Overcome Isolation. Invite an Author and Her Characters Into Your Home!
If you can’t listen to another minute of CNN, or need a break from Zoom screens, an upbeat book could be just what you need. Here is a list I compiled of comfort books. Some are upbeat and light-hearted throughout. Others bring you face to face with characters who have suffered, but beautiful writing and the author’s vision bring you — and the characters — a sense of transcendent joy.
You might want to check a book’s online description to see if it grabs you before downloading it. If you’re concerned about spending money on these books, (who isn’t just now?) try your public library. During the crisis, publishers are expanding licensing for libraries to offer more books to their patrons. If you have a digital subscription such as Audible or Kindle Unlimited, you might be able to download some of these for free.
| Upbeat Novels to Read in Trying Times | |
| by Merle Bombardieri, MSW, LICSW | |
| Backman, Fredric | A Man Called Ove |
| Cameron, Peter | The City of Your Final Destination |
| Forna, Aminatta | Happiness |
| Frankel, Laurie | This is How it Always Is |
| Freudenberger, Nell | Lost and Wanted |
| Greer, Andrew Sean | Less |
| Haruf, Kent | Plainsong |
| Humphreys, Joseph | Rich in Love |
| Johnson, Diane | Le Mariage |
| Joyce, Rachel | The Long Pilgrimage of |
| Kingsolver, Barbara | The Bean Trees |
| Kingsolver, Barbara | Prodigal Summer |
| Lessing, Doris | Love, Again |
| Lombardo, Claire | The Most Fun We Ever Had |
| Napolitano, Anne | Dear Edward |
| Pagan, Camille | This Won’t End Well |
| Rachman, Tom | The Imperfectionists |
| Schine, Cathleen | The Evolution of Jane |
| Schine, Cathleen | Love Letters |
| Schumacher, Julie | Dear Committee Members |
| Semple, Maria | Where’d You Go, Bernadette |
| Sheehan, Jacqueline | Lost and Found |
| Sheehan, Jacqueline | Now and Then |
| Simison, Graeme | The Rosie Project |
| Tyler, Ann | The Accidental Tourist |
| Weiner, Jennifer | In Her Shoes |
| Zapata, Michael | The Lost Book of Adana Moreau |
| Zevin, Gabrielle | The Storied Life of A.J. Fakry |
In addition to my own list, here is one suggested by prominent authors in the New York Times.
Link: Authors on Books that Bring Them Comfort: The New York Times
If you want lots of recommendations, turn to The Novel Cure, which recommends 751 books to cure emotional ailments from A to Z. The authors quote Andre Gide: “To read a writer…. [means] to go off with him and travel in his company.”
Link: The Novel Cure on Amazon.com
Thanks to my client M.H. for inspiring me to write this post when asking for some recommendations.
