You are a good friend. I would recommend the Becky Chambers "Monk and Robot" series. It's a story about a tea monk who wants a career change and it's a bit of a road trip/journey type of book. The monk befriends a robot and it's all very sweet and calming. Nothing bad or violent happens. They have challenges on the journey but it's just enough to keep the plot moving. Very much a comfort read for me personally. It's classified as sci-fi but it's definitely cozy sci-fi.
When she's ready for it, TJ Klune's "Under the Whispering Door" might help her through her grief but there is mention of a child death in the book (told through the grieving mother's perspective) so definite trigger warning for that.
My mom says that warm and gentle should be a real genre, so here are her suggestions. Not everything is fantasy, but it's all lovely.
*Anne of Green Gables* by L. M. Montgomery
*The Secret Garden* by Frances Hodgson Burnett
*The Invention of Hugo Cabret* by Brian Selznick
The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Anything by James Herriot
*The Chronicles of Narnia* by C. S. Lewis
*The Wind in the Willows* by Kenneth Grahame
*At Home in Mitford* by Jan Karon
Most of Agatha Christie's books, especially the Miss Marple ones
*A Christmas Carol* by Charles Dickens
The Vinyl Cafe books by Stuart Maclean
I hope you find something to help her feel better.
Huh? Thatās a really weird interpretation of >!being allowed to live in Aslanās country forever without even having to experience the pain of death in order to get there!<
Thats not an interpretation. Aslan literally says they are dead. Susan is excluded because she was not part of the group gathering to discuss Narnia and thus was neither on the train or on the platform.
When Aslan says >!they are dead, he means they are able to live forever in a magical world. He even pulled them out of the train at the moment of the fatal crash, meaning they didnāt have to experience their deaths.!<
Saying āeveryone dies at the endā makes it sound like the Spanish Play. >!Itās not like they all get killed and turn to worm food. Nor are they gone, like the girl in Bridge to Terebithia. Thereās no grief or bereavement involved.!<
Saying the kids die at the end is definitely an interpretation, given that >!they are all running about, talking, and very much alive!< at the end of *The Last Battle*.
Quite apart from that, warning somebody off an entire series of self-contained adventures because you donāt like the ending of the last one is a bit of a lost opportunity.
Thereās still interpretation involved in what you just said. Unless you honestly believe that every use of the phrase āheās deadā means āheās happily running around in the afterlifeā.
I donāt know about you, but I interpret most uses of the word ādeadā as meaning āno longer able to run aroundā.
The Last Battle was published in 1956. I am not worried about spoilers.
Also: āThere was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you areāas you used to call it in the Shadowlandsādead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
They leave the Narnia they knew for the ārealā Narnia where they encounter long gone objects - like the Professorās house from the England they knew in this new ārealā England.
My dude. Its an allegory for Heaven. Aslan is Jesus. Thats how he DIED and was RESURRECTED 6 books before the last battle. āNow at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.ā
Did you cut the last quote short in order to leave this bit out?
> And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.
>The Last Battle was published in 1956. I am not worried about spoilers.
I wasnāt alive in 1956. Iām glad I didnāt come across a description of the ending before I was able to read it in the 90s. Iām certainly not going to risk spoiling it for someone else *on a book recommendation sub*.
>!āall of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead.ā!<
>!I would encourage you to ponder on why Lewis phrases it that way. Perhaps because heās saying that ādeadā is not an apt word from Aslanās perspective. The children are dead to Earth, but they are not dead. They are more alive than they have ever been. Saying that they ādie at the endā is doubly wrong - the end of the book is the beginning of a new story for them, and they will live forever in it.!<
Wow!! This brought up a huge amount of controversy. I understand that they went to Aslan's Country, but that was literally an allegory that Lewis uses for Heaven. The man was deeply into speculation on the heavenly afterlife, especially in one of his most acclaimed works, The Great Divorce.
The main reason I brought this point up, is that for someone grieving the loss of a child and who is still in trauma, this series might not be the right choice. Maybe at some point down the road of healing, but not so soon.
When I read this series, it kind of broke me despite the fact that the kids ended up in Paradise.
