100 Best Feel Good Book List.

I think to get on the list each book needs a proposer and a seconder, and confirmation that it is in fact "jolly" and not just a good fantasy novel, which would clearly have been a much easier list for us to write.

Does that seems fair?

So in no particular order, just trying to keep a tally:

1) All things FForde
2) All things Douglas Adams
3) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. Not entirely a feel good book, but scraping in because I love it so much.
4) American Gods, by Neil Gaiman - Confirmation required that this is actually a jolly book...I'm a little worried by the child sacrifice - but then I haven't read it.
5) All things HP. I don't think we are going to find 100 happy books, so this can stay in until we do.
6) Artemis Fowls.
7) The Narnia series
8) The Temeraire series
9)

Proposed and awaiting a second:
Dracular
The Wizard of Earthsea Quartet (Le Guin)
The Chronicles in Amber series by Roger Zelazny.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas.
Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughar
The Lord of the Rings books,
Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson,
Ringworld books by Larry Niven,
nearly all of Chuck Palahniuk's books.

Various things by Skidmarks - although the only ones I looked up didn't sound the least but Jolly. Would you like to refine your search?

I would like to propose
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. A novel about the Queen discovering a mobile library van.

I would certainly include virtually all of Chris Moore's books - especially Bloodsucking Fiends and its sequels and Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Zendao42 is our resident CM expert and will hopefully give a better selection.

Bridge of Birds is a true feel-good book, so long as you like your heroes slightly flawed, the villains truly villainous and a plot that does not telegraph the next twist. It is described by the author as "A novel of an Ancient China that never was".

'Happy' books? Egads!

'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace, followed by 'To Say Nothing of the Dog' by Connie Willis, and then perhaps by 'Leave it to Psmith' by PG Wodehouse.

100 Happy Feel Good Books

1) All things FForde
2) All things Douglas Adams
3) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. Not entirely a feel good book, but scraping in because I love it so much.
4) American Gods, by Neil Gaiman - Confirmation required that this is actually a jolly book...I'm a little worried by the child sacrifice - but then I haven't read it.
5) All things HP. I don't think we are going to find 100 happy books, so this can stay in until we do.
6) Artemis Fowls.
7) The Narnia series
8) The Temeraire series
9) Bridge of Birds Barry Hughar

Proposed and awaiting a second:

Dracular
The Wizard of Earthsea Quartet (Le Guin)
The Chronicles in Amber series by Roger Zelazny.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas.
The Lord of the Rings books,
Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson,
Ringworld books by Larry Niven,
Chuck Palahniuk's books.
Chris Moore
The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett

And maybe Pratchett should be on that list too with Discworld.

EgonSpengler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And maybe Pratchett should be on that list too with Discworld.

Who?

Pterry

I had guessed, really. I believe that "Good Omens" should be there to satisfy those who are not fans of Discworld,

Gah! How could I forget P. G. Wodehouse? I certainly second Leave it to Psmith (the scene with the flowerpots is my favorite in all of Wodehouse's writing) and I would add Summer Lightning as well. (The Jeeves & Wooster stories are also excellent, but I generally prefer the short stories to the novels and it's hard to pick just one!)

<lets out a big sigh of relief>

Am I not the only one that is not a Discworld fan? I read one of them, and just can't make myself pick up another. It was way off my list of "happy" books. One of my friends keeps trying to get me to read another, but my book reading time is limited. I don't want to risk another Discworld book without good reason. Anyone here want to offer an opinion?

How about Cornelia Funke's Inkheart books? There are 3. I've read the first, Inkheart, and the second, Inkspell. Need to make time for the 3rd...

<edited for spelling...>



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2010 02:37AM by Violetmoon.

You've probably heard this a hundred times already, but I can't help saying it: The early Discworld books are VERY different from the later ones. I read one of the later ones (I think Night Watch) first and really enjoyed it, then went back to read the very first book, The Colour of Magic. It was nowhere near as well-written and I didn't like it much. But I'm such a fan of most of his works that I've read the early Rincewind books over again mostly to see how the author's style and the characters and settings have developed over the years.

If you're willing to try another Discworld book, I'd recommend Small Gods. It's by far my favorite and it mostly stands alone. For an author who purports to write frivolous comic fantasy, Pratchett can get pretty philosophical about some serious subjects at times, so it's a good read on multiple levels.

Oh dear, I forgot they had to be feel good. Ah well, I'll throw The Dark Lord of Derkholm into the fray.

<watches from safe distance>

HE Bates "The Darling Buds of May" - it's just purfick

@ MuseSusan - thank you. The Colour of Magic was indeed the one I read. I figured I should start at the beginning. Guess not. I'll see if I can find Small Gods.

I forgot to do this myself, so I'll do it now and ask others to try to, please? Why do the books you mention belong on this list?

Inkheart et al are stories with magic, nice people, secrets, an evil person or two, a smart kid or two, and a very good story line with twists and turns. The 2nd book ends with people in danger, but Ms. Funke left lots of ways for the story to finish out well.

Got to find that third book and read it!

You know, I saw the book Inkheart in the store when it first came out and I was intrigued, but I never got around to reading it. I guess I should!

oh oh!

I just remembered. A book I listened to as a podiocast has been released as a printed book. Shadowmagic, by John Lenahan. (http://www.shadowmagic.co.uk/)

If you like to listen to books, Lenahan does a very good job of reading his own book. I first heard about the book at podiobooks.com. (Free, by the way.)

As for why, I love the quote on his page: “A Lord of the Rings for the 21st century.

Only a lot shorter.

And funnier.

And completely different.”

Feelgood books. It's hard to miss the children's classics here, so I won't mention them.

Am I going too far back with the Moomin books? (Tove Jansson) I read them in my early teens

About the same time (late 50s?) I discovered Stephen Leacock. I most enjoyed "Arcadian Adventures With the Idle Rich," along with many of his Literary Lapses, Nonsense Novels, Frenzied Fiction, Funny Pieces and Further Foolishness.

A quick, curious, possibly thread-jacking query; any readers here who have never heard of Leacock or Jansson? I'm starting to feel dated. Glad Wodehouse has been mentioned.

"podiocast" - strange how certain people go about inventing words nowadays.

pod - a machine part used to describe a plant part that gave its name to a fictional spacecraft that gave its name to an electronic gadget that gave its name to a internet technology.

(aud-)io - fragment of latin word reused for late 19th century technology

cast - a word that got its meaning turned upside down in agricultural context used figuatively as part of a technological term and reused for a second one

And what comes out would be the moulds of more than one foot... So, how can you hear it, and how long must the path be to tell a whole story?

- edited to reflect Webster's standpoint on the oldest meaning of "pod"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2010 11:27AM by PrinzHilde.

I wonder if there are people who just sit around all day making up words. Oh yeah, they are called Marketing Specialists... or Advertising Gurus... ha.

How did agriculture turn "cast" upside down? What did it mean before and after? It has so many different meanings that it's one of the words that makes me not understand how anyone learns to speak English at all. When I think about it. And I try not to.

<laughing while thinking of listening to foot moulds read a book>

MistyCat, I'm sorry but I don't recognize any of those, but that doesn't mean you can't suggest them for the list. What makes them "feel good" books? What genre? Leacock sounds interesting.

I love books and reading, but am shamefully not well-read.

[www.merriam-webster.com]
If you "kos" seeds in old norse, you heap them all up, if you cast them in english, you throw them all over the place.