I read “Heaven is for Real” following the shootings at Sandy Hook school a few years ago. I am a teacher and struggled immensely with that event. I know the book didn’t turn out to be true and there was controversy surrounding it, but at the time, I needed it. I read it in one day, the day after the shootings, and at the time, it helped me feel that those kids were all okay, even if their families here were shattered and lost.
Men Who Hate Women And The Women Who Love Them. Helped me decide to divorce my husband…the best decision I ever made.Also “The Color Purple” cemented that decision.
The Night Circus. Not because of what it was about but because I hadn’t realized I was depressed and had stopped reading. I had forgotten how much reading brought me joy. That was the first book I had read in awhile. Just reading helped bring me out of my slump a little. Now I’ll never stop again.
Outlander. My best friend of nearly 35+ years died and I immersed myself in this wonderful series. It helped me tremendously during that difficult time.
Outlander and Lord of the Rings series. I was reading both of these books right after my father passed away and I wanted something that was total escapism.
I so wanted to be inspired by beautiful philosophy or self help books, but when my father died and my twenty year marriage tanked at the same time, I found I needed escapism. I worked my way through the Alphabet series by Sue Grafton (probably to J at the time). The books offered a strong female, her uunique band of friends and neighbors, and a mystery. And since I was going through a divorce I found myself comforted that there was very little romance and a life could still be full. I had read historical novels in the past, so this was a new genre. Those books kept me from crying my heart out.
I dipped into one self help book recommended by my sister in law, who stuck by my side as I worked to create a new me. We have stayed close for thirty more years. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway was a clear and uplifting read. I’ve since learned that fear is the basis of most things that seem hard to work out. Not just a divorce.
Bregdan Chronicles by Ginny Dye. Helped explain a lot of early American history but from a direct emotion perspective. It has helped my navigate understanding thru this political termoil.
The Color Purple triggered an awareness of repressed sexual abuse… and then, Self Esteem, by Gloria Steinem led me to have the courage to give voice to those memories… and then, The Courage to Heal gave me the steps to recover from the pain and shame
The Harry Potter series let me escape to a world that didn’t have divorce and bankruptcy and foreclosure until I was able to cope with the one that did.
Well it wasn’t actually a book it was a program called Wynonna Earp I found out I was square dancing with a pedophile down. He got arrested and that’s when I looked really wolf down that particular show
Believe it or not, “The Hobbit”. My fiance had committed suicide and recovery was next to impossible for me. 7 months after the incident, someone gave me The Hobbit and said “trust me; you need an escape”. It really did help. Need to go totally away from reality. Once you return, reality and coping with reality is a little easier.
As I Lay Dying by Faulkner. I couldn’t put it down and sobbed while reading. I’m not even sure exactly why but I know I was losing my relationships with my immediate family because of some major betrayals. Maybe I was grieving their toxic departure? Not sure. Never written this before. Just came to me when I scrolled by the question….interesting.
I notice both a revisiting and healing in some of us answering here. It is a gentle space to do a small bit of sharing and clearing before we go into a new year.
@Nancy, matter of fact my husband died almost 2 years ago and I am rereading it for the 5 time this year. The story just sucks you in and before you know it your half way through.
When my husband left me I was part way into Elizabeth George’s Henry the VIII and I remember escaping into it to forget the stresses one chapter at a time. 🙂
Breast Cancer: Questions & Answers for Young Women. I wrote this book years before I was diagnosed with my own cancer. When my screening mammogram came back wonky, I went over the deep end until I read the book. I had consulted with some of the smartest people in the field during the research phase so I could trust what I read. It calmed me down and helped me make good choices. I may be the only author who was helped by her own self-help book.
I’m a 43 year old woman, and believe it or not, reading Harry Potter out loud to my kids while a close loved one was dying was really cathartic. Losing my brother to ALS, texting with him everyday, the parts where Harry experiences the loss of Sirius Black and deflecting Voldemort thru love as well as facing his own death in the Deathly Hollows was so meaningful to me. I will always feel grateful and protective of HP for that.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows helped me get through my mom’s terminal cancer and losing her. I have no idea how many times I read it/listened to it. And to this day, I still blubber when Harry meets his parents and the others in the forest, and Dumbledore’s quote, “Of course it’s all happening inside your head. But why on Earth should that mean it’s not real?” is my absolute favorite quote of any book ever.
