Chill Out Reads/Books to Help You Decompress

Hello, and welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday post and the final one of the month! Before we move on, we started the month by celebrating the arrival of spring, which at the time of publication was not yet here, but I can admit that we have had at least a couple of weeks of glorious weather, although it seems to have gone a bit colder now! This is likely because we are in the middle of exam season, and so everyone knows that when it is time to revise, the weather is always glorious, but by the time exams have finished, the gorgeous weather is also usually finished! Anyway, that brings us to today's post. As people come to the end of their exams, many will have an extended summer break, which will be very much deserved, so they will now want to chill out and decompress after what is likely to have been a tiring, stressful and busy few months preparing for examinations. So whether you are burnt out from exams, overwhelmed, stressed, you've had a long day or just want to feel good and uplifted, this week's post is all about those books which will help you relax, destress, feel good and help you recover from whatever life has thrown at you! So, in no particular order, let's get straight into my top 5 books which help me to chill out and decompress!

1. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

So we start with not only The Ink Black Heart but also the entirety of the Strike series, as these are some really good books which really do help chill me out, decompress and relax. However, I also said that there are some tense moments that have me on the edge of my seat. This book is so gripping and I think part of that is the chapters; they take many different forms and are of different lengths. Some of the chapters are longer, which slows down the plot, making it more relaxing and steady and allowing the reader to settle into the book, whereas other chapters, and frequently consecutive chapters, are much shorter, particularly at tense moments, which makes the story go quicker and further draws in the reader. What's more, there are a number of different genres: murder mystery, thriller, and romance, amongst others. It is really good how Galbraith is able to combine so many different genres and subplots, which makes this a really enjoyable read.

2. A Study in Chocolate by Amber Royer

Similarly, with this book, I chose A Study in Chocolate as the most recent book in the series as well as the most recent one I have read, but I extend my comments to the whole series. This is another murder mystery, thriller and romance type book, but it is different from The Ink Black Heart. For one, this is set on a sunny island in America rather than London and the family and friends theme throughout this book really paints the picture of a really friendly and supportive community. Therefore, when I read this book, it makes me feel like I am on holiday; it makes me feel like I am on an adventure, but it also makes me feel welcomed and really appreciate how close family and friends are on Galveston Island! It really is a great book, especially about the community, the food, and, most importantly, the chocolate!

3. The Suspect by Rob Rinder

  The next book on this list is actually another murder mystery. Now, you may think that all these murder mysteries are not the most relaxing of things, but the two above bring much more than just a murder mystery. This book, however, is an interesting one because I'm not sure how much it may help people to chill out as it speaks about a Junior barrister who has worked extremely hard and needs to chill out and decompress, but this is not an option in the legal industry, particular at the bar. Anyway, Rinder brings in not only his humour but also his experience as a barrister and not only educates the layperson on what it is like to be a barrister but also puts together a well-written and gripping murder case, which is great to read. It actually kind of has some parallels with Agatha Christie's witness for the prosecution thinking about it now. This is one of the newest published books on this blog, and I would definitely recommend it!

4. The Children Act by Ian McEwan

Now this is another book which is very much legal and which people may be questioning just how it will decompress someone or help them chill out. Especially because this book is very much about life and death. It may just be my inner law student and me who find such books relaxing and help me to chill out and decompress, although I also love romance and young adult novels beyond all this law and murder mystery stuff. Whereas previously, we were following a junior barrister, in this book, we follow the life of a senior court of appeal judge as she goes about her daily life and deals with a boy who is a Jehovah's Witness who is refusing a life-saving blood transfusion. This is an interesting read that brought me to tears, but it is definitely worth a read.

5. Flirty Sexy Love by Evelyn Montgomery

Finally, I end this week's post with a collection of three short stories and a taster of many more in what is quite a sexy, erotic novella. Now, one could argue that there are different types of relaxation and different ways to achieve this relaxation. This book is very good for helping one to chill out and decompress more sexually because sometimes, just sexually chilling out can help one remove the weight of the day and feel much more relaxed and in control. This novella contains some very intense short stories that will make you feel deeply relaxed in a short amount of time. 

That is all for this week's post, so I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I also hope that you feel motivated to read some of these books to help you chill out and decompress yourself! Check out this blog if you want to read the book reviews for any of the books listed above or any other books that you think sound interesting. Also, I have shared the books that help me chill out. Why don't you let me know which books help you chill out in the comments section below? I hope you all have a great week and an excellent start to June and I look forward to next week's Top 5 Wednesday post!

 

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