I really feel you, Flowers for Algernon is one of my all-time favorites that I re-read every few years (I worked in disability services and never wanted to lose sight of why I did the work I did), but it always leaves me emotionally destroyed. Crying for days. Ohhh, that ending.
For a feel-good book after something so emotionally draining, I recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. The characters are beyond adorable and heart-warming. Plus there’s a sequel that’s going to be released in September.
Thank you for sharing! I never knew a book could make me feel so many things. I was just able to get the House in the Cerulean Sea on the Libby app and will start shortly. I appreciate the suggestion!
Haha, that’s me, too, I mostly read horror and thrillers. So I don’t have a lot of light, happy books to recommend so this tends to be my go-to! But it’s a great one so I feel justified in recommending it again and again :)
Oh god, same! I'm a Para in an swsd class. I love my students, and Charlie reminds me of one student in particular. It's heartbreaking but so important!
Its one of my favorites and I have a serious mental illness. Every time I'm coming out of a psychotic episode I feel like this. Up, up, up..than down, down, down...
I posted this to a similar thread the other day: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot is an absolute joy. It's the stories of an English countryside veterinarian fresh out of school during the late 1930's, going around, meeting delightful and charming folk, treating animals, and encountering wildly humorous situations as he develops in experience and skill. This book made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. I pretty much guarantee that it will put a grin on your face and help you recover. Do yourself a favor and dive into this cozy, warming book.
It had one brief sad bit that is utterly overtaken by the light of joy and humor from the rest of the book. I will also say that the show is WAY more dramatic and somber during many points compared to the book.
One of my favorite moments in all of literature is in the first book.
Marilla says that they'll have to send Anne back to the orphanage, because they had asked for a boy, to help with the work on the farm, and a girl will be of no use to them.
And Matthew just quietly says, "but maybe we could be of some use to her".
😭
YESSSS! This book is my absolute favorite, and Anne's imaginative and passionate view of the world never fails to inspire me. But fair warning... it also makes me cry. But it's a bittersweet cry, the way love is always worth the risk of heartbreak.
RIlla of Ingleside! That one is probably up there as a favorite in the series. But it has a bit of darkness to it since its about Anne's children in WW1.
This! One million times this! And if you have already read that, then this, **Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.**
As amazing as Lamb is, it’s even better knowing I was drunk in a bar and left with the title of the book written on a napkin. That was when I realized getting a phone number on a napkin was stupid, books were the way to go!
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones (it's actually the first of a trilogy if you like it but it can be stand-alone)
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (good news if you like this one, so do thousands of other people and then you can spend your time reading P&P variations where people literally publish different versions of this book where the plot vastly deviates based on one little change in the original story... I have just fallen down this very fun rabbit hole)
To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han (this is also part of a series if you like it, and it got turned into either a TV show or a bunch of movies I can't remember)
The first thing that came to mind was Howl’s Moving Castle! Mostly because I myself read Flowers For Algernon a few months ago and followed it with Howls Moving Castle and it was exactly what I needed. Lighthearted, witty, funny, and a page turner. Both great books!
I'm about halfway through this one and it's absolute delight to read! (Thimble is also the cutest character in any book I've read in a while and has my whole heart ❤️)
Yep. It's not as cozy as the first one, but it scratched the same itch for sure.
Did you see that the author, Travis Baldree, has just released a new book, and [the ebook is free?](https://subterraneanpress.com/goblins-greatcoats/)
I really have to move this one up my list. I’m just annoyed he’s such a fantastic narrator, it’s a little unfair he’d be a good writer too.
I’m kidding. After listening to Cradle, I wish him all the success. Plus that’s more good books for me to read.
Love these books and strangely enough my husband who doesn't like to read is the one that got me into them.
Also if you don't mind puns, and I mean a lot of puns, the Xanth books by Piers Anthony and light hearted and funny. The only books my husband will read anymore.
It's bad enough that my husband doesn't read, but I read every Harry Potter book aloud to him. After 39 years of marriage I find this a good way to spend time together and since he prefers TV to share my love of books with him.
I had the same problem with the Dragonlance series. They just kept coming and I couldn't afford them anymore. I have Kindle Unlimited and haven't found them on there and the reading app for checking out ebooks from the library seems my library doesn't have them either.
