“Happy” Books
After reading and discussing Of Women and Salt, several members of the Sandcastle Book Club remarked that they were ready to read some “happy” books. While I agree with them, I’m not sure what a happy book is. I recently read two books that are certainly light in nature and touted to be ‘feel good’–Anxious People by Fredrik Backman and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Neither of these books made me feel happy. Maybe I’m too ‘anxious’, but I worried about the disfunction of the characters until the end, until I realized that things were mostly going to work out well.
I’ve done a bit of research and have a few new books to suggest that are said to be ‘heartwarming.’ Perhaps that is a better description of what we are looking for than the term ‘happy’ or ‘feel good.’
The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray–In this book, the protagonist Amy Ashton is in a bad spot. She has let her artistic talent go to waste while her entire life is somewhat ‘on hold’ due to an emotional trauma that she won’t allow herself to process. (Doesn’t sound heartwarming yet, does it?) Now to the good part–a new family moves in next door to her and draws her into their sphere whether she likes if or not. The rest is the ‘hearwarming’ part. Does this character remind you of Ove?
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams–A man named Mukesh lives a lonely life in London until he discovers a reading list accidentally left inside a library book. While the outcome is very predictable, book lovers will delight in a story that celebrates the transforming power of books
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin–Yes, this book is about honey bees. Set in Oregon, three equally lost souls band together to save a population of honey bees that are threatened by a local pesticide.
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan–For those who enjoy the “The Great British Baking Show”, The Kitchen Front will be delightful. During WWII, the BBC decides to host a cooking contest. The winner will be the host of a British baking show. To make the contest harder than it should be, the contestants are challenged to use the meager rations afforded during the war.
I think we all look for lighter books at times and still we want some substance. I have enjoyed several of Elizabeth Berg’s books which seem to fit the criteria and Fanny Flagg’s books usually have a humorous take on small town life and problems. Often books about book shops and book clubs are heartwarming. The Storied Life of A. J. Fickery, The Last Bookshop in London, and The Jane Austen Book Club come to mind.
Although I have not read her books I enjoy checking out author Barbara Delinsky’s reviews at https://barbaradelinsky.com/book-review/ because she reads a variety of books including some lighter ones. I am interested in a recent recommendation The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. I seem to watch for books about “women of a certain age” these days,