I haven’t actually found many other books that felt that hopeful.
However Fredrik Backman does an amazing job of pulling out every emotion and cracking your chest with spare words, and then healing the cracks with community. “A Man Called Ove” does this amazingly well. (And the audiobook is great if you like to listen) but unlike Becky Chambers books-he definitely hurts it before he heals it and it’s contemporary not world building.
If you’re not opposed to contemporary romance-Tal Bauer’s “You and Me” follows two men living ordinary lives, and finding family, acceptance, community and hope together. It’s a lovely read-but again not quite a world rebuilt better like The Monk and Robot series. Just more, you feel better after reading it because people can be good to each other.
Meecah-Squig on
Other Becky Chambers books..definitely a Prayer for the Crown Shy if you haven’t already read them.
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon not as light, but a favorite.
Automatic Noodle
Critical_Crow_3770 on
There’s a sequel to Psalm for the Wild-Built. Becky Chambers also has the Wayfarers series and To Be Taught, If Fortunate.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
3 Comments
I call it hope-core! I’m eager to read the recs because I haven’t actually found many other books that felt that hopeful.
However Fredrik Backman does an amazing job of pulling out every emotion and cracking your chest with spare words, and then healing the cracks with community. “A Man Called Ove” does this amazingly well. (And the audiobook is great if you like to listen) but unlike Becky Chambers books-he definitely hurts it before he heals it and it’s contemporary not world building.
If you’re not opposed to contemporary romance-Tal Bauer’s “You and Me” follows two men living ordinary lives, and finding family, acceptance, community and hope together. It’s a lovely read-but again not quite a world rebuilt better like The Monk and Robot series. Just more, you feel better after reading it because people can be good to each other.
Other Becky Chambers books..definitely a Prayer for the Crown Shy if you haven’t already read them.
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon not as light, but a favorite.
Automatic Noodle
There’s a sequel to Psalm for the Wild-Built. Becky Chambers also has the Wayfarers series and To Be Taught, If Fortunate.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
The Midnight Library and The Humans by Matt Haig
The Alchemist by Paolo Cuelho
The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery