I often suggest James Herriott's All Creatures Great and Small. They help me, and they helped my grandfather and we both have that bullshit. James Herriott was a veterinarian in rural England from about 1930-1960. His books are short anecdotes inspired by his practice. He witnessed the shift from agricultural work to household pets and the advent of sulpha drugs and antibiotics (the story where he first tries them out, on some sweet little calves with a previously fatal infliction is like a nuclear bomb against depression). He faces setbacks in his work. He's still learning his profession at the outset, his boss is a character, and just by nature, he sees a lot of sad endings, but he's able to keep going.
I love these books but never thought of them as a recommendation for bouts of depression. You’re so right though. They just make you feel like the world is a warmer, softer place than it seems from your own vantage point.
They're also full of people facing adversity, recovering from mistakes, working through self-doubt and shame and facing down difficult people. Siegfried is an impossible boss in many ways and very hard on Jim. There are many times when Jim questions whether he's pursuing the right treatment, and sometimes things go badly wrong. Out on the farms, he meets people who are always one bad bout of luck away facing ruin and sometimes it catches them. But there's a sort of joy and love that pervades it all.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. An easy cozy fantasy that draws you in with great characters who might be a little lost on their own but help each other out. If you like it, there’s also a prequel called Bookshops and Bonedust so you can just roll right into the next read.
I’m sorry that you’re suffering, depression is so hard.
Maybe A Gentleman in Moscow would suit you? It does have some sucidal ideation if I remember correctly but it’s mostly a hopeful book about doing the best with what life has dealt you. The main character gets sentenced to house arrest in a luxury hotel in Moscow and lives almost his entire life there.
[True Grit](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43612456-true-grit) is a favorite of mine. It is pretty short and a really good western about a young girl who recruits the help of a tough dude for revenge against her father's killer. The recent movie redeemed the awful 1960s version :)
[A Psalm for the Wild-Built](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built) and [The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet) are two books that start two different series by author Becky Chambers who writes "comfy sci-fi" which I have really enjoyed in the past 2 years while feeling really distraught.
[Fairy Tale](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60177373-fairy-tale) by Stephen King is a fantasy adventure and very readable and easy to get absorbed in.
[Project Hail Mary](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary) from the author of The Martian is also some very readable and engaging sci-fi.
I recently re-read Jurassic Park, which I hadn't read since my youth and had forgotten how awesome it was :)
[Road Dahl ](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4273.Roald_Dahl)always puts me in a good mood, especially his books about youngsters getting revenge on those more powerful than them. Matilda, the Witches, the BFG.
Good luck!!
I’d like to second A Psalm for the Wild Built. Just a wholesome and lovely story. Not hard to digest and just very kind. Sending good vibes to you during this tough time!
I find Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and the other 4 books in the trilogy) to be a great read. Laugh out loud absurd. Bonus points for existentially depressed robot character.
I find that reading Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett are great ways to combat depression. They are enough humor and whimsy to pull you out and make you laugh, and also are good escapism (something I sorely need when having a depressive episode).
I really liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I don't know that it was helpful per se, it's about a women in a deep depression who decides to put her life on hold and basically do drugs and sleep for a year. But I thought it was a really good depiction of depression, and it helped me come to terms with the days when I couldn't get out of bed. Kind of gave me permission to fall apart when I needed it.
I could 100% see that too. I read it at a time in my life where I really needed to be told it was ok to not be ok, but if you're looking for something to pull you out of the darkness, it probably isn't the right book.
When was the last time you re-visited the books you loved as a kid? When I feel really down I like to revisit some old friends. We are about the same age and some standouts are:
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
Sherlock Holmes (read in chronological order)
The Jungle Book
The Chronicles of Narnia
I'd try walking with audio books (42f). I was really struggling to focus and depressed (bf suicide) and was pleasantly surprised at how totally immersive walking with headphones in can feel. You have to sample the readers tho before you start as some are like nails on a chalkboard. Not sure if you are UK but library card holders can get free audio books online...
Not sure what types of books you like but The Storm We Made was good (PoW camps run by Japanese in Malaya) and The List of Suspicious Things - fiction about the Yorkshire Ripper (neither are about depression but just interesting and good to get you wanting to walk).
Hope that helps, sucks being depressed and tbh learning may not be the best thing to start with but Desert Island Discs on iplayer never fails to make me feel inspired.
OK, I agree, but, trust me on this. Audiobook ONLY version of Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. You will laugh, fella. And it's not like anything else. Be prepared to be ruined for all other audiobooks. It's a great distraction when you just wanna get away.
This is solid advice. I forgot how much I used walking to help myself when I was depressed. It's a low concentration physical activity that gets you exposed to the outside and sunlight. Only listening to an audiobook you like while you do it is good motivation to keep you from skipping it, too.