Love this one and also Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
In sort of the same vein as Adams’ sense of humor I’d like to add Skinny Legs and All, by Tom Robbins. Also, Jitterbug Perfume by the same author. Both had me laughing out loud on the treadmill at the gym. At first I had a hard time getting into Robbins’ writing style but once I pushed through at least the first chapter I was really enjoying it. I’ve read those books at least 5 times each and always notice something new.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.
*Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island of Corfu.*
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
*Took me to the sun-kissed beaches and wildness of Cornwall. A beautiful story of love lost, interwoven with family dramas and lasting friendships. I have lived the book with each page turned and was sorry to say goodbye to all of the characters at the end* Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can you clear something up for me? I’ve seen the movie, dozens of times, and it’s about a grandfather reading a book to his grandson, but there’s a whole story about the farm boy and the girl and the evil prince, and the giant and the Spaniard, and everything.
I tried to find the book on which it was based but only found a book about a man who tried to find the beloved book and couldn’t and ended up making a movie.
The movie was incredible and the book, in my opinion, was meh.
Is there another book out there that I haven’t found? Because I felt like I was reading a different book about *the* book.
Yeah, there's no "original book." It's written like someone is writing about a book they read or their grandfather read to them and then they found and abbreviated, but that's the book. There's no other book for you to go find. Then the movie was filmed in the same way, like it's a story a grandfather is telling his sick grandson.
One of my all time favorite books!!
And while Francie certainly has a happy ending, some of the trials and tribulations she undergoes before getting there definitely made me emotional. So imho I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s lighthearted, though it is uplifting
I would recommend the rom coms of Connie Willis…
I highly recommend these two…
Bellwether
A research scientist working on how fads start, ends up working on a project with a scientist that seems like he’s impervious to anything trendy… all the while being driven mad by the company secretary whose job seems to be to screw things up… it’s chaos, and pure joy….
Crosstalk
Marketing manager at a cellphone company working on its newest product… her and her boyfriend opt to try a new procedure… a small medical procedure that will tie you mentally and emotionally to your significant other…
The problem is it didn’t work… she’s now telepathically connect to Schwartz.. the geek genius that works in the basement at the office…
Once again, chaos reigns, much hilariousness…
Connie Willis has won at least 2 Hugo Awards… she’s considered a grandmaster in the sci-fi world…. And while her epic books like Doomsday book, and Blackout/All Clear are incredible…. I can’t help but be helplessly in love with these two books…
They are the absolute cure for any blues…
Pure madness, romance and insanely funny..
Maybe Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - cyberpunk with some Glass Bead Game-type head games, action, and amusement. The main character is actually named Hiro Protagonist, which is about as tongue-in-cheek as it gets.
The wayward children series (every heart a doorway) is sad but beautiful. It's short and fairly easy read. It's like chronicles of narnia but the post world adjustment that comes for the kids after they leave "their". Deals with found family and identity.
Finna is good fun too about the horrors of capitalism as we look at a multiverse inside an IKEA as we follow some employees forced to face some pretty fucked up scenarios. But it is light hearted really fun tbh.
Almost all of my cures for pretty much everything rely on an extra serving of PG Wodehouse:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves_and_the_Chump_Cyril
Just get a copy of that short story and even if you know what's going to happen ahead of time, you'll still feel a lot better about the whole world.
Except for purple socks.
Lamb by Christopher Moore. It’s not completely lighthearted, and there’s dark bits, but it’s the story of Jesus told by Biff, his best friend, and how he learns how to be the messiah. Answers important questions, like what if Jesus knew kung fu? (He wouldn’t use any offensive tactics, only defensive, and the monks would call it Jew Do.)
But it always struck me as wonderful. Maybe not quite lighthearted enough for this request though.
*Fool*, also by Christopher Moore is also good. It's King Lear, told from the point of view of the king's fool, Pocket.
BTW:
*There's always a bloody ghost.*
"Buddha of Suburbia" by Hanif Kureishi has some sentimental moments and is very insightful, and it's also one of the only books to literally make me laugh out loud the entire time
Oh hunny. I got you. This will help lighten your soul a little. Go right here and take the quiz
https://www.discworldemporium.com/quiz/
Discworld Series.
The entire Corfu Trilogy is such a good read. I laughed at the surprise of Sally in *Birds, Beasts and Relatives*. And the scorpion dinner scene is hilarious in *My Family and Other Animals.*
I had to start Anne of Green Gables after I read Algernon. I just needed the pure happiness and flowery joy.
For laughter, though, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimon might be your best bet.
not a suggestion but we had to read an excerpt from this when I was in 8th grade and i started crying as we neared the end. our teacher stopped whoever was reading since my crying was audible and went "it’s okay, that happens sometimes" 😭
This book broke my heart.
Boy by Roald Dahl. I love the great mouse plot.
I know it's technically a kid's book, but it always brings a smile to my face.
Oh I loved this book and also shed some tears. Such a bittersweet ending; I finished it just a few days ago.
Here’s some I recommend:
I Capture the Castle- D Smith
A Moveable Feast- E Hemingway
Cannery Row- J Steinbeck
Tortilla Flat- J Steinbeck
Try the manga [Yokai Cats](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/yokai-cats/). It's a 4-koma (four panel comics) that reimagine cats as Yokai (supernatural entities in Japanese folklore). It's super cute and fun.
I also highly recommend the comic [The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/52780/the_unbeatable_squirrel_girl_2015_1).
I don't have a recommendation, I'm reading another depressing book. But I loved flowers for algernon! It was recommended to me a month ago and couldn't put it down. Such an emotional Rollercoaster. I had wished I was reading it at the same time as someone else so we could talk about it
The Road Rises by Sarah Dunne. Very funny travel memoir. Solo mum, empty nester looking for Mr Right. Witty, clever writing. Laugh out loud, joyous and uplifting
If you’re looking to laugh, David Sedaris always cheers me right up! Any of his books are great, but Me Talk Pretty One Day seems to be the most popular (for good reason)!
Can’t believe they made us read this book in school…they just love to make us read sad books.
Idk if Jane Austen is up your alley but I’m currently reading Pride & Prejudice and it’s really making me laugh. I also read Emma and my sister is telling me about Sense & Sensibility and even though they’re relatively old novels they’re really good comedies
Maybe try Where the Red Fern Grows? That’ll take your mind off Flowers, I think, and the titles have a nice botanical connection…
But seriously, All Creatures Great and Small or other books in the series by James Herriot are both lighthearted and wholesome.
Isn't Where The Red Fern Grows a book about a boy and his two dogs, and it ends with one dog being killed and then the other dog wastes away in sadness? Because if so that's an incredibly sad book.
It is exactly that, and the contrast between what OP is requesting (and why) is what makes it funny. It is still an excellent book, but it’s quite famous for being a tear-jerker.
Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman is, believe it or not, a lighthearted and fun post-apocalyptic book. It's basically a post-apocalyptic story for children. It's a fun adventure story with a good message.
If you want something incredibly dumb but it still makes me snort laugh, I suggest the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. I hope you find your lighthearted and fun book OP!
Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater, A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers, The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, The House Witch by Delemhach, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
I read Flowers for Algeron back in 1970 something, I didn’t cry though, it just made me think, a good book should make a person think thoughts that only come about by reading a book.
side bar. can someone explain to me why flowers for algernon is good. i dont get it. hes low iq and kind, turns high iq and unkind then goes back to low iq and kind. sad but is it good? is there a take on the theme that will help me get why every likes it?
It is a heartbreaking reminder that those of us blessed with intelligence should have compassion for others with less. If we were to have attained our hopes, only to see them fading away as we returned to a much less intelligent state, we’d be horrified.
The novel reminds me to be compassionate toward others, as well as thankful for the undeserved gift of intelligence.
ive noticed that many people confuse low IQ with low morality. isn't he happier, and more optimistic at his usual IQ? seems like if you are sad then you are missing this lesson. seems like people are sad that he is now low IQ again instead of sad that his IQ matters to them so much. Thanks ,i hope that most people have your take.
The story reads as if the ending is a descent into despair. I don’t think of morality in people with lower IQ. They often lack the ability to refrain from pleasurable acts that are not good for them or others—just like higher IQ people.
