Having had a bad or lonely day, who wouldn’t want to find something to do that makes them forget reality and simply have a nice time? But apart from scouring through Netflix and Prime Video looking for movies or shows to watch, you can also give books a chance as it gives you the privilege of imagining everything in your head as you read. In other words, you can create your own movie or visual adaptations of the books you read right in your head!
Now let us shift focus to the ‘feel-good’ portion of this article and dive into the list of feel-good books that can put a smile on your face!
1.Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul
Chicken Soup for the Soul is a popular book series that comprises heartwarming short stories that you would wish were true if you read them. And fortunately they are real as these stories are personal accounts of people from different walks of life. These stories are rich in kindness, encouragement, help and generosity exchanged among people.
With the Indian souls having a lot of short stories to share, this popular series has dedicated the book ‘Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul' to the Indian readers and writers. This book contains short stories written by Indian souls that would definitely put a smile on your face. The genre of feel-good books would remain meaningless without this book. Or the entire series of Chicken Soup books for that matter.
2. Everyone has a story to tell- By Savy Sharma
When 4 separate lives intertwine with each other, it need not always result in a crime thriller. It could also become a heartwarming union. ‘Everyone has a story to tell’ follows the lives of four different individuals with different desires and dreams. As the story goes on they form a strong connection and help each other in the pursuit of their dreams. As readers you will find yourself rooting for their success and relationships with each other.
The incidents in the story are very relatable, giving you the sense of comfort in knowing that you are never alone with your negative feelings. Thus it becomes an important addition to the segment of feel-good books. Like the previous entry on this list,this book is also a part of a series so you can follow this up with the sequels if you liked it.
3. A man called Ove
‘A man called Ove’ follows a man in his late 50s who’s most obvious possession is his sour attitude. He seems to dislike everything and tries to avoid confrontation with his neighbours everyday. As he awaits the final days of his life, the story unfolds in a way that the readers are left with love and admiration for this man named Ove.
This feel-good book could be your company during the days filled with feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. If you let it. You might also start admiring your own life alongside the lovable character of this story!
4. The Namesake- By Jhumpa Lahiri
Relocating to a new location can be a stressful and scary experience. Excluding the benefits of seeing and experiencing new things, it brings with it a host of challenges in the form of language barriers, unknown cultural backgrounds, and foreign beliefs. The book ‘The Namesake’ highlights this struggle as it focuses on a family originating from Calcutta who shifted to Massachusetts and went through everything that you can expect after traveling half the way across the world and trying to fit in.
Just like a good song that comforts you as it’s lyrics resonate the instances in your life, this feel-good book also reassures you that it understands and relates to your feeling of being left out in an unfamiliar society. It’s coverage of themes such as generation gap, coming of age and self identity are the icing on the cake.
5. The hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared
Upon reaching the brink of his life by his age, yet being strong and energetic in his heart. A 100 year old man embarks on a unique journey to escape his 100th year birthday celebration! The story rightfully begins by justifying the long title. However what follows is not only what happens afterwards, but also a journey heading back towards the important events of the 20th century in which the man has played important roles.
This synopsis indeed reminds us of the movie Forrest Gump. It can be considered as the Swedish and written version of the movie which leans more on the humorous side of the line.
So these are some of the feel-good books that are written to spread the feel-good vibes among readers. Sky is the limit when it comes to the sources from where you can buy these books. After-all, you have the internet in your hands!
Happy feel-good reading!
