Suggest me a book that hooks you from the beginning and leaves you upbeat

I am looking for a book suggestion for a holiday gift for my mother. She reads fiction and non-fiction, but I think non-fiction might be better for this gift. I am also open to historical fiction suggestions as well. She likes to feel upbeat and look to the positive. In the past, she has enjoyed: "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer and "Hawaii" by James A. Michener.