Gone with the Wind

Books that will make you feel light and weightless

Written by Kora Quinn, Deputy Editor Graphic by Mac Gale, Arts Curator

I’ve always thought of entertainment—especially reading— as a pause, an intermission in what might otherwise be a stressful or challenging day. Not everyone has this perception, especially if you use the media you consume as a tool for knowledge or to help you understand concepts and thoughts outside of your own experience. But even if your shelves are full of nonfi ction and you’ve never touched a romance novel in your life, it can still be a lovely thing to use reading as a respite from reality.

So, here are fi ve books that will help you feel light and weightless when everything else feels heavy:

1. “Daughter of the Moon Goddess” by Sue Lynn Tan

“Daughter of the Moon Goddess,” Tan’s debut novel, is a breathtaking, whimsical adult fantasy inspired by the Chinese legend of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. It follows Xingyin, Chang’e’s daughter, who sets out to free her mother from exile. While “Daughter of the Moon Goddess’’ has its beasts, villains and betrayals, it’s also laced with an endearing, forbidden romance accompanied by captivating imagery that will make you feel as if you’re with Xingyin, fl ying on a cloud and longing for home in a mother-of-pearl palace on the moon.

2. “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry

Author of beloved titles such as “People We Meet on Vacation” and “Beach Read,” Henry’s 2022 release, “Book Lovers,” follows Nora Stephens on her journey to become the heroine she’s journey to become the heroine she’s always read about for work. But the last thing Nora expects as a literary agent on vacation is to come across a brooding editor she knows from the city, Charlie Lastra. Henry’s fresh bestseller is a classic enemies-to-lovers romance dedicated to book lovers with all the charm, humor and warmth she’s known for.

3. “Legends and Lattes” by Travis Baldree

Baldree’s debut novel, “Legends and Lattes,” has all the familiar elements of a high fantasy—an orc barbarian narrator, forgotten legends and fabled artifacts—but with a fresh twist. Viv, a former warrior, settles down in the city of Thune to open its fi rst ever coff ee shop. In this cozy, light read, Baldree emphasizes the importance of love, community, found family and friendship while highlighting the rewards of trying something new, no matter how impossible it may seem.

4. “The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George, translated by Simon Pare

Published in 2013, “The Little Paris Bookshop” is a timeless story about Jean Perdu, a self titled “literary apothecary.” On his fl oating bookstore on a barge in the Seine, Perdu mends broken hearts and helps his customers through hardship by prescribing books he knows will aid in their healing. A story that will leave you wishing the characters could come to life and prescribe you literary medicine, “The Little Paris Bookshop” is the perfect blend of fl oating fun and heart wrenching emotion.

5. “After Hours on Milagro Street” by Angelina M. Lopez

Alex and Jeremiah are opposites in nearly every way; she’s a tough and tattooed bartender looking to revive her grandmother’s bar, and he’s a shy professor who would do anything to keep her from ruining the bar’s legacy and the relationship he’s built with her family and community. In “After Hours on Milagro Street,” Lopez has created a playful, vivid and lust-driven story in which two very diff erent people must come together to save their home. ■