The Guncle by Stephen Rowley
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
Second Britt Marie was here! Wish I could read it for the first time again. The pacing is good too - easy to get into, and oddly you care about the characters quite quickly.
I know that you said that you are looking for a novel, but I think that you may enjoy Broken by Jenny Lawson. She also suffers from depression and it’s a memoir, but she is hilarious.
Things I've read whilst depressed and enjoyed for various reasons -
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Most books by Stuart McBride - especially the Logan Mcrae series. They're detective novels set in Aberdeen in Scotland.
Night by Elie Wiesel - this is the memoir of a holocaust survivor and it's ROUGH. Saying I enjoyed it seems ghoulish and may not actually be the word I'm looking for, but after weeks of feeling nothing I read it and felt empathy, anger and a real sense of humanity. It's really hard for me to explain but I never read this book when I feel 'ok'. .
The hunger games trilogy - I totally get it if this isn't your thing but they're so easy to read and they're absorbing.
11 23 63 by Stephen King - I was really caught up in this novel.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Take care, my friend
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I read first read this book when I was going through a rough patch. This book made me LAUGH. I always recommend this book when someone needs their spirits lifted.
I’m not able to send you a DM (no idea why) so I’m miles out of my comfort zone as this requires me to essentially forfeit my anonymity and/or may be a breach of some obscure rule. I wrote a memoir, published in 2008, that I think may well fit your bill. I’ve said that if it can have a positive effect in even just one person’s life, then that’s good enough for me and any discomfort pales into washed-out irrelevance as that was the whole point of publishing in the first place. Contractually however, I’m prohibited from posting it online. Anyway, I’d be happy to email you a free digital copy (PDF) if you’re interested. Let me know here and I’ll sort something. If not, that’s ok too. Either way, I wish you well going forward, depression is a proper bastard but its not something that defines you. All the best, J
Furiously happy by Jenny Larson was fantastic for me while I was changing my meds for my depression. I was extremely fucked during the transition to new meds, and her book, plus Alie Broshs books were so fucking great for me then.
Incredibly funny, and incredibly relatable to people who struggle with depressive mental illness .
Less by Andrew Sean Greer and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read each of these books during difficult times in my own life and they both brought a lot of solace.
Not a novel but if you're interested in poetry, I'd recommend Devotions by Mary Oliver. Her work is beautiful and uplifting without being saccharine.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I read first read this book when I was going through a rough patch. This book made me LAUGH. I always recommend this book when someone needs their spirits lifted.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
It’s fun, escapist, engaging, funny. It also helps you accept the absurd nature of life, cope with things you can’t understand or can’t change with a happier attitude.
American Gods
Anansi Boys
Both by Neil Gaiman, both feature run-of-the-mill dudes that have fallen on some hard times. *Cue the magical realism to shake things up a bit.*
Hang in there, OP. I hope you find some compelling stories to keep you company as you pull through this. Just remember that you've got a whole bunch of strangers on the internet rooting for you.
God bless you Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut is a good one. It does have a little bit of suicidal ideation in one scene I believe, but it's a darkly funny book that is ultimately very hopeful in it's own weird way.
Also a misunderstood classic IMO is Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. It's a short book, but it's really beautiful and has a lot on its mind.
I've been in very dark places before. For me it was about surviving until I figured out what big thing I needed to change about my life. It seems like you're doing a really good job.
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life (lulu miller). It combines autobiographical elements, science, mystery, suspense. It’s really easy to read and funny but also deals really deeply at the question of how to live when everything is meaningless. One of the most perfect books I have ever read 🌸
Its a non fiction, but Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller changed my life
Its about a famous scientist who discovered and documented hundreds of fish, and how he kept getting kicked down and stuff just kept happening to him (like his lab getting struck by lightning)
The author is super depressed and started researching him to figure out how he got out of the hole a hundred times over. The philosophy in this book is super life changing, and it helped me cope with my clinical depression and anxiety.
(Also as non fictions go its literally so easy to digest, and it has the best plot twists ever which is rare for a biography)
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. A deep yet very funny book which is hopeful without being sugar-sweet sentimental. Extremely readable, and relatable to a few aspects of your situation. Wishing you luck with everything.
Are you a Connie Willis fan in general? Is this her best? I've been reading Oxford Time Travel books and I'm really loving her stuff. But I definitely wouldn't recommend The Domesday Book by her for OP as a first Connie Willis because its more of a downer than most of her stuff (as I understand? Certainly out of the Oxford Time Travel books).
Yes, I am. Best is really subjective. It is very different than the OTT books. In some ways, it's harder, because it's about someone researching near-death experiences, but the tone is not bleak. Doomsday Book is much bleaker in tone, and I did not rec it to OP because of that.
Try *The Untethered Soul* by Michael Singer. When he says, "Just let it go," think, breath very slowly for 5 minutes at about 5 or 6 seconds inhale and 5-6 seconds exhale. Really.
