If You Love a Book That Feels Like a Hug, Read These Novels

Happy Blue Monday, everyone!

Today is what’s known in the UK as Blue Monday — officially the most depressing day of the year. If you’ve ever spent January in this country, it’ll be obvious why: with the twinkly lights packed up, we’ve got months of darkness and gloom still ahead.

And if you’re in the US — or, indeed, if you’re even vaguely aware of what’s happening there and how it may come to impact the whole planet — you may well have additional reasons for feeling gloomy today.

If you need a hug, and books are where you find comfort, I’ve got some recommendations for you here. Their covers happen to be mostly blue, but that’s a coincidence!

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

This one was on a lot of people’s Best Of 2024 lists, and having just finished it today, I can certainly see why. It’s a thoroughly absorbing read about a woman who, struggling with depression after her divorce, heads to a seaside hotel with the goal of taking her own life — but instead gets caught up in the lives of other guests there, who are all gathered for a lavish wedding. The writing is excellent — I underlined so many insightful sentences — and the characters are vividly drawn. This is one book that really deserved the hype — and it’s life-affirming, too.

Bookshop UK | Bookshop US | Blackwell’s

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

This was my first Katherine Center book, and it’s made me a fan of hers for life. It’s about love, and chosen family, and facing your fears, and opting for joy not despite the realities of life but because of them. It’s also a little bit about the power of books. I thought it such a welcome relief to find a book that faces up to the fact that sometimes life is crappy and breaks your heart, but that in the middle of it all, choosing hope is an option, and it’s the best one. Like Sam — like many of us! — I long to be looked after and to belong. Honestly, if I let myself really think about this book, it could change a lot about my life.

Bookshop UK | Bookshop US | Blackwell’s

Queuing for the Queen by Swéta Raina

I haven’t seen anything like enough love for this compassionate, emotionally intelligent book. It’s not really about the queen, so don’t let that put you off if you’re not a royalist. Rather, it’s about the people that a national event like her funeral throws together — humanity in all its messy combinations. At the heart of this story are a mother and a daughter who’ve never understood each other, and how this extended time together brings them closer, as we learn more about each of them and their struggles and stories. A lovely, uplifting, and emotionally complex read.

Bookshop US | Bookshop UK | Blackwell’s | Libro FM

Want more?

More books that feel like a hug can be found here (US) and here (UK).

Feedback is welcome on the format of this newsletter, and please feel free to comment with the thing you love, so I can recommend relevant books for you!

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