While I strongly disagree with the general attitude on this site towards adult fiction, I do understand the complaint that most fantasy adventure series are about teenagers, and therefore really recommend The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen. They are written as adult fantasy, but generally marketed towards a middle-grade audience, due to their style and vibe.
The books span decades (centuries, actually, if we count the time travel and alternate dimensions, etc.) and the three protagonists are full blown adults. In the first book, they are, respectively, 19, 25, and 31. Three young men, who meet under mysterious circumstances, become great friends, and dive into many magical adventures. These adventures technically happen over the span over many decades – they have jobs in the meantime, wives and children, etc. Decidedly NOT in a “baah, boring adult life NOW it’s magic time” but they are actually just adult men with adult lives and families and jobs they love, who also have magical adventures.
And there are plenty of other characters, of various age groups, like one who is a young girl in one book, and later a young woman in later books, and many other adult characters who happily go along in fantasy worlds.
The stories can get really dark, are sometimes very complicated, and contain many allusions to literature, history and mythology. But there’s also battle goats, flying ships, pirates, talking animals driving fancy cars, lots of humour, and generally things one would rather find in children’s books.
So if you want to read about adults having fun and whimsical adventures, look at these.
Of these 9, I’ve read 4, given up on 2, not yet started 2 and am currently reading one. Has anyone managed them all?
This is a nice selection (and lovely art, the crinkles in the spinds are *chef’s kiss*)! I’ve also read four. Absolutely loved three of them—The Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, and Pyramid. I enjoyed Circe a lot too, although not quite as a much as the others.
The Lies of Locke Lamora is on my to-read list, recommended by a friend, and I’m quite excited about that one. Same with Assassin’s Apprentice. I want to give the others a proper go at some point too. I remember trying one of the Wheel of Time books before and not managing to get into it, but that was a long time ago so I was probably just too young.
Here, I have a few links for gothic, eerie, spooky and deadly short stories in my bookmarks, so… putting them here to celebrate Halloween/Samhain, MWAH.
People who like rocks see cool rocks everywhere. People who like birds see interesting birds everywhere. The tree on your yard could be an exceptional specimen. The world around you could be amazing and magical, but you aren’t enough of a nerd to see it.
I gave my mum Alexandra Horowitz’s On Looking: Eleven Walks Through Expert Eyes for her birthday this year, it’s a book that revolves around this idea: the author invites 11 specialists in different things to walk around a boring city block with her one after the other so they can point out to her the things they see, that she doesn’t notice. There’s an expert in typography talking about what the variety of fonts on urban signs can tell you about the city’s history, an entomologist pointing out all the urban insects no one pays attention to, a geologist, a sound engineer…
See this is what I mean by “there are more wonders in this world than you can ever dream of and all you need to do is listen to its stories and see it’s magic. ”
I remembered this book existed a couple of months ago and couldn’t remember the name of it! I am very happy now and off to my library’s website to place a hold.
And Seven! (Italian) and The Three Spinners (German)
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl (Chinese)
Also (sort of), all stories where a daughter asks for three marvellous gowns to stall for time, like All-Kinds-of-Fur (German), Donkeyskin (French), Catskin (English), The King Who Wished to Marry His Daughter
(Scottish), Mossycoat (English) and The Princess That Wore a Rabbit-skin Dress
(North American).
I just thought it would be neat to have a list of book recommendations with a sort of mild cottagecore vibe or books that would fit into it, despite not specifically being about these things – this is all about the right feeling after all, not specific elements, etc.
Everyone can add to that list – that’s the point, actually – and maybe we can all find quite some good, fitting books.
The point is nice fiction and even non-fiction of any genre, can be country-life related, but doesn’t have to be, ideally of the more uplifting and cosy sort, but that doesn’t have to be either, there’s no strict rules, if you think it fits, it surely will fit, we all have our own tastes and ideas, after all.
So, I’ll make a start:
The books of Elizabeth Goudge, especially
Linnets and Valerians – an enchanting children’s novel; the most cottagecore a book could ever be
The Little White Horse – a more famous children’s novel; also very cottagecore, but in a different way
The Eliots of Damerosay Trilogy: The Bird in the Tree, The Herb of Grace, The Heart of the Family – Extremely uplifting, lovely adult novels; especially the second book, The Herb of Grace (known as Pilgrim’s Inn in the US) is marvelously warm and wholesome, and often thought to be a single novel. If you’re not interested in the entire series, you might still give this one a try!
The Rosemary Tree – also a warm and sweet and wholesome adult novel
her other books, too, I suppose, but these in particular!
