Our Favorite FUN Books

Do you have a favorite book that just makes you want to curl up on the couch, grab a blanket, a forbidden treat, and just dive in to the story and tune out the world? There's something about an entertaining read that is delicious to the soul. Pure entertainment, here are a few of our favorite "guilty pleasures":

Maren: I'm a big mystery buff myself. Especially the English ones. What is it about a cozy English mystery that makes it so captivating? I don't know but they are my fave. So in being truly honest to my favorite guilty pleasure I have to say the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton. Now I will admit this series is not one I would recommend to my mother per se. There is some sleazery every now and then but the main character Agatha Raisin is such a gem. She's a middle aged, wealthy, retired business woman who is as friendly as a rotweiler but hides a vulnerable and sensitive heart. The scrapes she gets into and how she works herself out of them are hilarious. If you don't mind a little PG in your books definitely pick up these books.

Jenn: Our family is getting ready for a trip to Brazil and as I have been making the packing list the memories of our last trip have come flooding back. One of those great memories is reading on the beach, and the series I was reading at the time was Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. It was such a fun read, full of mystery and magic and the best part about it was that it never got too dark or scary. There are some fun twists in there that you would never expect and every chapter leaves you wanting more! It was totally  worth the teasing I got from my husband and his brothers for being the only nerd on the beach with a book! 



Jan:  My favorite "guilty pleasure" would be The Best of Times by Anita Stansfield.  It is actually a five book series: A Far, Far Better Place, A Loving Heart, Every Graceful Fancy, and Tranquil Light.  It takes place in a bed and breakfast inn located in Montana. (Don't you love the porch)  It is a perfect romance with adventure, adversity, mystery, sorrow, hope and love. Each book has its own story yet all of the characters have connection with the Dickensian Inn and the main character Chas and Jackson.  It is just one of those series that you get involved with the characters lives as if they were family.  It is a series you can reread over and over again.   


Lauralee: I have to admit my guilty pleasure when it comes to reading is usually in magazine form. I am very much a visual person and love to thumb through design magazines, look at the pictures in National Geographic or Architectural Digest magazines, and get a quick read from articles in Reader's Digest. Now, if we are talking really guilty pleasures, I have to admit I get a kick out of gossip magazines like People (don't judge haha).

Nancy: Pure decadence for me is reading in bed late into the night while everyone else in the house is sound asleep. Is it ever my guilty pleasure :). 

 I am just wishing this was my bed and those books were: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom; The Help by Kathryn Stockett; Mrs. Mike by Benedict & Nancy Freedman; The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak; The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery; Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; and of course the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Whew.

All these books have made me laugh, weep, feel, learn, and given me great adventure.I know I'm a book worm because I think good stories are like being wrapped up in a comfy blanket and tasting something better than cinnamon rolls or chocolate.

So these are our favorite guilty reads, what are yours?