SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 , 2020. THE WASHINGTON POST PG EE E5
best books
“Heart Talk: The Journal”
By Cleo Wade
In 2018, Wade — an artist-poet-
activist who’s been called the “mil-
lennial Oprah” — released “Heart
Talk,” a collection of poignant
poems and affirmations. Her new,
complementary journal offers a
year’s worth of prompts designed
to inspire self-discovery, personal
growth and creativity. Wade is like
an encouraging friend checking in
to foster positivity during the
pandemic.“It’s Not All Downhill from Here”
By Terry McMillan
McMillan — whose previous
books include “Waiting to Exhale”
and “How Stella Got Her Groove
Back” — is adept at creating
characters who feel like friends.
Her new novel centers on 60-
something Loretha, who has to
reinvent her identity and plans
after unexpectedly becoming a
widow. It’s a celebration of living
your best life, no matter your age,
and the power of female friend-
ships.“The House in the Cerulean Sea”
By TJ Klune
Linus is a solitary caseworker in
charge of making sure that a
group of misfit kids with magical
powers are safe at their island’s
orphanage. As he meets — and
falls for — their caretaker, Arthur,
he realizes the beauty of choosing
your family and welcoming joy
and wonder. It’s a witty, whole-
some fantasy that’s likely to cause
heart-swelling.“Channel Kindness”
By Born This Way Foundation Reporters
with Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga and her mother, Cyn-
thia Germanotta, created the Born
This Way Foundation to help make
the world a kinder place — a timely
pursuit. This new anthology spot-
lights 51 stories by young change-
makers: teens who created move-
ments to teach their peers to
practice self-love and to de-stigma-
tize mental health issues, for exam-
ple. “Channel Kindness” is a won-
derful antidote to the division and
despair that have tainted much of
the year.
[email protected]Angela Haupt i s a freelance writer and
full-time health editor in D.C.we need to keep moving, no matter
what life hurls at us.“You Had Me at Hola”
By Alexis Daria
What a trope: Actress falls in love
with her leading man. And Jas-
mine, a soap star, is determined to
avoid doing exactly that. Which is a
problem, when you consider the
electric chemistry she experiences
with her co-star — and not just
thanks to the help of an on-set
intimacy coordinator. The novel is
as fun as your favorite telenovela.“The Authenticity Project”
By Clare Pooley
Julian Jessop, a lonely septuage-
narian, thinks we could all stand to
be honest. So he writes his ugly
truths into a green notebook and
leaves it at a cafe, where five people
find it and add their own frank
entries. The truth-telling strangers
become friends and confidants, and
it all feels like a warm hug.“Party of Two”
By Jasmine Guillory
Romance is a bipartisan cause —
and in her fifth novel, Guillory
delivers the hottest politics of the
season. Olivia is a Black lawyer who
starts dating a hotshot White sena-
tor, which gets complicated when
their relationship goes public. Set-
tle in for a Hallmark-esque dose of
frothy fun.“Keep Moving”
By Maggie Smith
Smith, who wrote the viral poem
“Good Bones,” has survived loss
and new beginnings — and we can,
too, she believes. In “Keep Mov-
ing,” she reflects on finding opti-
mism in the dark days following a
collapsed marriage and other
struggles. “Write breathe on your
to-do list,” she advises. “Write
blink. Write sit and eat. Then cross
everything off. How satisfying!
Give yourself credit for living.” It’s
all about kindness, hope and whyjourney to figure out what makes
life worth living.“Dear Emmie Blue”
By Lia Louis
Emmie Blue is just a teenager
when she releases a red balloon
into the sky — and, you guessed it,
falls in love with the boy who finds
it. Fourteen years later, they’re best
friends, he’s engaged to someone
else, and she’s pining. It’s a swoon-
worthy British rom-com with big
heart and a heroine worth rooting
for.“We Are Santa”
By Ron Cooper
Santa Claus is coming to the
bookshelf. Cooper, a photographer,
has profiled 50 professional Santas,
including an Orthodox Jew, a Scot-
tish-kilted bagpiper, a veteran with
a prosthetic hand and a woman. It’s
a lovely way to catch some holiday
cheer — with photos as absorbing
as the text.BY ANGELA HAUPTE
arly in the pandemic, some
readers gravitated toward
prescient sci-fi; others
sought solace in self-help or
transportive novels. Now, eight
months in — at points unknown on
the pandemic trajectory — some of
us just want a happy ending.
Fortunately, books deliver. Here’s
an assortment of 2020’s best feel-
good reads.“Redhead by the Side of the Road”
By Anne Tyler
This little book packs a lot of
subtle power. Micah Mortimer, a
40-something eccentric, thrives on
routine and rigidity — to the frus-
tration of those around him, in-
cluding his girlfriend. When he’s
thrown off kilter by a barrage of
surprises, he’s forced to question
his structured lifestyle. It’s a sweet,
simple tonic for our chaotic times.“Anxious People”
By Fredrik Backman
Backman’s new novel is a satisfy-
ing remedy for pandemic anxiety.
An inept bank robber accidentally
interrupts an apartment open
house, taking the would-be buyers
hostage — which leads to hours of
confusion, revelations and connec-
tion. It’s laugh-out-loud funny and
will help restore your faith in
humanity.“Beach Read”
By Emily Henry
The title is apt. Henry’s earnest
novel is about a jaded romance
author and stagnant literary writ-
er who rotate into each other’s
orbits for the summer, much to
their mutual dismay. As they em-
bark on a challenge designed to
help them both banish writer’s
block, the creative — and romantic
— sparks fly.“The Midnight Library”
By Matt Haig
A library that contains an infi-
nite number of books: talk about
the dream. But, plot twist, each is
about a life that could have been,
had one made different choices.
Such is the premise of Haig’s whim-
sical novel, which introduces a
young woman so miserable that she
intentionally overdoses. When she
wakes up, she’s in the Midnight
Library, which guides her on aFeel-good reads that might help lift
your spirits in a troubled y ear
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