Ever just want to check out for a while? Escape to somewhere new from the comfort of your own bed?
One of the main points in the enjoyment of reading fiction is its ability to transport ourselves to a whole new world right inside our minds, the stories come alive on the page and we feel a deep connection with the characters we are reading about.
Braw has some of the best books for feeling like your anywhere but your living room and the perfect stories for taking your mind off the madness.
Get cosy, dive in and enjoy the journey, it’s going to be quite the adventure.
Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Lambda Literary Award-winning author and NYT Best Seller
Escape to a Charon’s Crossing tea shop where you’ll be greated with a warm hug but the line between this life and the afterlife is very thin.
A heart-warming fantasy about a cruel ghost who struggles to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with – one of my all time favourite books eventhough I just read it recently i plan on reading it again very soon. Under the whispering door by TJ Klune is some of the best escapism work i
I have ever read, the way Klune is able to take the reader on a journey through the afterlife whilst keeping things peaceful is talent to say the least. The characters are humble, witty and hilarious, especially Nelson and by the end of the book you’ll even end up loving the main character (Wallace) that you’ll spend the first three chapters despising. You will laugh, cry and feel a rollercoaster of emotions, this book has it all: adventures, heartache, love, mental illness, grief and above all, it teaches a beautiful lesson that just because one day it will all be over, doesn’t mean it does not matter now.
The Quiet at the end of the world by Lauren James
Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2020
Escape to a post-apocalyptic world with Lowrie and Shen as they must decide what lengths they are prepared to go to save the human race.
A bittersweet dystopian world of fiction The Quiet Place at the end of the world by Lauren James is a uniquely brilliant tale of two best friends (Lowrie and Shen), the youngest people in the world after a virus causes global infertility. A melancholic, hopeful story that will restore your faith in humanity and make you think about what truly matters in life. This book walks us through a journey of a world where no one can reproduce, and the consequences and secrets that erupt. It is also important to note that the LGBTQ+ representation in A quiet place at the end of the world is beautiful and thrilling, with two bisexual female leads and a heart-swelling trans love interest.
CIRCE by Madeline Miller
Shortlised for Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019
Escape to the Island of Aiaia were Circe learns to cast her spells, tame wild beasts, and eventually risks it all.
A Greek classic facinating re-telling of a daughter banished for her power of witchcraft – Circe by Madeline Miller is about finding yourself in a world that won’t accept you, a world where men fear women with more power than them. What makes this re-telling truly spellbeinding is Circe’s character and the way Miller has wrote about her: she has done some haneous things, evil things but she is still unapolagetically human. Circe is very lonely and on the outside cold, hiding her pain through sarcasm more often than not but there wasn’t a moment whilst reading this book that I didn’t love her.
At its core this is a powerfully affective novel exploring the silenced voices of women in Greek mythology, without a doubt one of the most talented authors i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and I can’t wait to pick up my next Madeline Miller book.
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Alex Award Winner 2021, NYT and Washington Post Best Seller and The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner!
Escape to a little house in the Cerulean sea, allow Klune to wrap you up in a big gay blanket and take you on a journey of love, fear, magic and the family we find along the way.
A wholesome tale that you will without a doubt need an endless supply of tissues for – when Linus Baker, a quiet man, living a quiet life gets an assignment from Upper Mangement it sets him on a path he wasn’t expecting and surely will never forget. Klune takes us on a journey of self discovery, the value of who we are and what shapes us, and most importantly it is a tale of what can grow through a little love and compassion.
The characters in this heart-swelling story are each carefully created and all hold something unique within them – there are six children who very quickly warm your heart and bring a palpable sense of adventure to the book. One of the key themes in here is children being valued as human beings rather than just someone’s child, and Linus brings value to each one of them.
Whilst this is not a love story, there is a beautiful romance between Arthur and Linus. However, their love is a secret for most of the story until finally it flourishes and we get to see Linus accept that he is worthy of being loved.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Kate Greenaaway Medal (1999) and the Kurt Maschler Award.
Escape down the rabbit hole into wonderland and allow yourself to get caught up in the adventures of Alice and all the interesting characters you’ll meet along the way.
An old favourite of mine, a book that I re-visit time and time again, because what better place to be transported than wonderland itself. We all know the story, after tumbling down the rabbit hole Alice finds herself in a land of weird and wonderful people and animals – a purely magic tale with talking rabbits, mice with swords and cats who can disapear and re-appaer in the blink of an eye.
But what makes it so great? Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland allows us to delve into a world completely paradox to our own, it allows us to imagine things we didn’t know our minds were capable of imagining. Carroll transports us down the rabbit hole and into a place of curiosity and bewilderment, the adventures are illogical and whimsical but that is what makes them so great.
The novel deals with so many difficult concepts such as the inevitable loss of childhood innocence, life as a meaningless puzzle and the constant of death but what is truly clever about Carroll’s writing is his ability to cover these themes in such a way that you can delve into the story without getting to hung up on the sadness of its overall meaning. There is so much adventure, magic and creativity on every page that it’s impossible to stop your mind from falling down the rabbit hole alongside Alice, and joining her on her adventures.
There is no better feeling than being wrapped up in a fictional world where the possibilities are endless, choose a book and let your imagination run wild. Happy Reading!
Feature image credit: shellirosewarne.org
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