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Books on my Forever Shelf
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items Some books stay with you. These are mine, the ones I reach for when I need comfort, familiarity, or just a guaranteed good story. They’re the novels I’ve read (and reread) until the spines are creased and the characters feel like old friends. You won...
Sections
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Literary Chaos is SO Much More Fun
Cozy (and Comfy) Fantasy Reads
(Stephen) King-Sized Comfort Reads
Literary Chaos is SO Much More Fun
Magic, monsters, and worlds I never want to leave. These are the mildly unhinged (see what I did there?) fantasy books that hooked me hard enough to earn a permanent spot on my reread list — the ones I escape into when real life needs a little more a...
Glurp glurp. Post‑apocalyptic LitRPG chaos at its finest. Humanity’s been wiped out, and Carl (plus his sassy cat, Princess Donut) must survive a deadly, ever‑evolving dungeon crawl streamed across the galaxy. It’s brutal, hilarious, and surprisingly...
Dungeon Crawler Carl 7-Book Series Kindle
A snarky, fast‑paced urban fantasy ride featuring a 2,000‑year‑old druid, his talking Irish wolfhound, Oberon, and a revolving door of gods and monsters who’d like to kill him (or at least ruin his day). It’s witty, action‑packed, and ridiculously fu...
The Iron Druid Chronicles 10-Book Series
Susan’s life just imploded; career gone, marriage ended, and now she’s convinced she’s losing her mind. Then a pack of fae-obsessed models crash into her apartment and proclaim she’s “the chosen one.” Hilarity, chaos, and midlife magic ensue.
Susan, You're The Chosen One: Midlife Magic
Our newly anointed heroine must learn how to wield her powers before she accidentally blows someone up. Think ravenous fae, bizarre “spark” stones, and Susan trying to fly through TSA with weapons in her carry-on.
It's Called Magic, Susan: Midlife Magic 2
The stakes get personal when Susan’s past comes back to bite. Curses, chaotic dreams, and a growing realization that midlife crises can be magical…and deadly.
Susan, Break The Curse! (Midlife Magic 3)
When a handsome stranger steps into Susan’s life, so does fate. It’s prophecy-heavy, romantic, and all the proof Susan needs that being “the chosen one” isn’t just a midlife gimmick.
You Can't Fight A Prophecy: Midlife Magic 4
A gleefully absurd parody of classic fantasy quests-think pun‑filled adventures, a very un‑epic “chosen one,” and a cast of characters that feel like they stumbled out of a D&D session gone off the rails. It’s ridiculous, self‑aware, and exactly ...
Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell
A delightfully weird follow‑up to Kill the Farm Boy featuring gnomes in sweater vests, anarchy‑inclined sheep, and a world where even the most minor quest turns sideways. It’s cozy nonsense with heart (and puns… so many puns). Can be read as a standa...
No Country for Old Gnomes: The Tales of Pell
The grand (and gloriously silly) finale of the Tales from Pell trilogy, but can be read as a standalone. A swashbuckling princess, a pirate adventure, and enough absurd twists to keep you grinning all the way through. The perfect ending to a perfectl...
The Princess Beard: The Tales of Pell - Books
Not exactly cozy, but absolutely a comfort read in its own chaotic way. A dark comedy about an ordinary guy who accidentally becomes Death (well, a Death). Christopher Moore’s trademark absurdity and heart make this a weirdly uplifting romp through l...
A Dirty Job: A Novel: Moore, Christopher
The gloriously unhinged sequel to A Dirty Job. More death‑duty hijinks, more bizarre San Francisco weirdness, and even more heart under the chaos. It’s irreverent, a little spooky, and a perfect follow‑up to Charlie Asher’s first misadventure.
Secondhand Souls: A Novel: Moore, Christopher
A coming‑of‑age story set against an alternate‑history 1950s America where thousands of women suddenly transform into dragons. It’s part feminist manifesto, part quiet family drama, and wholly unforgettable, both fierce and tender in equal measure.
When Women Were Dragons: A Novel eBook - Kindle
Cozy (and Comfy) Fantasy Reads
Sometimes you don’t want grimdark battles or apocalyptic stakes — you just want a warm drink, a soft blanket, and a story that feels like a hug. These are the books I reach for when I need magic without the misery: whimsical quests, charming characte...
An uplifting story about found family, acceptance, and magical children. It feels like a hug in book form.
The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles 1)
A tender, whimsical sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, revisiting beloved characters while exploring grief, healing, and the quiet magic of chosen family. It’s like coming home to a warm, safe place (with a little more heartache along the way).
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, 2)
Cozy academia meets faerie folklore, a prickly professor catalogs magical creatures in a quaint village and accidentally finds friendship (and maybe love).
