If there's one word that I love in the English language, then that word would have to be whimsical. It has this light, airy, bemusing quality that doesn't throw a single care or worry for all its little quirks and differences. What makes a book whimsical isn't so much the story line, a story can be very real and still be whimsical, but rather the voice and the language that the author uses. They bring us very much into that moment of the book with simple wordings and have the power to revert us back to our childhoods. That being said, here are 5 whimsical books that are definitely worth your time

1. "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel

This book is, simply put, beautifully written and by far surpassed any expectations that I could've had for it. The story focuses on different people throughout and really manages to encompass the world of these characters. In the story, a pandemic has broken out, wiping out most of the human population, leaving humanity scattered and broken. There are no more cars or electricity. The internet has gone dead. Yet still, life on earth remains, albeit in a world that most of us don't want to even imagine. What I love about this book is that it manages to tie up each and everyone of its loose ends in its mere 333 pages and still keep the reader wondering about what happens to the characters after. There is no singular focus, and we see people's lives before and after the disaster. This story is also filled with hope and appreciation for every day life. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped and admired the world around me after reading this book. It truly puts things under a different life.

2. "A Tale for the Time Being" by Ruth Ozeki

I was introduced to "A Tale for the Time Being" by a friend who wanted to write about Ozeki's work for a class. Neither of us had actually read it at the time, and a draft for the paper was due the next day, so we skimmed through the book in a panic trying to put something together. Usually I wouldn't look back and actually read a book whose plot I pretty much already knew after an experience like that, but it was so well written I had to go back. The story follows two characters, Nao, a girl from Tokyo who has decided to commit suicide and Ruth, an author living in Canada who finds Nao's diary and is reading it. Each part of the novel is written in the moment. Each "scene" per say, doesn't necessarily flow in the way that most novels do, but it captures everything and the descriptions are enough to put you right there in the novel. Nao's voice is also particularly haunting since her story is conducted in first-person whereas Ruth's is conducted in third. At times it feels as if you, not Ruth, have picked up Nao's diary, and that Nao is speaking directly to you. It's a tale that completely draws you in, and while the context may be a bit sad, will make you look at your life and happy that you're the one living it.

3. "Le Petit Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

There's this scene in the middle of the book where the little Prince makes friends with a fox that reduces me to tears every single time I read it. "Le Petit Prince" tells the tale of a pilot who crashes in the desert and meets the little Prince. The little Prince is out on a mission to save his love, the only rose on the comet that he comes from, and meets a wide variety of characters on his way. The book is obviously directed towards children, but adults can learn a thing or two from it too. We all have a little Prince inside of us yearning to be loved and filled with curiosity, and in the world of grown ups and all seriousness, needs to be let out every once and a while.

4. "Howl's Moving Castle" (Series) by Diana Wynne Jones

Now, if you've seen Studio Ghibli's adaptation of the first book, I'm just going to say right off the bat that the book is nothing like it. The film was only a loose adaption, but I think the fact that it was a loose adaptation is what makes both the movie and the book so enjoyable. Since their story lines are so different the audience is presented with a fresh new perspective of the characters each time, along with their respective storylines. What I really love about Diana Wynne Jones' work, is how well she knows the minds of children. In one of her interviews she actually mentions how she slips in all these details that will have importance later on in the story because she knows that children will remember them and make the connections. On top of that, while it is a series, each book stars a new main character, although characters from its predecessors will also show up too. This leads to new refreshing stories and further exploration in the universe that the stories take place in. With spells and magic that never seems to go perfectly right, who could possibly put these novels down?

5. "The Giver Quartet Omnibus" by Lois Lowry

I think "The Giver" is pretty popular among teachers because almost everyone I know has read it at some point during their schooling. Even my ESL class in Switzerland was reading it, it's that well-written. What I don't think most people realize though, is that there are three books that come after it, making up "The Giver" quartet. Like the "Howl's Moving Castle" series, these books focus on different characters each time, and further expands the world of "The Giver." They're all written with that beautiful simplicity of the first book, and with every book do you become more entranced with this world. Also, like the first book, it makes you appreciate the little things in life. Our ability to see color, look at the past, feel emotion. These are all things that we take for granted, but what happens once you see them getting taken away, well, let's just say you won't take them for granted anymore.