Fed up with the relentless 24 hour news cycle? Dealing with a noisy family? Or maybe you have an extremely large pile of washing lurking in your peripheral vision…

Whatever your predicament, sometimes you just need a great book to drown the world out. These 10 novels will help you take a well-deserved break from whatever minor chaos you’re facing.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Thirty-two-year-old Nina Dean is a successful food writer with a loyal online following – and a life that is falling apart. When she uses dating apps for the first time, she becomes a victim of ghosting, and by the most beguiling of men. Her beloved dad is vanishing in slow motion into dementia, and she’s starting to think about the gendered double-standard of the biological clock. On top of this she has to deal with her mother’s desire for a mid-life makeover and the fact that all her friends seem to be slipping away from her. Funny, tender and relatable, Ghosts filled with whip-smart observations about and the way we live today.

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

A prequel to her popular 1995 novel-turned-film, Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman’s latest book shares with the reader the origin of the famed centuries-old curse of the Owens family. Opening in 1664 with an abandoned baby in rural England and encompassing the heights of the Salem witch trials, Magic Lessons following the lives of Owen family matriarch Maria and her daughter.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi lives in the House – a labyrinth of grand halls and strange but beautiful statues. He believes he has always lived there: fishing, collecting water, caring for the human bones that are scattered throughout the House. He keeps detailed records of the House’s many halls for the Other, the only other living inhabitant of the House (apart from the birds). When a new person begins to visit the House, the Other claims Piranesi is in great danger. But as Piranesi reads back through his old journals, a very different truth is revealed. This novel will transport you entirely as it unravels the mystery of another world.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

In a peaceful retirement village in Kent, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings. When a local property developer shows up dead, this ‘Thursday Murder Club’ find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be octogenarians, but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late? This page-turning murder mystery is a joyful, laugh-out-loud celebration of modern Britishness and the power of friendship.

It’s Been A Pleasure, Noni Blake by Claire Christian

Noni didn’t expect to be starting over again at the age of thirty-six, but 18 months after the end of her long-term relationship, she knows it’s finally time to find out what’s next. While an encounter with a sexy blonde firefighter is a welcome entry back into the dating world, Noni soon realises she’s looking for more than just a series of brief encounters. And that’s how she finds herself travelling to Europe to track down the one that got away – the alluring, elusive Molly. This is a quirky, feel-good romantic comedy about creating the life you want.

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff

A British family of six and their friends spend each summer at the beach, returning to a familiar holiday house and pursuits. It’s different this year as they are joined by Kit and Hugo Godden, two very different American brothers, the sons of a somewhat-known actress. Hugo is sullen and silent, while beautiful Kit enthralls everyone around him. The observant teen narrator is instantly charmed, but there are devastating consequences ahead for the whole family. This summery, stormy coming-of-age novel has been likened to I Capture the Castle and Bonjour Tristesse – read it and remember young love by the seaside.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Nora Seed feels she has let everyone in her life down, including herself. When she finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right – the books in this magical place enable her to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, Nora can now undo every one of her regrets and create the perfect life. But things aren’t always what she imagined they’d be, and soon her choices place the library – and herself – in extreme danger.

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

When Lucie Tang Churchill meets George Zao, she can’t stand him. He’s a self-righteous eco-warrior that takes himself much too seriously, and no-one should look that good in Speedos! Worried about what her Mayflower-descended, Wall Street-wealthy family might think, Lucie returns to the safety of Manhattan’s Upper East Side where she meets Cecil. A suave billionaire more concerned with his Instagram account than the planet might just be the perfect way to forget George… Gloriously decadent and wildly romantic, Sex and Vanity is a delicious satire on the grandest of scales.

Again Again by E. Lockhart

After having her heart summarily broken by her boyfriend Mikey, Adelaide Buchwald faces a summer walking vacationing professor’s dogs and working on a set design project in an effort to avoid academic probation. When she spots Jack at the dog run and falls instantly in love, Adelaide is catapulted into a summer of wild possibility – and potential disappointment. This raw and funny novel branches off into multiple alternate versions of scenes, conversations and decisions; a playful format that perfectly matches the uncertainties of life, and is oddly comforting.

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe’s mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. Then she meets hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Max’s determination to win Olivia over proves him to be sweet, funny, and noble – not just the privileged white politician she assumed him to be. Dating in secret is fun at first, but when they finally go public, the intense media scrutiny proves intense, and could have serious consequences for Olivia’s career. Olivia knows what she has with Max is special, but is it strong enough to survive the heat of the spotlight?