Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss – And Other ‘Uplit’ Reads That Will Make You Feel Joyful

Professor Chandra is a stuffy, competitive Oxford academic who has forgotten how to communicate with his family, preferring professional point-scoring. So when he is nearly killed in a road accident shortly after being passed over for the Nobel Prize, he sort of … unravels. What seemed like goals, or happiness no longer do. And when he's persuaded to visit West Coast retreat Esalen, he has a radical (and very Californian) shift in perspective. His journey provides a genuine look at what happens is or might be, as well as being properly, heart warningly funny. A joyful take on grasping second chances.… and other books we're now calling Uplit

If (like me) your dream coping strategy for late January would be to sit in a bar in Ireland and listen to great stories, this is the book for you. 84 year old Maurice Hannigan is at the bar, having sorted his life's affairs, and orders five drinks - a toast to each of the key people in his life, and then tells the story of his life. With echoes of Any Human Heart, this is a proper tear jerker, but one which will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful.

A novel with enough warmth for the chilliest of Januarys, this is another tale of an elderly man look-ing back at what life has taught him. This time it's Billy Binns, who's over 100 and believes he's the oldest man in Europe. He wants to remember what it feels like to fall in love, so he reflects on his five big loves - and thereby his greatest hopes, heartaches and hilarities. And old guy thinking about old loves could make for a creepy story but this is about so much more - what inspires us, what engages us and what keep us going when things are rough.

Set in 1960s New England this is storytelling with an otherworldly edge. Part ET part Wonder, part Snow Child, it sees a childless couple's lives changed forever when a meteor crashes into their small town Amber Grove and they adopt a survivor from the wreckage - a young boy with an ex-traordinary appearance. They devote themselves to protecting him - and his alien secret. With same combination of science fiction and heart tugging tenderness that Stephen King does so well, it is similarly compelling and heart warming.

Writer Logan Mountstuart's life spans the 20th century, from the Bloomsbury set to the Wall St crash, via Edward & Mrs Simpson. This is his story, with all of its highs and lows, shames and tri-umphs, and witty asides. By the last page of this epic classic you'll feel as if you've lost a family member.