Books to Suck You In When Life Sucks

If you’re like us, you’ve been feeling the need more than ever, lately, to get lost in a good book and forget our chaotic world for a while. Looking for some recommendations? We’ve compiled a list of ten excellent, humorous, lighthearted books that are perfect for escaping into!

Here they are, in no particular order:
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1. Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi. Aliens travel to Earth to befriend us, but they’re hideous (by human standards) and smell terrible. Their solution? Hiring a Hollywood agent to help them win humanity’s trust. An absolutely hilarious read!

2. Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold! by Terry Brooks. After his wife’s death, Ben Holiday responds to a strange advertisement, purchasing a magic kingdom for a million dollars. He now rules over a land with fairies, wizards, talking dogs . . . What could possibly go wrong?

3. Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson. If you like sweet, clean romances, this one’s for you—and it’s the beginning of a series. Katie Chandler is so normal that magic can’t affect her in any way. When she moves to New York City, she sees right through all the enchantments covering up unusual activity. This lands her a job, and a love interest or three.

​4. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe. Harold, our protagonist, is a dog. When his people bring home a new pet rabbit, the family cat is extremely suspicious of it. The bunny has a widow’s peak and glowing red eyes—and all the vegetables are being sucked completely dry. Fun for the whole family!

5. Wizard at Work by Vivian Vande Velde. A Dumbledore-type headmaster wizard just wants to have a peaceful summer break and enjoy his hobby, gardening. But people keep showing up and asking him for help with a slew of ridiculous problems. Will he ever be able to get back to his gardening?

6. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. Due to a builder’s mistake, Wayside School is built one classroom wide and thirty classrooms high instead of the other way around. There’s a funny story for each story of the building, and especially the thirtieth one—which has the absolute worst luck with teachers.

​7. A Malady of Magicks by Craig Shaw Gardner. This is the first book in a trilogy that also has a follow-up trilogy. A wizard is cursed to be allergic to magic, and his hapless apprentice has to perform spells for him as they undertake a perilous journey to find a cure. Can they survive encounters with tap-dancing dragons and sinister shrubbery?

8. Sorcery & Cecelia: Or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. This book is quite a bit like Pride and Prejudice, but with magic! Cecelia and Kate have to stop a scheme to destroy a beloved wizard . . . but they also have to worry about debutante balls and choosing dresses and suitors.

​9. The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams. This “trilogy” of five books is a classic, beloved, delightful romp through space. Arthur Dent, a very ordinary human, is rescued at the last minute as Earth is demolished to make room for an interstellar highway bypass. Now he’s hitchhiking to the strangest planets with his friend from Betelgeuse, Ford Prefect, and his trusty towel and Babel fish. Don’t Panic!

10. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is a hopeless romantic who devours gothic novels. When she goes away from home for the first time, she finally begins her own romance and has the chance to visit an ancient abbey like those in her books. But her imagination gets a little carried away. . . . Lighthearted, fun, and sweet—and nothing goes too badly for too long.

So, that’s our list of top ten recommended reads to get you through quarantine. We hope you’re staying safe and can still find some things to smile about.

Do you have any funny books to add to this list? Tell us in the comments!

P.S. - If you enjoyed this list of recommendations, why not sign up for our newsletter? Twice a month, we'll send you a themed list of fantasy and/or sci-fi book recommendations, and sometimes music or movies too!​​

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Deborah Natelson

Deborah lives with a fluffy member of fauna named Flora. She is the author of Bargaining Power, The Land of the Purple Ring, and various other books. Her author website is www.deborahjnatelson.com.

Sarah Awa

​Sarah writes books about werewolves and lives with two hairy guys. Her debut novel is Hunter’s Moon. Check out her author website at www.sarahmawa.com.