To refer to specific books as “uplifting” is, of course, subjective. What might be uplifting and/or comforting to you might not be the case for me. Indeed, while researching this very list, I had the thought that perhaps I’m too cynical a person for the assignment. But as I dug deeper, I began to realize that there are plenty of books that I’ve read that I have found uplifting or heartwarming–they might fly under the radar of what’s typically considered uplifting. I was also surprised to find a few titles I haven’t read that might actually melt my cold, bitter heart should I choose to pick them up (stay tuned).
All of which to say, the world can be a negative and overwhelming place. Who are we without the things we turn to for comfort? Be it a book, a movie, a song, or a TV show, they help us escape our hectic planet for just a moment.
In the case of books, there is no shortage of titles to choose from when it comes to comfort reads. As far as this list is concerned, I chose books that would typically fall under the label “uplifting, even if they might be absent from other lists in the same category. These would make for great next reads and/or options for those who are seeking more books like Theo of Golden or Remarkably Bright Creatures–titles that have become phenomenally popular uplifting reads.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
One could argue Elizabeth von Arnim was considerably ahead of her time. She wrote under multiple pen names or published anonymously, allegedly to avoid upstaging her aristocratic husbands. The Enchanted April is considered her most lighthearted and euphoric work, inspired by a month-long vacation the author spent in the Italian Riviera.
The novel follows four women in the 1920s who are dissatisfied with their everyday lives and meet each other through a London newspaper ad on a February afternoon, and their escape begins. Their escape? A medieval Italian castle in Portofino offering plenty of much-needed solitude. What these women don’t expect to find is a route back to themselves and their true natures, rediscovering their sense of joy in the process. If only the same transformation could be worked on their husbands.
A bestseller in both the United Kingdom and the United States, The Enchanted April has twice been adapted for film and as a Broadway play.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Growing up lonely and neglected, Lucy Hart knows a thing or two about escaping into a book. Among her favorites was the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson, a love that has grown with her into adulthood.
Now 26 and working as a teacher’s aide, she delights in sharing her love of books with her young students, especially seven-year-old orphan Christopher Lamb. Lucy wants nothing more than to adopt Christopher, if only she had the funds and the financial stability to justify it.
Just when everything feels impossible, Jack Masterson announces that he’s written a new book, but there’s a catch: there’s only one copy in existence, and the famously reclusive author is holding a contest at his home–on the real Clock Island–where he will select one winner to receive the book. Lucy is lucky enough to be chosen as one of the four contestants, but will her stroke of luck continue to maybe allow her and Christopher the lives they’ve always wanted?
If I Ruled the World by Amy Dubois Barnett
Set in Y2K-era New York City, If I Ruled the World introduces readers to Nikki Rose, the only Black editor on staff of the city’s most prestigious fashion magazine. She once thought getting her foot in the door and proving herself would be her golden ticket to one day becoming editor-in-chief. But Nikki keeps having that door slammed in her face, being repeatedly told that “Black girls don’t sell magazines.”
Determined to prove the statement wrong, Nikki leaves for a new job at Sugar, a struggling hip-hop and lifestyle magazine still beaming with potential. But nothing lasts forever, and Nikki has only six months to save Sugar and prove herself worthy of being the cultural innovator she knows herself to be.
In between staying far too late at the office and partying with Manhattan bad boys, Nikki’s biggest challenge proves to be her ex-boyfriend and ex-boss Alonzo Griffin, who is determined to destroy her and Sugar. Creating a circle of trusted confidantes along the way, Nikki has to learn to trust her own instincts before she can save anything–or anyone–else.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Patrick has always loved being a guncle, or Gay Uncle Patrick, to his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant, whenever they come to visit him in Palm Springs, or he goes home to Connecticut for the holidays. But as far as his actual caretaking skills, he doesn’t really know what he’s doing — but he’s going to have to figure it out. When Maisie and Grant suddenly lose their mother, and their father is going through a crisis of his own, Patrick has to step up and look after them as their primary guardian. Although he already has a set list of “Guncle Rules” to follow, Patrick struggles to admit that he might be out of his league on this one, having never gotten over the loss of his own great love nor his stalled acting career. Not to mention being used to a lifestyle that doesn’t usually cater to young children.
As Patrick learns the hard way that sometimes parenting isn’t as easy as weekend visits, he might also learn some valuable lessons about his own life, too.
Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth
The publisher describes this book as “for people who don’t know who they are without the books they love,” which to me is just the definition of an uplifting read.
Libby Weeks is the high-earning author of The Falling Children, a bestselling fantasy series. Only the world doesn’t actually know her as Libby; they know her as F.T. Goldhero, a pseudonym made up to protect her privacy. The world is also impatient to know how the beloved series will end.
When the last manuscript is already months overdue, Libby is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The author’s symptoms advance quickly, as does her already-crippling anxiety. After an incident in which she leaves her dog at the dog park and almost reveals her true identity to the journalist who returns him home, Libby realizes she’ll need help to bring her incredibly famous book series to a close.
That doesn’t seem like much of a problem once she turns to Peanut Bixton, a precarious 11-year-old who eats, sleeps, and breathes The Falling Children books, which provide her a sense of stability and validation in a world committed to misunderstanding her. As Libby’s memory worsens, Peanut might have to venture outside the pages of her books and learn what it really means to be a hero.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
No matter what she seems to do, Eve Brown always ends up looking like a hot mess, so she’s resigned herself to trying to act as if she has it together. But when her inability to function as a human in public ruins a costly family wedding, her parents give her an ultimatum. It’s time for Eve to grow up and start acting her age instead of her shoe size.
Jacob Wayne is someone who’s always been in control. As a bed-and-breakfast owner, he has his own steadfast plan to take over the hospitality industry, and nothing less than perfection will be accepted. So he’s not quite sure what to make of a purple-haired girl named Eve Brown who shows up to interview for an open chef position at his B&B. He turns her down, and then she hits him with her car — accidentally, of course. (Sort of.)
Now Jacob has a broken arm and is struggling to manage an already understaffed B&B, and Eve has infiltrated every last corner in an attempt to help. Before long, she will have also taken over Jacob’s spare bedroom, and the more time they spend together, the more Jacob learns that there might be value found in not having it together sometimes.
Looking for more great uplifting literature? Check out these uplifting books to read in dark times, these lighthearted classics, and read your way into the world of cozy fiction, too.