Lists | Ready to Escape? Three Books That Will Transport You to Another World
Ready to Escape? Three Books That Will Transport You to Another World
You know that feeling when the real world feels a little too… real? When you don’t just want to read a book—you want to disappear into one?
I see you. And I have exactly what you need.
When readers come to me with that “ready to escape” energy, I know they’re not looking for a gentle distraction. They need full immersion. They need worlds so vivid and complete that hours vanish without notice. They need books that don’t just tell stories—they open doors to somewhere else entirely.
Today, I’m sharing three of my absolute favorite escape hatches: books that span fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction, each offering a completely different atmosphere, but all sharing one crucial quality: they will make you forget where you are.
Let’s find your portal.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
For when you want to escape into pure enchantment
The Story:
A magical circus appears without warning, open only at night, where two young magicians are locked in a mysterious competition neither fully understands. The circus itself—Le Cirque des Rêves—becomes a character, with tents full of impossible wonders: a garden made of ice, a pool of tears, rooms that defy physics and logic.
Why This Book Will Swallow You Whole:
Listen, I don’t say this lightly: The Night Circus doesn’t just invite you in—it wraps around you like velvet and refuses to let go.
This book IS an escape. Morgenstern’s prose is so atmospheric and intoxicating that reading it feels like wandering through the circus itself, never quite sure if you’re dreaming. Set in the late 1800s, it beautifully blends historical fiction with pure fantasy, giving you that satisfying genre variety while maintaining a cohesive, dream-like quality throughout.
What makes this perfect for your escape mood? Every single page offers something new to discover. Just like the circus-goers who return night after night to explore new tents, you’ll find yourself lost in this world, turning pages not because you’re racing toward plot points, but because you genuinely don’t want to leave.
The magic feels real. The romance feels inevitable. The stakes feel cosmic.
You’ll look up after hours of reading and be genuinely surprised—and maybe a little disappointed—to find yourself back in your own living room.
Perfect for: Readers who want to be seduced by language, who savor atmosphere as much as plot, who believe magic should feel like the most natural thing in the world.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
For when you need to remember that escape is always possible
The Story:
In the early 1900s, January Scaller discovers a strange book that tells of secret doors to other worlds—and she begins to suspect these aren’t just stories, but a map to her own forgotten past. As she reads, she uncovers the truth about her own family and the magical doors that connect infinite realities.
Why This Book Is Escapism Squared:
Here’s what I love about this one: it’s a book about escaping through books. It’s escapism wrapped inside escapism, and it’s absolutely glorious.
Harrow has crafted something special here—a portal fantasy that’s also historical fiction, where each discovered world has its own distinct atmosphere, rules, and beauty. You get sun-drenched seas, twilight cities, endless written worlds. The variety is intoxicating, and just when you’ve settled into one reality, another door opens.
But what makes this perfect for your current mood is deeper than the plot: this is a book about the power of stories and doors to save us when we need them most. January discovers that doors appear when they’re needed, when someone is desperate enough to find them. If you’re reading this because you’re ready to escape, well… consider this your door.
The prose is lush and transportive—Harrow writes like someone who genuinely believes in the transformative power of stories. And honestly? By the end of this book, you will too.
Perfect for: Readers who love books about books, who believe stories can change reality, who want their fantasy with a side of historical richness and feminist triumph.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
For when you want to escape to the furthest place imaginable
The Story:
Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he’s there—and slowly realizes he’s humanity’s last hope. Alone in space, millions of miles from home, he must solve an impossible problem to save Earth, with only an unexpected alien companion for help.
Why This Book Will Make You Forget Earth Exists:
Sometimes the best escape isn’t backward in time or sideways into fantasy—it’s straight up into the vast, beautiful loneliness of space.
This hard sci-fi adventure is wildly immersive because you’re not just reading about Ryland Grace’s journey—you’re experiencing it alongside him. You’re waking up confused, piecing together memories, solving impossible problems, experiencing the absolute awe and terror of first contact with alien life.
The atmosphere shifts constantly: claustrophobic spaceship tension, the cold silence of the void, the wonder of scientific discovery, the unexpected warmth of connection across species. It’s the kind of book that makes you forget to eat, forget what time it is, forget everything except what happens next.
And here’s the beautiful surprise: despite being set in the lonely vacuum of space, this book is funny, warm-hearted, and ultimately hopeful. It’s escape without emotional heaviness—adventure with heart.
You’ll finish this book at 2am with tears in your eyes and a huge smile on your face, guaranteed.
Perfect for: Readers who love problem-solving alongside characters, who want their sci-fi smart but accessible, who believe the best adventures balance high stakes with genuine humor and heart.
So, Which Door Will You Choose?
All three of these books share one essential quality: they’re immersive experiences, not just reading experiences. They’re the books you’ll emerge from hours later, blinking in confusion, having completely lost track of time.
Choose The Night Circus if: You want to be enchanted. You want prose that feels like poetry and magic that feels like truth. You want to escape into beauty.
Choose The Ten Thousand Doors of January if: You want adventure across multiple worlds. You want to believe in doors that open when you need them most. You want your escape to remind you that escape is always possible.
Choose Project Hail Mary if: You want to leave Earth entirely. You want smart, fast-paced problem-solving. You want to laugh while you gasp and feel your heart swell while you’re millions of miles from home.
Honestly? You can’t go wrong with any of them when you need to leave this world behind for a while.
Your Turn
Have you read any of these? Which one are you most drawn to? Or maybe you have your own favorite escape-hatch books to recommend?
Tell us in the comments—or better yet, head to Recommendable Club and let us help you find your next perfect escape based on exactly how you’re feeling today.
Because sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is open a book and step through to somewhere else entirely.
Happy escaping, friends. 📚✨
P.S. – If you loved these recommendations, bookmark this post and share it with a friend who needs to escape. We all need a door out sometimes.