Books that feel like a warm hug
Do you ever feeling like reading a book that will just feel like comfort on days when you’re down? Well, here’s my list of books that will make your brittle heart feel warm. So snuggle up in a blanket, grab your favourite hot beverage and pick up one of these books!
1. The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
Read this when you need hope, that things will get better
Matt Haig, like so many of us, suffers from anxiety and depression. This book is a compilation of notes and anecdotes that he used to remind himself of positivity and hope through his darkest moments. The book reminds us that progress occurs through our worst periods. It serves as a reminder of hope.
On days when you feel like you’re gonna be down forever and this book will remind you that you are not alone and that nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
Read this when you need a reminder that we are a sum of our experiences
If I had to describe how this book made me feel, I would say it’s a stab in your heart but a good kind of stab. The kind that makes you feel things.
This the story of Ove, a grumpy 59-year-old Swedish man who has lost his wife and then his job — circumstances that, to Ove, offered a solid, factual evidence for doom. Ove’s first suicide attempt is cut short by his very pregnant and relentlessly blunt Iranian neighbour, Parvaneh, and her sunny husband, who appears determined to annoy Ove by not properly parking his car, and later, for the rest of the novel, by a series of comically mundane occurrences “that made him sufficiently angry to hold his attention.”
With this simple premise, Backman creates a story that is wonderfully nuanced, authentic, and interesting, brimming with personal wisdom, and philosophic insight — all of which adds up to something undoubtedly painful but also indisputably pleasurable. Backman writes with a confidence and vigour that produces fascinating writing, resulting in the type of brilliant narrative that wells up to pull the reader into a unique and unforgettable experience, on themes of love, grief, family, friendships, and their dangers and rewards.
3. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Read this when you aren’t feeling grateful for being alive
How many times have you wondered of a “what if” scenario? If only, if not this, if only when..? This book exactly that.
Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?
This book encourages you to ask yourself difficult questions, such as what makes a life worthwhile. And do you truly desire your aspirations for yourself? I like how this book discusses regrets and how, most of the time, our regrets are a bunch of nonsense about things that are beyond of our control and are causing a tremendous weight in our lives.This book will make you feel grateful for your life.
4. Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb
Read this to remind yourself that everyone’s fighting their own battles.
Lori narrates her path as a therapist, and we follow the progression of her patients throughout the book — each of them unique, each with their own set of concerns and difficulties that bother them. Every week, these patients come in and tell us their tales, as well as Lori’s approach to dealing with them at every step of the journey. Apart from that, we witness Lori dealing with her own troubles, such as the termination of a long-term romance, and when she is unable to deal with it, she seeks help from Wendell. What I loved best about the book was how Lori peppered nuggets of psychology throughout, such as beliefs about different defence mechanisms people develop for themselves.
This book will have you rooting for Lori’s patients and for Lori and remind you that at the end of the day we’re all human and fighting our own battles.
Thanks for reading!
I will add more recommendations to this list! What are some of your comfort reads? :)