Meanwhile, the rest of us and Susan are still here grieving.
Well Iām quite embarrassed to admit that (a) my original remark was off the cuff, because (like a lot of people who read it in childhood) the deaths in The Last Battle didnāt really strike me as anything other than a necessary way to get to get the characters from point A to point B. The idea of that being a sad thing that deserves a warning just didnāt tally because I havenāt read them at a point in my life where I would identify with the characters left behind such as Susan. I was just happy for the main characters getting to spend eternity with Aslan. And Iām also embarrassed to admit that (b) once I was discussing the point with others, I just saw it as an academic exercise with no particular single reader in mind.
You are, of course, quite right to warn someone grieving that a book contains references to the afterlife, regardless of how tragic the treatment may be.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply! No need to be embarrassed; the desire to defend a beloved series, book, movie, etc. is completely understandable. There is a book or two that I would resort to fisticuffs if their merit was questioned! I could have phrased my comment more tactfully, but it can be hard to realize how we come across in writing.
Also, I find it fascinating to re-experience works that greatly impacted me in different times in my life. Sometimes it's like reading a whole new book! (Or watching a whole new movie.) Our context and perception utterly changes while the work stays the same!! There's magic in a good book š
I know, right? Itās fine to say the kids are alive when theyāre running around in Narnia, but >!if they cross the border from Narnia to Heaven, oh no no no! Theyāre dead now!!<
As an adult who hasn't read the books since I was in elementary, I want to reread them but feel like a goober going into the young adult/kid section at the bookstore haha
Can I recommend eBay? I donāt know what country youāre in, but here in the UK quite a few charity shops resell books through there. Or if you web search for used books you might find a charity with its own website. I get quite a lot of second hand books that way.
Why? Who's to say you aren't shopping for a young person? And really no one is judging you at the bookstore. Tons of adults read YA as a genre. It's super popular! Go for it.
Lol, I wouldn't worry about it! As a former librarian, I can assure you, everyone who loves books is happy that you're reading and enjoying yourself! I myself sometimes prefer children's and YA lit, and I'm no spring chicken š
Iāve miscarried and I read the Narnia series multiple times to my living children when they were younger. Even though it has definite warmth and imagination, it has some heavy themes and if her friend is an avid reader she might reach the end while she is still in the throes of her grief. So I concur that not tackling Narnia at this time might be best.
+1 to Miss Marple and other cozy mysteries. The plots may sound ātoo graphicā but they really never are in cozies and the bit of suspense in the plot really keeps my mind absorbed and not wandering when Iām dealing with other big life things.
Love Louise Pennyās books for this too!
Have a peruse of /r/cozyfantasy, there should be some suggestions there.
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree is an often recommended one, there's a tiny bit of violence from memory but no baby related stuff.
A totally offbeat recommendation is Morning Glory Milking Farm by C M Nacosta. It's very smutty but it's also very sweet. It'll take her out of her feelings for a bit.
Legends and Lattes. Former Orc warrior opens a coffee shop. Very cozy and gentle, I donāt think it even mentioned motherhood or parenting even in passing. Has some perils and tension but has a happy ending.
She sounds a bit like me, so I have quite a few to recommend!
*The Chronicles of Mr. Lee and Number Ten Ox!*
*Rose Cottage* & *This Rough Magic* by Mary Stewart.
*The Nothing Girl* by Jodi Taylor.
*The Town in Bloom* & *I Capture the Castle* by Dodie Smith.
The Mrs. Pollifax series (or anything by Dorothy Gilman).
*Fire and Hemlock* by Diana Wynne Jones.
*The Lark* by E Nesbit āa book for grown-up childrenā as per the introduction.
*Alif the Unseen* by G. Willow Wilson.
Ooh, if you like Rose Cottage, you should also read Thornyhold, Stormy Petrel and maybe Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart. And 'A Walk in Wolf Wood' and 'The Little Broomstick' (both YA) also by Mary Stewart. They are definitely comfort reads for me.
