Have you ever heard of a bibliotherapist? It’s actually a legit profession, and it’s someone who prescribes books as an unofficial form of therapy, or to help someone during a particular stage in their life. Lucy Pearson is an avid reader who consumes around 50 books a year and through her love of reading, she’s become a bibliotherapist on the side.
“While I’m by no means a therapist, I’ve seen the many and varied benefits of books both as a reader and someone who has spent the best part of a decade recommending books to other people,” Pearson explains. She says she suggests books for various reasons, ranging from someone looking for a pick-me-up to someone in need of creative inspiration.
The bibliotherapist shares the books we should be reading, depending on your mood:
- Sad - Pearson says sometimes the best remedy for feeling down is to get lost between the pages of a book you just can’t put down. For that mood, she suggests a captivating classic, like “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier.
- Stressed - When you need to calm down, this expert recommends “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” by Robin Sharma. Pearson calls it “a soothing balm of a book” and says it “really changed my approach both to life, and the inevitable stresses that come with it.”
- In need of a laugh - For anyone who needs cheering up, her go-tos are “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” by Nora Ephron and “The Hungover Games” by Sophie Heawood. Both are “utterly hilarious” and everyone should read them, according to this bibliotherapist.
- Anxious - Elizabeth Day’s “How to Fail” is a “brilliant exploration of failure and how it makes us better as people,” Pearson says, adding that it’s “a must read for everyone.”
- Grieving - For those mourning a loss, she suggests “Chase the Rainbow” and “In Search of Silence” by Poorna Bell. “Two of the most beautiful memoirs I’ve read, Poorna wrote them in the wake of her husband’s death and they’re both profound, powerful and beautifully written,” Pearson explains.
Source: Women's Health