Lists | Four Hidden Gems You Need to Read Right Now
Four Hidden Gems You Need to Read Right Now
Finding your next great read based on how you’re feeling
Sometimes you know exactly what you need from a book – but you’ve already read all the obvious recommendations. You want something cozy but not predictable. Something epic but not the usual fantasy blockbuster everyone’s talking about.
That’s where we come in.
Today we’re sharing four books that deserve way more attention than they get. Two for when you need comfort and uplift, and two for when you’re ready to completely escape into another world.
When You Need Cozy & Comforted 🍂
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
Here’s a book that sneaks up on you. Eudora is 85 years old and has decided she’s done with life – she’s ready to end things on her own terms. Then her new neighbors move in: a chaotic single mother and her 10-year-old daughter who won’t take no for an answer.
What could be a heavy story becomes something tender and life-affirming instead. The intergenerational friendship at its heart feels real and earned, full of small moments that accumulate into something beautiful. It’s funny in unexpected ways, honest about difficulty without wallowing in it, and ultimately about finding reasons to stay.
Why it works: This is comfort reading for people who don’t want to be condescended to. It handles big questions about aging, loneliness, and purpose with grace and humor. You’ll find yourself both smiling and tearing up, sometimes in the same chapter. There’s something deeply soothing about a story that says it’s never too late to find connection and joy.
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
A lonely man leaves a green notebook in a London café with a simple instruction: write one completely honest thing about yourself, then pass it on. As the notebook travels through the city, it connects six strangers who desperately need each other.
This is feel-good fiction done right. Each character gets their own story – the lonely retiree, the overwhelmed new mother, the café owner struggling to make it work, the Instagram influencer hiding behind filters. Their struggles feel genuine, their connections develop naturally, and the community that forms around that green notebook feels like something you’d want to be part of.
Why it works: Perfect for when you need to believe in human goodness and the power of small acts of honesty. It’s hopeful without being naive, acknowledging that life is hard while showing how we can help each other through it. You’ll finish it wanting to reach out to your own community, maybe even start your own authenticity project.
When You’re Ready to Escape 🗺️
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Welcome to medieval Russia, where winter lasts most of the year and household spirits share space with humans – if you have the gift to see them. Vasya has that gift, inherited from her mother. But as the old magic fades and the church gains power, she must protect her village from both supernatural darkness and those who would destroy her for being different.
Arden’s debut is atmospheric in the best way. You can feel the frost, taste the honey cakes, sense the spirits lurking in the corners of the house. The Russian fairy tale elements feel both familiar and wonderfully strange, and Vasya herself is a heroine who refuses to be diminished.
Why it works: This will transport you so completely to the frozen Russian wilderness that you’ll want to wrap yourself in furs while reading. The mythology is rich and less familiar than the usual Western European fantasy, the family dynamics are complex and real, and the atmosphere is thick enough to get lost in. You’ll emerge feeling like you’ve lived through an entire winter in another world.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Post-war Barcelona. A boy named Daniel discovers a mysterious book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and becomes obsessed with the author, Julián Carax. But as Daniel searches for Carax’s other works, he learns someone is systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax ever wrote.
This is a gothic mystery wrapped in a love letter to books and reading. The plot spirals and deepens, secrets nest inside other secrets, and Barcelona itself becomes a character – romantic, dangerous, haunted by war. It’s about obsession and love and the stories we tell ourselves, all set against a city still recovering from darkness.
Why it works: If you want to completely lose yourself in a book about books and mysteries and impossible love, this is your escape hatch. Zafón creates a Barcelona that feels both real and slightly magical, full of shadow and light. The story pulls you forward urgently while also making you never want it to end. It’s the kind of epic that reminds you why we fall in love with reading in the first place.
Your Turn
Have you read any of these? We’d love to hear what you thought. And if you’re looking for more recommendations tailored to exactly how you’re feeling right now, that’s what we’re here for.
Looking for something cozy and uplifting? Ready to escape into another world? Somewhere in between?
Because the best book recommendations feel like talking to a friend who really gets you.