Ann Patchett Recommends 5 Books that Deliver Instant Joy— ‘Like A Box of Chocolate!’

If winning a million dollars or taking a three-month vacation aren’t in your immediate future, there are other ways to put a smile on your face right now. Bestselling author and our most trusted book recommender Ann Patchett is always full of great book picks to pull you out of a funk and make you feel more joyful. In fact, on a social media reel, she admitted, “Okay, friends, lately I’ve been a little down, right? I mean, I’m guessing that maybe you’ve been a little down too. There’s a lot going on.” But she revealed the right books always lift her mood and they can help you too. Here are the five books Ann Patchett swears by when she needs a mood boost—and why they work like magic.

5 books Ann Patchett says will make you smile today

Get ready to feel renewed. From nonfiction to novels, we have you covered with these backlist book titles. Start with these feel-great books this fall.

‘The Book of Delights’ by Ross Gay

Patchett’s first pick is this 2019 book of essays by award-winning poet Ross Gay. Patchett raves about The Book of Delights on social media for her store Parnassus Books. “Gay decided to find good things in the world, and every day he wrote a little tiny micro essay about something that he had found that day that brought him happiness.” She even rationed the chapters out in tasty little portions to make the book last longer. “I love this book so much that I only let myself read like two or three a night. It was like a box of chocolates.” She adds, “It’s kind, it’s thoughtful and it gives a more expansive view of the world.”

So what makes this book so special? It is described as “reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling and celebrating ordinary wonders” from encountering a lone wildflower growing out of the cracked sidewalk to witnessing the fascinating movements of an insect.

“Love really is all around,” explained one online reviewer of this book. “I could not have picked a more delightful book (pun-intended) to read during such a difficult time. Ross Gay’s ability to find something of beauty and goodness every single day is beyond inspiring. In a world full of darkness, this book is a beacon of light.”

‘On Beauty’ by Zadie Smith

Here’s an example that proves the power of a great book: In another reel, Patchett talks about how both she and her friend Katie DiCamillo, during their weekly phone call, were feeling down about the state of the world. Then they discovered something amazing: Without telling each other, they’d both picked up the same book for comfort and escape—Zadie Smith’s novel On Beauty. Patchett explained, “I started reading it again, and it started to just make me feel so much better.” She marvels at the coincidence, “What are the chances that two friends, who are half a country apart, would land on the same novel that was published in 2005 when dealing with some underlying despair?”

So what’s the book about? “This is a glorious novel that is full of love and joy, and obviously intelligence, because Zadie Smith is the smartest person alive,” says Patchett. “It’s about two families in academia, and they’re dealing with a long feud. They’re dealing with the love of their children, and they’re dealing with the culture wars.”

The Whistler author summed up the book’s power and charm: “Lots of people can be smart and biting and funny and mean, but almost no one can be smart and biting and funny and loving, and that’s what this book is!” One online fan agreed, saying, “The way [Zadie] portrays each character, even the secondary ones, is breath-taking and awe-inspiring. I wish I was a writer so that I could express how magnificent and inspiring the book is.”

‘Little Pieces of Hope’ by Todd Doughty

Patchett’s next pick is a 2021 gem—told mostly in list form—called Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World. Doughty created this collection during the pandemic lockdown as a mental exercise to focus on the positive. “It’s a set of lists of all of the things that spark joy for Todd.” Patchett adds, “You cannot believe how good this book makes you feel. It just is like hitting some amazing reset button.”

What kind of joy-sparkers does Doughty include? Everything from a delicious burger to fresh-cut yellow flowers, the taste of Hostess Cupcakes as well as song playlists. The book is designed to be a “daily touchstone of joy.” Patchett recalls how engaging the book is. “You keep stopping and looking things up, so you can see that photograph, or hear that piece of music, or watch that movie, or you want to go read that book” that is mentioned in the lists. She says it is “fabulous advice on all the things out there that can make you happy!”

One reviewer wrote, “You can dip in and out of this book.” But however you read it, the payoff is the same: “Instant uplift.”

‘Little Heathens’ by Mildred Armstrong Kalish

When Patchett has trouble sleeping, she has an unusual remedy: She imagines walking through her grandmother’s home, room by room. That nostalgic ritual led her to rediscover a memoir that’s become one of her favorites.

Patchett recommends the soul-soothing autobiography: Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish, which came out in 2007. The book’s subtitle says it all: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression. To tie everything together, Patchett explains, “My grandmother grew up during the Depression in Kansas, so it’s very close to her story.” She says, “It’s a book about living on a farm, and in one chapter she talks about all the animals and all the chores and jobs, and then in another chapter she talks about the gardening and the farming.”

This grounded, factual story is “interesting and soothing, and really well written.” Patchett admits, “I ended up rereading the whole thing again, just because I enjoyed it so much, and I bet you would enjoy it too.”

The book earned serious acclaim: It was named one of the 10 best books of 2007 by The New York Times and was praised by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love. One reviewer shared, “The good old days remembered. I loved every word of this book! The author grew up fresh and innocent and kind and loving in a very difficult, but pure, time in our history.”

‘This Is Happiness’ by Niall Williams

Patchett gets as many book recommendations as she gives—”more than I could read in 17 lifetimes,” she jokes. But when a fellow bookshop owner urged her to read This Is Happiness, Patchett listened. And now she’s happier for it.

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It is described as a “profound and enchanting novel” set in a rural Irish village. Patchett explains, “I love this book so passionately. It’s about the tiny town of Faha in Ireland in 1958 getting electricity. It’s about falling in love. It’s about making friends.” She praises, “It’s one of those books that every single sentence I wanted to underline and sit with and think about.” She says, “If you are sad, you should read it. It’s a book that places you in life and makes you see the larger picture and the passage of time.”

It’s the type of book “you just want to read slowly and stay in for as long as you possibly can,” she adds. One online reviewer said, “If it’s time to read something that nurtures your soul, this is the book to pick up.”

At the end of the day, enjoying any feel-good story can help shift your perspective so you feel more optimistic about the future. Patchett gushes, “I am now such a fan of Niall Williams. I can’t wait to go on and read his other books!”