Hopeful books for dark days
When the world feels increasingly dark and hopeless, sometimes the best remedy is to put your phone down and read something that reminds you of the goodness and hope that is all around.
Yet we know that finding an uplifting read is often easier said than done. To help give you a place to start, we’ve picked out some of our favourite books – old and new, fiction and non-fiction – that have brought us light and hope in dark days.
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All Fours by Miranda July
A hilarious and profound reminder that reinvention and fresh starts are for anyone. A forty-five-year-old artist embarks on a spontaneous quest for freedom, encompassing sexuality, menopause, domestic life, and beyond.
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Dear Neighbour by Jane Claire Bradley
A cosy read to devour in one sitting, about friendship and the power of community. A street full of neighbours in Leeds, of all ages and backgrounds, comes together to take action against the threat of eviction.
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Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
Both bittersweet and laugh-out-loud funny, this charming novel gently and hilariously observes the little things of life as Jane settles into Boyne City, Michigan and learns to love its eclectic residents.
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Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
If you have ever been disheartened by the belief that humans are selfish by nature, let Rutger Bregman convince you of a new argument that will leave you feeling more hopeful about the human race.
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Let the Light Pour In by Lemn Sissay
Swap out the morning doomscrolling and welcome in each day with a poem. This collection is life-affirming and defiantly joyful, created through Lemn Sissay’s resilience in the face of his own battle with the dark.
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Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands
This working-class story defies expectation with its focus on joy and resilience. A teenage girl with undiagnosed ADHD in a deprived Scottish town searches for love, acceptance and a way in the world.
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Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
A TV script writer thinks she’s over romance – life is not a romantic comedy. But an unlikely love interest upends all her assumptions in this witty and wise tale of how the heart will follow itself.
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The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
In an increasingly divided world, be reminded of the importance of empathy in politics through Obama’s powerful reflections on his hopes for a different America, written two years before he was elected President.
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
As Nora is about to give up, she gets the miraculous opportunity to try out each of the other lives she might have lived. This novel is a light at the end of the tunnel and a healing balm to languishing, regret and could-have-beens.
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The Offing by Benjamin Myers
A beautiful and tender ode to life and small pleasures, set during one summer following WW2 as a young man forms an unlikely friendship with an eccentric woman in a Northern coastal town.
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These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Spend time in the company of beloved author Ann Patchett through heartfelt and profound essays. Each deeply personal moment is transformed into universal reflections that let us see our own lives through new eyes.
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Wintering by Katherine May
A poignant meditation on the ebb and flow of life, and a comforting encouragement to engage in the beautiful and transformative power of rest and retreat during our fallow ‘winter’ seasons.
