Several friends have been asking me for lighthearted books to read, and I totally get it. While I tend to gravitate toward nonfiction and realistic fiction books that teach me about a different worldview, I usually follow these heavier books up with something happy and fun. Whether you have a stressful job or home life or simply need something that allows you to escape, these books will fit the bill. I also have more ideas in this post I wrote about distracting yourself during the pandemic!
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. A murder mystery book generally make my list of “fun” or lighthearted books to read. However, this book about a single mom and struggling novelist who accidentally gets involved with the Russian mob and hired to kill a woman’s abusive husband made me laugh out loud. Vero, Finlay’s nanny, has a biting wit and is honestly the best character, and the dialogue is excellent. There are four books in this series, but be warned that the final book (which was just published) is not as lighthearted as the other three and gets a bit darker.
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. People either love this book or compare it to a Hallmark greeting card. I have long loved it because it’s about the impact one teacher had on his student, even years later, and both my parents are educators. I also have fond memories of listening to the audiobook on tape as a kid when we went on roadtrips. It’s a quick read and an uplifting one. Albom’s book The Five People You Meet in Heaven may actually be my favorite.
The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella. I can always count on Sophie Kinsella’s books to deliver great dialogue and outrageous situations, and this one was SO funny. Effie’s parents got divorced two years earlier, and she hates her father’s new girlfriend. She finds out that her parents are selling the home she grew up in, but she is not invited to the last hurrah at the house because of her feud with Krista, the girlfriend. Rather than swallow her pride and show up anyway to be with her family, Effie decides to sneak into the house to find a treasure she hid there before it’s gone forever. She also meets her ex-love, Joe, and has to deal with those feelings. I am not making this book sound great, but I promise that it’s hilarious and sweet and just what you need to unwind with.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter. I have recommended this book to so many friends and also own a copy because it is the sweetest. Liz Buxbaum’s crush, Michael, moved away before she could tell him how she felt, but now he’s moved back. Since her annoying next-door neighbor, Wes, is friends with Michael, she enlists Wes to help her get Michael to notice her. Of course, she never noticed how awesome Wes has been all along. Yes, this book is predictable, but what really makes it shine is the references to ’90s romantic comedies and the banter between the characters. If you like this one, you will also love The Do-Over by the same author, which is a Groundhog-Day story where two people get to know each other by reliving Valentine’s Day again and again.
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl. I am NOT a chef or into cooking and am definitely not a foodie. But this book about New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl and her escapades at different restaurants in disguise (so she wouldn’t be recognized and would get the experience “normal” people get) was so interesting and funny at the same time. I learned a lot from this book, but it was also highly entertaining.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Normally I am all about audiobooks, but this is one you need to read to get the full impact. In this book, set in the Y2K era when people were sure that the year 2000 would break their computers, Lincoln is hired to be an internet security officer for a newsroom. Essentially, he has to read people’s emails and is supposed to write reports if people violate email policy (like sending dirty jokes or using profanity). Instead, he begins to fall in love with Beth, who has hilarious conversations with her coworker. But how can he have a relationship with someone he only knows from the emails she sends to others? READ THIS BOOK.
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. I absolutely love the film version of this play with Rupert Everett and Julianne Moore, but I hadn’t read the play until a few years ago. It’s satire about a politician whose wife thinks he is the “ideal husband” until another woman comes forward to blackmail him. If you have watched an Oscar Wilde movie or read one of his plays, you know that he is renowned for his dialogue and dark humor. Both are on full display in this book (plus, it’s short).
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon. Despite the title, this book is not about a mother and daughter who commit murder together. It’s actually about a snarky, self-absorbed grandma (don’t worry — her character evolves) who moves in with her daughter and granddaughter while going through cancer treatments. Her granddaughter works at a kayak tour company and is questioned when a man is found dead in the water under suspicious circumstances. Luckily, the grandma is determined to prove her granddaughter’s innocence and figure out who the murderer is. The mystery in this story isn’t the most difficult to solve, but I loved the relationship between the three women.
City Spies by James Ponti. Sometimes it’s refreshing to read mysteries where nothing gruesome happens. In this fun young adult series, tweens and teens that are orphaned and abandoned are adopted by “Mother,” the man in charge of their division of the British Intelligence Agency. Each of the kids goes by a code name based on the city they lived in when they were discovered (Brooklyn, Rio, Sydney, Paris, and so on). They also have different skills that make them assets as spies. I love these quick reads as refreshers in between heavier books.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. I absolutely ADORE Liane Moriarty for the characters and relationships in her books, but some of her stories are heavier than others. While this one does have characters facing divorce, it’s actually very light and uplifting. Alice hits her head at the gym and can’t remember the last 10 years of her life. Now, instead of being 29 and pregnant with her first child, she is 39, has three kids, and has strained relationships with her husband and other family members. This was the first Liane Moriarty book I read and still one of my favorites.
This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick. This is a nonfiction book, but I love its hopeful message about making the place where you live feel like home. Whether you move frequently or are struggling to find a connection to your community, this book can help you make the most of your city. I read this probably 10 years ago but still think about it often and try to live by its principles (like shopping local and attending community events).
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This is the ultimate comfort book, about a London woman who unexpectedly connects with a community on Guernsey (an English Channel island) after WWII. If you like books written in letters, you’ll love this one. My one complaint about this book is that the original author died before finishing it and her niece wrote the ending, so I feel it ends pretty abruptly. Still, it’s definitely worth including on a list of lighthearted books to read. Also, the Netflix movie is just as good if not BETTER than the book!
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson. If you loved the movie Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock (and what ’90s/’00s teen didn’t), you will love this funny story about a woman who has to trade places with her identical twin sister to compete in a beauty pageant when the other sister has an allergic reaction. Of course Charlotte is a librarian and NOT into beauty pageants at all, but she learns that there’s more to them than what meets the eye.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. OK, I realize that people have a complicated relationship with Gretchen Rubin, and I get it. She is a privileged white lady living in New York City with the means to go to restaurants and museums and take herself on adventures. Friends who are dealing with serious health or money issues might want to avoid this one for now. However, I had to include this in a list of lighthearted books to read because Rubin does have some great ideas for getting yourself out of a rut. Just remind yourself that it’s also OK to stay home and eat all the leftover Easter candy because you can’t afford to travel. You do you.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Let me preface this by saying DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE. Or if you have already watched the movie, consider them as two separate and unrelated pieces and then read the book. Yes, it’s a retelling of Cinderella, but it’s charming and wonderful and will lift your spirits.
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel. This collection of essays is basically one big love letter to all the readers out there who set off the airbag alarms in their cars by having too many books stacked in the passenger seat. It will make you remember why you love to read — or why you once loved reading and can love it again.
I am planning a separate post with light romance books since I realized that needs its own category, but I’d love to hear about your favorite lighthearted books to read! We all need to take a break from the heavy now and then.