MIght make no sense to some, but Madeleine L’Engle’s A Ring of Endless Light has helped me find hope in darkness. It’s youth fiction and very innocent, but stirs stuff up inside me and helps it to settle.
The Survivors Club helped me deal with a near-death experience. It helped so much to know that other people had managed and gotten on with their lives. Plus, it was just an interesting read.
Any book that I’m reading right now. My husband is going through chemo treatments every 2 weeks that is normally at least 4 hours. I find a interesting book and read it while he normally sleeps through the treatment.
I wasn’t sure about religion and church in my mid-20s and then read The Quest of the Holy Grail. I realize I was on my own quest not entirely different from Arthur’s knights and turned back to the Episcopal Church.
The Help. I read it when my daughter was a baby and it was a particularly dark winter. I later figured out I had PPD. The book helped me get out of my own head for a bit which was a huge relief.
Little Prince and Pollyanna have special place in my heart. Not for a particular time of my life but for all the lesson they bring that you can (should) use on The daily basis. I find myself often playing the Glad Game.
Under the Tuscan Sun I would fall asleep reading and dream of warm sunshine and delicious meals. It led to many travel journals which helped me believe in better things ahead.
Sabbath by Wayne Mueller, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach to slow down my type A personality and deal with life. Melanie Beattie or Louise Hay for self-help
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – a portrait of a long-term marriage which faces many obstacles with love, determination and faith. It’s written in a way that helped me see life from a different perspective. Lots of humor, too.
Teaching in a school with rural poverty, I found Torey Hayden’s memoirs inspiring as a teacher. One Child lifted me up during a rough year of teaching.
@RoseMarie The book is probably 50 years old by now, but it helped me realize that I could survive in a Catholic family in spite of belonging to the United Church of Christ. Ours was one of the first ecumenical weddings for our combined clergy .
I love those books – I had a life threatening hysterectomy and my closest friend brought me the first one. My long recovery gave me time to get through them all. Reading about all the animals was great escapism, but as they healed, so did I.
Many, many years ago when I was in my early twenties and wondering what was my purpose and what is “it” all about, I read “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach. I should probably reread it to see if I would get the same inspiration from it as I did in my twenties.
Bridget Jones’ Diary made me laugh thru tears, but I re-read Joy That Lasts by Gary Smalley every year to remind me that I have many good things to be grateful for.
Jan Karon’s Mitford series, everything by Rosamunde Pilched, Harry Potter and Anne of Green Gables were all extra special to me at different times of my life!!
The Joy Luck Club. Something about that book really helped me after my Mom’s death. There is nothing about the characters’ lives in the book that is remotely like my family’s but it still really resonated with me.
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer I originally read the book and loved it so much that I purchased the audiobook and I listen to it a few times a year.
It’s Always Something by Gilda Radner. I was going through cancer treatment, and reading about her courage was inspiring and reminded me how much harder her situation was.
@Beth , I use this book every year with my senior students who are about ready to graduate. Since I’ve started to use it in class discussions, I can honestly say that it is powerful and thought provoking, and there’s always at least one day where tears are shed.
@Carolyn the library is a wonderful resource. Most are connected to other ones, so it’s easy to get almost any book you want. I know read most of mine on my Kindle via the library, however I still get some hardbounds on occasion.
Outlander….I was friends with a guy our friendship ended badly he ended up being a real jerk and he said a lot of hurtful things about me and had me down emotionally. I delved in the first Outlander book to escape all the sadness that I was going through at the time. It helped to make me forget a dirtbag like him when you read about a fictional heartthrob like Jamie Fraser.
@Judy one of the reasons I like going to the library is the books are due on a certain date. It motivates me to finish the book on time ( even though seniors don’t have to pay a fine!!! Woohoo!).
I just finished The Screwtape Letters on Christmas Day. Very interesting book. I read it because I read Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan. It was about C.S. Lewis and his wife. I now want to read all of his books, not just his Narnia series which I love.
