Three small, irresistibly cheery books to dive into as we face the election

If you're finding too much toxicity online, give these short books a read

Oct 31, 2024

As the election nears and everyone’s nerves are on hyper-drive, I want to remind us all (myself included) that there are good things in the world. Good people, good causes, good art.

And good books.

I’ve pulled together three small books (small in physical size, length, and reading time, but not in emotional impact) that will give you a quick hit of dopamine if you need it right now. These are good to read all at once or a chapter at a time.

Whichever direction the US goes in next week, people will be upset. But in books we can find respite. In books, as Elizabeth Hardwick said, we gain a moral illumination.

Let’s get into it: three small, irresistibly cheery books to escape into as we near the election:

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

I heard Ross Gay speak on a Zoom panel at the AWP conference in February and I think I can categorize him as one of the most hopeful, joyous people I’ve ever heard speak. He is eloquent and smiley and delivers everything he says with grace.

The about page on his website says this:

Ross Gay is interested in joy.
Ross Gay wants to understand joy.
Ross Gay is curious about joy.
Ross Gay studies joy.
Something like that.

When he turned 42, Gay decided to write a daily essay to chronicle the delights he experienced. Many of these delights were seemingly inconsequential (a favorite of mine was an argument he had on whether the phrase “whoop-de-doo” was good or bad) but each story plays a big role in this jolly collection of small pleasures. A Black man living in America, Gay also chronicles a bit of his reality, which we know isn’t rosy walk through Central Park. Still, joy emanates from his every word and it is impossible to finish this book without feeling a sense of peace.

In 2023 Gay published The Book of (More) Delights, which I have yet to read, but I know will be equally as charming.

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

This book was a Covid project by author Kim Fay. She originally drafted it as a love letter to send to her friends while everyone was locked down and fretting about the state of the world. She wanted her words to touch and comfort them; she wanted them to feel hugged by her work when she couldn’t hug them herself. But then she decided to publish the book and it’s not hubris when I say the world is better for it.

Besides Gay’s Book of Delights, I can’t think of another title that has made as happy as Love & Saffron. The novel is comprised of letters sent between two food-loving women in the 60s. They share recipes and, as their letter-based relationship deepens, they begin to open up to one another about their personal lives, resulting in uncovered truths and reckonings. The human connection between these two women helped readers through Covid, and it can help us during election uncertainty, too.

Fay’s newest book, Kate & Frida, comes out March 2025 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Kisashi Kashiwai

Here’s another sweet food-based book. It’s about the Kamogawa Diner, a nondescript restaurant in Kyoto run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father, Nagare. People come to the restaurant not only for their delicious food, but to hire Koishi and her father, who call themselves food detectives. After a small interview process, Koishi and Nagare investigate and ultimately recreate dishes from their patrons’ past; dishes to serve up some nostalgia or to save a failing marriage. It is light-hearted and, like Kim Fay’s book, it shares the message that food is love.

The second book in this series, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, was published this month. I have not read it yet but it’s sitting patiently on my nightstand waiting to be read. Perhaps I’ll pick it up on Tuesday.

If you liked this list of cheery books to read right now, the queen of book reviews

Maris Kreizman

has similar pre-election intentions. “Two things I know,” she says: “Jeff Bezos is bad and pre-election social media is toxic. I'm here to give out escapist book recommendations as long as you promise not to buy from Amazon. I’ll start you with a current favorite.” She linked to The Book of Love by Kelly Link. We’ve yet to see more, but I’m sure she’s got some recommendations at the ready.

October reads

Sandwich by Catherine Newman
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Housemates by
Emma Copley Eisenberg

What are you reading? What books do you recommend for those seeking comfort right now?