Escapist reading

What with storm troopers having invaded Portland where they are beating unarmed, non-violent men and tear gassing pregnant women, not to mention that it looks as though the data (what there is that people can find because the dictator-in-chief doesn't want any data shared) that Covid-19 death rates seems to be significantly higher for individuals with intellectual disabilities, it just makes me want to curl up in a ball until it all goes away.

But since curling up a ball isn't an option, the next best choice is finding books that can at least make me forget the utter disaster our country has fallen into. Contrary to what you might think, I don't always read serious books. I read plenty of fluff; I just don't blog about it because... well... it's fluff. What else is there to say?

I thought perhaps you might need a few titles to help you escape the current chaos, so I'm going to share some of my favorite very unliterary, escapists, pure fluff books. Think of them as literary candy.  My only requirements are that they are at least decently written, I like the characters, and they have happy, satisfying endings. I'll list them as I think of them.

First off is The Art of Inheriting Secrets by Barbara O'Neal. I just finished this one, and it certainly fell into the escapist fluff category. It's about a woman who discovers on the death of her mother that she has inherited an English manor house and is now a countess. I mean, who doesn't imagine this happening to them? (I can't be the only one!)

Anything by Katie Fforde. These are light romance titles, also set in England, where the main character has some sort of skill... gardening, cooking, decorating, rehabbing, etc., she moves to a new area, overcomes problems and makes a success of life, and finds love in the interim. I'm not going to list the titles as they are so formulaic that it doesn't really matter. I actually have trouble keeping track of which story line goes with which book. Definitely escapist.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. This wasn't a book I was expecting to like, and I'm not even sure why I had checked it out. It almost doesn't meet my escapist fiction guidelines because I wasn't sure I even liked Bernadette for a while. But then I did, and I ended up loving the book. If you've seen the movie, I think the book is significantly better.

Anything by Miss Read. More British fiction; it's a thing. Miss Read wrote books about two different villages, Thrush Green and Fairacre. They are gentle and calming and lovely, and you will want to move to either village immediately after reading them.

Miss Bunkle's Book by D. E. Stevenson. That's right, you guessed it, another book set in Britain. Originally written in the 1930's, the plot involves a not-so-young anymore woman who ends up writing a popular book about the different characters in her small village. I've read the sequel, but I was looking it up for this post I discovered that there are still two more that I haven't read. They will have to go on my library list.

Pride, Prejudice, and other Flavors by Sonali Dev. This is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice except with an Indian twist. I liked the characters and though it was well done. Plus, it had a happy ending.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. This is light fantasy with a massive library which connects all different versions of worlds and times. The librarians travel to these different places to collect books the library needs. There's adventure, humor, books, dragons, and fae. I'm not sure what more you could want, except maybe more of them. But since it is a series which is still being added to, you can have that, too.

And now some of my favorites that I am always urging you to read.

The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. I have found dear Amelia to be wonderful friend during the past few months. I love the characters, I love the story lines, I love the slightly tongue-in-cheek humor. They are just wonderful. Read them!

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. If life continues they way it has been, I may be rereading this series when I finish Amelia Peabody. It was the series that J. chose to read as his escapist reading. How can you not love a heroine who can jump into books who lives in a version of England where you can clone your own pet dodo, where mammoths migrate, and cricket is a near full contact sport?  Read these, too!