I’m in my 6th or 7th reading of Gone With the Wind. This time on audiobook. It’s been over 20 years since the last time & it’s totally different this reading. At my age now it’s a new experience and I see Scarlet O’Hara in a very different light. She’s a survivor, she’s smart, she doesn’t let men rule her life. GWTW is giving me strength!
She’s come undone and the power of one!
I loved Shes Come Undone
I love She’s Come Undone and This Much I Know is True. Wally Lamb is amazing
I’ve read ‘A Grief Observed’ twice. It helped.
The Shell Seekers and Gift From The Sea
@Cherie I love Gift From The Sea.
@Kristi I am so glad to hear that…me too…I still have my hardcover copy from many years ago..dhe was so ahead of her time
Love The Shell Seekers!
All books help me through…
Man’s Search for Meaning
What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
A truly great book!
@Kathy yes!
I love this book so much as well as the daily reader!
A Prayer for Owen Meaney
Gift from the Sea is one of the books that has influenced my life tremendously.
Living in the light by shakti gawain, it’s an older book but quite insightful
The Milk Memos. If you’re a new mom struggling with working and pumping it’s a must read.
Little Engine that Could
Man called Ove
Motherless daughters by hope Edelman
@Frances Yes.
@Frances my first thought… I was young.. it helped to know I wasn’t alone in my feelings..
A Prayer for owen meany
This one also helps avoid or minimize the rough patches: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545872885&sr=8-1&keywords=the+four+agreements+by+don+miguel+ruiz
Power of Positive Thinking….by Norman Vincent Peale
The Bible
Eat,pray,love
Rising Strong by Brené Brown
Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret
Gift From The ?Sea
Motherless Daughters and Motherless Mothers.
I haven’t started it yet but I just got Motherless Daughters.
I read “Heaven is for Real” following the shootings at Sandy Hook school a few years ago. I am a teacher and struggled immensely with that event. I know the book didn’t turn out to be true and there was controversy surrounding it, but at the time, I needed it. I read it in one day, the day after the shootings, and at the time, it helped me feel that those kids were all okay, even if their families here were shattered and lost.
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright.
The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
The Four Agreements
The Brothers Karamazov ❤️
Peace is every step.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Eat, Pray, Love
Cats Eye Margaret Atwood, A grief observed cs lewis, year of magical thinking joan didion
Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown & one by Beth Moore that I can’t remember right now
I love Beth Moore. I listen to her podcasts all the time♥️
Men Who Hate Women And The Women Who Love Them. Helped me decide to divorce my husband…the best decision I ever made.Also “The Color Purple” cemented that decision.
Dear, God, its it’s me, Margaret..
Dear Mr Henshaw
The 4 Agreements
How to be your own best friend. Saved me!
the Bible.
The Inner Voice of Love by Henri Nouwen
Love is Letting Go of Fear
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by Dr David Burns. Saved my life!
The Chronicles of Narnia
“Magnificent Obsession”. Seriously.
Many Lives Many Masters really spoke to me.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
My favorite book
Helped me understand my childhood and feel less alone♥️
The Night Circus. Not because of what it was about but because I hadn’t realized I was depressed and had stopped reading. I had forgotten how much reading brought me joy. That was the first book I had read in awhile. Just reading helped bring me out of my slump a little. Now I’ll never stop again.
loved The Night Circus!!
The untethered soul
@Pauline Same
The Alchemist
Outlander. My best friend of nearly 35+ years died and I immersed myself in this wonderful series. It helped me tremendously during that difficult time.
Victor Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning. After that, Foucault and Wittgenstein.
@P Man’s Search for Meaning was helpful to me.
The Five Second Rule
Harry Potter
Outlander and Lord of the Rings series. I was reading both of these books right after my father passed away and I wanted something that was total escapism.
Same here, different books though.
I so wanted to be inspired by beautiful philosophy or self help books, but when my father died and my twenty year marriage tanked at the same time, I found I needed escapism. I worked my way through the Alphabet series by Sue Grafton (probably to J at the time). The books offered a strong female, her uunique band of friends and neighbors, and a mystery. And since I was going through a divorce I found myself comforted that there was very little romance and a life could still be full. I had read historical novels in the past, so this was a new genre. Those books kept me from crying my heart out.
