Your Privacy is Important to us

We encourage you to review our Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms listed here. In case you want to opt out, please click "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the footer of this page.

Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information

We won't sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously.

Continue on TOI App
Open App
Login for better experience!
Login Now
Welcome! to timesofindia.com
TOI INDTOI USTOI GCC
TOI+
  • Home
  • Live
  • TOI Games
  • Top Headlines
  • India
  • City News
  • Photos
  • Business
  • Real Estate
  • Entertainment
  • Movie Reviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcasts
  • Elections
  • Web Series
  • Sports
  • TV
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Events
  • World
  • Music
  • Astrology
  • Videos
  • Tech
  • Auto
  • Education
  • Log Out
Follow Us On
Open App
  • ETIMES
  • CINEMA
  • VIDEOS
  • TV
  • LIFESTYLE
  • VISUAL STORIES
  • MUSIC
  • TRAVEL
  • FOOD
  • TRENDING
  • EVENTS
  • THEATRE
  • PHOTOS
  • MOVIE REVIEWS
  • MOVIE LISTINGS
  • HEALTH
  • RELATIONSHIP
  • WEB SERIES
  • BOX OFFICE

Cheerful books to read to stay positive in times of Coronavirus scare

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on - Mar 27, 2020, 11:22 IST
Comments
Share
1/10

Cheerful books to read to stay positive in times of Coronavirus

The world is taken over by the Coronavirus pandemic and more and more people are being diagnosed with the deadly virus every day. It is a hard time for humankind when the world seems to have bowed down to a malevolent epidemic.

In this difficult time, books can prove to be a way out of the misery. Books have always been looked as a source of beautiful alternate reality. With people isolating themselves at home in the present times, books could help them cheer up a bit and embrace life as it is.

Here is a list cheerful books to read to stay positive in times of Coronavirus!

2/10

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

A sweet, romantic and brand new novel, the book is absorbing, hilarious and tender. It raises and addresses many important questions- Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Through its stimulating story line, the book proves that true love isn’t always diplomatic.

Pic courtesy: St. Martin's Griffin

3/10

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

This charming, smart and contemporary realistic romance novel was published in 2017. It revolves around Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart, who are the unlikeliest of best friends. However, on the night of high school graduation, everything is suddenly changing in their lives, and in their relationship. As they try to figure out what they mean to each other and where to go from here, they make a top ten list of counting down th Ba;zere top ten moments of their friendship.

Pic courtesy: Balzer + Bray

4/10

The Happy Brain by Dean Burnett

In this humorous and enlightening book, Neuroscientist Dean Burnett dives into the squishy science and bubbly feelings of what happiness means. He combines cutting-edge theories of the science of emotions with interviews of dozens of people on the happiness scale, from relationship coaches to celebrity millionaires. The book explores a fascinating aspect of modern neuroscience and in the process discovers something about what it means to be human.

Pic courtesy: Guardian Faber

5/10

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

The book centers on Amy Byler, a single mom who is literally overworked and underappreciated and who is in desperate need of a break. So when her guilt ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for summer, Amy accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City. The book proves to be a laugh-out-loud funny, pitch-perfect novel that leaves the readers rooting for this unlikely, relatable, and totally lovable heroine.

Pic courtesy: Lake Union Publishing

6/10

This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender

The book is a fresh, charming rom-com about Nathan Bird, who has sworn off happy endings but is sorely tested when his former best friend, Ollie, moves back to town. It is a bighearted rom-com that is hilarious and breathless love story of two boys on the path to their happy ending beyond lives up to its title. It proves to be a fun, quirky story that proves romance and love are possible for every single person no matter what.

Pic courtesy: Balzer + Bray

7/10

Happy For No Reason by Mandira Bedi

The book is about Mandira Bedi, a fitness icon, who in her own way is searching for happiness. Happiness which is not conditional, materialistic or transactional. She herself accepts that she hasn’t cracked the code for it yet, but genuinely believes that she is headed in the right direction. In her own chaotic way, she seems to have discovered some kind of non-scientific, non-spiritual and as-yet-non-existent formula for finding peace in everything and just being happy-for no reason.

