Books to Read When You Have Book Depression

I really love dystopian books, especially of the YA variety. The problem is, sometimes they really start to get to me and I find myself getting something I just now named Book Depression. It's basically feeling depressed from having read a really sad or depressing story, and now you need something to contrast all the bleak (but utterly good) books you've been reading lately.

Here's what happened to me.

I guess it must have started when I read Allegiant by Veronica Roth. After mowing through the Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch and chasing it with The Giver Lois Lowry, I then read The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder, some of Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells and most of Moth by Daniel Arenson (I also apologize for my list of hipster indie books.)

My dad says I use this picture too much.

I had just started Enclave by Ann Aquirre. The story starts in a dank, grey subway tunnel. I was interested, but also felt myself going "Unnnngh" as I could feel the depression of the story kicking right in. I only made it a couple of pages when I knew I had to stop.

What could I read that would kick my spirits back into high gear though? One immediately came to mind and, after some thought, I managed to compile a list of books that I would give to someone if they said they wanted a more happy read.

Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead

This one is a favorite of mine on my Kindle, and the very first ebook I ever read two years ago almost to the day of this post, so it has really stuck with me. It's got a funny cast of characters, a "bad to worse" situation, and manages to give you whiplash through it's flawless combination of comedy and horror. This was the one I grabbed when I was feeling down from an overload of dystopia. Best of all, there's a brand new sequel!


Undead and Unwed by Maryjanice Davidson

 It's the perfect mix of vampires and humor. The story brings the laughs and never takes itself too seriously.

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

While not an outright comedy it's a very lighthearted story most of the time, which is why I would actually recommend it over Dresden Files in terms of overall happy factor. Plus, the author is a complete, lovable nerd, and it shows in every page.

Ithanalin's Restoration

I have almost no memory of this book, but it's been on my shelf for over ten years. Any book about a wizard turning himself into runaway furniture and his apprentice reversing the spell has to be a good way to lighten up your reading.



I have a big stack of dystopian books ahead of me, so I would love to hear about some more happy reads to keep me going in between the dark ones!