Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week’s theme is books that made me smile!

There are different reasons why a book makes me smile. Either it’s a romcom and has me rather snikkering and laughing, either that’s a book so cute with cute and often clumsy characters that I have a goofy smile on the face. Or that can also be a book that leaves me with positive and warm feelings because of the message and the feelings.

So here below are ten of my favorite “made me smile books” with a few words about the reasons why.

From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata is an enemies to lovers that had one of the best banters I have read and a tight knit family whose interaction was so funny!!! I was snikkering so many times!

Here is how it goes in that family when someone learns something on their sibling and they begin messaging the others:

“Jojo: WHY WOULD YOU NOT TELL ME?

Jojo: HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?

Jojo: DID THE REST OF YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?

Tali: What happened? What did she not tell you?

Tali: OH MY GOD JAMSINE! Did you get knocked up?

Tali: I swear, if you got knocked up, I’m going to beat the hell out of you! We talked about contraception when you hit puberty.

Sebastian: Jasmine is pregnant?

Rubes: Jasmine is not pregnant.

Rubes: What happened, Jojo?

Jojo: MOM DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?”

And it goes on! I swear I laughed so hard with that family!

What You Wish For by Katherine Center was a “feel good bitter sweet” read with lots of funny moments and a general impression that left me thoughtful yet smiling. That story was filled with humor and comic scenes. I laughed when Sam hid in the grocery store, crouching low behind her cart as she was so not prepared to meet Duncan!

I smiled at all of Alice’s T shirts.  She is the math teacher and Samantha’s best friend, always having math quotes and jokes on her T shirts! 

“Dude—I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day.”

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson has many adventure and tension but while reading it, it felt exhilaration, energizing and just put me in an amazing mood!

I absolutely adored the balance between gravity and humor in this book!

Some of the first moments that made me smile was when the heroine, Elisabeth Scrivener, orphaned abandoned at the entrance of a Great Library and raised among very alive grimoires was retelling that the first time she had seen a normal book she thought he was dead because he made no noise nor movement! So delicious!!!

Then of course or sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn is a master at irony and sarcasm.

Always unruffled even in dire circumstances he had the best come backs! He reminded me of Jace Wayland or …….

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he inquired. “You used a demonic incantation to pack my stockings!” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re right, that doesn’t sound like something a proper evil sorcerer would do. Next time, I won’t fold them.”

What also added humor and comic moments was the knack of Elisabeth to always jump head first into compromising situations!

Managed by Kristen Callihan was a real hoot! Scottie seemed so stuck up and Sophie loved to enthusiastically ruffle his feathers! It was hilarious! 

I enjoyed this one even better than Idol that I did really love.
Kristen Callihan has written exceptional banter between the main characters. I laughed or smiled so many times. The scenes in the plane should have been hard to believe (who would cuddle with a haughty and unknown man to ease his fear really?) but they were so entertaining and true to Sophie’s character I just rolled with it.

Now, just to give you a taste of their banter, here is some extract of their first encounter on the plane, Sophie’s speaking first: ”“Jesus,” I blurt out, lifting my hand as if to shield my eyes. “It’s like looking into the sun.” “What?” he snaps, those laser-bright eyes narrowing. Oh, this will be fun. “Just stop, will you?” I squint at him. “You’re too hot. It’s too much to take.” This is true, though I’d never have the guts to say so in normal circumstances. “Are you quite well?” he intones, as if he thinks the opposite. “No, you’ve nearly rendered me blind.” I flap a hand. “Do you have an off switch? Maybe put it on low?” His nostrils flare, his skin going a shade darker. “Lovely. I’m stuck next to a mad woman.” “Don’t tell me you’re unaware of the dazzling effect you have on the world.”

Perfectly Adequate by Jewel E Ann. I laughed SO HARD at Dorothy’s brutal honesty! She is “Aspie” or Asperger, brilliant but with no mouth filter and incapable of lying which of course gives very interesting and funny situations! Dorothy is impossible not to love.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary gave me all warm and fuzzy feelings. That’s a real “feel good” book but with deep topics too.

There is so much humor in this book. From situation like Eileen making her list with comments to select a fitting gentleman to being walked by a dog going through seeing penises everywhere, in tea leaves included! That scene with the d!ck pick had me laughing so hard!!!

Imagine, we are talking about Eileen, 80 years old and Leena’s grand mother:

“Oooh. Well that’s a landmark moment for you right there. Your first d!ck pic!”

“My first what?”

She makes a face. “Wow this is worse than telling my daughter where babies come from” (…) I tilt my head. “Gosh” I say.

“Looking pretty spritely for a man of eighty.”(…)

“Does that ever work?” “Maybe it’s like flashers in the park, it’s not whether you like it-they just like showing their todgers.”

Moti on the Water by Leylah Attar has a special place in my heart. That’s a real jewel! Reading this book and laughing hard while walking fast on the threadmill is a VERY BAD IDEA! Or a very good one as your abs will work twice as hard to laugh and help keep your balance in the hope of avoiding a “Moti Moment”.

That scene with Moti choking on her food and then falling backward, below the dais being stuck with her legs at an angle impossible for her to stand up discreetly already had me laughing so hard that I nearly peed my pants. And that was only the beginning.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca was an amazing surprise. There is sparks, sass, emotion, joy sadness sometimes. All flowing effortlessly.
If you want a very enjoyable read to forget about the doom and gloom, don’t look further!

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary was what I’d call “adorkable” thanks to its characters!

Tiffy was so funny and Leon so moving! 

Tiffy is bright, colorful, brash, larger than life, boisterous! She is always happy to go on an adventure or a night out with friends. As she works in a publishing house specialized in DIY and craft, she wears improbable colors clashing together, repurposed shoes with hand painted flowers and models for her author’s crochet creations. When having her measurement taken in front of a crowd while she is kind of big and curvy, she just wants to giggle as she is absolutely not self conscious.

Beth delivers charming and smart stories. With the help of quirky characters, she makes you think about serious topics like abuse and death all with a keen eye for human nature, its flaws and extraordinary resilience too.

You will laugh. You will swoon. You will cry. You will rage too. But above all else, you will root for Tiffy and Leon’s love story. And leave with a big smile on your face.

Fortuity by Jewel E Ann is not a “laugh out loud” but rather a thoughtful feel good story with lots of funny moments interwoven with sad/touching ones.

Gracelyn is truly funny and being in her head, reading her inner monolog made me laugh so hard I sometimes was in danger to pee in my pants!

TMI? Well deal with it as it sets the tone for this book! 😉 

 I loved the first time she saw Nate and all her thoughts about her neighbor looking like Jamie in Outlander! I bet Jewel was binge watching the series while writing this book!

“If I lick his hand, will it be weird? Too desperate? Too personal for a first encounter? Too immature for forty-one? Probably.”

And of course Nate also had some reaction while meeting Gracelyn as she reminded her of …someone. So that first encounter and banter was truly funny.

“You remind me of someone too,” I say. “Oh? Who’s that?” Jamie Fraser, my Outlander crush. “Just … this guy. He’s not from around here. He’s actually from Scotland.”

Here are my “made me smile” books! What are yours?

Thanks for reading.

Sophie