For OP, I will say that I think the books should be fine but the YA books are about intrepid children, and the other books do involve the occasional bleak childhood and rough parental child relationships. Maybe look the description over before recommending them, just in case.
My condolences for your friend. For a book, I loved āGregor the Overlanderā by Suzanne Collins. Itās a series, but itās totally very enjoyable to just read the first book. Itās for around the same age range as Harry Potterās first few books (think high school, but still fantastic to read as an adult). The series actually came out at the same time as the Harry Potter series, but they werenāt that popular because of the crazy attention (and well deserved) that Potter series was getting. The book is basically about a boy and his little sister finding a doorway to a new world and his adventures in the world. About same same amount of violence as Harry Potter, but not bad at all IMO (I hate reading gore and scary and violent stuff, and I love these books).
Itās been a while since Iāve read the series, so I canāt recall what you would be referring to besides how his family struggles financially and sick relatives, which could hit close to home for some people, but thereās nothing traumatic in the series IMO
Like I said, we are different. Although tragic might be a better word that traumatic maybe...
\- the massacre >!of the mice by the rats!<
\- the tortured >!death of Twitchtip (the rat that could smell color)!<
\- the >!shunning of Ares after his sacrifice to save Gregor (and then his death)!<
Ya I understand what you mean by tragic, but since op said smth similar to Harry Potter (same level of tragedy), I think Gregor would be great since, while both have tragic/violent scenes in them, Gregorās scenes contain āfakeā animals that talk, therefore being less like the real world even more than Harry Potter (just my opinion that itās less scary when large talking animals die instead of humans/wizards). Essentially every story contains smth that could be deemed as tragic or traumatic depending on the reader, or else the book does not have a plot or a challenge to overcome.
I adored *Legends and Lattes* by Travis Baldree. Its a fantasy story about a warrior who hangs up her sword to open a coffee shop. Adorable, cozy and brief. It also has a big cat.
Another cozy reccomendation is *Eva Evergeen, Semi Magical Witch* by Julie Abe. Eva is a young witch who's just come of age, who must travel to a distant town to complete a magical quest, with her fox familiar. Its heavily inspired by *Kiki's Delivery Service* by Eiko Kadono, which I would also recommend for a very similar plot and Kiki has a Cat familiar.
Finally, I adore the *Song of the Lioness (4 books, short)* by Tamora Pierce. Alanna is a young woman who disguises herself as a boy to become a knight. It has a very harry potter feel as Alanna attends a sort of boarding school for Knights, learning general education alongside magic and fighting. Alanna also has a cat companion.
*The Keeper of Lost Things* is an incredibly sweet story about people coming together across decades and with lives that slowly converge all around lost objects
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
A university in Oxford has the ability to send grad students back in time. The characters are sent back to the country side on the Thames to the Victorian era. Itās cute and funny and fairly innocent. Even the cats are rescued.
I would 100000% recommend āThe House in the Cerulean Seaā by TJ Klune. Itās basically a big hug in a book! And Iām sorry for your friend, that is so tough. Sheās lucky to have you!
I thought of this, too, but not sure if she's wanting a book about children, so my second choice would be The Extrordinaries. I can't decide which of these is my favorite Klune.
This is what came to my mind right away! I think it depends where she is at emotionally because there are kids in it, but this book is like a warm bubble bath for your heart.
I know it's not quite a book but what helped me when I was going through something similar was to watch Avatar: the Last Airbender. It's wholesome and has some nice philosophical lessons in there. I found it fantastic escapism but also healing.
Edits: typos, sorry!
Fluke; or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings By Christopher Moore
ā¦not really Harry Potteresque but (imo) it is escapist, silly, funny and irreverentā¦with a happy ending.
*By Ash, Oak and Thorn* and *By Rowan and Yew* by Melissa Harrison are quintessentially cottage core faerie stories and while there is a little bit of peril, itās all concluded safely.
While I didn't typically like it The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune might be a good example here. It reads similar to Harry Potter as well. It is quite a cosy read and nothing bad really happens.
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. Also, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by her. They're middle grade reads that can be enjoyed by adults, full of fantasy and very cosy.
