When the holidays go well, they give us everything we ever dreamed of about festive love and generosity of spirit. But they don’t always go well, do they? And sometimes reading is the best solace we can find.
When going through a tough time, I sometimes turn to a good book to get me through. It’s hard—stress saps my focus like nothing else. But even the rudest and most chaotic of books can offer peace and quiet like no streaming service does (except maybe Nois.li).
So, with just a few weeks to go until the new year, here are a few of my favourite tips for getting through the holidays the literary way…
Choose books with a guaranteed happy ending
Romance is a great place to start. Love stories and romantic subplots can exist in every genre, but for a story to be called a “romance” by industry standards, it needs to have a happy ending.
For this reason, romances are often (unofficially) touted
as comfort reads, but there are other genres you can rely on too like cozy mysteries (mysteries that aren’t dark and bloody), gentle fiction, and inspirational fiction. Note that the latter two tend to be broad categorisations that encompass both non-religious and religious fiction. If either of these may stress you out even more, be sure to look up the book’s labels and reviews before reading.
Happy endings and lovely reads:
- Not Suitable For Work by Skye McDonald
- On Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith
- Blood Kissed by Keri Arthur
- Hidden Gem by Enni Amanda
Re-read a book you loved before
It’s tried and tested in your book, so don’t be shy about reaching for it again—this goes double for books you’ve re-read multiple times. There’s no shame in craving familiarity and predictability, especially in unpredictable circumstances.
Adjacent to this—for anyone who just can’t bear to pick up the same old book again—is asking close friends to recommend a book they loved that made them feel good. Knowing they’ve previously cherished the story that’s in your hands may bring about that much-needed feeling of companionship and camaraderie, while possibly giving you extra insight into someone dear to your heart.
Re-reads and recommendations I’ve enjoyed:
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
- The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Prioritise compelling over classic
By the time we reach adulthood, we will have been bombarded by recommendations for books we “should” read. Yeah, you know what that’s like. Well, forget it. As an adult, you are surrounded by “shoulds”—practically drowning in them. Many “shoulds” are valid of course, most come from well-meaning people. But you don’t have to put up with this in your leisure time.
Give yourself permission to choose books that suck you in. Fun reads. Trashy reads. Pulpy reads. Easy reads. Do this in the name of self care.
No recommendations here, just questions:
- What book grabbed your attention the moment you saw it?
- What book have you always wanted to read but were too embarrassed to pick up?
- What book would you regret not reading if it were to disappear?
- Where are you likely to find your favourite fiction tropes?
- Who wrote that book you absolutely couldn’t put down; what else did they write?
Get lost in a series
When you know you’re in it for the long haul, a good series gives you a safe place to return to at the end of the day. Or throughout the day, if that’s what you need.
Whether the books follow a continuous story arc or give you a bunch of standalones with overlapping events and settings, you can more or less expect a “same same but different” quality between books. That is, every book will deliver something you loved about all the other books, even if most everything else has changed.
No recommendations from me. Goodreads Listopia has thousands!
All right, bookworm, here’s where to find more books without going broke…
- Book promotion platforms (eg. StoryOrigin, ProlificWorks) — Consider this your best-kept secret, as indie authors turn to these platforms to reach new readers. As such platforms offer only limited access directly to readers, your best bet will be to subscribe to a couple of newsletters from indie authors in your genre. That puts you just a few clicks away from a massive rabbithole of books, many of which will be discounted, free, or available for review.
- Book promotion mailing lists (eg. eReaderIQ, Books and the Bear, Book Doggy, The Book Circle, Discount Book Man) — These mailing lists are book catalogues, often curated to your taste in genre, delivered directly to your inbox. Books appearing in these catalogues tend to be on sale or available for free, either permanently or as part of a limited time promotion.
- ARC (advance reader copy) websites (eg. NetGalley, BookSprout, BookSirens, Hidden Gems) — These sites are a great source of free books, as long as you’re happy to write a review. Although some readers love writing detailed reviews, it’s not always expected. Most of the time, a star rating and a few words about what you liked or disliked is enough. If you’re an avid reader and you tend to keep track of your books anyway, signing up for ARCs is an excellent way to keep your e-reader topped up.
And that’s a wrap for 2021! Thank you for reading my content here on Nomad Authors.
And thank you ever so much, Dee and Jan, for hosting me 🙏
About JL Peridot
JL Peridot writes love letters to the future on devices from the past. She currently resides in Boorloo (Perth, Australia) on Whadjuk Noongar country. Subscribe to her newsletter or visit her website at jlperidot.com for the full catalogue of her work. She also keeps a blog of random thoughts, updates and cool things she’s found.
Her latest indie release is a steamy futuristic office romance, It Starts with a Kiss 🚀
It Starts with a Kiss — out now!
Celeste is a talented engineer who doesn’t realize her job’s going nowhere fast. She’s a little naïve. She’ll cut code and solder cables forever as long as Owen’s around. Owen, on the other hand, knows exactly how badly things suck—he just doesn’t care. Sure, his skills aren’t what they used to be, but they’re still better than what Halcyon Aries deserves.
Then it happens. The company’s toxic management team finally cross the line. As both techies race to upgrade the station and to free the team from their oppressive contracts, they come to learn that life—and love—can only ever be what you make it.
Strap in for a steamy office romance in space, because sometimes It Starts With a Kiss!
About JL Peridot
JL Peridot writes love stories and more from her home beneath the southern skies. When not chipping away at her current WIP, she’s chomping down on a new favourite book, watching Netflix, and chilling real good. Subscribe to JL’s mailing list for banter, updates, teasers and the occasional microfiction.