In Praise of Cupcake Books

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I talk about cupcake books a lot. When I ask people for recommendations, I often realize they have no clue what I mean. Seems that I should get specific and, since everyone loves a love story, talk about why I love them so much. And, I’ll give you a few recommendations that are favorites from the past couple of years.

What is a Cupcake Book?

Regardless of what people try to recommend to me on Facebook when I ask for cupcake books, I don’t really mean books about cupcakes. I mean, sure, sometimes cupcakes and other baked goods make appearances, but not all of the time. (Because who doesn’t love a story about a young woman with a passion for baking that dreams of opening her own cupcake shop and then falls in love with her handsome but snarky customer?)

When I think about cupcake books, I want books that are the equivalent of yellow cake with pink buttercream and sprinkles. Light romance, preferably funny, always with a perfect HEA. A book that I may not remember every detail of when I am done, but I feel satisfied and happy. Books that put a smile on my face.

Cupcake Books: My Love Story with the Sweetest Genre

When I was considering law school, I was in touch with my brother’s high school girlfriend, who was a lawyer. I remember asking her what she liked to read. She said, oh, I spend so much time during the day with heavy contracts that I prefer to read lighter fare. And then she went on to describe cozy mysteries. Little did I know how much this statement would later resonate with me. Because, at the time, I still liked to read more serious books.

During law school, I didn’t read for pleasure much. Instead, most of the time, I was stuck with casebooks. I remember giving myself occasional fiction treats with the Stefanie Plum novels. After graduation, I was immersed in the world of litigation and private practice and my brain was just tired at the end of the day. Instead of reading, I watched a lot of TV.

I think a lot of people like reality TV because it gives them a chance to shut off their brain and just zone out. It’s silly and feels like junk food for your brain. And I definitely had my share of reality TV when I was in this period.

Eventually, I started reading more and more. My reading habits really picked up when I got an ereader (first a Nook, now a Kindle), because it made getting library books so much easier. Then, I started tracking the books that I read. I have a rather impressive spreadsheet that has 2013 until present tracked in different tabs.

Even though I wanted to consider myself a “serious” reader, the spreadsheet doesn’t lie. I like light. I like romance. I like to laugh. I always want the happily-ever-after. Yes, I will read other kinds of books, but if you put two books in front of me and one looks serious and the other has a bride on the cover, I’ll pick the bride book 90% of the time.

These days, I’ve embraced my love of literary desserts. Cupcake books make me happy. They help me feel a little less stressed. It’s my reality TV. They are my very favorite genre.