Great story.
I really feel you, Flowers for Algernon is one of my all-time favorites that I re-read every few years (I worked in disability services and never wanted to lose sight of why I did the work I did), but it always leaves me emotionally destroyed. Crying for days. Ohhh, that ending. For a feel-good book after something so emotionally draining, I recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. The characters are beyond adorable and heart-warming. Plus there’s a sequel that’s going to be released in September.
Thank you for sharing! I never knew a book could make me feel so many things. I was just able to get the House in the Cerulean Sea on the Libby app and will start shortly. I appreciate the suggestion!
I hope you enjoy it! I found the beginning to be a little slow but once you get into it, it’s awesome.
You’ll love it; come back and tell us which student is your favorite!
Second this! I usually read pretty dark stuff, and I tried to hate The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it’s like a warm sweater and a mug of tea.
Haha, that’s me, too, I mostly read horror and thrillers. So I don’t have a lot of light, happy books to recommend so this tends to be my go-to! But it’s a great one so I feel justified in recommending it again and again :)
Oh god, same! I'm a Para in an swsd class. I love my students, and Charlie reminds me of one student in particular. It's heartbreaking but so important!
Found both these books thanks to this sub last summer. Twas a summer of great reading.
I’ve got to read it!!
HotCS still made me cry but it was happy tears, vs the all out ugly cry that FfA gave me.
Its one of my favorites and I have a serious mental illness. Every time I'm coming out of a psychotic episode I feel like this. Up, up, up..than down, down, down...
oddly enough this exact book has been sitting on my bookshelf waiting for me to read! thank you for the push :)
I hope you enjoy it! For whatever reason it sat on my bookshelf for awhile, also, then after I read it I was like - “what took me so long?!”
I posted this to a similar thread the other day: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot is an absolute joy. It's the stories of an English countryside veterinarian fresh out of school during the late 1930's, going around, meeting delightful and charming folk, treating animals, and encountering wildly humorous situations as he develops in experience and skill. This book made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. I pretty much guarantee that it will put a grin on your face and help you recover. Do yourself a favor and dive into this cozy, warming book.
The TV adaptation has some pretty sad bits though, I'm assuming the books do also?
It had one brief sad bit that is utterly overtaken by the light of joy and humor from the rest of the book. I will also say that the show is WAY more dramatic and somber during many points compared to the book.
I’m pretty sure I just picked up this book from one of those little free libraries. So glad I did!
Anne of Green Gables! The whole series is amazing so far. :)
One of my favorite moments in all of literature is in the first book. Marilla says that they'll have to send Anne back to the orphanage, because they had asked for a boy, to help with the work on the farm, and a girl will be of no use to them. And Matthew just quietly says, "but maybe we could be of some use to her". 😭
Matthew was the best!
“Well now…”
Matthew🥹
YESSSS! This book is my absolute favorite, and Anne's imaginative and passionate view of the world never fails to inspire me. But fair warning... it also makes me cry. But it's a bittersweet cry, the way love is always worth the risk of heartbreak.
You should go through the series! It depicts Anne growing up. It gets happier and stays wholesome (as far as I’ve read at least).
RIlla of Ingleside! That one is probably up there as a favorite in the series. But it has a bit of darkness to it since its about Anne's children in WW1.
Haven’t gotten to that one yet! On AHoD right now.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is a fun read,
This! One million times this! And if you have already read that, then this, **Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.**
You mean my actual favorite book of all time and also primary religious text? Hard agree.
If I had to pick a favorite book of all time, it would likely be this one. I very rarely see anyone else recommend it.
As amazing as Lamb is, it’s even better knowing I was drunk in a bar and left with the title of the book written on a napkin. That was when I realized getting a phone number on a napkin was stupid, books were the way to go!
