Books that bring all the feels (and a dash of hope)

There’s something magical about books that stir your soul—stories that make you laugh, cry, and reflect, all while leaving you with a comforting glimmer of hope. Whether it’s a heartfelt memoir, a poignant novel, or an inspiring tale of resilience, these books remind us of the beauty in life’s complexities and the strength in human connections.

Here’s a curated list of reads that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you inspired.

Be Ready When The Luck Happens by Ina Garten

We do have a soft spot for everything food, and this one by Ina Garten in her unmistakable voice is almost a seat at her table we have been dying for. “Do what you love, because if you love it you’ll be really good at it,” she said, and the book traverses decades of her finding her love for food and navigating it while enrapturing hearts and stomachs of people the world around. A no-holds-barred memoir that is sure to inspire and also silently nudge.

The Hill Of Enchantment: The Story Of My Life As A Writer by Ruskin Bond

In his 90th year, Bond gives a peek into his life; the experiences that have shaped him; the events that inspired his most famous books and stories; and how the mountains, solitude, and Pari Tibba, Fairy Hill (that he can see from his window) have influenced his work. Need we say more for all those hopeful dreamers who want to know what went behind making the man whose words we all love?

I Will Do Better by Charles Bock 

 

A reluctant parent and a widowed father grappling with the woes of single parenting— this pull-no-punches, brutally honest, and self-revealing memoir from Bock is both comical and heartbreaking. An interplay of grieving and child rearing—think playdates, tantrums, oh-so-cool babysitters, first days at school, family reunions, single-parent dating, and more—a journey of two wounded people finding personal growth in the name of love.

Maria, Just Maria by Sandhya Mary 

In this coming-of-age novel, memory bleeds into reality and the fantasy that is childhood as Maria finds herself—a girl born into a Syrian Christian family in Kerala, whose companions were a grandfather—in a psychiatric hospital learning to pick herself up after losing one of the most vital parts of her childhood, her grandfather. A book that screams slice of life, where resolutions are not sought after, and life is filled with humour at every step.

The Healing Season Of Pottery by Yeon Somin

 

Pot by pot, plate by plate, Jungmin discovers that as her hands become busier on the pottery wheel, her mind becomes calmer, and her heart opens up like never before... This, post a burnout by her newswriting job, a long period of hibernation that followed, and a resolve to put back her life. How many of us can say ‘hard relate’? For all those who loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

All images: Amazon India 

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