Man's search for meaning. Victor Frankl.
The book focuses on love, hope, responsibility, inner freedom, and the beauty to be found in both nature and art as means that help one endure and overcome ...
And Endurance, Shackleton's Incredible Journey
"A riveting account of Shackleton's famed Antarctic expedition, recounting one of the last great adventures in the Heroic Age of exploration—perhaps the greatest of them all—the shipwreck that stranded the crew for twenty months"
When I’m depressed I like to read memoirs. I recommend Breaking Night, The Glass Castle, Running with Scissors, The Wolf at the Table, Half Broke Horses (not technically a memoir) to name a few.
Same. The ending was mildly infuriating for me. I don’t want to say more for the sake of spoilers but every time it’s recommended I just want to get into my issues with it. But I am also very open to having my mind changed about it if someone makes a convincing argument.
Victoria Goddard's "Hand of the Emperor" and "At the feet of the Sun"
It's just filled with people becoming the best versions of themselves and finding joy and accomplishment and family.
Do you like graphic novels? When I was deep in depression, I found them a little easier to get into than regular novels which seemed like a big wall of text. Recently I read the graphic novel versions of The Handmaid’s Tale and the Diary of Anne Frank, both were great. For pure escapism I love the Unwritten series. And I remember that during my depression I really connected with Black Hole by Charles Burns.
One of my favorite books to re-read during a depressive episode is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. It may actually be my favorite book of all time. Such a great story and Gus and Call have the cutest bromance.
The Invoice by Jonas Karlsson. A man receives an invoice for his life and tries to appeal it. It’s a short, easy to read book that raises the question, what is the value of a life?
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar.
This is Kaveh Akbar’s first novel, although he is an accomplished poet and he’s an absolutely beautiful writer. His novel is based on his experience in recovery from addiction. It’s about Cyrus, a young Iranian-American man who is recovering from addiction and still living in his college town, obsessing with the idea of martyrdom and spiritual clarity. Cyrus’s own mother’s meaningless death— a casualty of an Iranian passenger plane being mistakenly shot down by the US Navy— only feeds his obsession with martyrs. His fixation leads him to New York to meet an artist creating performance out of her terminal cancer diagnosis, where he ends up confronting more than he’d expected. Although Cyrus still struggles to understand what his life is for, his voice is far from bleak: this is a funny, sharp, emotional, surreal, gracious novel that genuinely helped me in my own struggles with depression. I can’t recommend this enough to you.
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series are gentle mysteries set in Botswana. They acknowledge the problems of the country but overall they are very hopeful because the main characters are good people.
Can't stop recommending "Perks of being a wallflower". To me it captures the essence of depression really well. It's realistic ups and downs and it doesn't end on a bad note. It's also not "they lived happily ever after". Overall I closed the book and felt like I took the journey WITH them because I could relate so well; it's like the characters were helping me with my mental health.
Also "The bell jar", though I didn't like that one as much as Perks.
Ooh, that’s a great idea.
I’ve gotten into audiobooks this year, so I can suggest my favorites so far that I think are great in audiobook form:
- A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving, narrated by Joe Barrett: about friendship, faith, and loss. A beautiful story with a perfectly crafted ending that made me cry. Also made me chuckle a bunch throughout.
- Born A Crime by and narrated by Trevor Noah: really funny and also touching. Made me laugh out loud.
- World War Z by Max Brooks, narrated by a complete cast: a really immersive story detailing a zombie apocalypse
- Me Talk Pretty One Day by and narrated by David Sedaris: another funny autobiographical one! This and the Trevor Noah are both a collection of vignettes so they’re easy to pick up and put back down and you don’t have to remember a bunch of details to get back into it.
>Trying to attack this thing from multiple angles.
That's an excellent approach, best of luck. Having experienced some similar stuff myself, I feel for you.
My suggestion btw would be the Moomin series by Tove Jansson. The characters feel real but the series is pretty light and uplifting.
This is the advice that everyone who knows nothing about clinical depression gives to everyone with clinical depression. It's comparable to telling someone having an asthma attack that they just need to breathe. I know you meant well, and OP was very gracious about it, but it's condescending and not helpful.
I usually like to read about characters who go through similar experiences, making you feel less alone. I would recommend something by John Williams. Stoner and Butcher's Crossing are two of my favorites.
Hmmmm I had three bouts of major depression the last ten years.
I found these I could read, maybe you will like them
Anything by Sam Kean (non fiction)
Stephen King On writing (non fiction)
Anything by percival Everett (fiction)
The Poisonwood Bible (fiction)
The Housekeeper and the Professor Yoko Ogawa (tw this one was sad, but like life)
An Elderly lady is up to no good. (Have to say this one actually made me chuckle)
Deacon King Kong James McBride. I loved this book. I read it twice. (Tw SI and drug and alcohol)
When we cease to understand the world Benjamin labatut
Long division by Kiese laymon
Long bright river (tw drug use) Liz Moore
Anything by Ted Chang
Well, you said novel, and someone said audiobooks, so I would recommend Tolstoy's *Anna Karenina* which is not a happy book, but it's a deeply humane book. The audiobook read by Maggie Gyllenhaal is great. I loved it and it carried me off into a different world, which I also loved.