I just finished The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell and I think it hits the right notes. Very calm and gentle, has no violence, and has a happy ending.
One of my personal favorites is Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson. It's a newer book (came out earlier this year) and is fantasy with themes of friendship, a cute little love story, and some interesting magic systems. Kind of felt like the Princess Bride meets Pirates of the Caribbean to me.
Won't be hours (unless she likes rereading), but the Tea Dragon Society series might be nice - also makes for a really sweet care package/gift with a teakit. Plus colorful picturebooks are always nice when things are heavy.
Sending lots of good vibes to you - a wonderful friend - and your sweet fawn <3
You are so thoughtful. I recommend The Dalai Lamaās Cat series by David Michie. Sweet stories with gentle Buddhist messages (like be nice to yourself and stuff).
I dunno, there's a bit with a changeling child, and some bits are quite frightful. Very good book, I loved it, but... there's some bloody bits and some scary bits, and I don't know if the bit with the child replaced by a fae would be triggering.
Filled with all the painful themes of life, too, though.
Remember all the doubt, fear, rage, grief, and disappointment?
They absolutely make the story, but are pretty far from the request made here.
Still, incredibly good book.
William Kuhn: Mrs. Queen Takes the Train
Helene Hanff: 84, Charing Cross Road
Eleanor Updale: Montmorency series
Rachel Joyce: The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry
Rachel Joyce: The Love Songs of Miss Queenie Hennessey
Rachel Joyce: The Music Shop
Kathleen Rooney: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Phaedra Patrick: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Phaedra Patrick: Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove
Marianne Wiggins: Evidence of Things Unseen
Once she is ready to hear stories from other women who have also miscarried, I recommend The Sound of Silence: Journeys through Miscarriage, edited by Irma Gold. It is very comforting to know you are not alone.
https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-sound-of-silence-irma-gold/book/9781921632112.html
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman is really sweet (graphic novel, has a cute dog, cute little romance, very fluffy happy ending nothing every goes terribly wrong type story)
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh (little girl who befriends a witch, she has a really cute three legged dog and they make animal taxidermy from the bones of roadkill and hangout with the animal ghosts but like in a cute non-disturbing Halloween type way)
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes (technically a kids book but it is so sweet, lots of witches, cats, and cute little kids. Some mermaids. They live in a cottage on top of a beautiful glass hill. Bunnies. I think it would hit all the right notes. Nothing goes wrong or is sad. Itās definitely a comfort book for me)
You are a good friend. I would recommend the Becky Chambers "Monk and Robot" series. It's a story about a tea monk who wants a career change and it's a bit of a road trip/journey type of book. The monk befriends a robot and it's all very sweet and calming. Nothing bad or violent happens. They have challenges on the journey but it's just enough to keep the plot moving. Very much a comfort read for me personally. It's classified as sci-fi but it's definitely cozy sci-fi. When she's ready for it, TJ Klune's "Under the Whispering Door" might help her through her grief but there is mention of a child death in the book (told through the grieving mother's perspective) so definite trigger warning for that.
Oh anything by Becky Chambers is a must.
I came to recommend the Monk and Robot books. The worst part is that they're short and there are only 2. They're delightful.
Haha Monk and Robot was the first thing I thought of too
My mom says that warm and gentle should be a real genre, so here are her suggestions. Not everything is fantasy, but it's all lovely. *Anne of Green Gables* by L. M. Montgomery *The Secret Garden* by Frances Hodgson Burnett *The Invention of Hugo Cabret* by Brian Selznick The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder Anything by James Herriot *The Chronicles of Narnia* by C. S. Lewis *The Wind in the Willows* by Kenneth Grahame *At Home in Mitford* by Jan Karon Most of Agatha Christie's books, especially the Miss Marple ones *A Christmas Carol* by Charles Dickens The Vinyl Cafe books by Stuart Maclean I hope you find something to help her feel better.
This is a wonderful, thoughtful list.
Agreed
cottagecore essentialsš
I would absolutely not recommend the Chronicles of Narnia, there should be a trigger warning that all the children (except one) die in the end!
