These Lovable Curmudgeons Will Warm Your Heart

As 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish embarks on a long trek through New York City, she reflects on her life as a wife, mother, and grandmother (despite her insistence at one point that she would remain a spinster for life) and her career as a successful poet and top advertising agent for Macy’s. As she journeys through a Manhattan that’s grittier and more dangerous than it was in the days of her youth, Lillian visits her favorite haunts and shines a light on what it meant to live as a career woman in New York City in the 20th century.

Cantankerous A.J. Fikry laments the death of his wife, the declining sales at his independent bookstore, and the peppiness of a new sales rep. But he’s determined to live a grand narrative, and his life is reinvigorated after a rare book is stolen and a child is abandoned in his shop. This heartwarming story is for every curmudgeon lover out there (which is clearly you, dear reader).

Irritable old Maude just wants to be left alone. Those that disrupt her peace and quiet are in for a ghastly (or should we say deadly?) surprise. This darkly funny collection of short stories, all featuring Maude, proves that one should never underestimate their elderly neighbors.

Lyrical, warm, and full of eccentric and memorable characters (some curmudgeonly, others charming), “The Great Unexpected” follows a back-and-forth narrative of the adventures of a pair of young girls in America and a pair of sisters in Ireland who have become estranged. Magic and mystery abound in Creech’s award-winning YA story about connection, friendship, and forgiveness.

After losing his wife, Miriam, protagonist Arthur Pepper lives a lonely life ruled by routine. One day, Arthur finds a mysterious charm bracelet hidden among Miriam’s things — a discovery that sparks his desire to learn more about his late wife (and himself). The ensuing scavenger-hunt adventure is both heartwarming and thrilling.

No other literary character inspires a love of life — and a flare for the dramatic — quite as much as Anne Shirley. Along for the ride (but not always happy about it) is Marilla Cuthbert, Anne’s adoptive mother. Her formidable exterior hides a heart of gold, as proven by her loyalty to Anne.

In a series about kids being forced to kill other kids, it’s no wonder these curmudgeons (notably, Katniss and her mentor, Haymitch) are younger than you’d expect. Still, these characters are so lovable that lots of people are willing to throw themselves in harm’s way to save them (particularly precious Peeta).