At a time of political upheaval, where nothing seems to stay the same, and calamity and craziness is our daily news ... there does seem to be an appetite for books about human connection, optimism and love (but not necessarily romance). The publishing community has declared that "UpLit" is a new trend - books about likeable characters on the margins of society who through sheer determination, a good dose of positivity mixed with some luck, empathy and kindness become the gentle heroes and heroines of the ordinary. With the publication of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, 'UpLit' went into overdrive and this new genre has become incredibly popular. Find out more in The Guardian: UpLit has become a 'thing'.
Eleanor Oliphant is a great example of the genre, and another title I really enjoyed was The Cactus, about a prickly character who finds herself pregnant and surprisingly vulnerable, something she is not at all accustomed to feeling!
There are some great books being published and this is a trend that may well last a while given the daily amount of fear, negativity and trauma that comes streaming onto our TVs and phones. Take a break and enjoy some of these titles.
For those times when you need a bit of a lift, some empathy and some warmth in your heart. These are well written stories that often feature characters that are slightly outside of the mainstream.
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