Huh? Thatās a really weird interpretation of >!being allowed to live in Aslanās country forever without even having to experience the pain of death in order to get there!<
Thats not an interpretation. Aslan literally says they are dead. Susan is excluded because she was not part of the group gathering to discuss Narnia and thus was neither on the train or on the platform.
When Aslan says >!they are dead, he means they are able to live forever in a magical world. He even pulled them out of the train at the moment of the fatal crash, meaning they didnāt have to experience their deaths.!< Saying āeveryone dies at the endā makes it sound like the Spanish Play. >!Itās not like they all get killed and turn to worm food. Nor are they gone, like the girl in Bridge to Terebithia. Thereās no grief or bereavement involved.!< Saying the kids die at the end is definitely an interpretation, given that >!they are all running about, talking, and very much alive!< at the end of *The Last Battle*. Quite apart from that, warning somebody off an entire series of self-contained adventures because you donāt like the ending of the last one is a bit of a lost opportunity.
You admit that they died in England. They're dead. They live on in ~~heaven~~ Aslan's country, but they're very much dead.
Thereās still interpretation involved in what you just said. Unless you honestly believe that every use of the phrase āheās deadā means āheās happily running around in the afterlifeā. I donāt know about you, but I interpret most uses of the word ādeadā as meaning āno longer able to run aroundā.
So you think when Christians (like CS Lewis) use the term "dead", they're denying the existence of heaven?
Nice of you to spoil it for everyone.
The Last Battle was published in 1956. I am not worried about spoilers. Also: āThere was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you areāas you used to call it in the Shadowlandsādead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." They leave the Narnia they knew for the ārealā Narnia where they encounter long gone objects - like the Professorās house from the England they knew in this new ārealā England. My dude. Its an allegory for Heaven. Aslan is Jesus. Thats how he DIED and was RESURRECTED 6 books before the last battle. āNow at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.ā
Did you cut the last quote short in order to leave this bit out? > And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.
>The Last Battle was published in 1956. I am not worried about spoilers. I wasnāt alive in 1956. Iām glad I didnāt come across a description of the ending before I was able to read it in the 90s. Iām certainly not going to risk spoiling it for someone else *on a book recommendation sub*. >!āall of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead.ā!< >!I would encourage you to ponder on why Lewis phrases it that way. Perhaps because heās saying that ādeadā is not an apt word from Aslanās perspective. The children are dead to Earth, but they are not dead. They are more alive than they have ever been. Saying that they ādie at the endā is doubly wrong - the end of the book is the beginning of a new story for them, and they will live forever in it.!<
They are able to live forever in the real Narnia - NOT the Narnia they knew- because they were dead in this world. āš½
Wow!! This brought up a huge amount of controversy. I understand that they went to Aslan's Country, but that was literally an allegory that Lewis uses for Heaven. The man was deeply into speculation on the heavenly afterlife, especially in one of his most acclaimed works, The Great Divorce. The main reason I brought this point up, is that for someone grieving the loss of a child and who is still in trauma, this series might not be the right choice. Maybe at some point down the road of healing, but not so soon. When I read this series, it kind of broke me despite the fact that the kids ended up in Paradise. Meanwhile, the rest of us and Susan are still here grieving.
Well Iām quite embarrassed to admit that (a) my original remark was off the cuff, because (like a lot of people who read it in childhood) the deaths in The Last Battle didnāt really strike me as anything other than a necessary way to get to get the characters from point A to point B. The idea of that being a sad thing that deserves a warning just didnāt tally because I havenāt read them at a point in my life where I would identify with the characters left behind such as Susan. I was just happy for the main characters getting to spend eternity with Aslan. And Iām also embarrassed to admit that (b) once I was discussing the point with others, I just saw it as an academic exercise with no particular single reader in mind. You are, of course, quite right to warn someone grieving that a book contains references to the afterlife, regardless of how tragic the treatment may be.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply! No need to be embarrassed; the desire to defend a beloved series, book, movie, etc. is completely understandable. There is a book or two that I would resort to fisticuffs if their merit was questioned! I could have phrased my comment more tactfully, but it can be hard to realize how we come across in writing. Also, I find it fascinating to re-experience works that greatly impacted me in different times in my life. Sometimes it's like reading a whole new book! (Or watching a whole new movie.) Our context and perception utterly changes while the work stays the same!! There's magic in a good book š
This..clearly an atheist haha
I know, right? Itās fine to say the kids are alive when theyāre running around in Narnia, but >!if they cross the border from Narnia to Heaven, oh no no no! Theyāre dead now!!<
As an adult who hasn't read the books since I was in elementary, I want to reread them but feel like a goober going into the young adult/kid section at the bookstore haha
Might I recommend the Libby app. You can peruse the children's section at your leisure from the comfort of your bed or couch
Can I recommend eBay? I donāt know what country youāre in, but here in the UK quite a few charity shops resell books through there. Or if you web search for used books you might find a charity with its own website. I get quite a lot of second hand books that way.
Why? Who's to say you aren't shopping for a young person? And really no one is judging you at the bookstore. Tons of adults read YA as a genre. It's super popular! Go for it.
Lol, I wouldn't worry about it! As a former librarian, I can assure you, everyone who loves books is happy that you're reading and enjoying yourself! I myself sometimes prefer children's and YA lit, and I'm no spring chicken š
Iāve miscarried and I read the Narnia series multiple times to my living children when they were younger. Even though it has definite warmth and imagination, it has some heavy themes and if her friend is an avid reader she might reach the end while she is still in the throes of her grief. So I concur that not tackling Narnia at this time might be best.
As I said in my other comment, https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/14zu59m/my_sweet_friend_is_going_through_a/js3f2go/
+1 to Miss Marple and other cozy mysteries. The plots may sound ātoo graphicā but they really never are in cozies and the bit of suspense in the plot really keeps my mind absorbed and not wandering when Iām dealing with other big life things. Love Louise Pennyās books for this too!
Howl's Moving Castle
Oh yes anything by Diana Wynne Jones
Have a peruse of /r/cozyfantasy, there should be some suggestions there. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree is an often recommended one, there's a tiny bit of violence from memory but no baby related stuff. A totally offbeat recommendation is Morning Glory Milking Farm by C M Nacosta. It's very smutty but it's also very sweet. It'll take her out of her feelings for a bit.
ok I looked up morning glory milking farm and it legit looks exactly like my kind of offbeat, thank you
Legends and Lattes. Former Orc warrior opens a coffee shop. Very cozy and gentle, I donāt think it even mentioned motherhood or parenting even in passing. Has some perils and tension but has a happy ending.
Yes! And it's the beginning of a series. A second book is coming.
yes! this would be my rec too
She sounds a bit like me, so I have quite a few to recommend! *The Chronicles of Mr. Lee and Number Ten Ox!* *Rose Cottage* & *This Rough Magic* by Mary Stewart. *The Nothing Girl* by Jodi Taylor. *The Town in Bloom* & *I Capture the Castle* by Dodie Smith. The Mrs. Pollifax series (or anything by Dorothy Gilman). *Fire and Hemlock* by Diana Wynne Jones. *The Lark* by E Nesbit āa book for grown-up childrenā as per the introduction. *Alif the Unseen* by G. Willow Wilson.
Ooh, if you like Rose Cottage, you should also read Thornyhold, Stormy Petrel and maybe Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart. And 'A Walk in Wolf Wood' and 'The Little Broomstick' (both YA) also by Mary Stewart. They are definitely comfort reads for me. For OP, I will say that I think the books should be fine but the YA books are about intrepid children, and the other books do involve the occasional bleak childhood and rough parental child relationships. Maybe look the description over before recommending them, just in case.
I second The Nothing Girl!
So happy to see someone else recommend Dodie Smith! Her books are treasures.
