Skip to main content

Books That Make Me Smile

I read a lot more books that make me think rather than smile. Not that there aren't plenty of giggles in Middlemarch, but it doesn't have the enchantment of middle grade fantasy or the belly laughs of full-grown adults aware of their mistakes. The latter are the books that have made me laugh the most in recent years: memoirs by David Lebovitz and Jen Lancaster have carried me through some rough times. And the former will always bring a smile to my face.

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl!

Books That Make Me Smile


  1. The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz
  2. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
  3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
  4. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
  5. Brave New Girls ed. Mary Fan and Paige Daniels-these anthologies are full of stories about girls and women winning science fiction! very uplifting, Star Trek-style scifi!
  6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
  7. American Cake by Anne Byrn-who doesn't love learning about cake?!
  8. The 100 Most Jewish Foods ed. Alana Newhouse-good for lots of fun thinking and arguing!
  9. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit
  10. Knight's Castle by Edward Eager

Comments

Lydia said…
The 100 Most Jewish Foods sounds like a fun read!

My TTT .
Lectrice Vorace said…
I'd like to check out The 100 Most Jewish Foods! (The title is making me hungry...haha)
Here's my TTT list this week.
Mom said…
Notice 3 of these have “castle” in the title. I wonder how many books do. Or is this a theme for you?
Anna said…
Cinder is one of my favorite books ever! Great list

My TTT
Judy Krueger said…
I love E Nesbit and have since I was very young, but I have not read The Enchanted Castle. I will have to look for it.

Popular posts from this blog

My Reactions to Common Book Buzzwords or Phrases

I'm trying to post but take it easy, so I'm including my reactions to some of the example buzzwords Jana used in the prompt, plus any more I think of. I had some very strong and immediate reactions, probably since these buzzwords are so common, especially in romance and the romantasy that's ultrapopular these days! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! My Reactions to Common Book Buzzwords or Phrases Phrase: "Morally grey characters" My Reaction: NO. Why?: I'm thoroughly sick of this trend, especially because it typically means "morally grey male love interest" which typically actually means "I fell in love with a serial killer BUT HE LOOOOVES ME." No. Don't get me wrong, I can and do enjoy genuinely nuanced characters and I do not expect anyone, much less a fictional character, to be perfect nor do I want them to be, but if I see that phrase, I think Rhysand, or, at best, Christian Grey, and I'm just not into that. (But if you are, you're ...

Cozy Snowy Books and Books I Want for Hanukkah

 As usual, it's that time again to adjust the Top Ten Tuesday topic because tonight is the third night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev but that sometimes needs some adjusting on the Gregorian calendar. Happy third night to my fellow celebrants, and happy almost-winter and/or winter holidays to everyone else! Since I also missed last week's topic, I've decided to share some cozy snowy reads--the topic was books set in snowy places but Jana added cozy and I like that as well-- to get into the wintery mood as well as some books I'd like for Hanukkah. Books Set in (Cozy) Snowy Places Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliott--This one is set during Hanukkah in Maine and NYC, so lots of cozy snow and wintry scenes in this evocative Hanukkah romance--and yes, it does involve a lot of food... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis--Narnia is, of course, not an entirely nice place when the Pevensie children enter it, yet Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs....

Best Books I Read in 2025

 Woof. This was--I guess kind of an average reading year? Mostly good or decent reads, a few mediocre ones or ones that weren't for me. The books I'm including below are the ones I've thought about most this year--particularly The Feather Thief and Better Living Through Birding --it's hard to imagine I only read them in 2025! I guess I'm officially a nonfiction fan now. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Best Books I Read in 2025 Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott--I loved Baba Yaga as a kid and I love this modern, Jewish take on the story The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk W. Johnson--I'd recommend this to anyone. Just a fascinating story--I never knew how much I wanted to know about fly-tying and the mystery of dead nineteenth century birds Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins--Another gut-wrenching Hunger Games triumph--and maybe unfortunately one more for our times  Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie ...