The Happy Place 5: Books that Keep Us Afloat in 2020

 The Happy Place is a monthly feature where we list our top five books for a certain topic or theme. Its name originates from a discord group called The Happy Place. You can find this blog's posts and links to all participating blogs and their own top 5 list down below.

Hellooo! I'm happy to present to you all the first post of the very first feature for this blog! The Happy Place 5 consists in a series of monthly posts where with a few friends, we post our top 5 favourite books for a given topic or theme. The name originates from a discord group called The Happy Place that I am a part of, it come to be as a way to deal with what was happening last year as a safe space for us and as most are on the blogger/bookstagram community, we decided to create a blog post series! I'm excited for our first topic which as you can see is: Books that Keep Us Afloat in 2020. We all know how 2020 was and in my case, if it weren't for all the fantastic books I read, my life would have been quite misserable. So I hope you enjoy this first post and that you can find new interesting books to read. That's one of the objectives of this space after all! ;) I'll link my friends' respective blogs and posts down below so you can check them out!

 

1. Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey

Sarah Gailey has been a favourite author for a while and Upright Women Wanted is now one of my favourite stories of theirs. They know how to deliver interesting and heartwarming books and this was no exception, I wish this was a longer book and that were more stories in this world because I loved reading about this group of queer librarians being badass fighting the system in this fascist dystopian future distributing prohibited material and being themselves. One thing I love about Gailey's stories is the queer representation that they write in a way that shows us how diverse our world is and the importance good rep has.

2. A Pale Light in the Black, K.B. Wagers

Over the years I've come to appreciate more and more feel-good reads and this book was just what I needed. I laughed and cried and I felt happy reading it and I got to care about the characters and worry about their well being but overall is one of those stories that made me feel positive about life and just... vibe with the characters.

  

3. The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune

When I think about a book that could be described as getting a big warm hug, this is the book that comes to my mind because that's exactly what I felt when reading it. I vividly remember listening to this book while washing the dishes or walking my dogs and I always had the biggest smile on because it's one of those beautiful stories that I could keep reading forever. The characters are a group of magical children and they are the smartest and cutest ever and so was their guardian and the protagonist who slowly gets to know and love them a long with us, the readers. If there's a book I would like for everyone to read and feel loved, it would be this one.

4. Middlegame, Seanan McGuire

If I'm honest, I could have added any of the ten Seanan Mcguire's books I read last year, it could have been Come Tumbling Down, any of the eight October Daye books I read or Over the Woodward Wall but Middlegame is exactly the kind of book I enjoy reading in the fantasy genre because it has everything I love from great characters to action, an engaging plot and cool magic elements and of course, its fair share of tragedy because what's not to love about a story that make us feel all the things?!

5. Rhythm of War, Brandon Sanderson

As a big Sanderson fan I was looking forward to the fourth installment of his Stormlight Archive series. It was everything I expected for and I was the happiest when reading it –I also cried my eyes out, of course, but that's part of why I love these books too. Sanderson delivered a beautiful story filled with good moments shared between friends and family, action scenes, more cool magic, fabrial science and secrets about how the Cosmere works and I'm also grateful for all the mental health representation Sanderson is including in his stories and how he cares about this. This series will always feel like home and I could reread them forever.

These were the books that keep me afloat in 2020. Have you read any of them? Did one pick your interest? What books keep you afloat in 2020?

Check out my friends' posts for more recs: 

Mackenzie | Colour Me Read

Crini | Crini's

Ellie | Readingrat's

Joséphine | Word revel