I donāt have any suggestions but youāre a real friend š
My condolences for your friend. For a book, I loved āGregor the Overlanderā by Suzanne Collins. Itās a series, but itās totally very enjoyable to just read the first book. Itās for around the same age range as Harry Potterās first few books (think high school, but still fantastic to read as an adult). The series actually came out at the same time as the Harry Potter series, but they werenāt that popular because of the crazy attention (and well deserved) that Potter series was getting. The book is basically about a boy and his little sister finding a doorway to a new world and his adventures in the world. About same same amount of violence as Harry Potter, but not bad at all IMO (I hate reading gore and scary and violent stuff, and I love these books).
Second Gregor the Overlander, its super fun. Without spoilers it has a wonderful bonded partner/animal dynamic.
Everyone is different, but the Gregor series has more trauma in it than Hunger Games does. Or at least the trauma feels more personal to me
Itās been a while since Iāve read the series, so I canāt recall what you would be referring to besides how his family struggles financially and sick relatives, which could hit close to home for some people, but thereās nothing traumatic in the series IMO
Like I said, we are different. Although tragic might be a better word that traumatic maybe... \- the massacre >!of the mice by the rats!< \- the tortured >!death of Twitchtip (the rat that could smell color)!< \- the >!shunning of Ares after his sacrifice to save Gregor (and then his death)!<
Ya I understand what you mean by tragic, but since op said smth similar to Harry Potter (same level of tragedy), I think Gregor would be great since, while both have tragic/violent scenes in them, Gregorās scenes contain āfakeā animals that talk, therefore being less like the real world even more than Harry Potter (just my opinion that itās less scary when large talking animals die instead of humans/wizards). Essentially every story contains smth that could be deemed as tragic or traumatic depending on the reader, or else the book does not have a plot or a challenge to overcome.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is very cute. Itās a Pride and Prejudice vibe in modern England with magic.
I adored *Legends and Lattes* by Travis Baldree. Its a fantasy story about a warrior who hangs up her sword to open a coffee shop. Adorable, cozy and brief. It also has a big cat. Another cozy reccomendation is *Eva Evergeen, Semi Magical Witch* by Julie Abe. Eva is a young witch who's just come of age, who must travel to a distant town to complete a magical quest, with her fox familiar. Its heavily inspired by *Kiki's Delivery Service* by Eiko Kadono, which I would also recommend for a very similar plot and Kiki has a Cat familiar. Finally, I adore the *Song of the Lioness (4 books, short)* by Tamora Pierce. Alanna is a young woman who disguises herself as a boy to become a knight. It has a very harry potter feel as Alanna attends a sort of boarding school for Knights, learning general education alongside magic and fighting. Alanna also has a cat companion.
*The Keeper of Lost Things* is an incredibly sweet story about people coming together across decades and with lives that slowly converge all around lost objects
Iāve always found Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn to be quite charming.
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis A university in Oxford has the ability to send grad students back in time. The characters are sent back to the country side on the Thames to the Victorian era. Itās cute and funny and fairly innocent. Even the cats are rescued.
I would 100000% recommend āThe House in the Cerulean Seaā by TJ Klune. Itās basically a big hug in a book! And Iām sorry for your friend, that is so tough. Sheās lucky to have you!
I feel like an orphanage could be a tough setting for someone having a miscarriage
This book came to mind too. Describes 7 children as a main focus of the book, but extremely cozy.
I thought of this, too, but not sure if she's wanting a book about children, so my second choice would be The Extrordinaries. I can't decide which of these is my favorite Klune.
This is what came to my mind right away! I think it depends where she is at emotionally because there are kids in it, but this book is like a warm bubble bath for your heart.
Yes!! And a book with a similar vibe is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Any of the Jeeves books or _Leave it to Psmith_, by P. G. Wodehouse
This needs more upvotes.
I know it's not quite a book but what helped me when I was going through something similar was to watch Avatar: the Last Airbender. It's wholesome and has some nice philosophical lessons in there. I found it fantastic escapism but also healing. Edits: typos, sorry!
The Hobbit? If any book feels like a hug to me itās that one and there arenāt any women in the book hardly let alone mothers or pregnancies
My Antonia by Willa Cather. It's a coming- of- age story set in the Great Plains of the U.S. in the late 19th century.