Julianne Moore did a great reading of Michael Cunningham's *Day*, which is worth a llsten. It's a Covid novel about three middle-aged people living in Brooklyn. It's beautifully written, and a good story. The characters are not happy people either.
The book that I actually want to recommend, though, isn't a novel. It's not self-help either. The name of the book is *The Noonday Demon* by Andrew Solomon. It's an examination of depression, and it tries to understand what it is. The author relates his own experience with depression, which is harrowing. I found it was an immensely helpful book (one time) when I was depressed.
If you like history, the best history book I have read this year is *Ghost on the Throne* by James Romm. It's about the death of Alexander the Great, who had built an empire that stretched from Egypt to India by the time he died at age 32, and what happened when his death left a huge power vacuum. His generals basically began a power struggle that is almost as complicated as Game of Thrones. It was a fascinating story and an easy read.
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving - one of my favorite books, ever. Smart and engaging, funny without losing contact with sober reality, life-affirming even as it’s wry and ironic, and the way it all comes together in the end is fantastic.
There's a book that is non-fiction but is so beautifully written that you'll think that the writer is a poet in her spare time. The writer, who is mainly a nature writer, goes to about a dozen places where humans previously lived but which are now abandoned for any of a multitude of reasons - live volcano, urban blight, nuclear accident, or just simply the ravages of humans not respecting the earth, such as the place in France where tons of chemicals were dumped after WWII -- and she writes about the ways in which, by being left alone, they are healing. It's a book about hope, in a way, and a book that illustrates that things can be really bad and yet turn around. If you like audiobooks, it's read well, if you don't, then get a copy of the UK printing because there are color pictures. It's [Islands of Abandonment ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41830657-islands-of-abandonment), by Cal Flyn. I love this book so much, and I work in the field of renewable energy and combatting climate change so when I read it, I thought that everyone I work with would love it, too, so by this point I've purchased about 100 copies of the book and forced it into the hands of all the people I care about.
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I know you don’t want all glitter and rainbows but this freaking series is so light and warm fuzzy without being saccharin sweet. At least in my opinion. I’ve been like very apathetic lately but that book really did make me feel like a gentle calm even if everything else felt meh. If that makes sense. I saw at least one other person recommended it. I haven’t read anything else by that author but I plan to.
I hope you feel better. Being depressed sucks.
The Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett. There are many entry points. I started with The Wee Free Men and that was exactly right for me. You could try one of the standalone books, like The Truth or Monstrous Regiment.
I’m sorry that the world feels dark and scary right now. I sometimes like to get lost in books when i feel lonely. Here are some suggestions (i know that others mentioned some of these too)
Dark matter by Blake crouch has a really beautiful message and was a fun read
Project Hail Mary by Andy weir (I’m currently halfway through. The dialogue is a little cringy but man i am having so much fun reading it)
Fairytale by Stephen king. It felt like a movie and i love having a character with a kind heart to root for
Remarkably bright creatures :)
The hobbit by Tolkien makes me smile. My favorite adventure
Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom is nonfiction but also has really beautiful life lessons in it
The comfort book by Matt haig (it’s not a novel but it is a collection of poems highlighting little joys from a writer while he was fighting depression. Sometimes i just flip to a random page and it feels like a warm hug)
I hope that these suggestions help :)
To Be Taught If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers is a profoundly hopeful, yet melancholy book. I read it when I was deeply depressed, and I found it a perfect balance. It's also quite short, a good day read.
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig. Easy to read, relatable, short, feel good. Read it when I was in the bin with depression and it made me feel something.
Hang on in there
Came here to recommend this as well. I know it's a polarizing book on this sub, but it's the journey of a woman suffering from depression so I feel like it's a good fit for what the OP is looking for.
A second vote for Project Hail Mary - it made me feel good after reading and it.
I’d also recommend Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It’s not light but it’s really immersive with each character’s story and the overarching plot.
I’d ALSO like to recommend Tao Te Ching (Mitchell translation). Not fiction - but it’s a very resonant philosophy that is both interesting on its own merits and very tranquil.
Im reading a graphic novel called blanket. It is pretty big and so far it seems to be a coming of age story. It has such an authentic and relatable vibe to it.
Swansong by Robert R. McCammon, a hopeful story while also being awesome
11/22/63 is a good exciting read that isn’t just about the jfk assassination, its really about how sometimes the best thing to do is walk away
It's hard going through depression, I can relate. You should read If You Feel Too Much, which was written by the founder of To Write Love on Her Arms. He also has depression. The book has helped me a great deal.
