The Right Book at the Right Time

I’ve been putting off reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune for a long time. Mostly because of the length.

In some ways I regret not reading it earlier, because I’m loving it. But really I feel like it’s the right book at the right time.

The cover blurb claims that reading the book “is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket.” And I definitely feel that comfortable, cozy sensation. It’s not that there aren’t high stakes. Why, one of the children has the power to destroy the world! But, since it leans into gentle humor and the tropes of the romance, you know it’s all going to end well. The last six years have gouged and corroded and sandpapered my psyche to such a degree I feel the only type of entertainment I can consume is something that will wrap me in a cozy blanket, gay or otherwise.

Even cozy murder mysteries are too harsh because there’s the murder at the center of the story.

Cerulean Sea is a sweet story about compassion and caring. And the main character is already kind, but becomes unblinkered through the story and finds ways of becoming an even better person. The humor is not Douglas Adams level absurdity, but rather gentle self-deprecation and good-natured ribbing.

If you’re looking for something cozy I can recommend it.

(100 Days of Blogging: Post 044 of 100)

UPDATE: Had to contact my host this morning because the site has been down for the last ~12 hours. But since I wrote the above last night and attempted to post, I’m going to claim the streak is still active.