I'm so down right now, please help me find a book to read

[adaptiveness]

I'm not going into the details, but I'm not in a good place right now and I badly need a good book.

I have 5 mins to write this, so am going to be really unreasonable and just list the stuff that I can't deal with reading about right now.

No sex, suicide, romance, bad stuff happening to kids, sad endings, books that will make me think about the fucked up state of the world. No kooky, random, wet, indecisive protagonists. No 'hilarious' bad parenting.

Any genre fine: fiction, literature, sci-fi, fantasy, non-fiction, historical, comedy, biography, sport. Whatever. I just need to disappear into a good book.

Please help!

I also prescribe Wodehouse.

When I'm feeling down I love Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. 3 hapless men and a dog called Montmorency take a camping trip in a boat down the Thames, and their cluelessness gets them into various scrapes. Very gentle humour, no drama, and its such an old classic that it's very cheap on kindle/e-book.

If you hadn't said no romance, I'd have suggested Georgette Heyer.

You could try The Talisman Ring, The Tollgate or The Reluctant Widow. They are mysteries with the romance a secondary element.

The Adventures of Goodnight & Loving by Leslie Thomas. Such a feel good book. Gentle escapism.

Three Men in a Boat does have lovely gentle humour but I wouldn't recommend it to the OP as it does actually have a suicide. (Not of any of the main characters.)

The All Creatures Great and Small series was very comforting to me during a tough time. They’re about a vet in the 1930s in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Giver of Stars was an absolute joy. Not the kind of thing I'd usually pick up at all, and romance does feature, but a really lovely story that I flew through in a couple of days

The comfort book. Matt Haig

Anything by Alexander McCall Smith, especially Scotland Street Series

James Herriot, Marion Keyes, bill bryson all lift my mood

David Lodge, Nice Work (Disclaimer, bit of sex. Not romantic; knee trembler.) Feminist academic and old school factory owner end up doing exchange placements at each other's workplaces.

The man who died twice (sequel to the Thursday murder club - avoid that one given your list to avoid, but the second one is completely joyous).

And Cabin Pressure, which is nothing less than life affirming.

Notes on a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Hope you are feeling better @adaptiveness
Catherine Cooper. The Chalet and The Chateau.
I’m halfway through The Chateau, and I’m enjoying it so far.

Little Women
Party Shoes
Ballet Shoes
Anne of Green Gables

Although there is some romance, read the Court of Thorns and Roses books. Very good and absorbing.

Not Chronicles of St Mary’s!!! I’ve just read the first two and they are full of romance and sex and violence and terrible things happening. I found them tough going.

Agree with Provincial Lady series though.

Now reading The Appeal. It’s good.

@Rassy

Anything by Alexander McCall Smith, especially Scotland Street Series

The No 1 Ladies Detective series is a nice and enjoyable read.

Sarah millican how to be champion helped to get me through a very dark time, that and cake.
Sorry you’re not in a good place, I hope things improve for you soon

@RickOShay

Now reading The Appeal. It’s good.

Although the story revolves around an appeal to raise funds for a child with cancer!

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris

Mr Loverman by Bernardine Everisto. She's a mixed race author writing about the life and loves of a man who came over from the Caribbean to live here. I found it unputdownable. It's not sad. It's a rollicking read!

[quote SailYourShips]@futureghost. I'm intrigued why do you find Diary of a Nobody sad? Mr Pooter is delighted with his quiet life, he doesn't crave anything, does get everything he needs and would be shocked I'm sure to think anyone found him sad.

I've recommended it many times and this is the very first time someone has said it's sad.[/quote]
Exactly! Its a funny, warm-hearted book that has some absolutely hilarious moments. Can't believe it was written so many years ago!