There are books we turn to for suspense, books we admire for their ambition – and then there are the novels that simply make us feel better about the world, as in Anne Tyler’s gem of a book Three Days in June, or Laurie Colwin’s hilarious Another Marvelous Thing. Better still, these compact literary pick-me-ups all come in at under 300 pages, making them ideal for a weekend escape or a one-sitting reset…
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler; Another Marvelous Thing by Laurie Colwin; The Uncommon Reader by Alan BennettThree Days in June by Anne Tyler
Gail is already navigating awkward encounters with her ex-husband when their daughter’s wedding is thrown into chaos by an unexpected revelation. In Tyler’s hands, such disarray is a delight to read, particularly when it comes with big lessons about life and love distilled into just 190 pages.
Vintage, £9.99
Another Marvelous Thing by Laurie Colwin
One of Colwin’s greatest skills was her unrivalled ability to craft characters which not only feel perfectly flawed but are so much fun to follow. Such is the case with Billy and Francis, our two very different heroes who embark on an affair in this utter gem of a novel.
W&N, £9.99
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
After borrowing a book from a mobile library parked outside Buckingham Palace, the Queen develops an obsession with reading that begins to interfere with royal duties. Bennett’s satire is affectionate, clever and full of acutely observed comic detail.
Profile, £8.99
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym; Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa; The Summer Book by Tove JanssonExcellent Women by Barbara Pym
It is 1950s London and Mildred Lathbury is excellent at life; a dependable kind of woman who will take tea with the neighbours and smooth over just about any drama. Then a new couple move into her apartment building and upset the balance entirely.
Virago, £10.99
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Dumped by her boyfriend and unsure what to do next, Takako moves into the room above her uncle’s second-hand bookshop in Tokyo. Surrounded by novels and eccentric regulars, she slowly begins piecing her life back together.
Manilla, £10.99
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
A young girl and her grandmother spend the summer on a remote island off the Finnish coast, talking about everything from death to nature to everyday irritations. Few books capture the pleasures of slowing down quite so beautifully.
Sort Of Boos, £10.99
Emily by Jilly Cooper; Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi; Orbital by Samantha HarveyEmily by Jilly Cooper
Before the horses and the high drama of the Rutshire Chronicles came Jilly Cooper’s 1975 debut novel, which follows our shy eponymous heroine as she gets swept up in a glamorous new social circle. Funny and breezy, it is the sort of novel best consumed in one greedy sitting.
Corgi, £10.99
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Customers flock to a tiny Tokyo café for one reason: it offers the chance to travel briefly back in time. As strangers revisit old conversations and unfinished relationships, Kawaguchi’s cosy read becomes a moving meditation on second chances.
Picador, £10.99
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Harvey’s awe-inspiring Booker winner follows six astronauts circling Earth aboard the International Space Station over the course of a single day. Slim but expansive, it transforms the routines of life in space into something unexpectedly moving and uplifting.
Vintage, £9.99
Sandwich by Catherine Newman; Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong; Rare Singles by Benjamin MyersSandwich by Catherine Newman
Rocky arrives in Cape Cod for the family’s annual summer holiday carrying more worries than she would like to admit. But between the ageing parents, baffling teenagers and indignities of midlife, Newman finds both comedy and tenderness that is impossible not to love.
Penguin, £9.99
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
After her fiancé leaves her, Ruth moves back in with her parents just as her father’s memory begins to fail. Told in diary-like fragments, Khong’s debut is a tragicomic, life-affirming story of picking up the pieces.
Scribner, £8.99
Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers
A lonely former DJ and a teenage care worker strike up an unlikely friendship after bonding over rare Northern Soul records. Set in a fading seaside town, Myers’s novel is full of warmth and affection for people starting over.
Bloomsbury, £9.99
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
A shepherd boy sets off across the desert in search of treasure in Coelho’s modern fable. Philosophical yet highly readable, it remains beloved for its hopeful insistence that life rewards courage and curiosity.
HarperCollins, £9.99
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Addie Moore and Louis Waters are neighbours in a small town, both widowed and lonely – until Addie goes to Louis with a proposal: would he like to come over sometimes simply to talk through the night? A heartwarming read about intimacy and companionship.
Picador, £9.99
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