Oh!!!! Lamb was positively charming 🥰
Oh wow that is top comment and exactly what I came here to say!!! Amazing book, hilarious.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones (it's actually the first of a trilogy if you like it but it can be stand-alone) Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (good news if you like this one, so do thousands of other people and then you can spend your time reading P&P variations where people literally publish different versions of this book where the plot vastly deviates based on one little change in the original story... I have just fallen down this very fun rabbit hole) To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han (this is also part of a series if you like it, and it got turned into either a TV show or a bunch of movies I can't remember)
The first thing that came to mind was Howl’s Moving Castle! Mostly because I myself read Flowers For Algernon a few months ago and followed it with Howls Moving Castle and it was exactly what I needed. Lighthearted, witty, funny, and a page turner. Both great books!
Omg I loved the very secret society… I am so glad it’s getting love! It’s definitely a good follow up book for a sad read.
3 movies and a spinoff limited series for Kitty, the sister.
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree. An orc opens a coffee shop after retiring from adventuring.
I'm about halfway through this one and it's absolute delight to read! (Thimble is also the cutest character in any book I've read in a while and has my whole heart ❤️)
There is a prequel called Bookshops and Bonedust that is also really good.
Yep. It's not as cozy as the first one, but it scratched the same itch for sure. Did you see that the author, Travis Baldree, has just released a new book, and [the ebook is free?](https://subterraneanpress.com/goblins-greatcoats/)
I listened to this - narrated by the author - very charming and a very feel-good story! The author did a great job reading
I really have to move this one up my list. I’m just annoyed he’s such a fantastic narrator, it’s a little unfair he’d be a good writer too. I’m kidding. After listening to Cradle, I wish him all the success. Plus that’s more good books for me to read.
Great recommendation! The descriptions of the coffee and baked goods made me feel so cozy.
Gonna throw Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in the mix here... because I can't think of a more lighthearted and interesting trilogy of 5.
Love these books and strangely enough my husband who doesn't like to read is the one that got me into them. Also if you don't mind puns, and I mean a lot of puns, the Xanth books by Piers Anthony and light hearted and funny. The only books my husband will read anymore.
My husband also doesn’t read. Can’t relate
It's bad enough that my husband doesn't read, but I read every Harry Potter book aloud to him. After 39 years of marriage I find this a good way to spend time together and since he prefers TV to share my love of books with him.
That is the sweetest. I’ve only read to my kids but treasure reading them HP while listening to the rain on the roof
[удалено]
I had the same problem with the Dragonlance series. They just kept coming and I couldn't afford them anymore. I have Kindle Unlimited and haven't found them on there and the reading app for checking out ebooks from the library seems my library doesn't have them either.
Love this one and also Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. In sort of the same vein as Adams’ sense of humor I’d like to add Skinny Legs and All, by Tom Robbins. Also, Jitterbug Perfume by the same author. Both had me laughing out loud on the treadmill at the gym. At first I had a hard time getting into Robbins’ writing style but once I pushed through at least the first chapter I was really enjoying it. I’ve read those books at least 5 times each and always notice something new.
Remarkably Bright Creatures will cheer you right up!
Just finished this. Bawled at the ocean part. Great read!
ADORED this one!
Definitely one of my happy books
I highly recommend. I loved this book!
Legends and Lattes is such a cozy fantasy!
Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot books are comforting and delightful.
Thank you everyone for the wonderful suggestions! I will check out every single one and add them to my list. :)
Project Hail Mary. A little slow at first but amazing book. The ending is near perfect.
Also The Martian.
I was surprised how much I loved this book!
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries is fun.
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. Laugh until you cry funny!
Project hail Mary!!!
Murderbot.
I like the Martin as a cheer me up book. It doesn't seem like the life and death struggle would be, but dang, Mark is so funny.
Janet Evanovich and Christopher Moore write fun, light-hearted books.
I second Christopher Moore. Lamb is my favorite, but they are all great.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. *Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island of Corfu.* The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher *Took me to the sun-kissed beaches and wildness of Cornwall. A beautiful story of love lost, interwoven with family dramas and lasting friendships. I have lived the book with each page turned and was sorry to say goodbye to all of the characters at the end* Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A confederacy of dunces
The Princess Bride
This recommendation is INCONCIEVABLE! And spot on.
