When life begins to feel overwhelming, it’s reassuring to remember that support and encouragement can be found right at our fingertips. Turning to a thoughtful book, whether a children’s fable, a poignant memoir, or a collection of poems, can offer an antidote to stress and a balm for an aching heart. Reading — or rereading — the right book at the right time can open our minds to a new way of looking at life, and remind us that even in this, we are not alone.
If life has you feeling a little down and lost, these wisdom-packed, encouraging books can help you get back up, and back on track.
"Tiny Beautiful Things" by Cheryl Strayed
Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore.
For two years, Cheryl Strayed wrote an anonymous advice column called “Dear Sugar” for the online literary magazine The Rumpus. As the pseudonymous “Sugar,” Strayed showed an intimate writing style and no-nonsense approach to advice-giving that struck a chord with readers.
Published in 2012, the same year as Strayed’s No. 1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild, Tiny Beautiful Things includes a curated collection of the author’s beloved “Dear Sugar” columns, as well as several original essays.
"The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" by Charlie Mackesy
Sometimes just getting up and carrying on is brave and magnificent.
This charming illustrated fable, about four unlikely friends meandering through the countryside together, is a touching exploration of kindness and vulnerability that has captivated readers of all ages. Through whimsical illustrations, calligraphed text, and thought-provoking parables, Mackesy’s tale explores universal truths about friendship, courage, hope, and love.
"Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver" by Mary Oliver
Finally, I saw that worrying had come / to nothing. / And gave it up. And took my old body / and went out into the morning, / and sang.
A winner of both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, Mary Oliver was a prolific writer who found her inspiration in the natural world. Personally curated and arranged by Oliver, this collection of over 200 poems embodies the poet’s inspiring brilliance and highlights over five decades of a remarkable literary career.
With Devotions, Oliver reminds us that spending time in nature can soothe our spirit and refresh our mind.
"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
Wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.
Published in 1988, this slim novel leaves a big impression. Told from the perspective of Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd boy who sets out on a journey in search of treasure, The Alchemist weaves an enchanting allegorical tale filled with wisdom and magic. Coelho’s lyrical writing is a call to action that reminds us that the greatest treasures in life aren’t material.
"Keep Moving" by Maggie Smith
Accept that you are a work in progress, both a revision and a draft: you are better and more complete than earlier versions of yourself, but you also have work to do. Be open to change. Allow yourself to be revised.
In 2016, poet Maggie Smith went viral with her heartbreaking but hopeful poem “Good Bones.” Her 2020 book Keep Moving has the same resonant energy, with short, insightful essays and pithy affirmations that remind us that every day is a chance to start over — and keep moving forward.
"The Book of Joy" by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
As we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken.
In this moving collaboration, close friends and spiritual leaders the 14th Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their personal stories and answer the timeless question: “How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?” Having witnessed some of the darkest moments in human history, they endeavor to be beacons of light, and their wisdom is both inspiring and hopeful.
"The Book of Delights" by Ross Gay
The older I get — in all likelihood closer to my death than to my birth, despite all the arugula and quinoa — the more I think of this day as a delight.
Over the course of a year, Ross Gay compiled a book of essays about the things that delight him. From handmade scarves to a friend’s continued remission from cancer, Gay’s compilation of delights is a reminder that life is sometimes complicated and messy, but it’s also profoundly joyful.
Featured image credit: Ben Molyneux/ Alamy Stock Photo
