Feel Good Issue

Books, movies, foods and more

I’m sending this out during that lazy, dazed time between Christmas and New Year where it’s permissible to have pie for breakfast and it’s fine to commandeer the couch and watch a movie any time of the day without family members giving you the stink-eye. (What day is it, by the way?) Recently, I caught up with my favorite Christmas movie, Family Man.

But I also discovered a new favorite, Goodbye, June. Fair warning: It made me cry which might be the opposite of feel-good to some but I enjoy a satisfying weep.

The other feel-good film for me this year was Life of Chuck.

And the film I’m looking forward to most in 2026 is The Devil Wears Prada 2

Books in 2025

I’m delighted to announce that 2025 was the year of the feel-good book. Three new heart warmers dropped this year, Theo of Golden, The Correspondent (a novel of letters), and Mona’s Eyes.

What I really loved about these books is that the main characters were older: 86, 70 plus, and 85 respectively. All three are feel-good but if you really want a real heart warmer, consider Mona’s Eyes, which is about a little girl who’s losing her eye sight, so her grandaddy takes her to the museums to admire art before she can’t see anymore. Cue the water works.

Most Anticipated Feel-Good Book in 2026

Calamity Club by Kathyrn Stockett

In 2009, I went to a book festival in Columbia, South Carolina, clutching an amazing novel that came out a week ago. I asked the author to sign it and said to her, “I have a spidey sense about certain books, and I think yours will be bigger than you could ever imagine.”

The author was Kathyrn Stockwell, and the novel was The Help. I loved the novel because of the warm, funny and authentic voices of her characters.

Seventeen years later, she’s got a new novel coming out.

It’s also a Southern period piece (1933 Oxford, Mississippi) and revolves around strong women who join together to fight for their rights. The publisher says, “The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to resilience, friendship, and the fierce, funny women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings.” Sounds great but you’re going to have to wait until May.

No feel-good edition would be complete without comfort food.

During this cozy time, I find myself craving foods like mac-and-cheese, bean soup, and roasted chicken. Imagine my delight, when I found this cookbook, which has recipes for all that yummy food, on sale for $1.99! (Don’t know how long the sale will last.)

Enjoy it while you can because right after New Years, everyone starts yammering about their diets and our minds turn to celery and skinless chicken breasts. (BOO!) One of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott has a great essay on an anti-diet program .

I also wrote an essay a while back called Exercise Your Right to be Slothful.

Next week, it’ll be back to work, and I’m not sure I’ll be ready. Think this will get me out of it?

What’s making you feel good at the end of the year? I’d love to hear. See ya next month.