Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
TS Eliot was wrong when he said that April is the cruellest month – he’d clearly never experienced the nightmare that is returning to work in January after weeks of scoffing mince pies and knocking back too many Baileys.
With the enthusiasm of the festive season long gone, January can feel bleak and never-ending, not helped by the pavements lined with discarded Christmas trees and the pressure of your New Year’s resolutions tugging away at your conscience.
But although the days might be feeling longer than ever, and the January blues may be encroaching, an uplifting book can offer you a much-need escape.
Whether you’re looking to expand your mind, complete a New Year’s reading challenge, or simply distract yourself from the chilly, soggy realities January has to offer, these books are sure to soothe you (at least mentally) for a day or two.
Below are 12 uplifting books to get you through the remainder of the month.
What You Are Looking For is in The Library – Michiko Aoyama
There is something irresistibly comforting about reading stories about books and libraries, especially ones that promise us a good old happy ending. Michiko Aoyama’s Japanese novel is about an enigmatic librarian who isn’t just a reader of stories, but a reader of people: Sayuri Komachi alters the lives of her visitors by recommending them the perfect book. What You Are Looking For is in The Library is charming, wise and full of life lessons.
Grown Ups – Marian Keyes
Still reeling after spending Christmas with dysfunctional family members? Find solace in Marian Keyes’ pithy portrayal of a less than straightforward, unconventional group of relatives. Keyes’ story of three brothers with overlapping, complicated families is as entertaining as it is heartening and her sharp observations, and quick one liners will induce many belly laughs.
Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom
It is impossible to read Tuesdays with Morrie without ending up drenched in your own tears while questioning your existence – in a good way, I promise. The Morrie of the title is the author’s old professor, who has ALS. Throughout the book, Albom shares Morrie’s enormously profound reflections on his own life, shaped by the knowledge that the end of his life is imminent. Tuesdays asks us to think, reflect, and act on the time we have left.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Have you ever wondered what you would change if you could go back in time? One coffee shop in Tokyo offers its customers the chance to do exactly that in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s gentle adventure. Before the Coffee Gets Cold explores the human need for second chances, and is the perfect accompaniment for your dreary commute.
Small Pleasures – Clare Chambers
Feeling down because your love life’s on the brink? It could be worse. You could be Jean Swinney, a 40-year-old local reporter living with her mother in an inescapable post-war suburbia. But when she starts embracing the “small pleasures” in her small-town life, Clare Chambers’ spirited protagonist finds her perspective slowly begins to shift . It’s a pleasing reminder that a simple and unhurried life can be immensely fulfilling.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
It’s hard not to fall for the refreshingly ordinary heroine of this novel. Eleanor Oliphant’s life is simple, her weeks filled by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone calls with “Mummy”. This is a story to restore your faith in simple human kindness, and has many sympathetic laughs along the way. It’s an essential read to elevate your mood as the temperatures drop.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist wonders what happens when an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel embarks on a journey in search of worldly treasure. Paulo Coelho’s novel, which topped bestseller lists in 74 countries worldwide, is renowned for its philosopher-like musings. Considered a modern classic, the Brazilian novelist’s fable is insightful and emotive – and is sure to stay with you for years to come.
I Feel Bad about My Neck – Nora Ephron
It’s no surprise that the beloved writer of Nineties romantic comedies When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle is just as brilliant on the page as the screen. Ephron walks us through her life’s crises and challenges with wit and warmth, covering everything from hating your handbag to trying to replicate that Hungarian cabbage strudel you ate 23 years ago.
I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You – Miranda Hart
From national treasure Miranda Hart comes a heartwarming tale of her self-discovery after years of suffering from undiagnosed Lyme disease. We follow Hart as she sets out to uncover her “unique identity” and “true, wild self”, and her tale is punctuated by her signature comedic flair. I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You is a dynamic manifesto to living authentically.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
You don’t need to be a keen gamer to indulge yourself in Gabrielle Zevin’s Gen X love story. This novel will transport you to a world of nostalgia where dying doesn’t have to mean death, and there is always a chance to start over. Zevin’s exploration of friendship, disability, and the need for connection creates a fresh dynamic that’s unlike anything you’ve read before. Sian Heder, director of the Best Picture-winning CODA, is adapting it for the screen.
Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
A few years back, it felt as if you couldn’t enter a book shop without a towering pile of Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel catching your eye – and it’s still worth the hype. Lessons in Chemistry is the ultimate feel-good novel, and sees our heroine Elizabeth Zott triumph against a misogynistic Sixties society. It’s the perfect remedy to the January blues – and so is the accompanying Apple TV+ adaptation starring Brie Larson.
Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout
We are all complicated people, it’s no secret. But Strout’s novel makes you consider how your actions might reverberate through the lives of those around you. Characters are realistically moulded and tragically flawed. This book is a collage of stories that shows there are always moments of redemption among the humdrum of everyday existence.
This post was originally published on here
