Top Ten Tuesday – Books That Make Me Smile

ttt books that make me smile

Hi everyone! How are you doing? It’s been a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday, but when I saw today’s prompt over on That Artsy Reader Girl, I knew I had to make my own list for it! So what is the topic, you ask? Well, it’s “books that make me smile”! Sounds fun, right? Then let’s get started!

books that make me smile 1

Scythe – Neal Shusterman

Set in a future in which humanity has conquered death and Scythes are mandated to kill people in order to keep population growth under control. I love how this series made me reflect on how mortality impacts our everyday lives, our desire to create a legacy, and so on. The names the Scythes choose for themselves also contain some fun references to famous people from history.

A Curious Beginning – Deanna Raybourn

Victorian mysteries with a feisty, independent heroine and a grumpy-yet-soft hero. Their chemistry is ridiculous, it just sparkles off the page! Especially the first and second book made me laugh a lot.

The Witcher – Andrzej Sapkowski

Speaking of grumpy heroes, we can’t forget about Geralt of Rivia of course. I read these books a few years ago and they made me laugh out loud a couple of times. Especially the interactions between brooding Geralt and pompous Dandelion (Jaskier in the Netflix series) were hilarious at times.

Warcross – Marie Lu

A bounty hunter is hired by the creator of a widely popular VR game to hunt down a threat. As someone who spends a fair amount of time playing video games, this was so fun to read! I recognized some of the team dynamics from my own experiences in online games. And there was a Leeroy Jenkins reference (if you don’t know that meme, look it up on Youtube, it’s hilarious)!

books that make me smile 2

Nevernight – Jay Kristoff

I can’t make a list of books that make me smile without at least one Jay Kristoff book. Although… maybe “smile” isn’t the right word to describe my facial expressions while reading this series. The sarcasm in the narrator’s voice and in Mr Kindly’s remarks often made me laugh out loud. However, there were also times when I sat in shock, or was disgusted by the gore.

The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang

A contemporary romance novel in which an autistic woman hires a male escort to teach her about love and sex. This was absolutely adorable, yet very steamy. The perfect swoony read, if you ask me!

Daughter of the Forest – Juliet Marillier

This was one of the first slow-burn romances I read as a teen and it made a big impression on me. Looking back, it’s not the best romance I’ve ever read, but I loved it at the time and it definitely shaped my preference for slow-burns. Also one of the few books I ever re-read!

books that make me smile

Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo

Ocean’s Eleven in a fantasy version of Amsterdam! I can’t wait for the Netflix show of these books! I just love the squad and their banter. These books have multiple POVs and I enjoyed all of them, which is pretty rare.

Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Science-fiction/space opera told through a stack of documents containing chat logs, confidential reports, transcripts of security footage, and creative use of typography. I adore the humour in these books. Also, the easter eggs!

Brooding YA Hero – Carrie Ann DiRisio

When you read as much YA fiction as I do, you know him. The typical brooding YA hero. This book gently pokes fun at the familiar tropes. It’s a fun and light-hearted read that also contains writing advice.

That’s my top ten of books that make me smile. What are some books that have the same effect on you? Let me know in the comments below!

17 Comments

  1. notesbyj

    There are so many books on here that I need to read! Nevernight, Six of crows and Illuninae have been on my list for a while. Great picks

    Reply
    1. An Dierickx (Post author)

      I can really recommend those! 😀

      Reply
  2. Annemieke

    I really do need to pick up Scythe!

    Reply
  3. Lauren

    I love Warcross and have several of the books on your list on my TBR!

    Reply
  4. theburstingbookshelf

    The Kiss Quotient is one of my favorite romance books of all time! Have you read the sequel? Both were so good, I’m dying for the next one. Just followed your blog – seems like we have similar book tastes!

    My TTT

    Reply
    1. An Dierickx (Post author)

      I haven’t read it yet. I did read a sneak preview of the first chapter somewhere. I’ll have to check it out! And thank you for the follow!

      Reply
  5. susanblogginboutbooks

    Veronica Speedwell got a mention on my list today, too! She’s such a fun character. One of my favorites.

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

    Reply
    1. An Dierickx (Post author)

      Veronica is the best! 😀

      Reply
  6. Greg

    Warcross was a lot of fun- this reminds me I still need to read the sequel!

    Reply
    1. An Dierickx (Post author)

      Personally, I didn’t like the sequel as much as the first one. But it was still fun 🙂

      Reply
  7. Dedra @ A Book Wanderer

    I loved The Kiss Quotient, too! And I own Scythe, Six of Crows, and Illuminae. Hopefully I can pick them up soon! Great list!

    Reply
  8. Leah @ Leah’s Books and Cooks

    I definitely love the humor in Six of Crows! Scythe made me laugh a few times too! Awesome list. ?
    https://www.leahsbooksandcooks.com/post/ttt-books-that-make-me-smile

    Reply
  9. Tânia ??✨ (@mybookishsecret)

    I really want to read Scythe and Warrior. I love the concepts behind both of them. 🙂 Anything Juliet Marillier writes makes me smile (it also shatters my heart and soul).

    Good readings! 🙂

    Reply
  10. damianarose

    I couldn’t get into a Curious Beginning, but great list.
    My ttt
    http://www.thehauntedgravebooks.com/2020/07/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-make-me-smile.html

    Reply
  11. lydiaschoch

    This is such a fun list! I never would have thought to include Scythe, but I can totally see how it makes you happy. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by earlier.

    Reply
  12. Tânia ??✨ (@mybookishsecret)

    I really want to read Scythe and Warrior. I love the concepts behind both of them. 🙂 Anything Juliet Marillier writes makes me smile (it also shatters my heart and soul).

    Happy readings! 🙂

    Reply
    1. An Dierickx (Post author)

      Juliet Marillier has the same effect on me! I still have to read her more recent books though… 🙂

      Reply

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