13 books that reconcile with life

These books can bring a smile or a tear, and not all of them are easy reading. But each leaves a bright feeling, faith in people and acceptance of life as it is, with pain and joy, difficulties and light pouring from kind hearts.

1. Fannie Flagg «Paradise is somewhere near»

An elderly and very independent farmer, Elner Shimfizl, falls down the stairs while trying to collect figs for jam. The doctor in the hospital declares death, the inconsolable niece and her husband are worried and preparing for the funeral. And here, one after another, the secrets of Aunt Elner’s life begin to be revealed — her kindness and unexpected determination, her willingness to help and faith in people.

It is worth finding out for yourself how the story ended, absorbing page after page of inexhaustible optimism, gentle humor, slight sadness and philosophical acceptance of life. And for those who «went» this book, you can not stop — Fanny Flagg has many good novels, on the pages of which the whole world appears, several generations of people, and everything is so intertwined that after reading several you can feel a real relationship with these lovely characters.

2. Owens Sharon, Mulberry Street Tea Room

A cozy cafe with very good desserts becomes the epicenter of events in the fate of different people. We get acquainted with the heroes of the book, each of whom has his own pain, his own joy and, of course, his own dream. Sometimes they seem naive, sometimes we plunge into empathy, leafing through page after page …

But life is so different. And everything will turn out for the better one way or another. At least not in this heartfelt Christmas story.

3. Kevin Milne «Six pebbles for happiness»

How many good deeds do you need to do a day to feel like a good person in the bustle of work and worries? The hero of the book believed that at least six. Therefore, it was precisely so many pebbles that he put in his pocket as a reminder of what was really important to him.

A touching, kind, sad and bright story about people’s lives, about how to show wisdom, compassion and save love.

4. Burrows Schaeffer Book and Potato Peel Pie Club

Finding herself almost by accident on the island of Guernsey shortly after the war, Mary Ann lives with its inhabitants during the recent events of World War II. On a small piece of land, which few people knew about, people rejoiced and were afraid, betrayed and saved, lost face and retained their dignity. This is a story about life and death, the amazing power of books and, of course, about love. The book was filmed in 2018.

5. Katherine Banner «House at the End of the Night»

Another island — this time in the Mediterranean Sea. Even more closed, even more forgotten by everyone on the mainland. Katherine Banner wrote a family saga in which several generations are born and die, love and hate, lose and find loved ones. And if we add to this the special atmosphere of Castellammare, the temperament of its inhabitants, the peculiarities of feudal relations, the sound of the sea and the tart aroma of limoncella, then the book will give the reader another life, unlike everything that surrounds now.

6. Markus Zusak «The Book Thief»

Germany during World War II. Ideology dictates one thing, and the impulses of the soul — quite another. This is the time when people faced the hardest moral choice. And not all Germans were ready to lose their humanity, submitting to general pressure and mass insanity.

This is a difficult, heavy book that can shake the soul. But at the same time, she also gives light feelings. Understanding that the world is not divided into black and white, and life is unpredictable, and among the darkness, horror and cruelty, a sprout of kindness can break through.

7. Frederick Backman

At first it may seem that this is a children’s book, or at least a story for easy family reading. But do not be deceived — through the deliberate naivety and fairy tale motifs, a completely different outline of the plot appears — serious and sometimes frightening. Out of love for her granddaughter, a very unusual grandmother created a whole world for her, where fantasies are intertwined with reality.

But by the last page, having managed to shed a tear and smile, you can feel how the puzzle is being put together and what secret the little heroine actually had to discover. And again: if someone liked this book, then Buckman has more, no less life-affirming ones, for example, “Britt-Marie Was Here,” the heroine of which migrated from the pages of the first novel.

8. Rosamund Pilcher «On Christmas Eve»

Each person is a whole world. Everyone has their own story. And it is not at all necessary that it contains operetta villains or fatal dramatic passion. Life, as a rule, consists of fairly simple events. But sometimes they are enough to lose yourself and be unhappy. Five heroes, each with their own sadness, gathered on Christmas Eve in Scotland. This meeting gradually changes them.

The book is very atmospheric and immerses the reader into the winter life of a Scottish manor with its features and color. Describing the setting, smells, and all that one would feel once there enhances the sense of presence. The novel will appeal to those who love a peaceful and measured reading, setting up a calm acceptance and a philosophical attitude to life in all its diversity.

9. Jojo Moyes «Silver Bay»

The popular and highly prolific author specializes in literary «cocktails» of love, riddles, outrageous injustice, dramatic misunderstandings, conflicting characters, and the hope of a happy ending. And in this novel, he succeeded once again. The heroines, a girl and her mother, are visiting or hiding on the opposite continent from their native England.

Silvery Bay on the Australian coast is a unique place in every respect where you can meet dolphins and whales, where special people live and, at first glance, it seems completely safe. The book, partly reminiscent of the classic love story, raises important social issues related to conservation and domestic violence. The language is easy and read in one breath.

10. Helen Russell “Hygge, or Cozy Happiness in Danish. How I spoiled myself with “snails” for a whole year, dined by candlelight and read on the windowsill”

Leaving damp London and a prestigious job in a glossy magazine, the heroine, following her husband and dog, goes to no less damp Denmark, where she gradually comprehends the intricacies of hygge — a kind of Danish art of being happy.

She continues to write, and thanks to this we can learn how the happiest country in the world lives, how the social system works, in connection with which the Danes leave work early, what kind of upbringing helps to develop creative thinking and inner freedom in children, for which Sundays everyone stays at home and why their snails with raisins are so delicious. Some secrets can be adopted for our lives — after all, winter is the same everywhere, and simple human joys are the same in Scandinavia and in the next apartment.

11. Narine Abgaryan «Manyunya»

This story is somewhat out of the whole series, but, having already read the first chapter, it is easy to understand why it is the most life-affirming. And even if the reader’s childhood did not pass in a small and proud town in the Caucasus Gorge and he was no longer an October and pioneer and does not remember the word “deficiency”, each of the stories collected here will remind you of the best moments, give joy and cause a smile, and sometimes and a fit of laughter.

The heroines are two girls, one of whom grows up in a large family with a desperately hooligan sister, and the other is Ba’s only granddaughter, whose character and educational methods add a special poignancy to the whole story. This book is about the times when people of different nationalities were friends, and mutual support and humanity were valued much higher than the most expensive deficit.

12. Catharina Masetti «The boy from the next grave»

The Scandinavian love story is both romantic and very sobering, with a dose of healthy sarcasm that does not turn into cynicism. She visits her husband’s grave, he visits his mother’s. Their acquaintance develops into passion, and passion into a relationship. Only there is a problem: she is a librarian, a refined city lady, and he is not a very educated farmer.

Their life is a continuous struggle of opposites, in which it is often not the great power of love that prevails, but problems and disagreements. And the surprisingly accurate presentation and description of the same situations from two points of view — male and female — makes reading especially exciting.

13. Richard Bach «Flight from Safety»

“If the child you once were asked you today about the best thing you have learned in life, what would you tell him? And what would you discover in return? Meeting with ourselves — who we were many years ago — helps to understand ourselves today. An adult, taught by life and wise, and perhaps forgotten about something important.

Philosophical history, either an autobiography or a parable, is easy to read and resonates with the soul. A book for those who are ready to look into themselves, find answers, grow wings and take risks. Because any flight is an escape from safety.

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