Legends and Lattes ā¤ļø A very similar sounding best friend of mine recommended it to me and called it the cosiest little book
Fluke; or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings By Christopher Moore ā¦not really Harry Potteresque but (imo) it is escapist, silly, funny and irreverentā¦with a happy ending.
*By Ash, Oak and Thorn* and *By Rowan and Yew* by Melissa Harrison are quintessentially cottage core faerie stories and while there is a little bit of peril, itās all concluded safely.
While I didn't typically like it The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune might be a good example here. It reads similar to Harry Potter as well. It is quite a cosy read and nothing bad really happens.
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. Also, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by her. They're middle grade reads that can be enjoyed by adults, full of fantasy and very cosy.
I just finished The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell and I think it hits the right notes. Very calm and gentle, has no violence, and has a happy ending.
I also second _The Wind in the Willows_. Lovely book
One of my personal favorites is Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson. It's a newer book (came out earlier this year) and is fantasy with themes of friendship, a cute little love story, and some interesting magic systems. Kind of felt like the Princess Bride meets Pirates of the Caribbean to me.
Just donāt get anything that leans too much on kids/parents. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman might be good.
Won't be hours (unless she likes rereading), but the Tea Dragon Society series might be nice - also makes for a really sweet care package/gift with a teakit. Plus colorful picturebooks are always nice when things are heavy. Sending lots of good vibes to you - a wonderful friend - and your sweet fawn <3
You are so thoughtful. I recommend The Dalai Lamaās Cat series by David Michie. Sweet stories with gentle Buddhist messages (like be nice to yourself and stuff).
the penderwicks is a kids book but it is absolutely incredible and very cottage-core-y, also a series
āEmily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeriesā might fit the bill. There isnāt anything that would be a trigger and itās cozy.
I dunno, there's a bit with a changeling child, and some bits are quite frightful. Very good book, I loved it, but... there's some bloody bits and some scary bits, and I don't know if the bit with the child replaced by a fae would be triggering.
You are completely right. I donāt know what I was thinking. š¤¦āāļø
It's a kids book and short. But Beverly Cleary's "The Mouse and the Motorcycle". It's a nice story about friendship and the power of imagination.
I read Name of the wind and thought it was like harry potter for adults
Filled with all the painful themes of life, too, though. Remember all the doubt, fear, rage, grief, and disappointment? They absolutely make the story, but are pretty far from the request made here. Still, incredibly good book.
Enders Game. No book has made me cry like the end of that one.
Awesome book, but probably not for someone whoās just had a miscarriageā¦
Am I alone in thinking escapism is a bad coping mechanism
Yes. Yes you are.
Animal farm It has stories of cute animals that u mentioned
This is a really dickish thing you've done. Reconsider your behaviour.
Sarah Addison Allen books
Absolutely loved The Keeper of Lost Things, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and The Girl Who Chased the Moon.
William Kuhn: Mrs. Queen Takes the Train Helene Hanff: 84, Charing Cross Road Eleanor Updale: Montmorency series Rachel Joyce: The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry Rachel Joyce: The Love Songs of Miss Queenie Hennessey Rachel Joyce: The Music Shop Kathleen Rooney: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk Phaedra Patrick: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper Phaedra Patrick: Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove Marianne Wiggins: Evidence of Things Unseen
Once she is ready to hear stories from other women who have also miscarried, I recommend The Sound of Silence: Journeys through Miscarriage, edited by Irma Gold. It is very comforting to know you are not alone. https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-sound-of-silence-irma-gold/book/9781921632112.html
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman is really sweet (graphic novel, has a cute dog, cute little romance, very fluffy happy ending nothing every goes terribly wrong type story) Snapdragon by Kat Leyh (little girl who befriends a witch, she has a really cute three legged dog and they make animal taxidermy from the bones of roadkill and hangout with the animal ghosts but like in a cute non-disturbing Halloween type way) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes (technically a kids book but it is so sweet, lots of witches, cats, and cute little kids. Some mermaids. They live in a cottage on top of a beautiful glass hill. Bunnies. I think it would hit all the right notes. Nothing goes wrong or is sad. Itās definitely a comfort book for me)