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
The ultimate “low stakes, high comfort”, and the book that introduced me to cozy fantasy, an orc retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop. It’s as warm and satisfying as the first sip of a latte.
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy
If you're intimidated by Brandon Sanderson's other monsterous books, let me introduce you to Tress. A fairy‑tale‑flavored adventure that's whimsical, clever, and unexpectedly heartfelt. Tress may start as an unassuming girl on a quiet island, but her...
Tress of the Emerald Sea: A Cosmere Novel
When you’re a teenage wizard with bread‑based magic, saving your city isn’t glamorous, its…messy. Dough golems, sentient sourdough starters, enchanted gingerbread men, and sheer grit. Funny, creative, and surprisingly heartwarming, it’s one of the mo...
A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking - Kindle
A retired librarian flees her old life and opens a magical bookshop on a quiet island, but even in a sleepy village, secrets (and a bit of adventure) find her. Gentle, bookish, and full of that “start over somewhere cozy” magic.
The Spellshop - Durst, Sarah Beth: Kindle Store
A heartwarming paranormal rom‑com about a woman who inherits a creaky old house and accidentally fills it with an eclectic found family (plus one grumpy, secretly soft love interest). Quirky, magical, and full of charm.
The Only Purple House in Town: Aguirre, Ann
A shy, stammering woman with a rough past unexpectedly inherits a house…and a talking horse named Sir Terry helps her find her voice, her courage, and maybe even love. Quirky, tender, and utterly delightful.
The Nothing Girl (Frogmorton Farm Series)
The sequel to The Nothing Girl turns up the emotional depth as Jenny navigates marriage, self‑discovery, and the messy business of growing into the life she never thought she deserved. Still charming, still full of heart (and Sir Terry’s biting comme...
The Something Girl (Frogmorton Farm Series)
(Stephen) King-Sized Comfort Reads
Stephen King is undeniably my favorite author, I read and re-read his novels over and over. These aren’t just books — they’re a whole mood. The Stephen King stories that comfort me aren’t always his scariest; they’re the ones that dig in, settle deep...
My favorite book of all time. A sprawling tale of survival, hope, and the clash between good and evil — made even eerier by the uncanny similarities between King’s Captain Tripps superflu and the real‑world COVID pandemic. Epic, unsettling, and endle...
The Stand
On the surface, it’s a small town trapped under an impenetrable dome. In reality, it’s King at his best, weaving a sprawling cast of characters, moral dilemmas, and slow-burn terror.
Under the Dome
This was one of the first King novels that truly creeped me out. Part ghost story, part love letter, part small‑town drama — this one feels like sinking into a misty lakeside cabin with secrets lurking in every shadow. Haunting, sad, and strangely co...
Bag of Bones
A sharp, fast-paced dive into crime and obsession. Less supernatural than King’s usual fare, but the cat-and-mouse tension and the surprisingly lovable Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney make it one I keep coming back to.
Mr. Mercedes: A Novel (Bill Hodges #1)
A love letter to books with a dark twist. A reclusive author, a stolen manuscript, and an obsession that spans decades. It’s a slower burn than Mr. Mercedes, but it hits just as hard for anyone who’s ever been haunted by a story.
Finders Keepers: A Novel (The Bill Hodges Trilogy)
The trilogy’s haunting finale. King brings the supernatural back into play, blurring the line between technology and psychic terror. It’s bittersweet, eerie, and satisfying.
End of Watch: A Novel (Bill Hodges 3)
A chilling blend of crime thriller and supernatural horror, made even better by the return of Holly Gibney from the Hodges trilogy. MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS for child sexual abuse and murder. This one is dark, but unforgettable.
The Outsider
Far more than a haunted hotel — this is a deep, unnerving dive into addiction, family, and isolation. And if you’ve only seen the movies? The book is a whole different beast: more complex, more tragic, and (in my opinion) even scarier.
The Shining
A decades‑later return to Danny Torrance, now grown and battling his own demons. It’s equal parts redemption story and supernatural showdown — a surprisingly hopeful sequel that pairs beautifully with the lingering darkness of The Shining.
Doctor Sleep
Another one of my favorites. A claustrophobic masterpiece of obsession and survival. Annie Wilkes is unhinged in the most unforgettable way, and yes, you’ll never hear “dirty bird” the same way again. Terrifying, tense, and impossible to put down.
Misery by Stephen King
A devilishly fun small‑town horror where every bargain comes at a terrible price. It’s King at his most gleefully twisted. part morality play, part chaos parade, and it somehow makes you wonder what your “needful thing” might be.
Needful Things
One of King’s most celebrated works. A time‑travel epic that asks whether you’d change history if you could. It’s part love story, part thriller, and a top must‑read on nearly every King fan’s list (including mine).
11/22/63: A Novel