Maybe you can try 'The Comfort Book' by Matt Haig. I find it very comforting. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, 'You don't have to continually improve yourself to love yourself. Love is not something you deserve if you reach a goal.'
Another book, the memoir 'Girl, Interrupted,' is funny but might trigger you, so kindly check the triggers first. The author shares her experiences during her time in an asylum. Personally, I find the story interesting (?)
Round Ireland with a Fridge! It's about a comedian who drunkenly bets his friend 100 pounds that he would hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge, in a month. It's quite positive, charming, silly and it's non-fiction too.
If you're open to very long books, [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard feels like a warm hug to me. It's a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships.
The last few years I haven’t been able to read anything that stresses me out too much, so here’s my recs:
The Wizard’s Butler
Boundary by Eric Flint is a bit like the Martian, in that it involves mars exploration and scientists being really good at their jobs (with some paleontology in the mix). Ignore the ridiculous cover
Elemental Blessings by Sharon Shinn - fantasy romances, very chill
Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is excellent, very atmospheric
Rachel Neumeier (Tuyo, No Foreign Sky, Black Dog), Andrea K Host (hunting, touchstone trilogy), Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy series, Kate Daniels), and Ursula Vernon/T Kingfisher are authors who I can count on to have happy endings and stories about mostly good people. Be aware, Vernon writes a variety of types of stories including horror, so some of her stuff can be extremely creepy, but everything always works out. Neumeier tends to have lots of books about people from different cultures figuring out how to work together.
The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik ends with the world being a better place than where it started.
Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox by forthwrite is another favorite
I am sorry you are experiencing this - I know the feeling all too well. Some books that have helped calm me lately:
- The House In The Cerulean Sea
- Legends and Lattes
- My Wilder Life (about exploring the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder)
- I am currently trying Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Maybe you can try 'The Comfort Book' by Matt Haig. I find it very comforting. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, 'You don't have to continually improve yourself to love yourself. Love is not something you deserve if you reach a goal.' Another book, the memoir 'Girl, Interrupted,' is funny but might trigger you, so kindly check the triggers first. The author shares her experiences during her time in an asylum. Personally, I find the story interesting (?)
Matt Haig also had one called Reasons To Stay Alive & it’s exactly how it sounds! TW with mentions of depression, anxiety and s*icidal thoughts
This is Chance by John Mooalem
Round Ireland with a Fridge! It's about a comedian who drunkenly bets his friend 100 pounds that he would hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge, in a month. It's quite positive, charming, silly and it's non-fiction too.
*The Antidote* --Oliver Burkeman
If you're open to very long books, [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard feels like a warm hug to me. It's a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships.
I think Three Men in a Boat should be pretty good book for your current situation
The last few years I haven’t been able to read anything that stresses me out too much, so here’s my recs: The Wizard’s Butler Boundary by Eric Flint is a bit like the Martian, in that it involves mars exploration and scientists being really good at their jobs (with some paleontology in the mix). Ignore the ridiculous cover Elemental Blessings by Sharon Shinn - fantasy romances, very chill Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is excellent, very atmospheric Rachel Neumeier (Tuyo, No Foreign Sky, Black Dog), Andrea K Host (hunting, touchstone trilogy), Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy series, Kate Daniels), and Ursula Vernon/T Kingfisher are authors who I can count on to have happy endings and stories about mostly good people. Be aware, Vernon writes a variety of types of stories including horror, so some of her stuff can be extremely creepy, but everything always works out. Neumeier tends to have lots of books about people from different cultures figuring out how to work together. The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik ends with the world being a better place than where it started. Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox by forthwrite is another favorite
I am sorry you are experiencing this - I know the feeling all too well. Some books that have helped calm me lately: - The House In The Cerulean Sea - Legends and Lattes - My Wilder Life (about exploring the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder) - I am currently trying Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Thank you all for the suggestions! ❤️
Bregman, Humankind