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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?

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Today’s topic is the best books I read in 2024, which can be both fun and exciting, and difficult as well.  I’m not a picky reader, so I tend to enjoy everything I read.  So, picking The Best can be rough.  But here we go!

In no particular order:

Starter Villain by John Scalzi.  Last year, I read Redshirts and fell in love with this author.  Starter Villain is ten times better (and more ridiculous).  So much better in audio, too, because Wil Wheaton is a treasure, and no one quite does incredulous like he does.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree.  I never knew I needed cozy fantasy in my life, but this is the perfect gateway, even for someone who might not like fantasy.  Bonsu: the author, a prolific audiobook narrator, reads his own book.

The Lies Among Us by Sarah Beth Durst.  This was one of the most unique and interesting books I’ve read in a very long time.  An addictive story that nearly breaks your heart at times.

Lucky Bounce by Cait Nary.  I’m a huge hockey fan, so a bit of hockey romance is necessary each year.  Zeke and Spencer are probably my second favorite hockey couple.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio.  A very different sort of story involving alternating worlds and a ladder to an attic full of alternate husbands.

Silver Alert by Lee Smith.  I picked this up on a whim because you don’t find a lot of stories centered around senior citizens.  But this was a blast.  Herb, struggling to care for his aging wife, takes off on a road trip with the young woman hired to care for his wife.  Sweet, funny, and a little sad at times, it was a refreshing read.

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland.  A blend of historical romance and fantasy, this really sucked me in from page one.  I don’t read a lot of lesbian fiction, but the love story contained within is epic in its own right.  Beautifully written, too.

Check Please! Book 1 by Ngozi Ukazu.  As I said above, I love hockey.  I also love manga and graphic novels, so when the two combine, I’m sold.  This was a super sweet story about a kid who loves to bake and his maybe boyfriend.  College romance done up in adorable graphics.

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner.  Another cozy fantasy but this time add a dash of The Great British Bake Off.  Super cute and quick read.

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica.  I love her books in general, but this has been my favorite to date.  Twisty and engrossing, I couldn’t stop reading until I knew the truth.

Have you read any of these?  What did you think, if you did?

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Yes, I am the same Astilbe who submitted this topic to Jana. I was thrilled to learn she picked it.

All of the books on this list feature blizzards and snowstorms. I don’t know about all of you, but I like reading about blizzards and snowstorms while they are happening so long as I’m tucked safely at home and don’t need to go anywhere until the roads are ploughed and okay for travelling on again.

1. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

2.  The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury

3. The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin

4. Let It Snow by John Green

5. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

6. A Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor

7. The Day After Tomorrow by Whitley Strieber

8. Ghost Story by Peter Straub

9.Chance of a Ghost (Haunted Guesthouse Mystery, #4) by E.J. Copperman

10.Who Stole Stonehenge? by Leela Cutter

Do you also like to read books about bad weather while the weather is snowy or stormy where you live?