Looking for books to lighten your mood? Enjoy this selection of library e-books and e-audiobooks that are available instantly through Hoopla, whose wide collection of books, comics, TV shows, movies, and music are always available—no hold lists and no waiting.
If you haven’t yet created a Hoopla account, now is the perfect time! All you need is an email address and your library card. These instructions will help you get set up. Visit our Download & Stream page for more about our digital collections.
E-Books
(All descriptions are taken from NoveList Plus, another great resource available with your library card.)
All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank
A Southern gentleman and his talented New York wife return to his home in the lush Carolina lowcountry, where they endure a summer of transitions while observing the impact of seasonal choices on the lives of neighbors and visitors.
Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox
The decision to stop dating has made Vaughn Hargrave’s life infinitely simpler: he has friends, an excellent wardrobe, and a job in the industry he loves. But when a piece is stolen from his art gallery and insurance investigator Jonah Sondern shows up, Vaughn finds himself struggling with that decision.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Resolving to achieve professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against cold and efficient nemesis Joshua, a rivalry that is impossibly complicated by her growing attraction to him.
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
Mistaken by his betrothed as a pauper instead of a prince, Prince Thabiso, the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, decides to keep his real identity a secret as he experiences life and love with Naledi Smith—until the truth comes out, which changes everything.
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
When his mother dies, 38-year-old Bartholomew Neil, who doesn't know how to be on his own, discovers a letter in his mother's underwear drawer that causes him to write a series of highly intimate letters to actor Richard Gere, while embarking on a quest to find out where he belongs.
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
Coming to America on a scholarship, Mili Rathod, who has been bound by marriage since she was four years old to a man she has never met, is drawn into the world of her husband's playboy filmmaker brother who has been sent across the world to keep an eye on her.
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
An account of a European trip blends anecdotes with worldly insights, describing the bleak lands of Norway, the exotic scenes of Istanbul, and the cities of Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Rome, Geneva, and Vienna.
The Wangs vs. The World by Jade Chang
A wealthy but dysfunctional Chinese immigrant family has it all, only to lose every last cent. Mad at America, Wang, a brash but lovable immigrant businessman takes his family on a cross-country road trip that, despite a few harrowing twists and turns, eventually brings them back together again.
Made for Love by Alissa Nutting
Moving to a senior citizen trailer park with her father and his lifelike sex doll, Hazel, the estranged wife of a monolithic corporate CEO who demanded she install a brain chip so that they could be constantly connected, tries to carve out a new life while her ex uses sophisticated technology to stalk her.
The Fugitive Pigeon by Donald E. Westlake
When two hitmen come calling on Canarsie bartender Charlie Poole, he is forced to stand up for himself, and leave Brooklyn, for the first time in his life.
E-Audiobooks
Lamb by Christopher Moore, read by Fisher Stevens
A humorous, speculative novel fills in the lost years of Jesus' life, told from the perspective of Biff, his childhood best friend.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
A young witch-to-be named Tiffany teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, read by Steven Crossley
Confined to a nursing home and about to turn 100, Allan Karlsson, who has a larger-than-life back story as an explosives expert, climbs out of the window in his slippers and embarks on an unforgettable adventure involving thugs, a murderous elephant and a very friendly hot dog stand operator.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, read by David Sedaris
In a collection of essays, observations, and commentaries, the humorist describes his recent move to Paris, life as an American in Paris, his struggle to learn French, his family, and restaurant meals.
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, read by Carrie Fisher
A memoir based on the author's one-woman show describes growing up with celebrity parents, her early success in Star Wars, battle with addiction and mental illness, turbulent romances, role as a single mother, and struggle for recovery and healing.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, read by Martin Jarvis
The world is going to end next Saturday, but there are a few problems—the Antichrist has been misplaced, the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse ride motorcycles, and the representatives from heaven and hell decide that they like the human race.
Stiff by Mary Roach, read by Shelly Frasier
A look inside the world of forensics examines the use of human cadavers in a wide range of endeavors, including research into new surgical procedures, space exploration, and a Tennessee human decay research facility.
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, read by Jon Stewart & Conan O'Brien
In this engaging and highly unusual travelogue, journalist Sarah Vowell explores the history of American presidential assassinations.
My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, read by Jonathan Cecil
First published in 1919, this book introduced the world to affable, indolent Bertie Wooster and his precise, capable valet, Jeeves.
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor, read by Cecil Baldwin & Dylan Marron
Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life.
BONUS: For more feel-good reads, check out the list of Comfort Reads on our staff recommendations page!
Rebecca Hayes is an Adult Services Librarian at Morton Grove Public Library.