by Glenice Lilje
Eazy, Breezy, Fantasies
To escape the monotony of the daily grind, I like to escape with what I call a breezy read. Otherwise known as beach reads, these are the kind that you can put down and pick them up again without having to go back a couple of chapters to remember what you just read. They can be cheesy romances or a suburban thriller with an improbable twist. Honestly, as long as the writing is good and the dialogue is natural, I can forgive over a mediocre plot.
The last couple decades, the rise in fantasy shows and movies have increased significantly. From your Harry Potter to Game of Thrones. These epic fantasies suck you into a new and foreign world. There is usually an important quest to save the world, royal bloodlines constantly fighting for control and spectacular magic battles. What better to escape to than a world where our rules and physical laws do not apply?
Combine these two elements and you have yourself an entertaining afternoon or two.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune (2020)
[2021 Alex Award winner, Lambda Literacy award-winning author]
My most recommended book of the year. I even listened to the audiobook which made it all the more enjoyable as the narrator gave each character a better voice than anything I could ever come up with. This book was such a breezy read with quirky yet endearing characters that are reminiscent of those a la Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). The House in The Cerulean Sea follows our prickly protagonist as he discovers his truest self while finding an unlikely family in an unexpected place.
The Ex Hex by Erin Stirling (2021)
Erin Stirling gives us a classic rom-com trope that is hard to resist: a small-town witch is going through a heartbreak, has a little too much to drink and casts what she thought were harmless curses on her ex. Who hasn’t? What she didn’t anticipate was running into the same ex years later or the undeniable chemistry between them. The Ex Hex is a story of second chances, magical mishaps and love. Best enjoyed with a cozy blanket and an espresso martini or a warm cup of hot chocolate.
Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow Trilogy: Carry On, Wayward Son, and Any Way the Wind Blows (2021)
I stumbled upon Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park and immediately gravitated to their easy writing style. I was glad to find out that she writes a whole array of things: stories about teenagers, stories about adults and now she brings us a series about lovesick vampires and guys with dragon wings. The Simon Snow books one part ghost story, one part love story and two parts mystery. A hero’s journey filled with kissing, monsters, traumas, triumphs and an ending about endings.
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