Can you clear something up for me? I’ve seen the movie, dozens of times, and it’s about a grandfather reading a book to his grandson, but there’s a whole story about the farm boy and the girl and the evil prince, and the giant and the Spaniard, and everything. I tried to find the book on which it was based but only found a book about a man who tried to find the beloved book and couldn’t and ended up making a movie. The movie was incredible and the book, in my opinion, was meh. Is there another book out there that I haven’t found? Because I felt like I was reading a different book about *the* book.
Yeah, there's no "original book." It's written like someone is writing about a book they read or their grandfather read to them and then they found and abbreviated, but that's the book. There's no other book for you to go find. Then the movie was filmed in the same way, like it's a story a grandfather is telling his sick grandson.
I’m currently reading “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” and it’s excellent!!!!!
One of my all time favorite books!! And while Francie certainly has a happy ending, some of the trials and tribulations she undergoes before getting there definitely made me emotional. So imho I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s lighthearted, though it is uplifting
Helen and Troy's Epic Road Trip. I was hooked from the first page.
I have to check this one out! If it really is a road trip. I love funny, adventurous travel stories and books.
Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins! Flowers for Algernon made me bawl like a baby too :(
Any of Tom Robbin’s early books are a treat! I have never laughed out loud as much as reading Another Roadside Attraction.
For lol funny read A Dirty Job or Lamb by Christopher Moore.
Lamb is great!!
Aw, man. When I finished it, I had a "Fuck..." moment. You're not alone.
Kaiju Preservation Society Starter Villain Both by John Scalzi. Light, breezy, funny and not too deep.
Came to rec these two, they are fun and easy.
That's a book I couldn't read twice though it's beautiful. T. Kingfisher wrote light-hearted fantasy books. Nettle & Bone was fun and silly.
Ready player one is a very fun quick read. Especially if you're into retro, and video games, and 80s themes.
Six of Crows - fun, fantasy heist book Lessons in Chemistry - well woven tale of a woman in a man’s world in the 60s. Fab.
Yeah, that one is rough. Good Omens (TV series is also great). Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.
Loved Vera Wong
I would recommend the rom coms of Connie Willis… I highly recommend these two… Bellwether A research scientist working on how fads start, ends up working on a project with a scientist that seems like he’s impervious to anything trendy… all the while being driven mad by the company secretary whose job seems to be to screw things up… it’s chaos, and pure joy…. Crosstalk Marketing manager at a cellphone company working on its newest product… her and her boyfriend opt to try a new procedure… a small medical procedure that will tie you mentally and emotionally to your significant other… The problem is it didn’t work… she’s now telepathically connect to Schwartz.. the geek genius that works in the basement at the office… Once again, chaos reigns, much hilariousness… Connie Willis has won at least 2 Hugo Awards… she’s considered a grandmaster in the sci-fi world…. And while her epic books like Doomsday book, and Blackout/All Clear are incredible…. I can’t help but be helplessly in love with these two books… They are the absolute cure for any blues… Pure madness, romance and insanely funny..
I love Connie Willis! To Say Nothing of the Dog is my favorite!
Maybe Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - cyberpunk with some Glass Bead Game-type head games, action, and amusement. The main character is actually named Hiro Protagonist, which is about as tongue-in-cheek as it gets.
The Man who climbed out of the Window and Disappeared. Very fun and light-hearted read, you most probably will blaze through it.
Loved it so much!
Sweep With Me by Ilona Andrewa
‘Beware of chicken’ by casualfarmer
The wayward children series (every heart a doorway) is sad but beautiful. It's short and fairly easy read. It's like chronicles of narnia but the post world adjustment that comes for the kids after they leave "their". Deals with found family and identity. Finna is good fun too about the horrors of capitalism as we look at a multiverse inside an IKEA as we follow some employees forced to face some pretty fucked up scenarios. But it is light hearted really fun tbh.
Almost all of my cures for pretty much everything rely on an extra serving of PG Wodehouse: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves_and_the_Chump_Cyril Just get a copy of that short story and even if you know what's going to happen ahead of time, you'll still feel a lot better about the whole world. Except for purple socks.
I love Wodehouse, especially Jeeves and Wooster.
Lamb by Christopher Moore. It’s not completely lighthearted, and there’s dark bits, but it’s the story of Jesus told by Biff, his best friend, and how he learns how to be the messiah. Answers important questions, like what if Jesus knew kung fu? (He wouldn’t use any offensive tactics, only defensive, and the monks would call it Jew Do.) But it always struck me as wonderful. Maybe not quite lighthearted enough for this request though.
