Hey there!

I love reading thrillers (you will be shocked to find out—so shocked).

When I could only listen to audiobooks while I was recovering from my eye injury (more info, for newer readers), I binge-listened to Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles books in series order. Partly because I adore Tess Gerritsen, partly because they've been out long enough that they were all available at the library without any wait time.

Those books are dark, but reading them was weirdly comforting.

(Except for the times when I'd drift off to sleep and wake up while the narrator was describing an autopsy scene or something equally jarring 😅)

I found them comforting because they were about people who went through terrible things, yet weren't broken by them. People who came out stronger on the other side. Survival is obviously a major theme of thrillers—the idea that we're tougher than we think, that there is steel at our core. That life may bend us and even try to shatter us, but that we don't have to let it destroy us.

As I was recovering, I found those stories of people who didn't break inspiring because I wanted to place myself in their number.

And I have.

I truly enjoy books that teach us how to deal with conflict and trauma and grief and loss—but sometimes those kinds of books can be heavy.

Sometimes you need to read something that feels lighter. Something that feels, dare I say, more aggressively hopeful.

My mom (hi, mom!) recently recommended The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, and I'll admit that my first thought was it sounded.... too nice.

Here's the blurb:

The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours. Read article

But my mom has excellent taste in books (she likes mine, after all), and so I gave it a go.

And, reader, I loved it.

It's quirky and charming and aggressively hopeful. It's also beautifully written, with witty dialogue and fun characters. And, of course, it has just enough of an unsettling edge and whispered-at secrets to keep me glued to the page.

I immediately picked up the second book in the series, and now I'm halfway through and loving it, too.

This is a different kind of comfort reading, where you can allow yourself to relax and get attached to the characters, trusting that the author won't pull the rug out from under you just for shock value.

If you're looking for a read that feels like stumbling across a bright candle in a dark room, I can't recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea enough!

As always, I'd love your recommendations in return.

What do you pick up when you're looking for a comfort read?

For Your TBR

OK—enough with feeling good! I've been trying to connect with other thriller authors and find books you might like—here are a few books that caught my interest this week, and might catch yours too!

Heat Wave by Denise Yoko Berndt A short thriller in the Amber Fearns London Thriller series. On the final weekend of August, Notting Hill transforms into a vibrant festival of colour and sound, drawing thousands to the heart of London for Europe’s largest street carnival. Amber and Danny, expecting a carefree day of music, street food, and ice-cold beer, are ready to immerse themselves in the celebration. But as they step out of the tube station, a shocking incident shatters the festive mood, dragging them into a web of danger where the party atmosphere masks a far darker reality. In a place where joy and violence dance hand in hand, Amber and Danny will discover that not everything is as it seems, and this carnival is no exception. Get My Copy!

The One Who Smiles by Lynn M. Kristopher Rachel Quinn is barely holding her life together. The FBI has sidelined her, her colleagues think she’s unstable, and every therapy session feels like a test she’s destined to fail. But when a ragged street preacher calls her by name and whispers a terrifying prophecy, Rachel is dragged back into a hunt she can’t ignore. Children are being found burned. The numbers don’t add up. The more she follows the preacher’s cryptic warnings, the more she questions her own sanity. A pulse-pounding psychological thriller that picks up after Fixed Point, The One Who Smiles is a tense, suspenseful novella that will leave you questioning what’s real and what’s madness. Get My Copy!

Happy reading,

Jessie