(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish.)
It’s been a crazy few weeks, and the last thing I’m in the mood for is a serious, heavy read. Here’s the books I pick up when I want something light and wonderful.
- The Masqueraders (Georgette Heyer) – The intrigue! The secret love! The Regency awesomeness of it all!
- The Grand Sophy (Georgette Heyer) – Noticing a pattern yet?
- Heat Wave (Richard Castle) – A nice mystery with a good combo of grit, humor, and sex.
- Cheaper by the Dozen (Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey) – Funny and lovely with some truly sweet moments.
- The Boxcar Children (Gertrude Chandler Warner) – I read these books as a kid, and going back through them makes me feel nostalgic and happy.
- Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen) – Nothing like a character who blows everything way out of proportion to make you feel better!
- Right Ho, Jeeves (P.G. Wodehouse) – All kinds of silly.
- Oink! My Life with Mini-Pigs (Matt Whyman) – No matter what you’re dealing with, it’s probably not as ridiculous as having two pigs in your kitchen.
- Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (Jenny Lawson) – Hilarious! Plus, makes you realize that there’s a family out there that is genuinely weirder than yours.
- Saranormal: Ghost Town (Phoebe Rivers) – Nice MG fiction with a great main character.
What do you read when you need something light and delicious?
I LOVE the Boxcar Children!!! That is a great series!!! Nice list!!
Here’s my TTT
I’ve only read the first five or six books (there’s some insane total number, 60-something I think), but I read them over and over again. I loved the idea of running away with the siblings!
I can’t comment on your blog, but I’ve seen Ella Enchanted on multiple lists this week. I read it sometime in middle school, but it was never my favorite, and I never knew it was so popular.
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I LOVE Northanger Abbey by Austen!! It’s my favorite (probably because it’s the most fun 🙂 Not many people appreciate that work of hers…I’m glad you understand!
It is a really fun read. 🙂 You can’t take it too seriously, though — it’s meant to be ridiculous.
I only know of one of the titles on this list; Northanger Abbey, and I have to say I agree it’s a very light-hearted & read. I’ve also added The Masqueraders to my to-be-read list, it sounds like a fabulous read!
The Masqueraders is indeed fabulous! I’d also recommend you check out The Grand Sophy; it’s considered Heyer’s best novel. But they’re both fun!
Boxcar Children was a childhood favorite of mine! And after some browsing, I added The Masqueraders and Oink to my TBR pile. Thanks for sharing such an awesome list!
Yay, spreading the Georgette Heyer love! I hope you enjoy both the books. 🙂
You’ve definitely given me more ideas for lighters reads. Thanks!
And by the way, I love your blog!
Glad to hear it! And thanks for the compliment.
It seems like Austen is a popular answer 🙂 I haven’t read a lot of these, I guess I have some catching up to do!
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I saw Austen on several lists as well. Also Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted. I’m glad that so many people are still loving Austen’s books. They’re all pretty awesome.
I LOVE The Masqueraders, it’s one of my favourites – though it’s set in the 18th century, right? not Regency? I remember the plot being concerned with the Jacobites…
I’ve often been curious about Cheaper By the Dozen – was that the Steve Martin movie adaptation or the other guy? I can’t remember now but I remember Martin doing some movie where he had tonnes of kids.
I still haven’t read Northanger Abbey, it’s the only (finished) book of Austin’s I’ve yet to read. I wouldn’t have expected to see it on a list like this but that’s encouraging!
I’ve always wanted to read a book in the Jeeves series but I never know where to start! There are so many and when faced with the selection I can’t figure it out so I’ve never bought one. What would you recommend?
Yep, The Masqueraders is a set a little later time-wise. But like many Americans, I tend to lump different eras together with little regard for the truth. 🙂
Ugh, yes, the Steve Martin movie was an adaptation of the book — and it was awful! The book has some comedic moments, but it’s really nothing like Martin’s movie. As usual, the book is much better.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Northanger Abbey, but once I realized it’s essentially a satire, it became a really fun, silly read. Give it a shot sometime.
There are lots of Jeeves books, but Right Ho, Jeeves is actually the first in the series. Problem solved!
Thanks for the rec, Amy. I find these long series so hard to grasp, because I went and looked it up on Goodreads after posting my comment; I find GR a great resource for accurately putting a series in order, but they have a different book as #1 – My Man Jeeves – and Right Ho Jeeves at #6! I’m one of those people who likes a clear answer on these things and this just makes me confused. What do you recommend I do, stick with Right Ho or …? (Sometimes GR has the “correct” series order but not necessarily the best reading order!)
That’s so alien to my nature, mixing historical periods! Jacobite rebellion was around 1750s and the Regency era was around the turn of the century, early 1800s to make it easy to remember. Their costumes were so utterly different! And the “stage” – politics and war etc. I love finding historical romances that are set before or after the Regency period, because it gets a bit boring after a while (I think Heyer’s responsible for making it so popular, don’t you?). There are some good Victorian romances coming out these days, which is nice.
Hm, I can’t remember where I heard that Right Ho, Jeeves was the first in the series. Fortunately it doesn’t seem to matter; I think as long as you know that Jeeves is much smarter than Bertie, you can read them in any order you want. 🙂 If you’re a stickler for publishing order, go with Goodreads (they’re reliable, I agree); otherwise you can probably start anywhere.
In the grand scheme of things there’s really not that much difference between the 1750s and the early 1800s. Fashion certainly changed a lot, as did the political climate, but the general day-to-day stuff (proper behavior, interactions between the sexes) stayed pretty much the same. Maybe that’s why those two eras get mixed up in my head.
I’d like to branch out a little from Regency; any recommendations for Victorian? 🙂
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened has been on my TBR for a while – I keep hearing such great things about it!
You should definitely read it soon! It’s so awesome.