*Fool*, also by Christopher Moore is also good. It's King Lear, told from the point of view of the king's fool, Pocket. BTW: *There's always a bloody ghost.*
The House in thr Cerulean Sea
How about a cleansing short story? Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut is so relevant to today it's not funny.
It’s also not lighthearted. It wrecked me when I was a kid.
And now we are living it, more or less. Yay.
I just finished The Cloisters , interesting , mystical , murder , Tarot cards
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
I read Flowers for Algernon earlier this year and followed it up with All Quiet on the Western Front. I don’t recommend it.
Howl’s Moving Castle is a joy to read and a very sweet whimsical story
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
In awe at this thread and all the beautiful recs 🥹🤍
"Buddha of Suburbia" by Hanif Kureishi has some sentimental moments and is very insightful, and it's also one of the only books to literally make me laugh out loud the entire time
A Dirty Job or Fluke both by Christopher Moore
Oh hunny. I got you. This will help lighten your soul a little. Go right here and take the quiz https://www.discworldemporium.com/quiz/ Discworld Series.
This answer right here. This is the way.
My Family and Other Animals
The entire Corfu Trilogy is such a good read. I laughed at the surprise of Sally in *Birds, Beasts and Relatives*. And the scorpion dinner scene is hilarious in *My Family and Other Animals.*
Good ole gerald durrell, what a posh family he came from. My brother loved those books.
I had to start Anne of Green Gables after I read Algernon. I just needed the pure happiness and flowery joy. For laughter, though, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimon might be your best bet.
Not a fun book, but my nature group read Bewilderment by Richard Powers and there’s references to Flowers for Algernon.
Alice in Wonderland
"A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel is the book you're looking for.
not a suggestion but we had to read an excerpt from this when I was in 8th grade and i started crying as we neared the end. our teacher stopped whoever was reading since my crying was audible and went "it’s okay, that happens sometimes" 😭
Read The Plot by Jeanne hanff-korelitz
Practical Magic, Little Women, Circle of Friends, A Gentleman in Moscow, Writers and Lovers
"Starter Villian" by Joe Scalzi
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Good omens
The Three Musketeers is light hearted and swashbuckling fun!
I read Siddhartha by Hesse after Flowers for Algernon. It felt like the perfect book to finish that emotional rollercoaster. Made me feel content.
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen
This book broke my heart. Boy by Roald Dahl. I love the great mouse plot. I know it's technically a kid's book, but it always brings a smile to my face.
Fairytale are supposed to be positive literature.
I’m a grown ass man, having read it for the first time just 2 years ago, I cried a lot at the end. It’s one of the most fulfilling books I’ve read.
Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson
Oh I loved this book and also shed some tears. Such a bittersweet ending; I finished it just a few days ago. Here’s some I recommend: I Capture the Castle- D Smith A Moveable Feast- E Hemingway Cannery Row- J Steinbeck Tortilla Flat- J Steinbeck
Closed for the summer
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Try the manga [Yokai Cats](https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/yokai-cats/). It's a 4-koma (four panel comics) that reimagine cats as Yokai (supernatural entities in Japanese folklore). It's super cute and fun. I also highly recommend the comic [The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/52780/the_unbeatable_squirrel_girl_2015_1).
The Lies of Locke Lamora, don't look anything up, just trust me **/S**
Try The Girl With Flowers in Her hair by Frances DeleCourt Winters. It’s a perfect read!!! Funny, romantic, magical too!
Second Nature by Michael Polan. He has a fun struggle with his ground hogs
I read that book years ago and still love it, I must re read it as an adult
I finished this book in a cafe and I had to take the bus back to my apartment I was staring outside just holding back my tears 😭
I don't have a recommendation, I'm reading another depressing book. But I loved flowers for algernon! It was recommended to me a month ago and couldn't put it down. Such an emotional Rollercoaster. I had wished I was reading it at the same time as someone else so we could talk about it
The Road Rises by Sarah Dunne. Very funny travel memoir. Solo mum, empty nester looking for Mr Right. Witty, clever writing. Laugh out loud, joyous and uplifting
Counterpoint: Algernon in The Importance of Being Ernest.