Pic courtesy: Penguin

8/10

Life is What You Make it by Preeti Shenoy

Life Is What You Make It is based on a love story that has been set in India in the 90s. It has been described by the readers as a book portraying how love, hope and determination can together win over even the destiny. It is a gripping tale of a few significant years of the protagonist’s life.

Pic courtesy: Srishti Publishers

9/10

A Life Apart by Neel Mukherjee

This novel is about dislocation and alienation, outsiders and losers, the tenuous and unconscious intersections of lives and histories, and the consolations of storytelling. It is unsentimental yet full of compassion, and is written with unrelenting honesty. The book tells two stories: Ritwik, twenty-two and orphaned, escapes from a devastating childhood of abuse in Calcutta to what he considers to be a new world, full of possibilities, in England, where he has a chance to start all over again.

Pic coutesy: Vintage Books

10/10

Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan

An absolutely delightful read, the book offers a refreshing view of village life in early 20th century pre-independence India, seen from the perspective of a ten-year-old in all his innocence. The story is set in the small fictitious town of Malgudi. Excellent description, great sense of humor and the child’s blithe spirit pervades the whole book, bringing the readers laughter, joy, and vexation.

Pic courtesy: Indian Thought Publications

Start a Conversation

Post comment
Featured In lifestyle
  • Why some children stop telling parents the truth after age 10
  • ‘The biggest thing that's invisible is lifestyle inflation disguised as convenience’: 22-year-old Noida engineer who saves ₹20,000 a month shares his biggest money lesson
  • French love proverb of the day: "The pleasure of love lasts only a moment, the pain of love lasts..."
  • After Himanshu Jangra's Rs 370 biryani row, another Pranit More clip goes viral; female MBBS student's comments on male cadaver's private parts spark backlash
  • Motivational quote of the day by Narayana Murthy: "Progress is often equal to..."
  • Quote of the day by Pablo Picasso: “Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up”; a powerful reminder about creativity, imagination and the fear of losing ourselves to adulthood
  • Is Apple releasing a pizza box? The truth behind the surprise WWDC 2026 appearance
  • Quote of the day by Sadhguru: "Love is self-annihilation. It happens when you fall, not in calculation or convenience."
  • ‘Biryani bhejdu? Rs 370 ki hai bas’ to ‘Biryani is dinner, not consent’: Amid Pranit More controversy, Zomato clarifies viral notification is fake
Photostories
  • From India's newest discovery to iconic: 10 monkey species found in India, and forests where travellers can spot them
  • Why some children stop telling parents the truth after age 10
  • French love proverb of the day: "The pleasure of love lasts only a moment, the pain of love lasts..."
  • Do you want to become rich? try these remedies based on your birth
  • Top 8 premium residential societies driving luxury living in Noida
  • 7 things you must do in your garden in order to attract garden birds
  • 9 food habits of soldiers during World War I
  • From heavy rain in Kerala to hailstorms in Delhi: Here’s what the latest IMD forecast is warning travellers in India
  • 5 medicinal herbs you can grow in balcony
Explore more Stories
  • 11
    From India's newest discovery to iconic: 10 monkey species found in India, and forests where travellers can spot them
  • 6
    Why some children stop telling parents the truth after age 10
  • 6
    The best places to retire in India: Affordable, peaceful, and senior-friendly
  • 8
    7 things you must do in your garden in order to attract garden birds
  • 10
    9 food habits of soldiers during World War I
Up Next
  • ETimes
  • /
  • Life & Style
  • /
  • Books
  • /
  • Features
  • /
  • Cheerful books to read to stay positive in times of Coronavirus scare
About UsTerms Of UsePrivacy PolicyCookie Policy

Copyright © Jun 11, 2026, 12.22PM IST Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service