Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This is a challenging one for me! The prompt isn’t books that made me laugh (which I would also probably struggle with to be honest), but books that make me smile, which to me means heartwarming. Books that tend to get described as “heartwarming” are books I really do not tend to respond to. But even my cold dead heart responds to some books, so here are ten that did actually make me smile.
Persuasion: If you don’t break out into a big grin when the couple gets together at the end (this is not a spoiler in any Jane Austen novel), you probably don’t like happiness.
The Red Tent: I really find the depictions of relationships between women in this book so realistic and touching.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn: Francie’s life is hard in so many ways, which makes her victories that much sweeter when they do happen.
The Giver: The love Jonas grows to feel for the baby his family takes in, and the bravery he shows in taking the steps he needs to for the baby’s protection, gets me in the feelings.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Seeing the wizarding world through Harry’s eyes, and reading along as he makes his first friends, is honestly magical.
Ella Enchanted: The sweetness of the first love in this book is quite lovely.
The Wind in the Door: The purity of Meg’s love for her little brother Charles Wallace and the measures she’s willing to take for him are so moving.
About A Boy: I know, liking books about overgrown white man-children finally maturing makes me part of the problem, but this book has the kind of soft Hornby humor that makes me smile.
Eat Pray Love: It’s not really the journey Elizabeth Gilbert takes after her marriage ends that gets me, its her strong, insightful prose.
My Antonia: Antonia is just such a winning character.