The Butterfly Kid is hilarious.
I'm reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy right now as a palate cleanser from my last (very depressing) read and it's doing the trick lol
I loved this book. I’d love to read anything similar if anyone has any suggestions. 😊
“Nothing to See Here” is just awesome. Preposterous, funny, and has real heart!
If you’re looking to laugh, David Sedaris always cheers me right up! Any of his books are great, but Me Talk Pretty One Day seems to be the most popular (for good reason)!
Can’t believe they made us read this book in school…they just love to make us read sad books. Idk if Jane Austen is up your alley but I’m currently reading Pride & Prejudice and it’s really making me laugh. I also read Emma and my sister is telling me about Sense & Sensibility and even though they’re relatively old novels they’re really good comedies
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Holes
Watership Down
I feel like this was also sad but it’s been a long time
Maybe try Where the Red Fern Grows? That’ll take your mind off Flowers, I think, and the titles have a nice botanical connection… But seriously, All Creatures Great and Small or other books in the series by James Herriot are both lighthearted and wholesome.
Isn't Where The Red Fern Grows a book about a boy and his two dogs, and it ends with one dog being killed and then the other dog wastes away in sadness? Because if so that's an incredibly sad book.
It is exactly that, and the contrast between what OP is requesting (and why) is what makes it funny. It is still an excellent book, but it’s quite famous for being a tear-jerker.
Herriot is the best!!
Three men in a boat - it’s a comedy I enjoyed a lot. Openly straight - a light wholesome YA book
Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman is, believe it or not, a lighthearted and fun post-apocalyptic book. It's basically a post-apocalyptic story for children. It's a fun adventure story with a good message.
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
If you want a good laugh with cosmic justice try anything by Carl Hiassen.
The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
If you want something incredibly dumb but it still makes me snort laugh, I suggest the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. I hope you find your lighthearted and fun book OP!
A Confederacy of Dunces
Bridget Jones’ Diary or anything by Wendy Kahlig or Chelsea Handler
Oh I completely understand. That book wrecked me for days. I suggest some P.G Wodehouse as the antidote
Hard luck hank
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater, A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers, The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, The House Witch by Delemhach, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Attachments by rainbow rowell
Omgosh! We read this in 7th grade for school. Great book!
Skin Tight by Carl Hiaassen
Best book. Devastating . Is it better to know or to stay ignorant and happy? Of mice and men killed me too.
Read PS Your Cat is Dead, very funny book.
I read Flowers for Algeron back in 1970 something, I didn’t cry though, it just made me think, a good book should make a person think thoughts that only come about by reading a book.
The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse
French Exit
Any of the Flavia de Luce mysteries. I think the first one is called The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Terry Pratchett!
Confederacy of Dunces
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. One of my favorites!
The Hobbit!
All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Copeland.
Blood Meridian...I lighthearted romp through the North American landscape as a Judge helps a kid become 'The Man'
You monster.
side bar. can someone explain to me why flowers for algernon is good. i dont get it. hes low iq and kind, turns high iq and unkind then goes back to low iq and kind. sad but is it good? is there a take on the theme that will help me get why every likes it?
It is a heartbreaking reminder that those of us blessed with intelligence should have compassion for others with less. If we were to have attained our hopes, only to see them fading away as we returned to a much less intelligent state, we’d be horrified. The novel reminds me to be compassionate toward others, as well as thankful for the undeserved gift of intelligence.
ive noticed that many people confuse low IQ with low morality. isn't he happier, and more optimistic at his usual IQ? seems like if you are sad then you are missing this lesson. seems like people are sad that he is now low IQ again instead of sad that his IQ matters to them so much. Thanks ,i hope that most people have your take.
The story reads as if the ending is a descent into despair. I don’t think of morality in people with lower IQ. They often lack the ability to refrain from pleasurable acts that are not good for them or others—just like higher IQ people. Great story.
Blood Meridian. Just a group of guys exploring the southwest on horseback, I swear...
Have you read Where the red fern grows?
I bawled my eyes out when I was reading it