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Generally speaking, I know what I’m getting into when I pick up a book.  But sometimes, I’m surprised.  Mostly pleasantly, but sometimes, not.  There are always going to be a few stinkers out there, right?

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This week let’s take a look at some things characters have said about happiness. Our world needs more happiness in it!

1. “There’s nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

3. “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

4. “It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

5. “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

6. “And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon.”
― Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat

7. “I know that’s what people say– you’ll get over it. I’d say it, too. But I know it’s not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won’t forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him.”
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

8. “Laughter is poison to fear.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

9. We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

10. “The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”
― Carlos Castaneda

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This week I am talking about books set in the past. Specifically, these are pieces of historical fiction I’d like to read someday!

1. World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2) by Ken Follett

2. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

4. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

5. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

6. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

7. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

8. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander

9. Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

10. Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

If you like historical fiction, what are some of your favorite stories in that genre?

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Today’s topic is a love freebie, so I thought I’d go with some of my favorite book couples, both romantic and otherwise.  Because sometimes, the friendships are better than the romances.

1. Sloan McPherson and Scott Hughes from Andrew Mayne’s Underwater Investigation Unit series. Sloan and Scott had a bit of a stiff relationship at first, but as the books progress, they really do lean into each other’s personality quirks. And I swear, if Sloan and her long-time boyfriend, Run, weren’t so cute together, and if Scott wasn’t married, I’d hardcore ship these two.
2. Stephanie Plum and Lula from Janet Evanovich’s Plum series. The things these two get themselves into sometimes! But no matter what, they’ve always got each other’s back.  Mostly.  Sometimes.  As long as there isn’t a TastyKake there to distract them.
3. Grace Tilbury and Roland Percy from Lynn Morrison and Anne Radcliffe’s Crown Jewels Regency Mystery series. For the time period, Roland gives Grace a lot of space to do her thing, even when it puts her in danger. He’s a great friend and partner and will hopefully make her a fantastic husband.
4. Arleta, Doli, and Jez from J. Penner’s Ardenashire series. These three are total opposites, but somehow, their friendship just works. I’d love to have friends like these.
5. Mickey Haller and Lorna from Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series. Lorna is Mickey’s second ex-wife, but also the office manager of his law firm. Add to that, she’s dating Cisco, Mickey’s investigator, and you’d think it’d be tense.  But it’s not.  They’re like the cutest divorced couple ever.
6. Kate Shugak and Jack Morgan from Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak series. Kate’s reluctant when it comes to love, but Jack is determined. They work so well together that I hate when they’re forced to be apart.  And the way Jack’s teenaged son takes to Kate, you just know they’re meant to be.
7. Stevie Cartwright and Crispin Allastair Winterbottom, aka Win, from Dakota Cassidy’s Witchless in Seattle series. Win and Stevie go through so much, starting on day one, that you can’t help but root for their love story. Especially when you consider that Win is, well, a ghost.
8. Juliet Langley and Ryder Hamilton from Caroline Fardig’s Java Jive Mysteries. They have such a rollercoaster ride of a relationship – from enemies, to lovers, to friends and back – that you often don’t know where they’ll end up. But through it all, they stay sassy and entertaining.
9. Luc and Oliver from Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. What starts as fake dating becomes something so much more. There’s a lot of angst in this book, but it only makes their falling in love that much sweeter for me.
10. Jess Harris and Dan Burnett from Debra Webb’s Faces of Evil series. This is honestly one of my all-time favorite series and the second chance romance between Jess and Dan is steaming hot. They have years of history, not all of it good, but they confront it and find a way past it.

What about you?  Have you read any of these series?  What are some of your favorites?