No one enjoys being sick with the flu, or even a head cold, but I firmly believe that some good reading material can make your sniffly days go by faster. I have 15 feel-good books to read when you're sick, so go ahead and order one in anticipation of your next day in bed.
Of course, no one genre has a monopoly on the "feel-good book." I personally enjoy books with sad or ambiguous endings, casts full of terrible people, and/or a healthy satirical bent, because it makes me feel good to read them. Yes, I know this is probably kind of weird.
Don't worry, these books aren't that kind of "feel good." The novels on the following list offer the pure fun you crave, but without all of the baggage that dark comedy brings. If you're a fan of Wes Anderson movies, Jane Austen novels, or Bryan Lee O'Malley comics, these books will bring you tons of joy, and might even help you get better quicker. They say laughter is the best medicine, after all.
Check out my recommendations for feel-good books to read when you're sick below, and share your favorite heartwarming reading lists with me on Twitter!
'Moxie' by Jennifer Mathieu
High school is horrible, but Viv has found a way to make it a little more bearable: handing out a feminist zine to her classmates. When the indie publication helps to form friendships between girls who previously bad-mouthed one another, Viv realizes they might be onto something massive.
'Spoonbenders' by Daryl Gregory
Teddy Telemachus might be a con artist, but his family are real-deal psychics, famous for levitating objects and reading minds on television. Years after a scandal sends the family into hiding, one of the newest generation of Telemachus kids discovers that the family might have some magic left in it yet.
'The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue' by Mackenzi Lee
Party boy Henry "Monty" Montague's Grand Tour of Europe is supposed to be his last hurrah before he settles down with some nice girl and inherits his family's estate. There's just one problem: Monty is bisexual, and he's got one heckuva crush on his traveling partner, Percy.
'Mooncop' by Tom Gauld
The Mooncop hasn't been in space long, but everyone on the moon is moving back to Earth. Told with very little dialogue, Tom Gauld's graphic novel Mooncop follows the titular official as he polices a dwindling population of moon-dwellers.
'Pachinko' by Min Jin Lee
Set during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Pachinko centers on Sunja, a teenager who finds herself pregnant by a man who, unbeknownst to her, is already married. A minister agrees to marry her, and the young couple set out to begin a new life in Japan with their own little family.
'The Impossible Fortress' by Jason Rekulak
Billy wants two things: to be a video-game designer and to get his hands on the Playboy issue featuring Vanna White. He and his friends hatch a plan that's sure to get them a copy of the magazine, but when Billy starts to fall for a girl he's definitely not supposed to like, he may have to choose between Vanna White and his dreams.
'The Book of Polly' by Kathy Hepinstall
Polly Havens is pushing sixty and freshly widowed when she gives birth to her last child, Willow, but she's not one to be stopped by a pesky little thing called age. But when Willow's curiosity collides with her mother's illness, called "the Bear," Polly might have to be a little bit vulnerable after all.
'Perfect Little World' by Kevin Wilson
Pregnant with her teacher's child, recent high-school graduate Izzy Poole doesn't have many options. So when she's offered a place in The Infinite Family Project, where 10 families will live together and raise each other's children, she takes it. Things start off wonderfully, but what's good may not last for long...
'The Little French Bistro' by Nina George
The Little Paris Bookshop author Nina George returns with The Little French Bistro. After hitting rock-bottom in her lifeless marriage, Marianne sets out for the coast, determined to live on her own terms and discover who she truly is.
'No One Can Pronounce My Name' by Rakesh Satyal
The death of Harit's sister Swati left their mother unable to live on her own, and he's taken to dressing up in one of his sister's old saris to make his mother feel less alone. When Harit meets Ranjana, a recent empty-nester who writes paranormal romances in secret, the two forge a friendship that helps them to explore all the hidden aspects of their lives.
'The Windfall' by Diksha Basu
After Mr. Jha inherits a large fortune, he and his wife move out of their cramped apartment and into a large home in an upper-class Delhi neighborhood. But the nouveau riche Jha family does not fit in with their wealthy neighbors, and a series of run-ins with class conflict and family drama leave the windfall-recipients to sort out their priorities.
'I Hate Everyone, Except You' by Clinton Kelly
The co-host of What Not to Wear and The Chew, Clinton Kelly published his first memoir in 2017. His stories about growing up awkward and quirky will keep you laughing through your illness.
'The Portable Veblen' by Elizabeth McKenzie
This Baileys Prize and National Book Award finalist centers on Veblen and Paul, an engaged couple who find themselves on opposite sides of success when his medical research gets picked up by the Department of Defense. Largely aimless, Veblen is left to mediate between family members and plan a wedding on her own, but what if this isn't what she wants in life?
