What’s the last book you were reading where you thought midway through, ‘This book is FUN’?
Maybe it made you laugh, maybe it was extremely clever, maybe you were in the perfect location or brain space to enjoy it? (I love when that happens.)
Elyse: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
Sarah: Really? That’s awesome!
Elyse: It’s very much a “get the old gang together for one last heist” story and it’s funny and just generally fun to read.
If you’ve ever played D&D or similar, it has the same emotional feel of playing a silly, high stakes adventure with your besties
Lara: I’m reading it right now and loving it!
Carrie: Samesies!
Sarah: My most recent was probably Ship Wrecked.
I loved how clever the characters were at solving problems, and how much the story embraced fandom, fanfic, and relying on colleagues and community to get through a terrible management experience.
Lara: For me it was The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies ( A | BN | K ). It had me gasping with delight. Shaking my partner, telling him for the millionth time how good this book was. It was an adventure!
Shana: I think it might have been Sol by Nikki Clarke ( A ).
It was an unexpectedly screwball adventure story in the middle of an angsty alien romance series. I loved the cultural conflicts between the outspoken human main character and the feathered, emotionally repressed society she’s plopped into.
The worldbuilding was super creative! I mean, they reproduce through giant eggs…which is something the hero neglects to mention before they have sex. I was thoroughly entertained.
Tara: I don’t know if it’s the last one, but I remember having so much fun with Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
I laughed so hard that I was in tears several times. I also found some moments incredibly poignant.
Now that I think about it, I might have to read it again.
Susan: That was the first book I thought of too! I cackled so hard at it that my partner came to check on me a couple of times.
Tara: Same! I was cry laughing so hard that Neil asked I’d I was okay.
What about you?
Please tell us! What was the last book where, while reading, you thought, “I’m having a really good time right now?”
The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths. This is the final in the Ruth Galloway series, and it was an absolute joy to read. You really need to read the whole series to feel the payoff, but it’s all good, so that’s a bonus!
How to Kill Men and Get Away With It / Katy Brent
There are romantic elements to this story but the body count is too high to classify it romance. It’s deliciously dark and dry, even though it’s dripping blood.
Reading this on public transport and grinning, made the man sitting opposite me ask if he was in the danger zone.
Another reason the book caused a laugh.
I was scrolling through my Goodreads and was amused by my answers to this:
THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE by Richard Osman, the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series. I read book 2 first because library availability and I am so glad I did. I chortled so many times reading it that I think my husband was bemused. Joyce, the primary narrator, is an absolute delight.
THE EARL’S HOLIDAY WAGER by Theresa Romain. I think Romain is consistently underrated and this one is one of her best. The titular earl is hosting a Christmas party. He has a reputation as a bit of a libertine and as someone who’s always down for a good time. Theoretically, everyone should be having fun. But it’s all a bit of a facade and the hero and heroine are finding out how to have fun together. Bonus point for fun secondary characters.
@FashionablyEvil agreeing with your comment about Joyce from The Thursday Murder Club. I just started the third book of the series and was so happy to be reading her voice again.
Katy Watson’s The Three Dahlias! SO funny, so much fun and so perfect for anyone who’s ever loved Golden Age cozy mysteries or modern TV/movie adaptations of them (but with more diversity, which is a big bonus). I can’t wait for book 2 to come out next month!
Reading is always fun for me—even though I gravitate toward the angstier (and often darker) end of the reading spectrum. However, for a read that I’m sure many others will also agree is fun, I have to go with Ngozi Ukozi’s two-volume graphic novel, CHECK, PLEASE (Book 1 is subtitled HOCKEY and Book 2 is subtitled STICKS AND SCONES). It’s an incredibly endearing story about a young man who joins his college hockey team and, in between wowing his teammates with his baking expertise, vlogging/tweeting about his life, and becoming a key player on the team, falls for the team’s hot captain (who has challenges of his own). So sweet, but not in a saccharine way, and such fun to read.
I just read Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller and it just made me so happy and smiley, I had to hide it from myself so I would move on to the other library books in the pile rather than start rereading it immediately. Eli is a grumpy, kind, intelligent man, and Maria is clever, loving, and determined. There is waltzing in Vienna, mutual pining, some mysteries to unravel, and lots of found and blood family that love each other.