I dipped into one self help book recommended by my sister in law, who stuck by my side as I worked to create a new me. We have stayed close for thirty more years. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway was a clear and uplifting read. I’ve since learned that fear is the basis of most things that seem hard to work out. Not just a divorce.
Cold Sassy Tree
A Dogs Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Atonement
Following
all 7 Harry Potter books. ❤️
Longbourne by Jo Baker. Read it while caring for my ailing parents.
Bregdan Chronicles by Ginny Dye. Helped explain a lot of early American history but from a direct emotion perspective. It has helped my navigate understanding thru this political termoil.
Wherever you go, there you are.
Anne of Green Gables always brings me back to a simpler time ❤
Siddartha
When I was too short for the dinner table, the phone book lifted me up.?
Eleven Minutes, by Paulo Coelho.
The Road Less Traveled
Fablehaven series by Brian Mull.
When things fall apart by Pema chodron
I go to her work again and again.
Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick
The Believers by Janice Holt Giles. And Christy. Early 20s ?
The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado
The Color Purple triggered an awareness of repressed sexual abuse… and then, Self Esteem, by Gloria Steinem led me to have the courage to give voice to those memories… and then, The Courage to Heal gave me the steps to recover from the pain and shame
Eat, Pray, Love
The Harry Potter series let me escape to a world that didn’t have divorce and bankruptcy and foreclosure until I was able to cope with the one that did.
Sybil resonated with me; also Shulamith Firestone’s The Dialectic of Sex. which was her Ph.D Dissertation. I read it in college in 1968.
When I was young’ The Outsider’. In my 30’s the Bible’. Now I just read.
Fear of Flying by Erica Jong,
Different times.. .
@Catherine Amen, but it answered the question
Motherless Daughters
@Shannon An amazing book!
Anne Lamott books
The Alchemist
Gifts from the Sea
@Nancy great book!
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
The Bible through the worst time. . .then, to my surprise, literary romance helped me heal.
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. Learn to love the questions themselves…Life is right in any case…
“Seat of the soul” by Garry Zhukov. Still my to go to book
The bookshop on the corner. Loved this book.
Well it wasn’t actually a book it was a program called Wynonna Earp I found out I was square dancing with a pedophile down. He got arrested and that’s when I looked really wolf down that particular show
“In the Meantime” by Iyanla VanZant
F
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
@Crystal oh YES!!!!!
Loved reading books by Pearl S. Buck and international short stories as a teen and young adult. Than moved on to Dostoyevsky and Pirandello, etc.
Best books are the ones you can not put down and want to make you read more books, even if not by the same author or subject.
The.Bible, Job specifically.
Who moved my cheese.. Reread for sure..
@Irma great book! I just bought this for my son’s 20th bday. This book will get you through many of life’s various obstacles.
The Lovely Bones. Somehow this touched me after the loss of my mother:
The Subtle Art of Not Giving an F–
More than Happy: The Wisdom of Amish Parenting
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Believe it or not, “The Hobbit”. My fiance had committed suicide and recovery was next to impossible for me. 7 months after the incident, someone gave me The Hobbit and said “trust me; you need an escape”. It really did help. Need to go totally away from reality. Once you return, reality and coping with reality is a little easier.
This series helped me through a rough adolescence and I return to Middle Earth as the occasion arises.
There’s nowhere like Middle Earth to ground oneself!
@Betsy Me, too.
Renato’s Luck
Boundaries – I survived my mother’s mistreatment
@Rita I got to look into this book. Thanks.
@Rita this is such a great book.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
The Bible is my comfort and my shield?☦?❤
Harriet The Spy. When I was a kid it helped me realize that I may have felt alone, but I wasnt the only one. It still gives me comfort
@Lauren I absolutely love this book. Maybe for some of the same reasons
Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House Series, definitely.
Thomas Armstrong’s ” In their own Way”
Harry Potter
@Amy same.
