The best books to help you find light in the darkness

This incredible book tells the story of Nora Seed, at a crossroads in her life, who stumbles upon a mysterious library of books, each of which tells the story of her life in a slightly different version. Offered the possibility of changing her current life for a new one, Nora is forced to ponder what is truly important and meaningful. I struggle with the what ifs and the roads not taken all the time, and this book was just what I needed. It made me truly realize that there is no such thing as perfect and that in order to have something we think we want it may mean letting go of something else, a topic I very much explore in my own novel.

This book is in a similar vein as Oona finds herself time jumping within her own life, suddenly living it out of sequence as she jumps to a different period in time with each birthday, forcing her to look within and realize what is important and worth holding on to and worth fighting for. I am a sucker for books where characters get the opportunity to experience alternate versions of their personal realities, and I could not put this one down. I’m all about my characters understanding that the choices they make create their ultimate realities. The ultimate messages about the importance of love and family and the choices we make really resonated with me.

Set during the early days of Covid, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book about a woman who decides to take a trip without her boyfriend, who, as a surgeon, is forced to remain behind in the city to deal with a surging virus, and finds herself swept up into a life experience she did not expect as her trip goes awry. It sounded depressing, but this was one of the most fascinating reads I have had in a while. The twist in this literally made my jaw drop, and if you’re a fan of parallel universes, fever dreams, and alternate realities with a good romance, this book is for you. As in my own books, I love how an unexpected experience leads to a metamorphosis of the main character’s personal reality.

Katy’s mother was her best friend, and after her mother dies, Katy decides to embark solo on the mother/daughter trip they’d planned to the Amalfi Coast in Italy before her passing. Once there, not only can Katy feel her mother’s spirit but she actually encounters her mother as a young woman. I absolutely loved this story and embraced the magic of Katy befriending and getting to know her mother as a younger woman and coming to a greater understanding of who she was. Having lost my father and writing my book as a way of transmuting my grief, I felt so connected to this beautiful narrative about loss, perspective, love, seeing people for who they really are, and the powerful bond between parents and children. It was like a warm hug.

Eleanor Oliphant is socially awkward and prefers to avoid human contact, sticking to her preset schedule and weekly phone calls with her mother until the day she and her co-worker Raymond save an elderly man who has fallen from a tree. In turn, they save each other from their own self-imposed isolations and teach each other to open their hearts. This book kept me smiling from the start, laughing out loud at times and the characters are so memorable. For anyone who has ever felt like they haven’t found their place or their people (*raises hand*), this book will deliver the hope (and the laughs) in abundance. It was a great reminder to myself that no matter how disconnected I can feel at times from people, there is deep healing to be found in genuine human connection, and it can be delivered in the most unexpected ways.