Browse books by mood

Pick a mood for a hand-picked starter list, or ask Bookworm for picks tailored to you.

• Cozy & comforting

  Some days you want a book that feels like a blanket and a hot drink. These stories are gentle, kind and low on dread, the sort you can put down and pick up again without losing the thread.

• Gripping thriller

  A good thriller makes you say 'just one more chapter' at midnight. These range from a golden-age puzzle to modern psychological suspense, and all of them keep the pages turning.

• Short & easy

  Short doesn't mean slight. These books are quick to read and still stay with you, which makes them good for a busy week, a reading slump or a single long journey.

• Sci-fi & fantasy

  Science fiction and fantasy can take you to a desert planet, a frozen world or the other side of the galaxy. These are well-loved entry points that mix big worlds with characters worth caring about.

• Love & romance

  Whether you want slow-burn longing, sharp banter or a story that breaks your heart a little first, these love stories mix classics with modern favorites.

• New to reading

  If you haven't picked up a book in a while, start with something that moves. These stories are engaging and easy to follow, and most are on the shelves of almost any bookstore or library.

• Spooky, not scary

  Not every spooky season read needs to keep you up at night. These books lean on atmosphere, old houses, odd families and a little magic, with more shivers than gore.

• Winter evenings

  When it gets dark at four and the snow keeps falling, you want a book with weight and atmosphere. These are wintry stories and absorbing reads to sink into, some chilly, some thoughtful, all good company for a long night.

• Long journeys

  A long journey calls for a book that pulls you in and keeps you there, with short chapters, a strong hook or a world big enough to disappear into. These are easy to start, hard to put down and worth the shelf space in your bag.

• Gift books

  Choosing a book for someone else is hard, so these lean on crowd-pleasers: widely loved, easy to find in any bookstore and rarely a miss. Between them they cover the thoughtful friend, the busy parent, the person who says they don't read and the one who reads everything.

• Cozy Christmas

  December is the one month when a sentimental book is exactly right. These are Christmas stories to read in an evening: a classic ghost story with a happy heart, small-town warmth and a few laughs, all with more cheer than drama.

• New year reading

  A new year is a good excuse to read something that gives you room to think. These aren't all self-help: there are memoirs, a novel and a few big ideas, each about starting over, slowing down or choosing what matters. Pick one for the first week of January and see where it takes you.

• Book club picks

  The best book club books split the room. These novels have a moral knot, a character you'll argue about or an ending people read differently. They're all widely available in paperback and from libraries, which helps when a whole group needs a copy.

• Reading slump

  When nothing sticks, the answer is rarely a worthy classic. These books have short chapters, strong hooks and easy-to-follow stories, so you can finish a chapter on the first sitting and the habit comes back. Unlike a list of short books, these are picked for momentum, not length.

• Thanksgiving reads

  Thanksgiving is a good excuse to read about being grateful, about the people around the table and about the food that brings them there. These books are warm and thoughtful, and they are easy to dip into while the turkey rests or when the house finally goes quiet.

• Rainy day reads

  Rain is permission to stay in. These books have a strong sense of place and weather, and they pull you in so completely that the afternoon disappears. Unlike the cozy picks, a few of them are a little stormy.

• Laugh out loud

  Funny is hard to get right on the page, and it is a matter of taste, so this list mixes styles: comic fantasy, a diary, a Victorian boat trip, two sharp memoirs and a fairy tale with its tongue in its cheek. Pick the voice that makes you laugh first.

• Feel-good reads

  Sometimes you want a book that leaves you in a better mood than it found you. These are warm, funny and hopeful, with kind people and plenty of bookish settings. A few touch on grief and loss along the way, but all of them end with a lift. They are a little livelier than the cozy picks.

• Historical fiction

  Good historical fiction makes a period feel lived in. These novels range from the Tudor court and Elizabethan Stratford to wartime Europe and 1960s Mississippi, and they work as stories first and history lessons second.

• Classic mysteries

  Before the psychological thriller there were country houses, fog and a sharp detective. These range from Sherlock Holmes on the moors to a hard-boiled private eye, with clever puzzles and little gore. For faster, darker suspense, try the thriller list.

• Nobel Prize winners

  You can start with a Nobel Prize winner without taking on a doorstop. These seven novels, each by a different laureate in Literature, are short or readable, and they range from a fable on an island to a quiet story set in a Seoul classroom. For more short books, try the short reads list.