I have always found reassurance and joy in books. My love of reading began at our elementary school, where teachers rewarded good academic work with permission to walk down the hall to the library. Throughout my life, I’ve relied on books to get through childhood illnesses, the trials and tribulations of adolescence and my undergraduate years in college as well as a range of weather events, holidays and the dog days of summer.
In my travels, my happy memories have been a library card in a new town or the discovery of used books at a flea market. I've had moments of regret also. Given my too frequent long-distance moves, I’ve had to downsize and donate many of these treasures.
When I packed for a move in early January 2020, I gave boxes of books to the public library for its spring sale. Then COVID struck. I had no books, and libraries closed. Family and friends formed small lending libraries. We donned our masks, gloves and came armed with sanitizers and wipes and kept our distance for the book exchange.
Today, we face an unimaginable crisis relating to freedom of the press and the marketplace of ideas along with threats to other aspects of our lives. In response, there is a plethora of articles on the importance of books. A Guardian writer Francesca Segal (Nov. 9, 2024) has compiled a list to “renew your faith in humanity.” In an article in Vogue (Singapore), Ting Shing Koh (July 14, 2025) offers a short list of books and reminds us “to take comfort in knowing is that we are not alone.”
Columnist Robert Reich advises us to “keep a tally of what is still good and beautiful in our lives and in the world, lest we succumb to despair” (July 13, 2025). Books rank high for what is “good and beautiful” for me. At this time, I’m not reading nonfiction that focuses on what went wrong with our government but rather those books that convey messages of hope, joy and resilience.
I’ve started a short list below, all of which have excellent plots, characterization and writing.
Graham Greene – Travels With My Aunt. The story begins when retired banker Henry Pulling meets his Aunt Agatha at his mother’s funeral. The book follows Henry as he adapts the challenges of travel and eccentricities of his aunt and her friends.
Valérie Pérrin – Fresh Water for Flowers. It’s reassuring to see Violette, the main character, overcome abuse and numerous obstacles yet retain her sense of compassion and happiness and generosity.
Josephine Tey – The Daughter of Time. When a hospitalized police inspector begins reading about Richard III, he embarks on research that brings into question accepted historical accounts.
Alexander McCall Smith – The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. From her small office in Botswana, Mma Precious Ramatswe uses her understanding of human nature and a mug of redbush tea to solve local mysteries. She is someone with few material possessions yet she has a wealth of happiness, generosity, wisdom and humor to share.
Richard Osman – The Thursday Murder Club. A group of four unlikely seniors comes together in a retirement community to solve cold cases and gain the respect of local police.Endearing characters!
Eva Jurczy – The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Here, interim director Liesel must navigate university administration, patrons and a few colleagues in her attempt to locate a missing and priceless rare book.
Alan Furst - The World at Night. Paris, 1940. Protagonist Jean Casson, film producer, and others attempt to maintain their previous festive lifestyles during the Nazi Occupation. But at some point, Casson becomes an unwilling collaborator but then takes a stand and begins work with the Resistance. Furst's series provides parallels with events in the USA today. Hum!
For a good laugh, you might try fiction books on Florida by Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen (the bad guys often lose to a reptile, and good characters get rewarded) or return to Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad.
Others come to mind--Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and her other works. Antoine de St. Exupéry's The Little Prince. Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time. Various travel accounts like Frances Mayes's Under A Tuscan Sun (the book, not the film) and Tahir Shah's The Caliph's House or E.M. Forster's A Passage to India or some by D.H. Lawrence. And, a recent series I plan to reread, A.J. Pearce's Dear Mrs. Bird.
And what books
help you through uncertain times?
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