Whenever readers are feeling blue, they can always turn to The Secret Garden. Cracking open the book and immersing themselves in its pages can offer a sense of comfort, and before long, they may feel better.
There’s something about the story that’s healing. There’s comfort in how the characters in the book, however lonely, broken, or lost, can slowly become better when they discover kindness and friendship. For many readers, The Secret Garden may have been encountered at a young age, offering comfort during challenging times when they felt misjudged or misunderstood. Many years later, the book can remain a treasured companion, and however cracked and brown its pages may become, they never fail to bring warmth.
Words have a way of holding space for people when the world is dark and heavy. Research also suggests that reading books can help increase empathy and well-being. Books do hold a certain kind of magic, don’t they? They have the power to make readers feel less alone, offer hope, and sometimes tell them exactly what they need to hear.
This list, of course, includes The Secret Garden, but it doesn’t stop there. It also includes a poetry collection, an epistolary novel, a gentle mindfulness book, and more. Here are eight Hopecore Books from Fully Booked that can lift spirits on even the gloomiest days.
Devotions: Selected Poems by Mary Oliver
Devotions is a collection of poetry by the late Mary Oliver, spanning her work from her early years as a young poet to her reflections as a senior citizen, culminating in her final collection published in 2015 before her passing. From poems about the hatching of bird eggs to her love for her dog to her relationship with poetry, Oliver invites readers to look beyond everyday life.
This is the kind of book that fills readers with wonder about the world—no matter which page they open. Oliver, who writes poignant verses about nature and the full spectrum of human emotions, reminds readers to pause, pay attention, and not take anything for granted.
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
We Burned So Bright follows husbands Don and Rodney on a cross-country road trip as the Earth is about to be annihilated by a black hole. With just three weeks left before the end of the world, they head to Washington to settle an unfinished business. Their journey brings them into the lives of a variety of strangers, each coping with the impending doom in a different way.
As the world around them slips away, they reflect on their lives and their love: Was it enough? Did they live fully? Would they choose differently if given another chance? Heartbreaking yet tender, this book shows that life is fragile and poses a haunting question: “Amidst the inevitable doom, is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?”
I Eat the Stars by Sarah Wilson
It’s hard to ignore the feeling that something is deeply wrong with the world today. Readers who feel this way are not alone, as award-winning journalist and author Sarah Wilson explains. For years, Wilson herself grappled with disillusionment and hopelessness. In her search for answers, she wrote this book.
Drawing on years of research and conversations with philosophers, poets, energy futurists, climate scientists, leaders, and spiritualists, she takes readers on an intimate and enlightening journey. This is far from an easy read, as Wilson confronts readers with harsh truths, but she also offers a way to find light amid these dark and troubled times: “a way to live a meaningful, human life with agency amid what is going on. And one that can best carry us forward into our new era.”
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Meet Sybil Van Antwerp. She’s a saucy septuagenarian, a retired lawyer, a mom, a sister. Living alone, she spends her time quietly, reading and writing letters to various people. She writes to her brother, sister-in-law, children, former workmates, famous people, and to one person whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. But when a letter from the past resurfaces, she’s compelled to revisit one of the most painful periods of her life. Moving, funny, and uplifting, The Correspondent reminds readers that it’s never too late to make peace with the past, embrace change, and discover that life can still hold unexpected surprises.
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Readers may want to prepare their highlighters and sticky notes—they’ll need them for this book brimming with quotes that strike a deep chord.
Tiny Beautiful Things is a collection of The Rumpus’ Dear Sugar advice columns. Anonymous letters reveal the writers’ deepest pains, and Sugar (later revealed as Cheryl Strayed) offers raw, unfiltered advice.
But this isn’t your typical advice column. Strayed pours herself into each letter with fierce empathy, as though “pulling out her heart with her bare hands.” She approaches each problem from every angle, pulling out truths from deep within her soul to offer wisdom that is at once devastating, moving, powerful, and brutally honest.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden is a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers with its heartfelt story of transformation and renewal. It follows Mary Lennox, a young orphan sent to live with her distant and reclusive uncle in a sprawling, gloomy manor. Spoiled, lonely, and ill-tempered, Mary has never truly known love—or how to give it.
Everything changes when she discovers a hidden garden that has been locked away for years. As she tends the neglected garden and watches it come back to life, something within her begins to blossom as well. Her newfound wonder and joy soon spread to those around her, proving that even the most wounded hearts can heal. Filled with friendship, hope, and the restorative power of nature, The Secret Garden remains a beloved story for readers of all ages.
A Walk in the Wood: Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh by Joseph Parent
When life gets too noisy and overwhelming, readers can pick up a book that serves as a peaceful retreat and invites them to stay present. A Walk in the Wood takes readers on a walk in the woods with Winnie the Pooh, a gentle guide to the transformative practice of mindfulness. Whether readers are seeking peace of mind, a way to manage stress, or simply a moment of calm in a busy day, Pooh offers a simple yet profound answer: “Just two things to do to truly be Pooh—just be present and be kind.”
Released just in time for the long-beloved bear’s 100th anniversary, this sweet and charming book encourages readers to slow down, pay attention, and fully embrace the world around them, one step at a time.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
“To fall in love with the world is to look up at the night sky and feel your mind swim before the beauty and the distance of the stars.”
In The Anthropocene Reviewed, bestselling author John Green turns his attention to the strange, beautiful, and heartbreaking experiences of being human. Based on his popular podcast of the same name, this collection of essays examines different aspects of life in the Anthropocene—the current geological age defined by humanity’s impact on the planet—and rates them on a five-star scale.
From the wonder of sunsets and the joy of laughter to the complexities of the internet, human connection, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world, Green finds meaning in the everyday and the extraordinary. These essays explore grief, hope, love, and the fragile beauty of existence. When the world feels dreary, this book might help readers wade through the darkness and see it a little brighter, a little more hopeful.
What kind of books do readers turn to when they’re struggling? What would they add to the list?
