When you're feeling blue

I just moved from Sydney to Melbourne, and sometimes I get the movin' blues. But nothing gets the love flowing again like a re-read of some of my favourite books. When you're feeling depressed, don't listen to people who tell you to have a bath, or eat lots of chocolate, or watch chick flicks. All you need is a pile of damn fine books and a cup of French Earl Grey. Reading these books always reminds me that moving cities is nothing - I want to move countries, planets, centuries!

I feel like Anne Shirley and I would definitely be spirit friends. I may not have smacked any boys over the head with writing slates recently, but I've frolicked down tree-lined lanes, climbed on fences, talked smack when I should have been tolerant and jumped on way too many beds. But let's be honest. No one is going to be Anne-r than Anne. So rather than try, I prefer to read my copy of Anne of Green Gables and let her do the craziness and magic for me. I'll be the Aurelia to her Cordelia any day. Bonus marks go to Matthew for being more princely than Prince William.

The Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer looks like it belongs in a retirement village for tired novels. But once you get past the too embarrassing for public transport consumption cover and the first 50 pages or so, this book is an absolute ripper (in the sense that it's awesome, not in the old school bodice ripping sense). Mary is out to protect her younger sister Sophie from the attentions of the devilish Marquis of Vidal. But who is going to protect Mary? Uhhh...like she needs protecting! She gets whisked off to Paris, and goes on a wild road-trip, and possibly finds true love? I wouldn't want to ruin anything...This book is witty regency fun, with manners and duels galore (No one was harmed in the dueling of this novel).

Min is pissed off. She gets dumped by a guy who she just wanted to last until her sister's wedding, and  then this charming douchebag in a bar makes a bet that he can get her into bed...Or so she thinks. There's a hilarious case of crossed wires in Bet Me by Jenny Crusie, but you know what? When the main couple are this great, I don't really care about the plot. Plot smot. That's right. Cal and Min are so funny, with the kind of rapport you only find in screwball comedies, that I just want to sit back and read them bantering all night long. This book is as comforting as one of those adult snuggies.

The Secret Countess has the sort of heroine who I just can't believe exists in real life. She's kind to everyone, makes friends with old people and animals...but don't let her Snow White-ish antics put you off. Anna is a genuinely endearing and hilarious heroine. When the Russian Revolution strikes, Countess Anna is forced into exile with her mother and brother. Once in England, she gets work as a housemaid. Of course, the other servants are wary of her upper class-ness, but she wins them over, etc. etc. etc. This book is filled with such joie de vivre; such spirit-friendness between Anna and Rupert, Earl of the estate where Anna works; such hilarious Russian outbursts and ballet curtsies and love of the arts that you'll be running out of the house to help old ladies cross the street and remind everyone else of the awesomeness of being alive (and being Russian). What more is needed to chase away the movin' blues? Well...(what, you thought I only needed 4 books? Rookie error internets.)

Yes, there are more books to come! I haven't even touched upon the young adult and romance genre! This list is woefully incomplete! You will sue me for making misleading statements about feeling happy after reading these books! I mean, you will feel happy, but you'll feel even happier after reading Part 2 of the Happy List: Junior High with a little bit of sex ed thrown in. But I don't have time right now...I have some happy reading to do.