Worlds to Escape into – Sunday Stack #2

For me, my love for reading comes from the fact it gives me an opportunity to escape reality for a moment. Books allow you to step into a safe space of imagination, where all is possible and wonderful. I always love finding new worlds that I can immerse myself in, and thought that for today’s post I would share my favourite worlds. I’m sure many of you will share in my love for them, and it gives us a chance to squeal and discuss them to our hearts’ content.

Just a reminder that I am taking part in my #sundaystack instagram challenge this month, and this was the prompt for today. I’ve left the prompts below if you would like to take part, on whatever platform, and be sure to tag me in your posts if you do because I’d love to see them!

Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/babblesnbooks/

As you might be aware, I am currently staying at my parents’ for lockdown and so therefore am limited to the books that I have left behind in my childhood bedroom. I thought this would be a challenge, with my favourite books currently left at my house an hour away, but whilst I looked over my shelves, I realised that a lot of my series were actually tucked away here! I’m not a massive collector of books – or rather books that I have read … I definitely have a lot of books due to an uncontrollable buying habit!- and therefore tend to only keep books if I feel like they’ve impacted me massively, have sentimental value, or – and most predominantly- are part of a large and expansive series. Therefore, for my sunday stack I picked three of my favourite worlds that are so complex and intricate and that I regularly lose myself in, largely because they are part of a series.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The secretive, complex, and intricate wizarding world that JK Rowling created was one of the first worlds I lost myself in – something I sure many of you can relate to too. We worked out the other week that I first walked into this universe when I was six years old – 6! – and therefore this is literally a world I have grown up with. I can’t imagine life without this hidden society. What makes this world so special for me is because it is so developed, with multiple layers within the present society, past and future. I picked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to represent this series in this stack because I feel like people are sometimes unnecessarily harsh towards it. I get it to a certain extent, especially when we consider that the last book we had from Rowling was the Epic Deathly Hallows , but for me this script took me back to the wonder I felt when I read the earlier books for the first time. It was such a beautiful invitation to return back to the world that truly felt like home. I have also seen this play on stage twice and let me just tell you that it is a spectacle within itself. I loved the interesting topics, the complications with the past we lived through in the original series, and the new debates and questions that the play posed. For me, I do think this is a secret favourite – though nothing will beat Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for me!

The political landscape of the Shadowhunter Word

For my next expansive world , I have picked Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter collosus. This was probably the world I jumped into after Harry Potter, and I can remember picking up The City of Bones from my independant bookshop when I was like 13, just because the girl at the counter had heard it wasn’t ‘terrible’. Out of that impulsive decision, an obsession grew as I journeyed through each book. What I love about this world is that it is so big, that I genuinely feel like there is a book for every stage of my reading journey as it were. When I loved YA fantasy, there was the original series. When I fell in love with historical fiction, there were the Infernal Devices. I had kind of forgotten this world but, by coming home and seeing they were on my shelves, I knew I wanted to get lost in this world once more. I have the first two books of the Dark Artifices series but never read the finale, so have decided in May this is something I simply have to do! I can’t wait to lose myself in this universe once more and learn more about the intricate details of this hidden society. I also desperately want to read Chain of Gold but refuse to do so until I have finished Dark Artifices, as it seems ludicrous to start a new series when one is unfinished.

The futuristic phenomenon that is the Lunar Chronicles.

I always find retellings so fascinating because there is so much that is possible when you move away from the original text. When I first entered this world, I was blown away by how familiar but also innovative this world painted by Meyer was. I devoured each and every one of the books, especially Winter which I felt was the most satisfying conclusion to a series I have read so far. I have picked Stars Above to represent this series just because I loved it so much. I loved being able to revist the characters and learn more about their lives, whilst also having the opportunity to explore different aspects of this world, particularly in short stories like The Little Android which was one of my favourites.

So there you have it. Those are my top 3 favourite worlds to escape into. These are the worlds that give me instant joy, even to just think about and recollect on. What are your favourite worlds to get lost in?