Not easy to get (try online) but I wholeheartedly recommend the Cazalet Chronicles for this. Totally engrossing, lovely, mostly upbeat, and looong (four books I think). Elizabeth Jane Howard. Good if you like British stuff, war stories, girls growing up, idyllic English country houses etc.

Reading, and loving, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.

If you like historical fiction, check out Sharon Kay Penman's books - all of them are excellent.

If you like mysteries, check out the Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George.

I second Possession by A.S. Byatt but haven't had much luck selling that to others. If you do like it, then I would recommend The Virgin in the Garden series (I forget the order after the first but Still Life, Babel Tower, and a 4th one).

If you like historical romance, I would look at Georgette Heyer.

If you like cooking, I would look at Jacques Pepin's autobiography, the Apprentice, and Ruth Reichl's work.

If you want history about DC, I really liked Katherine Graham's Washington.

Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton. My mother read it twice while undergoing treatment for leukemia. It is very meditative and beautifully written. The audiobook is also very soothing. LOVED this book!

https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Hare-Memoir-Chloe-Dalton/dp/0593701844

"The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

someone else already mentioned "East of Eden" by Steinbeck

Anonymous wrote:Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow?

Good suggestion

Anonymous wrote:Where'd you go Bernadette?
Remarkably bright creatures
Books by Emily Henry

I also like middle grade and young adult stuff when I need a lightweight distraction. Some series that are engrossing (some get a fair bit darker than my fluffy adult recommendations):
Harry Potter
Scythe
Anne of Green Gables
Calpurnia Tate
The apothecary
The mysterious Benedict society
The wizard of Oz

+1!

I just devoured Ione Skye’s memoir Say Everything in a weekend.

East of Eden

How are you doing Op?

When I was in the midst of cancer treatment, I enjoyed Orange Is the New Black. It is an engrossing read and I was comforted by the fact that the narrator was going through a bad time too. It was nice to feel like, “at least I am not going to federal prison tomorrow.”

The Latecomer, by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Big, engrossing family novel.

Same As It Ever Was, by Claire Lombardo

I also loved two of Laurie Frankel's novels:
This is How it Always Is
Family, Family

For something lighter:
Funny You Should Ask, by Elissa Sussman
Once More with Feeling, by Elissa Sussman
The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio
Today Will Be Different, by Maria Semple

Thinking of you and sending healing thoughts. Xoxo

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

I love Stephen King, and not for the horror. I find him to be an incredibly engaging storyteller whose characters grab me right from the start.

Anonymous wrote:I liked “What happened to Nina?” - based on a real crime.

I meant ‘inspired by.’

I liked “What happened to Nina?” - based on a real crime.