As I Lay Dying by Faulkner. I couldn’t put it down and sobbed while reading. I’m not even sure exactly why but I know I was losing my relationships with my immediate family because of some major betrayals. Maybe I was grieving their toxic departure? Not sure. Never written this before. Just came to me when I scrolled by the question….interesting.
I notice both a revisiting and healing in some of us answering here. It is a gentle space to do a small bit of sharing and clearing before we go into a new year.
Eat, Pray, Love.
https://marthabeck.com/shop/companion-guide-north-star/
Being Mortal.
@Deborah Really put things in perspective for me and my family ✅?
Keep it simple! The Little Prince! It’s all about life. Also, The ALCHEMIST!
@Amber the Little Prince is wonderful.
Love…Leo Buscaglia ??
Oh! I forgot about him. We used to watch his tv specials when I was young.
CoDependent No More – probably should have regifted it a dozen times over to friends and family!!!
This was really important to me as well.
A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson
I don’t have a book, but an author Temple Grandin, she is an amazing women, and her nooks are such a joy to read.
A Grief Observed by CS Lewis
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
The Color Purple…she helped me learn to love myself again.
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Boundaries: When to say yes, How to say no, to Take Control of Your Life by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend
@Gelene there are times when I have to pick it up again and again
Many lives many masters
Final Gifts
.
Crazy Time…dealing with divorce after 34 years
Mine was 31 years. It’s not easy. Books helped.
the year of magical thinking by joan didion
Dear Sugar, Wild, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Outlander (escapism in a way), To Kill a Mockingbird.
Sugar is great..
I loved “A tree Grows…”
Gone with the wind
Me too!!
@Nancy, matter of fact my husband died almost 2 years ago and I am rereading it for the 5 time this year. The story just sucks you in and before you know it your half way through.
When my husband left me I was part way into Elizabeth George’s Henry the VIII and I remember escaping into it to forget the stresses one chapter at a time. 🙂
The Subtle Art of not Giving a F…….
Leslie Weatherhead’ s. The Will of God
Kayak Mourning: Reflections on love, grief, and small boats.
Angela’s Ashes. It was such a sad book, but helped me feel like my problems were so SMALL and trivial by comparison!
Breast Cancer: Questions & Answers for Young Women. I wrote this book years before I was diagnosed with my own cancer. When my screening mammogram came back wonky, I went over the deep end until I read the book. I had consulted with some of the smartest people in the field during the research phase so I could trust what I read. It calmed me down and helped me make good choices. I may be the only author who was helped by her own self-help book.
The Alchemist
The Goldfinch.
She’s Come Undone
@Carol loved it!!
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life From Dear Sugar.
I’m a 43 year old woman, and believe it or not, reading Harry Potter out loud to my kids while a close loved one was dying was really cathartic. Losing my brother to ALS, texting with him everyday, the parts where Harry experiences the loss of Sirius Black and deflecting Voldemort thru love as well as facing his own death in the Deathly Hollows was so meaningful to me. I will always feel grateful and protective of HP for that.
Milk & Honey Rupi Kaur
A yoga book. Can’t remember the name.
@Jan is it First Become the Mountain?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows helped me get through my mom’s terminal cancer and losing her. I have no idea how many times I read it/listened to it. And to this day, I still blubber when Harry meets his parents and the others in the forest, and Dumbledore’s quote, “Of course it’s all happening inside your head. But why on Earth should that mean it’s not real?” is my absolute favorite quote of any book ever.
Yes!!!! I saw that just as I was writing!!! I’m 43 too!!!!
MIght make no sense to some, but Madeleine L’Engle’s A Ring of Endless Light has helped me find hope in darkness. It’s youth fiction and very innocent, but stirs stuff up inside me and helps it to settle.
Out On a Limb
Nurturing Healing Love by Scarlett Lewis
The Prophet helped me so many times as a teen and young adult.
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius by Dave eggers
the thorn birds made me feel i was in another country and escaped my life
The Survivors Club helped me deal with a near-death experience. It helped so much to know that other people had managed and gotten on with their lives. Plus, it was just an interesting read.
This is the only book that has ever helped me. ?
Any book that I’m reading right now. My husband is going through chemo treatments every 2 weeks that is normally at least 4 hours. I find a interesting book and read it while he normally sleeps through the treatment.
