#since i love alice in wonderland myself and he’s just so erratic it seems in later characterization where it seems just ickier…

[surrender-souls]

dc should let me have ideas for their characters im very good at this i think

[riddle-me-ri]

A/N: hey hi hello, sooo I still think about Love and Suds at least once a day and I have an itch to keep writing for it. Idk if it'll be like a long fic or anything but more like a collection of various one offs pertaining to a reader who loves Jervis and cause of that in turn tries to save him from going back to his old ways. 

However, you don’t necessarily have to read Love and Suds to read this scenario, but it may help provide context to the nature of reader and Hatter’s relationship. 

Also, also I did not mean to post two Hatter fics in a row, I just really needed to get this dialogue chain out of my brain lmao

Trigger Warnings: slight angst, so hurt/comfort?, arguing, references to Jervis’ crimes, Batman being Batman (I really tried with him and like his weird stern way of showing concern?). That’s about it.

Word Count: 2.4 k (...oops)

“I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.” - Alice, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

It was pitiful really.

As Jervis was checking himself over in the bathroom mirror…he found himself echoing the mental health checklist they often asked in the asylum. 

“How are you Tetch?” 

Good for once it’d seem. 

“Where are you right now?” 

Gotham, unfortunately. 

“In the past two weeks have you thought of hurting yourself or others?”

No…actually.

“On a scale of 1 to 10…how are you feeling?” 

For once the answer would actually be higher than 5 and he actually means it. He wasn’t being delirious or perpetually thrusting himself in a fantasy to make him happy. 

He actually had something…someone rather that made reality worth being in. 

Jervis scrunched up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows. Debating…dictating. 

Should…should I wear my hat?

It didn’t have any mechanisms or circuitry along the inside, like he initially planned for his newest hat when the rest were confiscated. 

Jervis glanced back in the mirror for another glance. His hair was combed and not greasy, he was able to part it neatly and his bangs didn’t cascade down past his forehead and were less spiky and erratic looking. 

Darting his eyes back to his hat in his gloved hands…he bit his lip. This shouldn’t be as difficult as it was. He knew what the hat stood for, what it-it can represent. As many terrible things it was tied to…the formal headgear gave him confidence. It made him stand taller, walk with his shoulders back. 

It would be nice…to be confident without it…

Inhaling, before he exhaled deeply. 

Would you be proud of him if he didn’t wear it? 

The night was for you after all. 

It had been a couple weeks since you swooped back into his life and pulled him from one of his darkest moments yet. You stayed with him by his side for a week, until…your reality set in and you had to go to work but you were always close by and he got to hear your voice every day. 

As a thank you, Jervis offered to take you out to dinner. While at first you implored the thanks wasn’t necessary, ultimately you couldn’t deny the opportunity to spend time with him. 

He began tracing the rim of his hat in thought. Perhaps he could bring it along and ask for your opinion when he saw you. You were always forthcoming and genuine with him. One of the many things he adored about you. 

Jervis held the hat in his hands, still fiddling with the rim as he took a taxi to your apartment. The taxi driver didn’t seem to fidget or notice a high profile villain was in his backseat…

For all the nerves bundling and firing in his veins from anxiety…he also couldn’t deny the elation he felt at the prospect of finally seeing you again. 

Jervis stood in front of your door, a fresh bouquet nestled in his hand. He rocked his knuckles along your door. 

His blood ran cold when the pressure from the knock caused your door to open slightly. 

Did you forget to lock it? Was it broken? Should he go in? 

You–You knew him better…you knew he wouldn’t break into your apartment for no reason other than to ensure your safety. 

He softly pushed the door open more as he snuck in. 

Should he sneak? 

He called out your name as he crossed the threshold of your door. When he turned on his heel to close the door back, he noticed the broken lock mechanism on your door. He felt himself gritting his teeth. 

No doubt you put in a complaint and they’ve gone ignored…this city couldn’t careless if anything happened to you. He would, he cares, he cares more about you than any wretched being in this shallow city–

“I told you to leave! He’s not doing anything wrong or going to do anything!” 

“You can’t be sure…”

“I am sure. Because I am here now!”

Jervis’ ears perked up at your voice. The other one was too muffled for him to make out. 

Oh, he shouldn’t eavesdrop. That…that was rude. Agh, be polite or be curious…

He at least wanted to know who the other person was. 

Jervis noticed a small streak of the moonlight cascading down the hallway. That was likely your bedroom at the end of the short hallway. Jervis slowly crept down the hallway. He once again softly pushed the door open a little more to have one eye visible to the events unfolding. 

“Jervis Tetch is an extremely deluded individual. He–he is dangerous.”

“Not to me! He hasn’t nor will he ever hurt me! Because I care about him, unlike you and unlike those doctors at Arkham! None of you cared! You just want another punching bag and the doctors want to be able to control the minds’ of their patients. Nothing more!”

Batman? Batman! W-what was he doing here? To discuss him with you? And why did it seem like you two have had this conversation before? 

Batman sighed as he jumped down from the metal railing and properly onto your balcony. You were sitting on the side of your bed looking up at the dark figure.

“I can’t…I can’t ask for you to watch over him. He’s too chaotic and you have your own life to live–” 

You stood up in fury. “Don’t–Don’t! Don’t get chivalrous with me oh, Dark Knight! I know what I’m getting into.”

“Do you? Have you seen his case files? Seen the images of the countless women he-”

“I’m not oblivious to his crimes, Bat. You don’t have to remind me.” You put your hands up to your hips. “I–I know what he’s done. It’s horrible, but it could’ve been prevented…It can be prevented.” You began rocking side to side, contemplating. 

“Tetch was a brilliant man. He could have done amazing things and accomplished great feats. But I’m afraid he’s passed that…and I don’t want you to blame yourself for not being there for him to prevent his crimes–”

“Stop…”

“I don’t want you to blame yourself, and now assign yourself as his guardian…you may know him but so do I-”

“No! No you don’t! If you knew him so well you wouldn’t have constantly called me to findout more about him! You came to me because you knew I knew him better. If you knew him, detective, you would know more than anything he needs help!” You argued. 

Your fists were clenched and held against your chest. Your body shuddered as you fought back tears. Not wanting to show any vulnerability to the Dark Knight. 

“He needs help…actual help, from someone that cares about him. That knows him for more than his criminal history…”

You saw Batman begin to open his mouth but you cut him off. “I know what Jervis did, Batman. I’m not naive. You don’t have to guilt trip me or shame me, it’s not going to work.” 

"If you know what he's done, you know what he's capable of. What happens when your own reality calls for you to…have to leave Gotham, again? You can't always be there for Jervis. I agree he needs help, but help that's much bigger than you…"

"Oh, you mean like you?" You snarled. "Someone who beats him up, throws him around, and locks him up in an asylum that wouldn't do any better! You don't care about him…not like that Catwoman or better yet your precious clown." 

Batman furrowed his brows. "You don't know what you're talking about. You're confused." 

You shake your head defiantly, "Bullshit! You give that clown chances after chances, expecting a change…he's done terrible things too Batman. He's killed men, women, children. Husband's, wives, sons, duaghters…" 

"Enough." Batman snapped. "This isn't about me. It's about you and Tetch. I'm trying to help you."

"You sure have a funny way of helping…" You sniffled, the tears slowly pouring from your eye ducts, no matter how hard you tried to push them down. "I-I-I I know I left when he needed me most…I regret it every day…I-I had no choice.." 

Once Jervis heard your voice crackling from your tears and whimpers, it was like he snapped out of the trance he was in. 

He heard every word. Every single word. Jervis didn't appreciate Batman's input a single bit…even if deep down Jervis knew the Caped Crusader had a point. 

"That's enough!" Jervis intervened. 

You felt his familiar glove hands rest on your shoulders, giving you a comforting squeeze. 

You almost jumped out of your skin at his voice and presence.

"Jervis! Oh my god, where…how…when-when did you–?" 

He squeezed your shoulders again. "It's all right, darling. Don't worry, I understand."

"Let them be, Jervis." Batman took a step closer to you two. 

"Don't take another step, Dark Knight!" Jervis stood in front of you now. "I think you've upset them quite enough! I think it's best you make haste to whatever damp dark cave you call home!" 

Your eyes widened as you saw Jervis began walking towards Batman almost going toe to toe with him. 

"Jervis! Its-its–" 

Batman didn't move as Jervis invaded his personal space. He was studying him, looking for any possible signs of the eccentric deluded man he's come to know. 

There wasn't any. His irises were normal, his blood pressure was…normal even considering his angered state, he wasn't rhyming or chortling…and he didn't have his hat. 

Batman began walking backwards away from Tetch and back on to the balcony. 

