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Original poster

Recommendations for cheery/uplifting books

37 replies

KingLooieCatz · 03/02/2017 12:51

Might settle for not depressing!

Since getting a Kindle last year I have realized I'm not sure what kind of book I enjoy anymore. I spend an hour and a half to two hours on public transport most days so I can get through a book a week.

A friend recommended the Earthsea books, which were okay up to appoint but they are bit of a downer.

I've taken some notes off the other thread about the best books people read last year too. I don't think it has to be easy reading necessarily, mild peril can be tolerated along the way but could we end on some sort of cheery/uplifting note?

Any suggestions?

OP posts:
Resideria · 03/02/2017 14:06

I find anything by Alexander McCall Smith uplifting.

Sadik · 03/02/2017 14:06

Just thinking, on the 50 books threads one that pretty much everyone seems to like (can't think of a single negative review) is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
Plus, a bit of a random one, but The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage had me giggling away like a maniac. It's a graphic novel, but there's actually at least as much text as comic IYSWIM (even the footnotes have footnotes)

Original poster
KingLooieCatz · 03/02/2017 13:50

I've just realized the Harper Hall trilogy is by Anne McAffrey. I've added Dragonflight and Just One Damned thing after another.

More suggestions welcome!

OP posts:
Lucysdiamonds · 03/02/2017 13:50

Ooh yes I love a book about inheriting derelict something and turning it around!

Not about that, but have you read Lisa Jewell, The House we Grew Up In? It fascinated me ... if you've a kindle maybe download a sample chapter?

I read quite a few of the M C Beaton books too, but got fed up.

I've been rereading the Adrian Mole books a bit and also liked her books Number Ten and The Queen and I ... don't know if you've tried them, but I found them quite funny.

weebarra · 03/02/2017 13:49

I've read all the Jodi Taylor books and really enjoyed them. There are a few dark bits but they are few and far between.

Theknitwitch · 03/02/2017 13:48

Also recommend the Jodi Taylor series. A surprising find on audible originally, but now following the whole chronicles.

Original poster
KingLooieCatz · 03/02/2017 13:45

Re-reading that might look like I think there is a whole genre that revolves around inheriting derelict cafe's. I meant that as an example of what I mean by "turning things around" and an extension of rags to riches.

OP posts:
Original poster
KingLooieCatz · 03/02/2017 13:42

Thanks Sadik. I used to read Anne McAffrey as a teen so I could re-visit them. I'll look at Harper Hall trilogy too.

Lucy I lived and breathed "Jonathan Strange and Dr Norrell", probably my favourite book for a while although not that cheery really, I just got totally lost in it.

I went through a lot of MC Beaton murder mysteries when they were going cheap but got fed up that you could never guess whodunnit anyway so it felt a bit pointless.

When I first got the Kindle I re-visited the horsey genre, typically aimed at teens. That is a fairly bottomless barrel but they can be quite same-y and can get good reviews even if they are badly done. I love a story about turning things around, e.g. the horsey books where a scrappy school girl rescues a horse from the knackers yard, and they end up showjumping at the Olympics.

Similarly, rags to riches type stuff, or unexpectedly inheriting a derelict café and bringing it back to life. I used to read Louise Bagshawe, but I think I have read everything she's ever written.

I'm up for trying something new, just don't want to get to the end and its just as bleak as the beginning and the middle. E.g. the Booker short-listed "His Bloody Project", which I got as I knew someone who knew the publisher. I found it surprisingly easy to read but pretty miserable. Felt totally inconclusive to me, I might have missed the point.

OP posts:
girlandboy · 03/02/2017 13:34

How about "Just One Damned Thing After Another" by Jodi Taylor? A bit of everything there, mild peril, adventurous, mystery, humour. Everyone I know who has read the series agrees that they're a hoot Smile

Sadik · 03/02/2017 13:24

If you like old-school light fantasy, I always enjoy the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey when I want something not too heavy. The Harper Hall trilogy is particularly good - plenty of mild peril along the way but a good old fashioned happy ending.

Lucysdiamonds · 03/02/2017 13:09

Watching for tips too ... I need something uplifting and something to ease me back into reading .. I struggle to concentrate due to depression.

What sort of books have you enjoyed in the past? What genres do you like?

Diamondsandpears · 03/02/2017 13:05

Sounds good. Watching for tips.

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