@Pamela sending prayers for you and your husband.
Me too!
I wasn’t sure about religion and church in my mid-20s and then read The Quest of the Holy Grail. I realize I was on my own quest not entirely different from Arthur’s knights and turned back to the Episcopal Church.
Six of One. It helped me come out of the closet and stay there.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
A Little Princess.
Get out of that pit by Beth Moore
The five people you meet in heaven. More then a few times when life get a little bumpy
The Road Less Travelled.
The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck.
The Help. I read it when my daughter was a baby and it was a particularly dark winter. I later figured out I had PPD. The book helped me get out of my own head for a bit which was a huge relief.
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Thomas Covenant Unbeliever series by Stephen Donaldson.
The Four Agreements
Women who love too much
Girl Wash Your Face
John Maxwell is great also.
I agree anything that will take you away to another place is perfect! Loved the Harry Potter books.
Gone with the wind forever.
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
My recommendation as well….I hesitated, the journey is long, but soooo worth it…Perseverance…Thanks!
The People you meet in Heaven. And she’s come. Undone.
Remains of the Day
The Game of Life
The Alchemist.
Help, thanks, wow
When Things Fall Apart
Duty by Bob Greene
Gift from the Sea
For every teacher looking for that “magic wand” advice:
How To Talk So Kids Can Learn https://www.amazon.com/dp/0684824728/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_b0gjCbZDK75HP
Little women
Fight Club.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Tuesday’s with Morrie… I still read it when I need some inspiration and or help
A Tale of Two Cities
Don’t Sweat The Smaĺl Stuff
It will Never Happen to Me by Claudia Black
Schindler’s List
Eat, Pray, Love
The Shack
@Melissa reading it now
Who Moved My Cheese
The Four Agreements
Perks of being a wallflower
Gone With the Wind
@Kristine taught you to be strong ♥️
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Pollyanna. I had a difficult childhood, and she taught me how to reframe disappointments into moments of determined happiness.
@Sharon oh yes i cried so much
Little Prince and Pollyanna have special place in my heart. Not for a particular time of my life but for all the lesson they bring that you can (should) use on The daily basis. I find myself often playing the Glad Game.
Push by Sapphire
Letting go, Reflections on Living While Dying by Morris Swartz
The Bible
Jan Karon’s Father Tim series. These books have always given me comfort and are delightful reading.
Under the Tuscan Sun
I would fall asleep reading and dream of warm sunshine and delicious meals. It led to many travel journals which helped me believe in better things ahead.
The Prophet by Kahil Gibran and The Little Prince
The Goldfinch (on Audible) just bc it’s a good read…my favorite of all time.
…like the post!?
The Harry Potter & Anne of Green Gables series are very comforting to me and I reread them often ?
The Shack and The Alchemist both changed my perspective
The Alchemist
Eat, Pray, Love
Fool Proofing and Boundaries
Sabbath by Wayne Mueller, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach to slow down my type A personality and deal with life.
Melanie Beattie or Louise Hay for self-help
We Don’t Die by George Anderson.
Tiny Beautiful Things. Advice on love and life from Dear Sugar. By Cheryl Strayed. I was surprised by the wisdom in this book.
Love, Medicine and Miracles by Bernie Siegel
The Little Prince and Gifts of the Sea.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – a portrait of a long-term marriage which faces many obstacles with love, determination and faith. It’s written in a way that helped me see life from a different perspective. Lots of humor, too.
The Bible
Me before you – if I’m being perfectly honestly, the entire trilogy! Also Harry Potter.
When I need to feel empowered will read Gone With the Wind
I Declare by Joel Olsteen!
IN the mean time
Teaching in a school with rural poverty, I found Torey Hayden’s memoirs inspiring as a teacher. One Child lifted me up during a rough year of teaching.
You are changing lives!
Twilight. I don’t know why, but it did.
Tony Hillerman’s Chee and Leaphorn series made the custody battle with my ex a bit easier. He lost. I discovered a new favorite author.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank!
I can’t remember the exact title, but it was written by Paul and Jeanne Simon . The premise was (is0 that Catholic- Prostatent marriages can succeed.