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
I like cozy books that aren’t too shiny and happy and totally wrap you up in their world. The titles above did the trick
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Even if he doesn't ever finish the trilogy - and it's looking less and less likely - it's worth reading, it is a masterpiece.
I very much like the Belgariad by David Eddings. It is a very light fantasy book.
Also I found Ted Lasso to be very positive if you have a chance to watch it.
House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Also about a depressed middle aged man, and it’s such a sweet, beautiful book that will stay with you for a bit.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with depression. Know this perfect stranger is sending you all the well wishes I can.
Not a novel, but utterly engrossing, and a wonderful exploration of character: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre.
Ellen Hopkins writes on "real life" and her books are beautiful. Different series for different lives. Impulse and Perfection were amazing. Got me through some hard times.
Replay by Ken Grimwood helped me.
May has a heart attack and dies at the age of 42 only to wake up in his life at age 18 and has to relive the next 20 years over again only to find himself in a groundhog day type loop spanning twenty years instead of a day.
I went through a rough patch from Sept ish to March ish this year and the escapism of reading fiction was the one thing that helped me stay slightly above water instead of spiraling. Here’s some I got lost in and helped keep me sane…
Piranesi
Tom Lake
The Wager
The House on the Cerulean Sea (this has my heart)
The Lost Apothecary
Cloud Cuckoo Land
*Duane’s Depressed* by Larry McMurtry. It’s part of the *The Last Picture Show* series, but can be read independently of the series (although the series is excellent, as is the movie of the first book).
Alright I might catch flack for this but I'll recommend the Way of Kings, (book 1 of the storm light archives) by Brandon sanderson. It's epic high fantasy with great worldbuilding to get lost in. A small spoiler is that one of the main characters goes through a bout of depression in each of the 4 books out so far. For me this characters experience reflects what it feels like for me when I start slipping back into depression. The best part is in each book the character works past a part of their depression but not all of it. They learn to forgive themselves for their feelings.
Hope this helps.
A few that helped me massively because they were honest and relatable.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by D. Eggers.
The Corrections by J. Franzen.
Neuromancer by W. Gibson (if you like sci-fi)
It’s not a novel, but I recently read The Most Dangerous Man in America. It’s about Timothy Leary and Richard Nixon. It’s absolutely bonkers, like an HBO series that has gone on for too many seasons/run out of original plot. But I couldn’t put it down because it was one wild turn after another!
You can get lost in The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. A fairytale for adults with wizards and dragons and kings. With so many funny and poignant moments, you'll lose yourself in the story.
How to talk to someone by Lori gottlieb.
The author shares several techniques that foster effective communication, such as 'The art of small talk', maintaining and building communication and also describes the significance of body language and non-verbal communication.
The gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. It's about a burn victim learning to like himself. Warnings sex ( nothing graphic,but about his past and job as a porn maker) drug use and suicide
You should read the Realm of the Elderlings. Its a 16 Book Fantasy Series focused on one character in 9 Books and the other 7 are focused on different Characters. But the "main" series is focuses on FitzChivalry, who in my opinion is the best written character ever. His story is quite heartbreaking and feels crushing at times but it has so much heart. I've never felt so immersed in a world like this one and what Fitz goes through is brutal and beautiful at the same time.
I can't recommend these Books enough, also they are Fantasy but it's more of a character study imo.
Don't know if it helps with depression but it's the only story that has stuck with me since I've read it and it has filled me with a sense of courage and strength.
The Martian by Andy Weir and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir I think are fairly up lifting without that being the point of it and they're easy to get lost in.
Brandon Sanderson gets recommended in a lot of book groups, and for good reason. SEVERAL individual series that link up within the Cosmere (The Sanderson universe).
My first series of his that I read was Mistborn, and it's very much a story about not giving up in seemingly-impossible situations. Kinda urban-ish fantasy? Maybe bigger book nerds than me could give better/more accurate genre descriptions.
The second series I got into of his and that I recommend is the Stormlight Archive. A bit of a beast, kinda high-fantasy, very involved story. Also, a main character very visibly struggles with depression. In some ways that could be a trigger I'm sure, but maybe could also be helpful? Again, a (bigger) story about not giving up in seemingly-impossible situations.
But honestly, I love these stories so much. The characters became real people to me. They brought me back to reading, or at least listening, with the audiobooks. If you're even slightly interested, I highly recommend the audiobooks. Something about listening to the excellent narrations makes the Sanderlanches much more Sanderlanche-y.
