Nice, cheery books to read in hospital

[Growingboys]

I am going into hospital for a routine op and want easy to read (but not crap) books that are positive in tone as general anaesthetics make me feel sad.

Eg Eleanor Oliphant. Or can be more literary than that, but must be relatively easy to read and not sad or scary.

All recommendations very welcome!

The Secret Garden

Rumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer

Perhaps worth looking at Ruth Hogan's books?

The No 1. Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.

Gentle stories with a feel good message. I love them.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Old childhood favourites

Jane Austen

Cold comfort farm

PG Wodehouse

Little Village School series by Gervase Phinn

Monica Dickens, especially No More Meadows, One Pair of Hands, One Pair of Feet and My Turn to Make the Tea.

Just finished happily chortling my way through 'Born Lippy: How to do Female' by Jo Brand. Cheered me right up.

I admit I have no idea who Eleanor Oliphant is, or what her books a like?

I love James herriot novels about the trials and tribulations of a Yorkshire vet in the 1930's. Funny, lighthearted and partly non-fiction.

Just finished Bill Bryson- Notes from a small island, about his travels around the UK. I'm not sure which country you are in, but he also has books about travels in Australia and the US also.

I really love Middlemarch, I read it or bits of it when I am sad... i appreciate it’s a bit of an undertaking but it’s honestly beautiful (if you can wade through the first 30 pages).

The Secret Life Of Bees
A Brief History Of Tractors in Ukrainian

Thank you all for some really lovely ideas, I shall google them this morning once I've got the children off to school.

I took The Horse and His Boy in, so a vote for childhood favourites.
Having said that, bill bryson down under actually made me do uncontrolled muttley laughing on a train when I read it first, so that’s a good one too, he writes physical humour very well I find.

The salt path by raynor Winn.

Jilly copper rutshire books
Another vote for No1 ladies detective agency books

I really recommend the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard - 5 books about the Cazalet family
The first book is called Light Years

James Herriot = excellent suggestion

People always recommend PG Wodehouse when similar questions are asked on here. I concur!

Also At Home: A Short History of Private Life which is both informative and has some laugh out loud moments.

Diary of a Provincial Lady by EM Delafield and sequels.

Re Wodehouse: whilst there is (obviously) Jeeves and Wooster, don't forget Blandings!

Oh dear, I forgot to say that At Home is by Bill Bryson

Whenever I want to cheer up a friend I send them one of the Vinyl Cafe series by Stuart McLean. They are stories of family life set in Canada. The husband runs a second hand record store (The Vinyl Cafe) and his wife works in the theatre. They are laugh out loud funny and very warm.

Our Spoons came from Woolworths by Barbara Comyns - quirky and rather wonderful

These are all lovely. I have read several and they're great but intend to read the rest as I recuperate.

Thank you all

More votes for Wodehouse, James Herriot, Cold Comfort Farm, and No1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Can I add Nancy Mitford and Muriel Spark to the list?