25 feel-good novels for winter nights in: from Greek myths to tales of a feminist utopia – iNews

No one needs a reason to pick up a book. But now that its getting darker earlier, theres no reason not to lose yourself in another world far from real life. And what better escape than fiction that makes you feel better when you emerge the other side? Feel-good fiction or up lit doesnt have to mean saccharine; sometimes its worth working a little for that hit of optimism. Enjoy, and see you in the spring.

Jenny Colgan, Sphere, 14.99

Out of work, Carmen is lured to Edinburgh by her sister and the offer of work at a little bookshop. But the bookshop is struggling to survive. Can Carmen save it? A seasonal heart-warmer.

Michle Roberts, Sandstone Press, 14.99

This colourful take on a family mystery is a transporting read back to early 50s Provence, where three women are breaking free from village life. Two wind up helping out an ailing Henri Matisse. Vibrant and engrossing.

Claire Keegan, Faber & Faber, 10

Set in the run-up to Christmas in 1985 Ireland, this slim novel is a story of redemption. Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant and father of five daughters, emerges as a tender hero.

Susie Boyt, Virago, 16.99

A story about a mother struggling with an addict daughter who cant look after her baby might sound an unlikely feel-good candidate, but this powerful study of love will keep you reading. Just beautiful.

Joshua Ferris, Viking, 16.99

Charlie is a dreamer who, told he has cancer, looks back at his life, including five wives, four children, 40 jobs and constant debt. But he never gave up and neither will any reader.

Beth OLeary, Quercus, 12.99

A grieving young woman and her grandmother swap homes as they try to shake up their lives the former moving to a little village in the Yorkshire Dales after the death of her sister; the latter to a London flat, in pursuit of love.

Lauren Groff, William Heinemann, 16.99

A tale about a feminist utopia of 12th-century nuns headed by the visionary Marie, who is based on the writer Marie de France. An uplifting novel in its own unique way, and up there with Groffs best work.

Marlowe Granados, Verso, 10.99

There is plenty of vicarious pleasure to be had from this coming-of-age debut about two young women navigatinga summer in New York with little cash but plenty of wit and hedonistic verve.

Val McDermid, Little, Brown, 20

Thrillers dont usually make feel-good lists, but theres no reason why the first in this new crime series shouldnt. With a strong female reporter holding her own in a male-dominated world, there is plenty to take heart from.

Lucy Mangan, Profile Books, 16.99

This romp through the chaos of family life will have you wincing and rejoicing in equal measure as Liz battles through a year on a quest to grab a moment just one would do to herself.

Katherine Heiny, Fourth Estate, 14.99

This is a charming and tender tale about the messiness of modern love and unconventional family life. Bittersweet and wry, this is a gem from the bestselling author of Standard Deviation.

Jonathan Coe, Penguin, 8.99

A sweeping story about an unlikely friendship between a Hollywood film director Billy Wilder and a Greek teenager who wants to break free from what she knows. It is also a story of second acts. A novel to cherish.

Cathy Rentzenbrink, Phoenix, 14.99

This first novel from the accomplished memoirist is set on a moneyed west London street. The plot follows a handful of families as they navigate grief and friendship and keeping going, which can be the hardest thing of all.

Clare Chambers, Orion, 8.99

Witty and sharp, this is a crisply written tale of romantic anguish and daughterly duty. Jean, a frustrated reporter who lives with her mother, takes her small pleasures where she can, but this is one big pleasure to read.

Elif Shafak, Viking, 14.99

If an epic story about a divided country, which opens with the death of a mother and a grieving father, sounds an unlikely candidate for an uplifting read, remember that love comes in different guises.

Marika Cobbold, Arcadia, 14.99

Funny and darkly surprising, this is a heart-warming mystery about honesty in the age of social media, as a journalist fabricates a good-news story then goes in search of the truths behind it.

Elizabeth Strout, Viking, 14.99

It is uplifting to watch Lucy Barton who Strout fans will know from an earlier novel rekindle her friendship with her ex-husband. This isnt a classic feel-good novel, but is all the richer for it.

Charlotte McConaghy, Vintage, 8.99

Franny Stone is tracking the last of the Arctic terns on what may be their final migration to Antarctica in this cli-fi book about wild animals disappearing from the natural world. Will she find them? And can we save them?

Pat Barker, Hamish Hamilton, 18.99

The material might be harsh and bleak but there is something uplifting about finally hearing the Greek myths from a womans perspective. Briseis is a marvel of a heroine, brave, clever, loyal, and Barker is a wondrous storyteller.

Sammy Wright, And Other Stories, 10

Youll have to buckle in for the ride, but this rewarding debut by a secondary school teacher is about a modern-day Cinderella, plucked from her foster home into a dazzling new London life. Its tough, yet ultimately hopeful.

Meg Mason, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 14.99

Sharply observed and darkly hilarious, this story about love, mental illness and sisterly bonds scales all the highs and lows of life. Sensitive, deeply heartfelt and utterly captivating.

Ruth Jones, Transworld, 8.99

An uplifting tear-jerker from the Gavin & Stacey screenwriter about the highs and lows of three childhood friends as they navigate life, work, marriage, children, death, arguments and reconciliation.

Beth Morrey, HarperCollins, 8.99

Prickly and resentful, 79-year-old Missy is destined to spend the rest of her life alone until she makes two friends who give her a second chance at life, proving its never too late for a new beginning.

Ilona Bannister, Hodder & Stoughton, 14.99

When the Twin Towers collapsed, Gigi fled her office, New York and her life, ditching her husband and children. Ten years on, the story resumes. Loss, grief, love and motherhood: this has it all, plus lots of sassy humour.

Marianna Cronin, Doubleday, 14.99

At just 17 years old, Lenni has terminal cancer. Stuck in hospital, she meets 83-year-old Margot, who is on the next ward. Together, they paint their life stories. Fiercely tender.

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25 feel-good novels for winter nights in: from Greek myths to tales of a feminist utopia - iNews