Hey guys! Today, I have another Top 5 Wednesday post and this week’s topic is brighter days, which is definitely something we could all do with! I’ll be discussing books that made me smile, laugh out loud and just really brightened my mood. I hope you enjoy!
A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning
This is a great opportunity to talk about G.S. Denning’s Warlock Holmes series because it’s absolutely hilarious and it definitely put a smile on my face. There was so many times I was crying with laughter or snicking away while I was on the train to work. It’s a very hilarious take on the original Sherlock Holmes stories. A Study in Brimstone is the first book in the series and each book consists of short stories. Sherlock is actually called Warlock and he has supernatural powers. Watson is more of the detective in this story and is closer to Sherlock as he can make sound observations just by looking at someone. Watson and Warlock solve the cases together like they do in the originals but because pretty much all of them are supernatural, Watson has to scrabble around trying to come up with a perfectly mundane explanation for what has occurred. Warlock is by far the funniest character, everything he does is hilarious and genuinely had me in stitches. I loved this series so much!
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
This is a very popular series and one that I was extremely late to, but I can say that you don’t have to be a teenager to enjoy this series. I read it when I was 24 and I ended up loving it. It’s definitely made me want to pick up some of his other series and I’m looking forward to the TV show. The entire series was really immersive with the world-building and the Greek mythology. Each new monster that cropped up was described in so much detail and I loved all the battle scenes. Percy and his friends were so sassy too so there was a lot of times when I was laughing at some of their exchanges. Honestly, this series is incredible and it will leave you wanting more. I really enjoyed this one and it helped take my mind off lockdown. I cannot recommend it enough!
Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
I know I’ve talked about this series so much, especially last year when I reread the first half, but it’s such a funny and heartwarming series that I had to include it on this list. The story follows Kellen who’s just shy of his sixteenth birthday and is trying his hardest to get his magic to work. However, he soon realises he’s not as magical and powerful as those around him and he ends up relying on cheap tricks to best his magical foes. I really love this series because instead of having a main character who’s incredibly powerful, we have an ordinary boy with no magical gifts but he still manages to survive and make friends along the way. There’s some incredibly funny interactions between Kellen and his friends, especially Ferius and Reichis. Reichis is a really mean and sassy squirrel cat who constantly wants to fight people and loves to threaten everyone. His scenes with Kellen were delightfully funny and it made for a very interesting dynamic. I love this series so much, it’s one of my favourites!
Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare
Jem is probably my favourite character out of all Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books, so when this bind-up was announced I was absolutely ecstatic and it really did make me smile. I loved the love triangle in The Infernal Devices trilogy and thought it was done really well, so to see some more scenes between Will and Jem, and Tessa and Jem was so perfect. There was so many beautiful scenes and the ending was my favourite because we finally get to see Jem and Tessa together. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Will and Tessa as a couple and it’s been great seeing them as parents in The Last Hours, but I was always rooting for Jem and Tessa. So to have some more scenes between them and for them to get together in the end, it put such a huge smile on my face. It was perfect!
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
I had to include Ignite Me, which is the last book in the Shatter Me series because this book was just epic. Aside from the perfect scene between Warner and Juliette that had me grinning like an idiot, there’s a lot of funny moments, especially between Juliette and Kenji. Also, Juliette’s character development is incredible because when we first meet her she’s a scared girl who’s unsure of herself and uncomfortable in her own skin. But by the end of the series, she’s confident, strong and so powerful. So the whole time I was reading this, I was either grinning like an idiot because Juliette and Warner were endgame or laughing at Juliette and Kenji’s conversations. I was really rooting for Juliette and Warner them throughout and to finally see them together at the end was so, so perfect.
So these are five books that really made me smile! What are some books that you’ve found funny or heartwarming? Feel free to leave a comment below. I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you so much for reading!
Divine World of Books 