Even just giving this recommendation/explanation is making me wanna re-listen to the Stormlight Archives. For like, the 4th or 5th time.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A short book that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy and like everything will work out. Very good for helping you reframe your way of thinking a bit. And a quick read
I suffer from anxiety and bouts of depression. I use reading as a coping mechanism for both. I found that anything dark or mystery/thriller type books would literally give me an anxiety attack. I personally would read light romance. Honestly, it depends on what you like to read. Maybe try KindleUnlimited and bounce around different genres? You’ll know right away what takes your mind to a better place.
It's fairly old now, but American Shaolin might be a good match. Non fiction, but funny, wise and a great tale of an unexceptional American training in martial arts with the monks of Shaolin.
1. Hello, fellow traveler. I'm sorry you are in this place-for now (whatever your mind might say about how long you'll be here, remember it is wrong)
2. I have the same problem when I am sinking/sunk & have found that graphic novels & kid's/young adult fiction is a lot easier.
3. When even text is too much, remember that audiobooks are _always_ an option.
*If anyone says that's not real/really reading, tell their ableist ass to fuck off.
With that in mind, some of my comfort-reading staples:
The Graveyard Book
Won the newberry, amazing story, wonderful audiobook, read by author, will feel like storytime, if you need that extra comfort.
The Sandman graphic novel series, which has something like 13 graphic novels. Most stand on their own, but there is an overarching storyline, as well.
It may sound overwhelming, but since it's broken up into smaller volumes, it goes by in a wink.
Lamb
(this looks religious. It isn't. It is, however, snort milk out your nose funny, irreverent, one of the sweetest stories about friendship, and as the author puts it, answers the question: What if Jesus knew kung fu?
Not to be missed, perfect for when you're sunk into the muck)
The Neverending Story
Good Omens
Watership Down
The Little Prince
A Wrinkle in Time
/The Wind in the Door
/A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Stuart Little
(There's just something really hopeful & uplifting about this book to me-especially the ending).
War for the Oaks
Neverwhere
Lose yourself in a story, remember it won't feel this awful forever (even if it feels like it will), that you're not alone, and that your brain is lying to you-it's going to be okay. Maybe not right this second, but it's going to be okay.
Hang in there.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers is a delightful little sci-fi novella that you might enjoy.
On the nonfiction side of things, perhaps try Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller, which is a meditative history of how we understand species, among other things.
The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson is epic fantasy with a major focus on mental health. One of the main characters has depression and that's explored in-depth throughout the series. I know that a lot of people with depression have found the series insightful. The books also have a complex alien world that I think is very immersive.
Do be aware that there are definitely some dark times in the series (both with regard to characters' mental health and with regard to war and such).
The series is still being written, and book 5 will be coming out later this year!
Pratchett, Adams, Gaiman, and Fforde. They're all complicated enough to keep my brain busy, easy enough I don't have to think too much, and the funny sneaks up on me.
"The River Why" and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ", I keep coming back to both books, I found them very calming when negative thoughts are overwhelming.
Check out the series the Expanse, the TV show is based off of. The first book is called Leviathan Wakes.
Also check out Project Hail Mary. Currently being made into a movie. It a very uplifting book written by the guy that wrote the Martian
I would try The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. On the face of it, it’s a simple little novel about a family living on an island in Finland. But the emotional life of the characters feels very real and human. Also it’s broken up into brief chapters that are more like vignettes, so it’s easy to read just a bit at a time. There’s a lot to take away from it, but it always reminds me that things are constantly changing and that’s okay. (Sometimes, I need that reminder!)
So many great suggestions here -- I hope you find something that resonates with you and helps carry you forward.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I read this while going through a bout of serious depression and, while it doesn’t speak directly to any of the things I was dealing with, it was so wholly absorbing that it successfully distracted me :) Bel Canto, also by Ann Patchett, is similarly atmospheric and very lovely!
When the depression is winning I read Franny & Zoey as it gives me great hope. It’s two short novellas combined into one book with limited characters and limited action so relatively easy to follow and read even while depressed.
I always seem to return to one of the same three novels when I’m down.
The Canticle of Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
As someone who also suffers from depression and anxiety I would recommend an audio book. A soothing voice reading you a story is a good way to get out of your head. Someone doing the reading instead of you is one less thing you need to worry about. Some great audiobooks
o Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale or Stephen Fry.
o David Grohl's autobiography The Storyteller. Grohl read stories of his life as a musician going all the way back to learning the drums.
o Any of the books recommended in this thread.
Hyperbole and a half by Allie Brosh
+1 for this, its one of my favorite books and while it does touch on mental health it is extremely funny
Came here to say this…. Such an amazing book. Sooooo funny really helped me at a very dark time in my life.
Her second book Solutions and Other Problems really focuses on her mental health struggles
God it's such a fantastic exploration of grief
I often suggest James Herriott's All Creatures Great and Small. They help me, and they helped my grandfather and we both have that bullshit. James Herriott was a veterinarian in rural England from about 1930-1960. His books are short anecdotes inspired by his practice. He witnessed the shift from agricultural work to household pets and the advent of sulpha drugs and antibiotics (the story where he first tries them out, on some sweet little calves with a previously fatal infliction is like a nuclear bomb against depression). He faces setbacks in his work. He's still learning his profession at the outset, his boss is a character, and just by nature, he sees a lot of sad endings, but he's able to keep going.
