I've been mostly reading whatever awful romance novels the library has available, even if the vast majority of them are terrible, while waiting for various holds to come available. I did take a chance on a YA recently that I really liked--low stakes YA romance that I dug in these trying times (I do not need EXTRA angst, thanks, even the ones I know are going to work out by the end of the novel because it's a romance book!) "More Than Maybe" by Erin Hahn. Realized at the end I'd read an earlier book of hers, but I think I liked this one better. Or possibly just "liked this one for this moment in history" better. Who knows.
Anyone want to recommend calm soothing books? Good people doing good things where they are not even going to be foiled THAT much by the bad guy? Or better yet, are working to fix something and there is no real bad guy, but they need/want to fix something and then they do? Justice is served, etc? Things I hate: when the people in charge either don't care or can't help/fix the characters and it's unjust (ie Harry Potter and Dolores Umbridge). Too flashback to some issues growing up. Am OK with adults or higher ups or the prince or whoever being oblivious to the issue and would fix it if they could (ie, cops would arrest the bad guy if our valiant heroine can just figure out who did it but meanwhile they're busy investigating other things!)
I admire the clarity of your request and will try to think of anything that fits, meara
I mean, I just re-read The Goblin Emperor as a soothing antidote to The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, which I found extremely upsetting. Like, The Last Girl Scout (which I read right before that) was vastly less upsetting to me, although that might be due to the content warnings at the front, so I knew was I was getting into. Also, TLGS is full of queer joy, even in the midst of terrible things.
I think, though, Red Heir and A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking would fit your requirements.
Anyone want to recommend calm soothing books?
I did compile a list recently of calm soothing
games
where you basically drift around and explore cool visuals.
My favorite calm anything is Enchanted April. It is a book by Elizabeth von Arnie, and a 1990s movie. But it is very calm.
Anyone want to recommend calm soothing books?
I just checked goodreads to see if anything I read this year qualifies, and nope, I got nothing.
I usually go to childhood favorites when I'm looking for a calm read.
I know I am an outlier here, but I found
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
kinda soothing? In a way? I get why others don’t, tho’.
meara, if you’re ok with fluffy-sweet YA paranormal, I recommend the Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber.
I did enjoy Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking! And Goblin Emperor, though it took a while to get into it the first time I read it. Have not heard of aRed Heir!