Cat Sebastian’s We Could Be So Good, which, istg I am not being paid to gush about
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, by Cat Sebastian.
SPOTLESS – by Camilla Monk. Just everything — the epigraphs, the adventures, March’s entire persona… just great.
RILEY THORNE AND THE DEAD GIY NEXT DOOR – by Lucy Score – THe mystery, the geriatric housemates, that last hostage scene — everything was just zany and fun.
MEN AT ARMS – by Terry Pratchett – Half the fun is just wallowing in the witty prose.
SWEEP OF THE BLADE – by Ilona Andrews – I felt like this book took me on an adventurous fun ride.
Red Heir by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey, had me crying with laughter while trying to describe the characters and storyline to my hubby…never did get it explained. First book in the Adventures in Aguillon series, loved the crazy characters and conversations in all three books!
Mr Impossible by Loretta Chase or the best mix of romance and adventure I’ve read so far.
The beast in him: soooo over the top and so funny.
Faro’s daughter by Georgette Heyer
THE TOURIST TRAP by Sarah Morgantholer. From the moose making love to a truck in the opening to a subversion of the declaration of love at the airport trope that had me laughing loud enough to scare the cats, I had a good time with this.
Shipwrecked: Being a Tale of True Love, Magic, and Goats by Juniper Butterworth! Goblin-core meets cozy fantasy! It’s the Sapphic romance between two goblins (a pirate and a magic goat whisperer) that I didn’t know I needed. The world building and character development is compelling. Also quirky and weird, in the best ways. And with more emotional depth than I was expecting from a low-stakes fantasy novella about goblins falling in love.
Definitely not for every reader (the sex isn’t graphic by my standards but there are more tusks and even tentacles involved than some may like) but if this is your sort of thing, are you in for a TREAT!
I am currently re-reading the Blessings books, thanks to SB Sarah and KJ Charles and the recent podcast. It is such a delight, especially every time someone tries to play or stampede Bernadine. She’s quoting Beyonce to them in this book. I will probably end up glomming the entire series again and it’s giving me joy every day.
Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by cat Sebastian and etiquette and espionage by Gail carriger
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray was just so much fun to read!!! I am waiting to read the sequel until I have a medical procedure and need something calming.
Space Opera, Catherynne Valente. Humanity sends a washed-up Freddie Mercury knockoff to compete in Galactic Eurovision for the chance to not be wiped out. I push this book *so hard* and I’ve made several friends because of it. 😀
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix Harrow. Stories about stories can get kind of up their own butts, but this was just wonderfully tender and exploratory and thought-provoking throughout.
Envy of Angels, Matt Wallace. So far the best of the Sin du Jour series, but I’m waiting for my hold on book 3 to come in. Think of it like Top Chef but with a supernatural clientele.
And, Killers of a Certain Age was damned fun. 😀
I adored Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames and any of the Paladin or clockwork books by T. Kingfisher. They all made me giggle…..
Not a recent read, but the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Imaginative, witty, and absurd with an amazing heroine. In a similar vein, Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog was also a lot of fun (as was Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, a knowledge of which benefits the experience of TSNOTD, but isn’t necessarily a required pre-req.)
I loved Kings of the Wyld by Nicolas Eames and the Clockwork and Paladin books by T. kingfisher!!! They made me giggle…..
The first one that comes to mind is Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. I just loved spending time with those women, and it felt like such a blast! I passed my copy of the book on to my mom and she said almost the same thing to me when she finished- she wanted to go on adventures with them.
Fred, the Vampire accountant series- I’m up to book 6 in the series that I discovered through Get Rec’d (thanks Amanda!)
Fred and his found family are fun, kind to each other and despite looking out for each other keep getting into trouble in the parahuman world. It’s always fun to see how they manage to get out of it.
Good luck @Sarah! I read The Late Mrs. Willougby, and it was lovely. I hope it brings you comfort.
Just finished Lucy Score’s THINGS WE NEVER GOT OVER and chortled my way through most of it. From people in town referring to Naomi “Not Tina” for most of the book, to Knox’s advanced state of denial, to the many, many delightful support characters, it was such a happy read.