Ha! I’m Catholic and my husband raised strict Baptist!
@RoseMarie The book is probably 50 years old by now, but it helped me realize that I could survive in a Catholic family in spite of belonging to the United Church of Christ. Ours was one of the first ecumenical weddings for our combined clergy .
The Bible
The Alchemist
Love Sue Monk Kidd!
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher.
TBH any book that takes my mind off me or my problems does the trick.
Gone with the wind ..plus depock Chopra
Beautiful boy
Nature books by Joseph Wood Krutch.
Girl, wash your facev
Eat Pray Love ?
Lol!! I heard about that!! She really did ruin the fantasy. But the book itself helped me through some serious sh*t.
Oh yes, and I still practice meditation. But poor Indonesia now…
I remember it well.
Living Sober
When Things Fall Apart Pema Chödrön
Irene… mine too
Anne of Green Gables
Tuesday’s with Morrie
Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of the Horses and Mammoth Hunters.
The Liars Club and Prince of Tides
The Summer of the Great Grandmother
My daughter just gifted me the full set. I can’t wait to get started!
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
James Heriot All Things Bright and Beautiful
Mary Reed loved those books ♥️
I love those books – I had a life threatening hysterectomy and my closest friend brought me the first one. My long recovery gave me time to get through them all. Reading about all the animals was great escapism, but as they healed, so did I.
.
Anthem. Cry the Beloved Country.
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis after the loss of my husband .
For some reason, Little Women. Of course Outlander and all its offspring are my go-to comfort books.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
Roughing It by Mark Twain–it made me laugh.
The Yearling
Pema Chodron When Things Fall Apart
The Mitford Series books by Jan Karon. (Very gentle, light hearted reads) and the Stephanie Plum series books by Janet Evanovich. (Hilarious!)
I love Stephanie Plum series! They are great pick me up books! So funny!
And Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg was a good one too. All of her books are good.
Hinds feet in high places
I read all of the Harry Potter books while I was going through a separation x
Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World
By Max Lucado
A Return To Love. Marianne Williamson
@Jackie yes I agree and also Course in Miracles
The Hatchet, Brian’s Winter.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Trixie Belden, I Know This Much Is True, Twilight Series (i know ?), The Bible, Outlander.
@Misty read all the Trixie Belden books
Many, many years ago when I was in my early twenties and wondering what was my purpose and what is “it” all about, I read “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach. I should probably reread it to see if I would get the same inspiration from it as I did in my twenties.
When life gets to me, I always revisit Nan’s journey in Elizabeth Berg’s The Pull of the Moon.
@Terri wonderful book!
The Bible and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Conversations with God
Chicken soup for the soul books
Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7991775-ins-kitchen-table-wis?ac=1&from_search=true
When I was ten, Little Women.
Babysitters Club. It’s tough to be a kid
@Nicole agreed
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – I found it during a struggling time in my life. It really caused rethinking for me.
Necessary Losses by Judith Viorst
Little Women
Sounds weird but C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy helped me through a bad time after my parents died three months apart.
It is not at all weird. That is the magic of books…all kinds of books.
The Red Tent and The Book Thief.
The Bible
The one I wrote. Also The Alchemist and The Five Love Languages.
Henry’s Sisters
Heidi. I figured if she could learn to walk again so could I.
The Alchemist ?
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
The Bible
7habits of highly effective people on
The Courage to Change is valuable for waking up to the effects of growing up in an alcoholic household, and that’s probably most of us
Bridget Jones’ Diary made me laugh thru tears, but I re-read Joy That Lasts by Gary Smalley every year to remind me that I have many good things to be grateful for.
Jan Karon’s Mitford series, everything by Rosamunde Pilched, Harry Potter and Anne of Green Gables were all extra special to me at different times of my life!!
The Book of Joy ?
The Joy Luck Club. Something about that book really helped me after my Mom’s death. There is nothing about the characters’ lives in the book that is remotely like my family’s but it still really resonated with me.
The Bible
Life 101.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull… and…. Bald is Better with Earrings. Two different tough times.
wow does that book bring back memories- read about 45 years ago!
??