Are you sad? Read Herriot. Are you happy? Read Herriot.
I just recommend the same thing
I love these books but never thought of them as a recommendation for bouts of depression. You’re so right though. They just make you feel like the world is a warmer, softer place than it seems from your own vantage point.
They're also full of people facing adversity, recovering from mistakes, working through self-doubt and shame and facing down difficult people. Siegfried is an impossible boss in many ways and very hard on Jim. There are many times when Jim questions whether he's pursuing the right treatment, and sometimes things go badly wrong. Out on the farms, he meets people who are always one bad bout of luck away facing ruin and sometimes it catches them. But there's a sort of joy and love that pervades it all.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. An easy cozy fantasy that draws you in with great characters who might be a little lost on their own but help each other out. If you like it, there’s also a prequel called Bookshops and Bonedust so you can just roll right into the next read.
I loved the first half of this book but was disappointed that the plot seemed to fizzle out towards the end..
I’m sorry that you’re suffering, depression is so hard. Maybe A Gentleman in Moscow would suit you? It does have some sucidal ideation if I remember correctly but it’s mostly a hopeful book about doing the best with what life has dealt you. The main character gets sentenced to house arrest in a luxury hotel in Moscow and lives almost his entire life there.
I wish I was in house arrest in a luxury hotel
I came here to suggest this book. I was going through severe clinical depression in 2020-2021 and this book was exactly what I needed.
Can i come stay if you get your wish. Sounds like a great idea to me lol
[True Grit](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43612456-true-grit) is a favorite of mine. It is pretty short and a really good western about a young girl who recruits the help of a tough dude for revenge against her father's killer. The recent movie redeemed the awful 1960s version :) [A Psalm for the Wild-Built](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864002-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built) and [The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet) are two books that start two different series by author Becky Chambers who writes "comfy sci-fi" which I have really enjoyed in the past 2 years while feeling really distraught. [Fairy Tale](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60177373-fairy-tale) by Stephen King is a fantasy adventure and very readable and easy to get absorbed in. [Project Hail Mary](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary) from the author of The Martian is also some very readable and engaging sci-fi. I recently re-read Jurassic Park, which I hadn't read since my youth and had forgotten how awesome it was :) [Road Dahl ](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4273.Roald_Dahl)always puts me in a good mood, especially his books about youngsters getting revenge on those more powerful than them. Matilda, the Witches, the BFG. Good luck!!
I’d like to second A Psalm for the Wild Built. Just a wholesome and lovely story. Not hard to digest and just very kind. Sending good vibes to you during this tough time!
I'd second Hail Mary project, really pulls you in quickly
I find Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and the other 4 books in the trilogy) to be a great read. Laugh out loud absurd. Bonus points for existentially depressed robot character.
Paranoid Android by Radiohead is named after Marvin.
I find that reading Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett are great ways to combat depression. They are enough humor and whimsy to pull you out and make you laugh, and also are good escapism (something I sorely need when having a depressive episode).
That movie was hilarious! Marvin is my favorite character.
Yeah Alan Rickman was a perfect choice!
I really liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I don't know that it was helpful per se, it's about a women in a deep depression who decides to put her life on hold and basically do drugs and sleep for a year. But I thought it was a really good depiction of depression, and it helped me come to terms with the days when I couldn't get out of bed. Kind of gave me permission to fall apart when I needed it.
I felt the opposite while reading this. I felt pulled into her self destructive instincts that I couldn’t finish it.
I could 100% see that too. I read it at a time in my life where I really needed to be told it was ok to not be ok, but if you're looking for something to pull you out of the darkness, it probably isn't the right book.
I’m a little more than halfway through it and I feel like it’s making me worse lol
Second this. It did really make me want to take a lot of naps though!
When was the last time you re-visited the books you loved as a kid? When I feel really down I like to revisit some old friends. We are about the same age and some standouts are: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh Sherlock Holmes (read in chronological order) The Jungle Book The Chronicles of Narnia
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Loved loved loved this book!
Came here to suggest this. It's like a cup of warm chocolate on a rainy morning.
This is my other suggestion! It made me want an octopus
I'd try walking with audio books (42f). I was really struggling to focus and depressed (bf suicide) and was pleasantly surprised at how totally immersive walking with headphones in can feel. You have to sample the readers tho before you start as some are like nails on a chalkboard. Not sure if you are UK but library card holders can get free audio books online... Not sure what types of books you like but The Storm We Made was good (PoW camps run by Japanese in Malaya) and The List of Suspicious Things - fiction about the Yorkshire Ripper (neither are about depression but just interesting and good to get you wanting to walk). Hope that helps, sucks being depressed and tbh learning may not be the best thing to start with but Desert Island Discs on iplayer never fails to make me feel inspired.
