Gentle Reads for Adults

Stories to curl up with that aren't going to get your heart racing. We've included a selection of fiction and non-fiction titles that feature folks you might like to spend time with. These titles were selected with accessibility to multiple formats.

Updated August 15, 2023
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Greater Victoria Public Library
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Anne of Avonlea
Montgomery, L. M.
Paper Book
L.M. Montgomery published Anne of Green Gables, her first novel about Anne Shirley, in 1908, and went on to write seven more books about the impulsive, romantic dreamer with a redheaded temper. In this second story, Anne is nearly grown and is a teacher in the village school. The stories of...

Also available in Large Print, eBook, eAudiobook and CD format.

Anything is possible
Strout, Elizabeth
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An unforgettable cast of small-town characters copes with love and loss in this "compulsively readable" (San Francisco Chronicle) novel from #1 bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout "This book, this writer, are...

Also available in Large Print, CD, eBook and eAudiobook.

The kitchen front : a novel
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir comes an unforgettable novel of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition and the four women who enter for a chance to better their lives. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *...

Also available in Large Print and eBook.

The brilliant life of Eudora Honeysett : a novel
Lyons, Annie
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER! "One adorably British odd couple . . . Charming." -- People "An exquisitely poignant tale of life, friendship and facing death . . . heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting . . Everyone should read this book." -- Ruth Hogan, author of ...

Also available in Large Print and CD format.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir : a novel
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "A delightful debut."--People    For readers of Lilac Girls and The Nightingale, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir unfolds the struggles, affairs, deceptions, and triumphs of a village choir during World War II. ...

Also available in CD, eBook and eAudiobook.

The dig
Preston, John
Paper Book
THE BASIS FOR THE NETFLIX FILM STARRING CAREY MULLIGAN, RALPH FIENNES, AND LILY JAMES  A literary adventure that tells the story of a priceless buried treasure discovered in England on the eve of World War II   In the long, hot summer of 1939, Britain...

Also available in Large Print.

Lessons in chemistry
Garmus, Bonnie
Paper Book
#1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN 8 MILLION COPIES SOLD * Meet Elizabeth Zott: "a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention" (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a ...

Also available in Large Print, eBook and eAudiobook format.

Flying solo : a novel
Holmes, Linda (Radio talk show host)
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A woman returns to her small Maine hometown, uncovering family secrets that take her on a journey of self-discovery and new love, in this warm and charming novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over. "A...

Also available in Large Print, eBook and eAudiobook format.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Shaffer, Mary Ann.
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NOW A NETFLIX FILM * A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name. "Treat yourself to this book, please--I can't recommend it highly enough."--Elizabeth Gilbert,...

Also available in CD, eBook and eAudiobook.

The Jane Austen Society: A Novel
Jenner, Natalie
Paper Book
* INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * "This novel delivers sweet, smart escapism." --People "Fans of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society... A charming and...

Also available in Large Print, CD, eBook and eAudiobook.

One night on the island : a novel
Silver, Josie
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December . . . When a double-booking at a remote one-room cabin accidentally throws two solace seekers together, it feels like a cruel twist of fate. But what if it's fate of a different kind? "A perfectly...

Also available in Large Print, eBook and eAudiobook.


A man called Ove
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
"You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel new sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life." --People The #1 New York Times bestseller about the grumpy old man next door that's an uplifting exploration of the unreliability of first impressions and a reminder that life...

Also available in Large Print, eAudiobook and CD format.

Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
Van Pelt, Shelby
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively...

Also available in Large Print, eBook and eAudiobook.

A single thread
Chevalier, Tracy
Paper Book
"A buoyant tale about the path to acceptance and joy--beginning, like all journeys, with one brave step."--People "The best-selling novelist has done a masterful job of depicting the circumstances of a generation of women we seldom think about: the mothers, sisters, wives and...

Also available in Large Print, eBook, CD and DAISY format.

The story of Arthur Truluv : a novel
Berg, Elizabeth
Paper Book
"I dare you to read this novel and not fall in love with Arthur Truluv. His story will make you laugh and cry, and will show you a love that never ends, and what it means to be truly human."--Fannie Flagg An emotionally powerful novel about three people who each lose the one they...

Also available in Large Print and eBook.

The wonder boy of Whistle Stop : a novel
Flagg, Fannie
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A heartwarming novel about secrets of youth rediscovered, hometown memories, and the magical moments in ordinary lives, from the beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe "A gift, a blessing and a triumph . . ....

Also available in Large Print, eBook, eAudiobook, CD and DAISY format.

You are here : a novel
Nicholls, David
Paper Book
THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A Good Housekeeping "Book We're Most Looking Forward To" * An Independent Today "Best Fiction Books to Read" * A GQ Magazine (UK) "Best Book of 2024" * A Harper's Bazaar (UK) "Best Novels to Read" * A ...

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