If my family had a motto, it would be, “humor is our favorite coping mechanism.” The worse the situation is, the funnier we get. You should have seen us when we were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We were hilarious.
Basically, when it comes down to it, I’d much rather laugh than cry.
But whether you share our motto or say, “Laughter is the best medicine” instead, we all mean the same thing—comedy helps us heal. It helps us process the difficult things in the world, helps us find the hope with which to carry on, and deal with adversity. Humor is the spoonful of sugar that helps the universe’s bitter medicine go down.
And yet, comedy is always seen as a little “less than” when compared to drama. Just like “cozy” and “fluff” get unfairly labeled as the literary equivalent of empty calories. I’ve never understood this. When did we, as a human collective, decide that a book had to be serious and sad to be meaningful? Sure, sometimes you need a sad book. But sometimes… you need a soft book. A book to make a nest in. A place to rest, heal, and where you can eventually lay your own egg of joy.
I have taken this analogy too far.
The books below are sometimes cozy, sometimes fluffy, but always fully of whimsy, and any one of them would be good to build your nest in. Metaphorically. Or possibly literally. You do you, boo.
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
If you haven’t read this series yet, I am absolutely delighted for you, because you now have four whole books and a novella just waiting for you. Do you want books full of kindness, friendship, and compassion but also monsters? What about a doctor who heals mummies, discusses zombie reconstructive surgery, and is concerned about skin disease in bogeymen? And what if I told you that the main character, Greta Van Helsing, occasionally saves London and sometimes the world with her charming group of monster (meant in a complimentary sense) friends? If you’re nodding along to all these questions, then this series is for you. I’ve read these books in print and on audio, and both are great, but I particularly love the audio version as read by Suzannah Hampton. My mother would also like you to know that she frequently listens to this series before she goes to bed because she finds the story and narration soothing and charming. You should listen to her recommendation—she has great taste.
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Sometimes I read a debut novel and it’s so good it almost makes me angry. Like, this book has no right being as good at it is. But oh, my friends, it is so good. White described it as a “magical gay murder mystery cruise” and yes. It’s a locked-room murder mystery, but the room is a ship full of the heirs to the twelve provinces of the empire. They all possess magic, except one—our narrator, Ganymedes, aka Fish. I…would stab someone for Fish. He’s a sweet-hearted, loveable disaster. If I would stab someone for Fish, I would stab a whole lot of someones for Grasshopper, the feral chaos child of my heart. There’s magic! Dragon butlers! Romance! This book is equal parts whimsy and murder, and the audiobook read by Nathan Foad (who I am just now realizing was Lucius in Our Flag Means Death?!?) is an absolute freaking delight.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Reading this book, according to Durst, is like getting a warm hug, drinking hot chocolate, or eating raspberry jam—possibly all three at once—and I agree. This book had me at sentient house plant and then it doubled down with grumpy librarian. Kiela and her house plant Caz flee a revolution and a burning library with as many spellbooks as they can carry—an act that is illegal and forbidden. They hide away on an island in her childhood home and for the first time, Kiela realizes that she can’t survive all on her own…that she actually needs her community, and that scares her. While not everyone welcomes her with open arms, this book is full of characters bringing out the best in each other and building community. Did I mention that Keila’s love interest, Larran, has a merhorse farm? (…Ranch? What would you call that?) I highly recommend having your favorite baked good on hand while you devour this sweet read.
Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu
I know many of you are looking for something to fill the Heated Rivalry hole in your heart, but guess what? Your search is over. Check Please! started life as a webcomic before becoming a graphic novel and follows the adventures of Eric Bittle, aka Bitty, a former figure skater and internet vlogger/baker who joins a college hockey team. He bakes pies. He deals with bro culture. He makes friends and falls in love. What I love about Bitty is that he’s scared, he vulnerable, and he’s so brave because he keeps trying. Plus, you know, he’s constantly baking pies. And I love all of this so much, but what you need to know is that what really sold me on the comic from the very start is that there’s a hockey player named Shitty. Like, that’s all anyone calls him and no one knows his actual name. If Bitty ever asked me to bury a body, I would be there with a shovel and an alibi, but I would happily go to jail for Shitty.
Fan Service by Rosie Danan
I was really excited when Danan announced this book—I like her writing and her characters, and I think she’s great at writing steamy sex scenes that fit the character. (This is harder to do than you might think.) I also have an undying love for werewolves, which I should probably talk to my therapist about. Anyway, for me Danan + werewolves = please take my money. The premise here is, frankly, gold. Devin Ashwood is a washed-up actor from a werewolf detective show called Arcane. He’s self-focused and nothing will get in the way of him clawing his way back into the limelight, so when footage goes viral of him basically wolfing out, everyone thinks it’s a publicity stunt. Everyone except Devin, who is panicking because he’s waking up naked in the woods and losing time. He has no friends, no one to help him, and he’s desperate. The only person he can think to turn to is Alex Lawson, the person who ran Arcane’s fan forum online, the show’s biggest fan… who also happens to hate his guts. This book is a funny, sexy love letter to shows like Supernatural and Teen Wolf, and to fandom itself, but it’s also about healing yourself when your heroes and the people in your life fail you.
The Greta Van Helsing books are wonderful. She’s an interesting character, and the diseases she treats really fit the various ‘monsters’.
Waitwaitwait, there’s a fourth book and a novella in the Greta Helsing series? Time to make room on my bookshelf.