TTT: Rainy Day Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  There is a new topic each week for bloggers to join in with their own top ten. If you’re looking for some new or different book blogs to read, hop on over to her site and check out some of the links.

When I think of rainy day reads, a lot of what comes to mind is old friends.  Those books I’ve read quite a few times that are a sort of comfort to cuddle up with on the couch with a cup of tea and a fuzzy blanket.  Some of these stories make me cry, some make me laugh, some do both.  Some are nostalgic for me and/or some give me that wonderful feeling of butterflies in my stomach when the characters just perfectly click.  All are stories I have recommended to friends, family, and fellow readers over and over.

Some of my picks are not individual books, but a whole series.  That doesn’t mean I sit and read the whole series during a rainy day reading session.  It just means I pick and choose from that series for the mood I’m in at the time.  I’m going to list the series first, then there are a few individual books I think are perfect for a rainy (or snowy!) day.

 

Cold Fury Hockey series
by Sawyer Bennett

In my opinion, there’s not a bad hockey god in this bunch (or her Arizona Vengeance series, for that matter).  For lots of warm-fuzzies and off the charts heat, Sawyer Bennett’s a whiz.  Not all contemporary romance sports stories are created equal, the Cold Fury Hockey series sets the curve.

 

Dive Bar series
by Kylie Scott

If you like your sexy romance with a lot of humor, this is a the series for you.  Although this series is actually a spin-off of this author’s Stage Dive series (which is also amazing), I have a special place in my heart for the books that introduced me to this author.

 

Pier 70 series
by Nicole Edwards

Nicole Edwards really knows how to gut you with her stories, and I mean that as a compliment.  She also knows how to write gorgeous, kind, alpha males.  In this series she does all of these things while bringing the reader into the fold of this group of friends who have an untouchable connection and have each other’s backs no matter what.  Just thinking about these stories makes me feel like swooning, smiling, and crying all at the same time.

 

Xanth series
by Piers Anthony

You may have read these stories as a young adult and loved them, finding them punny, different, and full of adventure.  Maybe you’ve never read them but heard they are a bunch of misogynistic crap.  I’m here to tell you they are kind of a mixture of both.  Piers Anthony knows how to spin a tale and LOVES a pun.  The land of Xanth is full of so many puns it often seems like overkill.  Xanth is also full of men who believe they are better than women and do not hesitate to let their sexist views be known.  Here’s the thing…it’s my opinion that the author himself did these things on purpose.  Not because he’s misogynistic and sexist (although, he probably is to a certain extent), but to shine a light on the issues women and other minorities were facing when he started this series back in the late 70s and point out, in a fantasy setting, how ridiculous these prejudices are. I would say you should read these BEFORE allowing your tween to do so as there may be some themes you aren’t comfortable with him or her reading.

 

Haven Point series
by RaeAnne Thayne

This series is a spin-off the this author’s Hope’s Crossing series.  While I loved that series as a whole, there’s something about the people of Haven Point that really touches my heart.  The couples in these stories all have their trials and tribulations, but they also always leave a warmth in my heart and put a smile on my face.

 

Little House on the Prairie
by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Now for some more wholesome reading, lol.  My mom had a boxed set of the Little House books when I was young and I read them over and over.  In hindsight, I should have realized I’d end up an avid romance reader.  My favorite was always These Happy Golden Years, the story of Laura and Almanzo falling in love.  I crushed HARD on Almanzo (but never got the television version, he was soooo not Almanzo to me).  These stories can still give me a sense of peace and safety.

 

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams

This is my first standalone pick, or my last series pick. It depends on how you look at it.  Douglas Adams wrote five books in the Hitchhiker’s series, but there all here together in this one book.  Of course, the first story is the most well-known.  But they all contain this author’s interesting view on human’s and the things we say and do.  In other words, they are all thought-provoking and hilarious and perfect to brighten up your rainy day.

 

Watchers
by Dean R. Koontz

This was the first book I read by this author.  Quite honestly, his books can kind of blur together in my mind because of certain similarities.  Not this one.  I’ve yet to meet someone who has not enjoyed this story.  And a rainy day is the perfect time to dive right in, because you’ll want to read it to completion.  Warning: Do not view either movie adaptation of this book.  They are both beyond crap, one doesn’t even resemble this story in the slightest.

 

Different Seasons
by Stephen King

Four exceptional stories, three of them made into amazing movies, two of those movies are now classics.  These are the type of stories that stick with you.  Most people don’t even realize that The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me are based on Stephen King stories, and they’re both in the same book! To be honest, the one that gets under my skin the most and makes me super uncomfortable is Apt Pupil.  So creepy! Especially in today’s political climate.

 

Persuasion
by Jane Austen

I knew I’d have to include some Jane Austen in this list, I just had to decide which to choose.  Persuasion is not one of her more mainstream popular stories, but it’s one of my favorites.  The perfect book to curl up with on your couch with a fluffy blanket and cup of tea.  When you’re done reading this story, find as many movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s stories by the BBC as possible and watch them all.