The Henchmen of Zenda by KJ Charles
Oz by Lily Morton
The Billionaire’s Wake-Up Call Girl by Annika Martin
The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
And seconding (or thirding) Cat Sebastian and Camilla Monk
Agree with Thursday Next series by Fforde mentioned above, also Soulless by Carriger, the Long Con Adventures by Amy Lane, & Frog (stand-alone) and the Marshals series by Mary Calmes.
BOSS IN THE BEDSHEETS by KATE CANTERBARY just had me smiling so much while reading it. I’m not big on what might loosely be termed romcoms (although I am slowly finding my way) but this was a hoot. Also TESSA DARE’s THE DUCHESS DEAL is so sharp and witty. Love her style.
K.M.Shea’s Magiford series. My favorite set so far is the most recent trilogy (Gate of Myth and Power) – the one with the elf king and the cat shifter. And then it’s great fun to go back re-read the other Magiford series and catch hints and glimpses. Good fun! Especially when a friend’s also reading them and you can text each other wild speculations.
Fae court tour busses! The wolf shifter pack’s visitor center with photo op! Trash griffins! Plus a romance arc in each trilogy.
I binged a couple of the Lucy Parker London Celebrities series while on a long plane ride in March. They make me so happy to read.
Also: Dial A For Aunties.
Chick Magnet / Emma Barry
The Bodyguard / Katherine Center
The Bright Side of Disaster / Katherine Center
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries /
The True Love Experiment / Christina Lauren
Book Lovers / Emily Henry
Almost anything by Ilona Andrews
Essentially what @Margaret said.
What most amazed me most, though, was the sheer quantity of books I read that aren’t really what I’d call fun.
I know that I sound like a broken record when I do come in from lurking, but: The Spotless Series from Camilla Monk (as already mentioned); any book by Cassandra Gannon, especially the Almost Fairy Tales; many of Gail Carriger’s books (all are very, very good, but only many are “fun”); Stephanie Burgis’ Good Neighbors series; anything by Jennifer Crusie (new books coming out soon!!); Shelly Laurenston’s Honey Badger series; Jodi Taylor’s Doing Time Series.
Just off the top of my head…
Erin Nicholas for very satisfying contemporary romance, with great supporting characters/community and great communication
Kati Wilde for great writing, humor, and excellent HFY energy (cf KJ Charles’ recent interview)
Most of Jennifer Cruise’s books! Welcome to Temptation or Fast Women come to mind.
Ilona Andrew’s latest Magic
ClamsClaims, it has some great one-liners as well as some inherently funny scenes, but also manages to be a thoughtful tale of a long married couple considering the changes they need to make in their lives, as they separately come to realise that the last lot of changes they made in their lives are no longer working for either of them or their family, as well as a suspensful story about deealing with an unknown Bigd Bad. Why yes, I have read it twice since it came out on Tuesday, aaand I want more!Beth Bolden’s books are always a very good time! Humor, heart, heat… I’m definitely a fan.
I just reread Wen Spencer’s Eight Million Gods for exactly this reason!
CW: the main character has been (unfairly) institutionalized for much of her life bc of her mother.
Nikki escapes to Japan and is living quietly near her best friend, working on a novel, when she’s suddenly an object of police interest because someone’s apparently copied one of her character’s murder scenes right after she posted it to her blog. Chaos ensues (but mostly fun chaos). There’s a satisfying, slow-burn romantic arc.
Seconding Triple D’s rec of Check, Please which is in my comfort read rotation forever. Other books that come to mind are Murderbot 1 All Systems Red which played like an awesome movie in my head while I was reading it, Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews, and How to Be a Normal Person by TJ Klune.
WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT by Tessa Dare, snort laughing ing bed and trying to disguise it as coughing so I won’t wake up my husband
THE BILLIONAIRE’s WAKE-UP-CALL GIRL
Loretta Chase’s A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR – this is the only one I haven’t reread so it could have been my state of mind at the time
I just reread Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase and loved every fun minute of it. Near the end, when the hero is dressed in his footman’s clothes, tossing servants out of his way and having to bite his tongue and agree he is the heroine’s brother I have to laugh. But between all the chasing and fighting (“Not tonight. I have a headache.”) the love story is so luscious. It’s like sinking into a warm bath. It’s just pure fun.