"Here's some good advice," he looked over Jervis' shoulder and towards you. "I know you care about him, it's admirable. But you can't do it alone. Best to get out while you can before you're in too deep." 

With that he jumped up on the railing and began gliding through the brisk Gotham night air. 

Jervis growled in annoyance as he slammed the door to your balcony shut. 

"Rude. Positively rude! Breaking and entering! Harassing and interrogating an unsuspecting individual! Why I dare–" 

His enraged ramblings were brought to a halt when he heard your sniffling.

Jervis rushed back towards you. He got down on his knees in front of you. He quickly placed your hands in his and squeezed them as he looked up at you sitting on your bed. Tears flowing like a precious stone fountain. 

"Shh…it's okay. I-I…I apologize for listening in…I just…never knew…" 

You shook your head. "No, no I should apologize. I should've told you, but I didn't want you to think that I was siding with him or anything. What you saw was the norm. He comes storming in and asking questions and telling me what I should and shouldn't do with no regards for my actual thoughts and feelings…" 

You squeezed his hands again. "I…I also want to apologize for leaving Gotham! I didn't want to Jervis! It was the hardest thing I ever had to do!" You cried as more guilt driven tears began glowing. You had no choice, you couldn’t find a job pertaining to your field, nor find a part time job that could afford you a room and board in Gotham. 

He tried to shush you, bringing his hands up to run your shoulders and gently rock you back and forth. "Darling, darling, please it's all right. You're here now! You were there for me when I needed you most!" 

You gulped down a breath. "B-But I couldn't…I didn't-" 

"No one could have, if anything I'm…I'm glad you weren't here for all of that." 

Jervis brought himself up from off his haunches to embrace you. You rested your head on his shoulder and wrapped your arms around his neck. 

After a moment filled with your soft whimpers. You tightened your grip on him as his hand rubbed your back up and down. 

"I meant what I said…" You croaked in his ear. "I-I do care about you Jervis, I want to help you and be here for you." 

He smiled warmly. "I know you did…I must admit it's very rare to see someone defending me.." he pulled away from the embrace to look at you. 

"But I couldn't imagine a better person to have in my corner." He brought his hand up to cup the side of your face and you happily clasped it with your own hand. 

"I'm not going anywhere…despite Batman's advice…" You muttered in disapproval. 

"I know, and I assure you…it won't be in vain. I'll do whatever it takes."

You smiled softly. You closed your eyes as you leaned your head into his hand. Relieved in the peace that wafted over the hostile air in the room when Batman was there. 

You knew what Jervis was capable of, but you were even more aware of his potential to be a better person. 

You opened your eyes slowly too look into his bright eyes that crinkled from his own smile. 

Then you noticed something was slightly off. "Jervy?" 

Jervis giggled, adoring the nickname. "Yes, my dear?" 

"Where's your hat?" 

His eyes widened. Instinctively his hands reached up to his head only to notice what you said was true. He recalled having it in his hand when he arrived. Had he truly set it down somewhere? In his worrisome state for your safety?

"Oh, um…I brought it with me…where?” 

The both of you looked frantically about the room. 

“Here it is!” You opened the door from your room and saw it…surprisingly on the floor. 

You picked it up gently and softly brushed off some dust from the hardwood floor. “I’m surprised you weren’t wearing it.” 

You handed the hat back to Jervis, but he hesitated. 

“Do-do you think I should? I-I mean wear it that is…” 

Your eyes widened. Something really was stirring in his mind if he doubted putting his hat back on. If anyone knew anything about Jervis it was just how precious his hat was to him. 

You glanced down at the headgear and back to Jervis. He was swaying side to side with his head hung low, he stared at the ground.�� 

You walked over to him, lifted his chin up by the tips of your fingers, and gently placed the top hat on his head. 

“Here’s some even better advice…Just because you’re changing doesn’t mean your wardrobe has to.” You giggled. “Besides, I absolutely adore your hats…they make you look that much more handsome.” 

Jervis couldn’t contain his giddy smile anymore as he chuckled softly. He did feel better with it on, or perhaps he just felt better overall in your presence. 

Who needs good advice from someone who doesn’t know you? When you have someone that knows so much and cares so much more instead.

[wicked-storybrooke]

Is Alice Jones Autistic?

I’m not entirely sure where the autistic!alice headcanon originated. It might have been from an Autistic Headcanons blog or it might just be from the observations of individuals.

I can’t speak for everyone because my main reason for believing she’s autistic is that I’m autistic and I relate to a lot of her traits. Now, some of those traits could be explained by her being forced to grow up in isolation or even by a mental illness (I do see her as having co-morbid mental illness(es)) and some of these traits are headcanons themselves, so it really just depends on how you see her.

I’ll list some of the things that lead me to believe she’s autistic and not all of these apply to every autistic person:

Has a possible special interest in painting/drawing, chess and maybe even parkour. Take for example in 7x13 when she needs to play chess to help her relax. She likely wanted to play chess a lot more than Rogers could keep up with and I bet she talks about it and art a lot.

She can talk in a very abstract way. It’s a way that makes sense to her but not necessarily to anyone else and I don’t just mean when she’s talking about the curse. It’s the way she talks about the curse: “See something? I see everything. Now I’m ten feet tall!” “There’s still time before the pills make me small again.” (I know it’s an Alice in Wonderland reference but say, in her cursed memories someone read the book to her, this could be echolalia). And I’d be willing to wager she makes up her own words.

She thinks outside the box. Like myself, she seems to have trouble thinking inside the box and doesn’t so easily conform to societal norms: “What’s the point of a solvable one (puzzle)” and she made a heart-shaped beignets that was literally heart-shaped. She also seems to have difficulty telling that some things are wrong (not that all autistics do this, but it can be an issue): “Weaver said it was for the best, and I can’t always figure that out for myself.”

Her father brings her things that could be seen as sensory aids (I know this was to help her experience the outside world but it’s an additional way of looking at it.)

Doesn’t have a great sense of danger. I know she’s got some mad skills, but still she doesn’t hesitate to jump out of the window of a goodness how many stories-high building. She’ll happily fight a jabberwocky, befriend a troll (that, at the time, she didn’t know was of her own creation) and defend said troll in front of angry dudes with weapons and she rolled out of a freaking moving car. She also walked across the road without looking in 7x14 (#relatable). That incident could have even been chalked down to her not being a good judge of distance or to her being over-stimulated by the traffic. When you get overstimulated your whole sense of exactly where everything is around you just goes out the window. It’s probably not the only time that’s happened. God knows how much trouble she got herself into in Wonderland and the other places.

Has a connection to creatures and and an attachment to objects like Mr. Rabbit and she even slept next to the viles of sand her father got her. It’s understandable that she would be attached to the inanimate objects that were her only company for years, whether she’s autistic or not. She seems to relate more to creatures, such as the troll and maybe even some creatures in wonderland (goodness knows if she was out-running the bandersnatch for fun or what).

Doesn’t like to sit still for long. Sometimes seen stimming with things in her hands.

Seems to be fairly selective with what she eats. Eating the same thing everyday is not an uncommon autistic trait (I literally have beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and it seems that marmalade sandwhiches are the thing for Tilly. It could be a sensory issue. She seems to have a preference for sweet food as salty food might be too strong for her or it could just be because we love routine. It brings a sense of much needed security in an otherwise over-stimulating world.

Likes routine. I’m sure her father liked to make sure they had a routine in the tower but as Tilly she seems to have her routine of going to the troll, playing chess with Rogers, talking to Weaver and eating marmalade sandwhiches. She doesn’t seem to be completely averse to spontaneity however, since she was willing to go to Wonderland and other places but then and again, she was desperate to find a cure.

Is more vulnerable to manipulation. Listen, I love Alice & Rumple’s frienship as much as the next guy but you can’t deny that he was manipulating her at first in 7x18. It seems she doesn’t have a brilliant sense for figuring out the intentions of others. The same goes for when Weaver tricked her into eating the pill-sandwhich.

Has what can be seen as autistic meltdowns. This is a difficult one to assess because her sometimes erratic behaviour is likely due to a mental illness but there are many co-morbid conditions that can come with autism. But if we are to look at her outbursts as meltdowns, then we can see that they are triggered by things not goin the way Alice expected. If an autistic person has pre-planned their day then any disruption to that can cause a meltdown or shutdown i.e. Rogers saying no to the game of chess, Rogers and Weaver not listening to her pleas for them not to talk to Eloise coming as a shock, Weaver giving her her meds and not remembering his life in the EF and the incident at the hospital. Nothing was going as Tilly expected and there was no way for her to fix it. She tried to calm herself down by pacing or swaying slightly from side-to-side. It could have all been further exacerbated by the bright lights and in some cases loud noises of the traffic/the hospital lights/the light in her shipping container. Her outbursts were completely out of her control. I’m sure she would have never pointed a scalple at Rogers and Weaver if she weren’t in that state. The fact that she didn’t remember how she got to the hospital could be because of her meltdown, often after or during one you don’t know what’s going on, what you’re doing or why your doing it. This could also explain why she loses time like she explains in 7x14. This could also be partly down to the fact that she might have poor short-term memory which is common in autistic people.

Could the fact that the curse couldn’t completely erase her memories be due to her having a very strong, photographic long-term memory? Just a theory!

Seems to prefer to socialise in small groups (this could be due to circumstance).

Is seen as ‘weird’, ‘eccentric’ or ‘odd’ by others who don’t understand her way of engaging with the world.

Sometimes repeats phrases “Something’s bad, something’s broken, something’s wrong.”

Has difficulty with conflicts, arguments and being yelled at.

Sees the world in a special way according to her father so it’s likely she’s not like other people he’s been around.

Is okay being around other people but may 'play’ on her own e.g. when she was in Rogers’ car with the mushrooms. She was content to be around him while doing her own thing.

In some situations she may be masking e.g. at first with Margot, so that she could pass for allistic.

Can sometimes get her words confused: “You know me better than anyone. I can't have done it, could I? Or I could've done it, can't I?”

Difficulties communicating her thoughts and feelings, in words, to others, especially if anxious, stressed or upset, hense part of the reason she ends up having an meltdown.  

I personally think she’s undersensitive to movement and touch so she might have issues with personal space and it could be why she isn’t often still and moves around alot.

May have issues with executive funtion e.g. time management, orgazisational skills, inhibitions, working memory and problem solving which she may have been helped with by Rogers once she moved in. It makes your mind a freaking jumble so I wouldn’t be suprised if she has issues with this.

Seems to have some trouble in social situations. This could be due to all those years in isolation but there are definitely times where she will just speak her mind or do things that might be seen as socially inappropriate e.g. the situation with the troll, her just popping up in Victoria’s car and scaring the shiitake musrooms out of her. She sometimes seems a bit confused by what other people are saying e.g. the whole “Targot” thing and others seem confused by her.

I could honestly go on about this for days. Like, there’s so much more I could talk about. I might make another post expanding on this, but this is just my perspective! As I say, a lot of this could be down to her years alone in the tower or a mental illness but this is just one way of looking at her traits!

[erraticprojectjunkie]

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Used to Love (and Maybe Need to Read Again)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, created due to a fondness for lists. Each week they post a new Top Ten topic. After that, it's bloggers UNITE! Participate with your own Top Ten post, have fun, and get to know your fellow bloggers. Today's topic is a throwback freebie... Ten Books I Loved During the First Year I Started My Blog, Favorite Books Published 5 or 10 or 15 years ago, Ten Older Books I Forgot How Much I Loved, etc. etc. Tweak however you want! I'm not going to lie...I'm mildly brain-dead today. Thus, this is bound to be a bit of a rambling post (sorry). Yesterday I spent the majority of my time processing beets. It was like a crime scene in my kitchen. I wound up with 17 pint jars of sliced beets, 3 half-pint jars of pureed beets, and 28 cubes of puree. And that was only half of the beets we grew. Gary had actually given half of the crop to the pigs. Thank goodness.  After those many hours of fun, I then tried to sleep. It was a mild failure. I was up at 1, 5, and 7 with the baby. And in between that, the dogs decided they needed to go outside at 3. It was like a series of crummy power naps. I could easily lay down and pass out right now. The plan for today was to work on the farm website and the blog. This is me starting that...at 3pm. Ugh. After getting my housework done and attempting to get the baby to nap (that failed), I had to check on Pippa and her new piglets, give everyone some water since we're apparently getting an Indian Summer with bonus humidity, and then locate the cows since Legacy decided to run around bellowing like she had lost her calf (she hadn't). It's a freaking zoo around here on a daily basis. So (finally)...here's my plan for today's freebie post... Ten Books I Used to Love (and Maybe Need to Read Again) There have been several books that have captured my attention over the years. I've found love for many different kinds of books and many different authors. My tastes have changed and wavered depending on where I've been emotionally. These are the ten that I remember feeling most powerfully about...the ten that most likely deserve a reread. The ten that, should I find myself in a reading slump, could likely reinspire me to love reading again. But...I found that I couldn't narrow it down to 10. So...we're doing Top Twelve today. Ready? 1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Alexander is one of the first books I remember loving. I think I read it somewhere around first grade and I was enamored. I'm pretty sure I read this one from cover to cover more times that I could count. Now that I have a son of my own, this is one of the books that I'm looking forward to sharing with him. 2. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White Charlotte's Web was one of the first chapter books I ever read. This one takes me back to second grade. I'm sure there are many who have similar memories of reading this book, but it has stuck with me through many years. There's just something so sweet and innocent about it. And silly as it sounds, this book now seems like it somewhat reflects the life I'm currently living. 3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll I have always had a love for Alice. This is the only book in this list that is out of order. See...I loved Alice based upon early exposure to the movie versions. But the concept of Alice is one that has stuck with me. I read the book later in life when I was feeling a bit lost, much like Alice herself. It pulled me up and made me feel comfortable with the chaos and the change...made it seem okay to be looking for my way.  4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle A Wrinkle in Time was one of the first books I clung to. I mean clung to. I read it multiple times during my preteen years. I loved the imaginative writing, the fantastical beings. When I started this list, it's the book that first came to mind. And if any book on this list deserves a reread...this is the one. 5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte I know many look at this book and think, what? I get that Jane Eyre seems dry and boring for some, but for me...it's inspiring. I love Jane's strength...her perseverance. Jane is one of my favorite characters of all time. And regardless of the fact that this book was written oh so many years ago, it's still so incredibly relevant. I have reread this one a few times over the years, but it still deserves so many more. 6. A Time to Kill by John Grisham Most readers of Grisham tout the mastery of The Firm, but for me A Time to Kill was his best. I had read mysteries and thrillers before, but this one just spoke to me somehow. It resulted in a complete shift in my reading habits and I found myself reading all of his books as they came out, obsessed with hoping that he would give me something more. 7. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Oh my. All the feels. I loved this book. LOVED it. I talked it up to anyone who would listen. In a time when I wasn't reading much, The Time Traveler's Wife brought me back. It made me want to sit down and read everything, to find all the other books out there that could fill my heart and hold me captive as well as it did. This one will always be a love. 8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Wow. Seriously. Wow. The Night Circus flung me back to fantasy. It was beautiful, magical, and just wonderful. It was one of those books I never wanted to end. And now, I find myself forgetting it. I still love it, but I no longer know it. That's definitely a sign that a reread needs to occur. 9. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Thirteen Reasons Why. Before the controversial Netflix series, there was the book. It was amazing and heartbreaking. It was real. I know there are many who despise this book and feel that it glamorizes teen suicide, maybe even inspires those who are troubled to seek out such a terrible and tragic end. But...I feel the opposite. Even after watching the Netflix version, I still feel very strongly that it is something that teens need. It's real life and it isn't sugar-coated. It doesn't provide a picture that everything is always going to work out right. It is full of pain and struggle and yet it is beautiful. Hannah was beautiful. Reading this made me understand her and feel so much hurt at her decision. In my mind, those who read it while so struggling could be better able to comprehend the after effects of such an action..to see the whole picture...a reality that maybe would pull them back from doing something that would hurt so many and resolve so little. 10.  Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson   Amy & Roger was another book I just couldn't shut up about. I loved Matson's use of playlists. I loaded them into my Spotify and felt like the music truly did work to connect to the story. I loved her characters, loved the ease of their interaction and how it felt as if you were right there in the car. It wasn't anything prophetic or life changing...it just made me feel good. 11. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins The Library at Mount Char just came out of nowhere for me. I was enthralled, I was confused, I was mystified, and I was consumed. The world Hawkins created was amazing and his characters were just so larger than life. This book blew me away. I very much craved more when it ended. I would love a sequel...though the author hints at no intention to do so. There is so much wrapped up in this story, so much intricacy and fantastical imagination. It just left me awestruck. 12. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George To read The Little Paris Bookshop is to feel like you're living the book. It's just so beautifully written. That book you want to snuggle, to hold tight and squeeze? This is it. It left me content and swooning. Sometimes you just need a book that loves you back. It's a book that makes you love books. Looking back at the books I've loved through the different parts of my life, there were many that were there just when I needed them...that kept me moving and loving to read. Some that inspired me and kept me...well...for lack of a better term, sane. The magic and promise of a good book. Isn't that what makes us all such devoted readers? This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads