Sometimes the daily grind can just get you down. In times like that, you can opt to drown your sorrows in a margarita, or through mindless scrolling through social media or YouTube. Or, you can turn to a good book and come out feeling refreshed and mentally better in the process.
Books have the amazing power to affect our emotions, so if you need a good pick-me-up, look no further! We’ve compiled a list of amazing feel good books you can enjoy with your cup of coffee or tea.
8 Best Feel Good Books to Make You Smile
When you feel like you want to get away from real life just for a while, a book is a great place to immerse yourself. Of course, you probably won’t want to slog through a complicated family drama that will get you in tears! Instead, let’s take a look at some books guaranteed to give you the uplift you need:
1. Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs
This historical novel is based on the life of Eliza Acton, who wanted to write poetry—but her publisher asked her to write a cookery book instead! Discover the story of the friendship between Eliza and her kitchen help Ann Kirby, as they explore the culinary world while defying class divides with their unlikely comradeship.
2. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Mukesh is an old widower who’s looking for ways to connect with his granddaughter Priya, a very quiet girl. He thinks that books might be a key, so he makes his way to the local libary—where he ends up meeting a bored teenager named Aleisha. The two share their reading list and become good friends in the process.
3. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Another book about books, the story opens with Nora deciding to end her life, but discovering a magical library that gives her limitless chances to rewrite her life by making different choices at the crossroads in her past. Some readers describe this book as being like the novel version of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.
4. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
Margot is 83 and Lenni 17 when they meet in an art class in the hospital. Upon realizing that their ages total 100 years, they decide to create a series of paintings for each year of their lives, telling us the story of their pasts through their memories and tales.
5. Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce
Set in the midst of the World War, Emmeline Lake and her friend Bunty make every effort to help the war effort while committing to stay cheerful. When she applies for a job vacancy in the newspaper, she finds out in dismay that she’s hired to type letters for Henrietta Bird, the formidable advice columnist who insists that any unpleasant letters be thrown straight to the trash.
But when Emmy reads the desperate letters of women grieving over the need to evacuate their children, or who struggle with wrong relationships, she decides to write back to these letter writers behind her employer’s back.
6. Still Life by Sarah Winman
If you want to read about hope in the midst of the World Wars, this feel-good novel is a great choice. Ulysses meets Evelyn in Italy during the years following World War II, giving us a joyful look at love with breathtaking Tuscan landscapes and food!
7. Village School by Miss Read
Travel back in time to the English village of Fairacre, where everyone still knows everyone else, and friendly faces and good cheer are there to greet you wherever you turn. Get to know Miss Read, the schoolmistress in this feel-good series, and her rough and tumble group of lovable students.
8. The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick
This young adult book is a great way to feel good about mother-daughter relationships and friendships in general. When a few moms get together to form a book club reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, their daughters roll their eyes and are forced to get along at the once-a-month meeting.
But even though it began as a mom-imposed ritual, the reading and sharing eventually helps the four unlikely friends go through the challenges of middle school by asking themselves: What would Jo March do?
Reading Feel Good Books
Reading uplifting books is a great way to navigate the storms of life, and you come out on the other end a better, more cheerful you.
If you know someone struggling, consider gifting them one of the books in this list, and see if it doesn’t make a difference in their lives!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