Wow!! I loved that book but haven’t thought of it in a very long time.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven.
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
I originally read the book and loved it so much that I purchased the audiobook and I listen to it a few times a year.
The original Outlander book. I was pregnant and violently nauseous for the entire time, and Outlander took my mind–almost–off how gross I felt.
I’m listening to that right now. It’s wonderful!
When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams.
The 5 People You Meet in Heaven
The Book of My Lives by Aleksander Hemon. It allowed me to cry.
The Light Inside the Dark John Terrant
Learning to Fall Phillip Simmons
Operating Instructions Anne Lamott
The History of Love.
Anthony Robbins Unlimited Power. A real eye opener.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther Jr. read it in fifth grade when I was sick in bed for three months.
The Bible, Simple Abundance and the Awakening
The Bible. 😀
They should have said except the Bible
Hard Love by Ellen Whittlinger
Option B
One of several by Anne Lamont.
Book of Live Dolls honestly
The Bible, Life of Pi, Eat~Pray~Love and The Magicians Nephew
Life of Pi is a good one!!!
The Mitford series by Jan Karon
Mans Search for Meaning.
It’s Always Something by Gilda Radner. I was going through cancer treatment, and reading about her courage was inspiring and reminded me how much harder her situation was.
Besides the Bible-Christie by Catherine Marshall
Bridge to Terabithia
Little Women
The Stand
Eat, pray, love
On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
I forgot about that one! Great book.
The Bible
The Brain that Changes Itself
The Alchemist
@Michelle I have this on my table. Haven’t had one free minute to read in a month!
@Beth , I use this book every year with my senior students who are about ready to graduate. Since I’ve started to use it in class discussions, I can honestly say that it is powerful and thought provoking, and there’s always at least one day where tears are shed.
Dorp Dead.
@Carolyn the library is a wonderful resource. Most are connected to other ones, so it’s easy to get almost any book you want. I know read most of mine on my Kindle via the library, however I still get some hardbounds on occasion.
Outlander….I was friends with a guy our friendship ended badly he ended up being a real jerk and he said a lot of hurtful things about me and had me down emotionally. I delved in the first Outlander book to escape all the sadness that I was going through at the time. It helped to make me forget a dirtbag like him when you read about a fictional heartthrob like Jamie Fraser.
@Lisa I just picked up this book and looking forward to reading it. Glad you’re on the mend…books can certainly takes us there!
Thank you, hope you enjoy it the show is really good too.
@Lisa am glad you came to realize soon amen
The Bible
The Power of Myth – Joseph Campbell
My favorite new author for the year…Wally Lamb.
@Kathleen Have you read Fall on your knees? Anne Marie MacDonald
Yes! I Know This Much is True – excellent and worth the time.
I love his work!
@Judy one of the reasons I like going to the library is the books are due on a certain date. It motivates me to finish the book on time ( even though seniors don’t have to pay a fine!!! Woohoo!).
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
I just finished The Screwtape Letters on Christmas Day. Very interesting book. I read it because I read Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan. It was about C.S. Lewis and his wife. I now want to read all of his books, not just his Narnia series which I love.
The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo
Also Harry Potter series
At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon
Men Who Hate Women and The Women Who Love Them. I filed for divorce after I read it
Where the red Fern grows..love, work, loyalty and death.
Wonderful book. It was one of the books I would read to my fourth graders. We would all cry.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich — it snaps me out of whatever funk I’m in.
These happy golden years .. Laura ingalls wilder
Pablo Neruda poetry
An inspiring read is Carry on Warrior- Thoughts on Life Unarmed. It’s about so much that life can present us with.
Eat, Pray, Love.
I didn’t even think of this one, I love it. It helped me too❤
Grapes of Wrath
I’m in my 6th or 7th reading of Gone With the Wind. This time on audiobook. It’s been over 20 years since the last time & it’s totally different this reading. At my age now it’s a new experience and I see Scarlet O’Hara in a very different light. She’s a survivor, she’s smart, she doesn’t let men rule her life. GWTW is giving me strength!
@Nancy – Also re-reading Gone With the Wind, 20 years later. I agree.
All of the books by Mitch Albom…