Rec me some light-hearted fluffyness?

[tompe]

I am just (re)-reading all of Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder books. Very funny books. Another author I would recommend is Sarah Caudwell and her 4 mystery books.

[NickyWithNook]

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is great fun.

[John K]

I found Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles series to be light-hearted, angst-free reading. It's about the last living Druid. 2100 years old but looks and acts like a 21 year old. He draws power from the earth and one way he uses that is rapid healing. The stories do include injuries so that might be a negative. On the other hand, rapid healing from almost any injury might be a good fantasy for your situation.

[VictoriaP]

Originally Posted by John K

I found Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles series to be light-hearted, angst-free reading. It's about the last living Druid. 2100 years old but looks and acts like a 21 year old. He draws power from the earth and one way he uses that is rapid healing. The stories do include injuries so that might be a negative. On the other hand, rapid healing from almost any injury might be a good fantasy for your situation.

I do love these myself. But there's a fair amount of violence and a bit of emotional drama, especially in later books (the most recent one was a toughie for me in two spots especially).

Oberon is HILARIOUS though. There are multiple laugh out loud moments in every single book. They're certainly worth taking a look at.

[4691mls]

Do you like mysteries? Here are a couple older threads with recommendations for cozies:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=cozy

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=cozy

[bfisher]

Jack L. Chalker - The River of Dancing Gods is fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

[GA Russell]

I like Thorne Smith, some of whose books are here at the MR library.

[BenG]

Try Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson and, in the same vein, Sterling E. Lanier's Brigadier Ffellowes stories.

http://www.amazon.com/Callahans-Cros...=UTF8&sr=&qid=

http://www.amazon.com/peculiar-Explo...0237880&sr=1-3
(the bad reviews seem to be for errors in the ebook, not for the book itself)


Also Alexei Panshin's three Anthony Villiers novels have been collected and published as New Celebrations: The Adventures of Anthony Villiers.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I6EIPK/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

[BookCat]

For a light-hearted, happy, Heyeresque style romance, I recommend "Lucky in Love" by Cari Hislop. It's available from Smashwords.

"A Regency Romance. Lord Warenne accepts a wager to court a desperate old maid he’s never seen and have his marriage proposal rejected in front of witnesses. He knows he’ll win; he’s lucky. But sometimes good luck is really bad luck wearing a tawdry wig and lots of face paint. Fate flips its coin. Lord Warenne finds his world upside down when he realises that sometimes to win is to lose."

Oh, and it's free!

I know just what you mean - I'm on a light-hearted fluffiness kick lately myself, to help with job-hunting woes. Here are a few of my go-to authors:

- Will Thomas' Barker and Llewelyn mysteries (staring with Some Danger Involved). It's historical mystery series set in Victorian London - enough of a history/geography lesson to keep your brain happy and learning new things, but the writing is very breezy and undemanding. Probably falls into the "cozy mystery" category too, since there's rarely anything more graphic than a broken nose.

- Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden series (many different starting points - Fledgling and Agent of Change are both good places to start, and are free on Amazon and through the publisher at Baen's Free Library). Science fiction action/adventure with a dash of romance, and a strong emphasis on family and honor. These books have been my dear companions for years, and especially if you like Bujold's Vorkosigan series, you may find some new friends here too.

- For more of the same fluffiness in the fantasy vein, I really enjoyed Sharon Lee's Carousel Seas, too - a contemporary fantasy involving a magical carousel and a small, sleepy beach town in Maine. A fun, swift read, and with some very thoughtful worldbuilding.

- Rachel Aaron's Eli Monpress series (the first three books are collected together as The Legend of Eli Monpress). Funny, lighthearted fantasy series centering on a thief who can talk to the spirits inside everyday objects, and his band of fellow misfits. Try the free sample on Amazon: if the first scene (where Eli successfully talks his way out of prison by convincing a stubborn door to open) doesn't catch your heart, you are a stronger person than I am.

- Skewing to the YA fantasy end of the spectrum, Diane Duane's Young Wizards series (starting with So You Want to Be a Wizard) is quick and quirky - young wizards having wacky adventures in New York City, making friends with talking white holes, and discovering the power of a good library. This series was started before Rowling's Harry Potter series, but if you like one, you might like the other too.

- Some other possibilities, off the top of my head...

Tea with the Black Dragon (fantasy / light romance)
The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (fantasy / humor - Douglas Adams)
Earthrise (science fiction / light romance - MCA Hogarth, one of my favorite new authors)

[...and I might add a few extra items to this list later today, since I'm sure I'm forgetting a few right now!]

Hugs to you, and best wishes for a swift resolution of your medical troubles.

[delph]

In high stress times, I find myself re-reading the Little House series and Anne of Green Gables series.

Laura's wonderful descriptions always engage me when I re-read the Little House books, as I get so wrapped up in picturing things that I forget what else is going on around me. The first part of 'By the Shores of Silver Lake' would probably be triggering, but there are several books before that where it's mostly just happy childhood.

[radius]

Originally Posted by ccowie

All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland or some Carl Hiassen books - I liked Skin Tight. There is a little angst in these books but in a funny way, especially in Coupland's stuff.

I vaguely recall that in All Families are Psychotic one of the characters has an uncommon medical condition. If that might affect how much you enjoy it, think about picking up Worst.Person.Ever. by Coupland instead (which is more overtly comedic anyway)

[radius]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I like Thorne Smith, some of whose books are here at the MR library.

Ah, nothing like drunken ghosts to lighten up your day

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

Do you like mysteries? Here are a couple older threads with recommendations for cozies:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=cozy

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=cozy

I consider cozy mysteries to be pretty light and fluffy, although, by definition, they almost always start that someone has died.

I've been reading the Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie and it seems to me they are not too serious. I love the Tommy and Tuppence books too but it's been a while since I read them and I am not sure if they are as light-hearted as I think they are.

I also think that the early Mrs. Murphy books by Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown are pretty light. (Half of the main characters/crime solvers are a dog and a cat team.) That series and The Cat Who... books by Lillian Jackson Braun are my go-to books when I'm in the mood for fluff.

[jehane]

Tom_Holt - comic fantasy. I prefer his earlier works which usually take on ancient mythology to his newer ones.