James Herriot’s books
His All Creatures Great and Small series of memoirs – A less sweet or cute, but in its own way enchanting recollection of stories from his life as a country vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 30s-50s; lovely stories of animals and even more intriguing stories of people
His children’s books – often simplified, sweet stories that also appeared in his adult novels
James Herriot’s Yorkshire – with photos by Derry Brabbs; non-fiction, a lovely photo book about Yorkshire and the Dales
I cannot stress enough how lovely to read his books are and what a lovely picture of a hard, but wonderful way of life and a great many different and complex people in paints in such a light and quick manner that one doesn’t even notices it at first. If you want to read some country-fiction that is absolutely positive, but not entirely cottagecore-sweet, read Herriot!
Other adult novels, such as
The Blandings books by P. G. Wodehouse – or any other of his books, for the light and sunny energy and great fun, though the Blandings series is more…country.
The Green Thrush and Fairacre series by Miss Read
Classic romances and comedies of manners (Jane Austen, or Georgette Heyer, for example)
Cosy mysteries and classic detectvie stories (Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton)
Some more gothic novels and romances as well, I suppose? Yes, I guess those do fit in there too, for dark and stormy nights and the smell of wet heather, isn’t it? And classic mystery novels as well!
A lot of what is apparantly called “the feminine middlebrow”. Some of the books I have mentioned fall in that category, it seems, and it has many good fitting picks, I suppose.
Some adult fantasy novels, such as The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, are, I think good fits as well.
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees – another adult fantasy, that I nearly forgot about, and though very melancholy also very intriguing and I think it does belong in this list in some way
Phantastes by George MacDonald – I remembered alongside with Lud; ah, well, I does belong in this list too, I think. Very faerie.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and a lot of the very warm of what is called classic literature (I call it warm, and think that fits)
Other children’s literature, such as
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis – I cannot not include them in a list of recommendations, and they really do fit into this one, which is good
C. S. Lewis’ Letters to Children – Perhaps even lovelier for adults, but I cannot take them out of the children’s list. Lovely, sort, and inspiring.
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper – These enchanting books really do transport one to their settings and their seasons, whether it’s a hot summer in Cornwall, Christmas in the Thames’ Valley or autumn in Wales; very, very atmospheric and lovely
All that has lovely critters in clothes and things of that sort, whether it’s Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows, the stories of Beatrix Potter, The Great Mouse Detective. You know what sort I mean.
The Happy Prince & Other Tales and The House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde – I was unsure whether to put them here or with the adult books, but as they started out as stories for his own children, here they are; absolutely lovely fairy tales that I cannot recommend enough
Generally classic retelltings for children
Generally fairy tales
I must admit, I am unfamiliar with the Green Knowe books, but I do think they fit in this list, from what I know about them (I need to get around to them) and from the lovely movie I saw
All Anne of Green Gables books by L. M. Montgomery
All Little Women books by Louisa May Alcott
The books of Frances Hodgson Burnett, especially The Secret Garden
Also the books of E. Nesbit
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien – I nearly forgot such an obvious one!
Speaking of Tolkien, his Father Christmas Letters
Also generally classic children’s books
I’m excited to see your additions!
Self-reblog, because most of these are also very much comfort reads, and many of them focused on nature – the ideal books for these times.
I should also like to add, as I forgot about them earlier, the Chrestomanci series by Dianna Wynne Jones, and generally books by Anthony Trollope.
I also generally recommend some poetry, especially by Christina Rossetti and John Keats, as well as short stories and other “little things” that help one dream away when one’s concentration is a bit strained.
And, as I have mentioned Elizabeth Goudge above, her Torminster books, in particular A City of Bells, which can be seen as a stand-alone adult novel, its sequels being for children. And really all her books!
Other users have, so far, made following additions to this list:
Thank you all so much for your help! I know some of the added books, and approve of them heartly, and I am very curious about the ones I am not yet familiar with.
I have seen a post circulating for a while that lists 10 short stories everyone should read and, while these are great works, most of them are older and written by white men. I wanted to make a modern list that features fresh, fantastic and under represented voices. Enjoy!
1. A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri — A couple in a failing marriage share secrets during a blackout.
2. Stone Animals by Kelly Link — A family moves into a haunted house.
3. Reeling for the Empire by Karen Russell — Women are sold by their families to a silk factory, where they are slowly transformed into human silkworms.
4. Call My Name by Aimee Bender — A woman wearing a ball gown secretly auditions men on the subway.
5. The Man on the Stairs by Miranda July — A woman wakes up to a noise on the stairs.
6. Brownies by ZZ Packer — Rival Girl Scout troops are separated by race.
7. City of My Dreams by Zsuzi Gartner — A woman works at a shop selling food-inspired soap and tries not to think about her past.
8. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor — A family drives from Georgia to Florida, even though a serial killer is on the loose.
9. Hitting Budapest by NoViolet Bulawayo — A group of children, led by a girl named Darling, travel to a rich neighborhood to steal guavas.
10. You’re Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore — A history professor flies to Manhattan to spend Halloween weekend with her younger sister.