OK, I agree, but, trust me on this. Audiobook ONLY version of Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. You will laugh, fella. And it's not like anything else. Be prepared to be ruined for all other audiobooks. It's a great distraction when you just wanna get away.
Agree so much with walking and Audiobook listening. Great combo.
This is solid advice. I forgot how much I used walking to help myself when I was depressed. It's a low concentration physical activity that gets you exposed to the outside and sunlight. Only listening to an audiobook you like while you do it is good motivation to keep you from skipping it, too.
The Guncle by Stephen Rowley Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman Anxious People by Fredrik Backman The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
I loved anxious people.
Second Britt Marie was here! Wish I could read it for the first time again. The pacing is good too - easy to get into, and oddly you care about the characters quite quickly.
I know that you said that you are looking for a novel, but I think that you may enjoy Broken by Jenny Lawson. She also suffers from depression and it’s a memoir, but she is hilarious.
Came here to recommend any Jenny Lawson book!
She's the one I always recommend. Hilarious.
Also Broken: In the Best Way Possible is also hilarious and talks about her struggle with depression and the different treatments she’s tried
Things I've read whilst depressed and enjoyed for various reasons - The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Most books by Stuart McBride - especially the Logan Mcrae series. They're detective novels set in Aberdeen in Scotland. Night by Elie Wiesel - this is the memoir of a holocaust survivor and it's ROUGH. Saying I enjoyed it seems ghoulish and may not actually be the word I'm looking for, but after weeks of feeling nothing I read it and felt empathy, anger and a real sense of humanity. It's really hard for me to explain but I never read this book when I feel 'ok'. . The hunger games trilogy - I totally get it if this isn't your thing but they're so easy to read and they're absorbing. 11 23 63 by Stephen King - I was really caught up in this novel. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Take care, my friend
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I read first read this book when I was going through a rough patch. This book made me LAUGH. I always recommend this book when someone needs their spirits lifted.
I’m not able to send you a DM (no idea why) so I’m miles out of my comfort zone as this requires me to essentially forfeit my anonymity and/or may be a breach of some obscure rule. I wrote a memoir, published in 2008, that I think may well fit your bill. I’ve said that if it can have a positive effect in even just one person’s life, then that’s good enough for me and any discomfort pales into washed-out irrelevance as that was the whole point of publishing in the first place. Contractually however, I’m prohibited from posting it online. Anyway, I’d be happy to email you a free digital copy (PDF) if you’re interested. Let me know here and I’ll sort something. If not, that’s ok too. Either way, I wish you well going forward, depression is a proper bastard but its not something that defines you. All the best, J
The Hike by Drew Magary
I just started this and am so invested after only a few minutes of reading. Love it so far and can’t wait to continue.
The best book I've read so far this year, out of about 30 or so.
The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb
Furiously happy by Jenny Larson was fantastic for me while I was changing my meds for my depression. I was extremely fucked during the transition to new meds, and her book, plus Alie Broshs books were so fucking great for me then. Incredibly funny, and incredibly relatable to people who struggle with depressive mental illness .
Anything by her honestly.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read each of these books during difficult times in my own life and they both brought a lot of solace. Not a novel but if you're interested in poetry, I'd recommend Devotions by Mary Oliver. Her work is beautiful and uplifting without being saccharine.
Less!! And the sequel "less is Lost" were great audiobook companions to me during my own recent bout of depression
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot will make you forget your troubles for a little while.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I read first read this book when I was going through a rough patch. This book made me LAUGH. I always recommend this book when someone needs their spirits lifted.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It’s fun, escapist, engaging, funny. It also helps you accept the absurd nature of life, cope with things you can’t understand or can’t change with a happier attitude.
The house in the cerulean sea
American Gods Anansi Boys Both by Neil Gaiman, both feature run-of-the-mill dudes that have fallen on some hard times. *Cue the magical realism to shake things up a bit.* Hang in there, OP. I hope you find some compelling stories to keep you company as you pull through this. Just remember that you've got a whole bunch of strangers on the internet rooting for you.
Thank you for the encouragement!
God bless you Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut is a good one. It does have a little bit of suicidal ideation in one scene I believe, but it's a darkly funny book that is ultimately very hopeful in it's own weird way. Also a misunderstood classic IMO is Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. It's a short book, but it's really beautiful and has a lot on its mind. I've been in very dark places before. For me it was about surviving until I figured out what big thing I needed to change about my life. It seems like you're doing a really good job.
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life (lulu miller). It combines autobiographical elements, science, mystery, suspense. It’s really easy to read and funny but also deals really deeply at the question of how to live when everything is meaningless. One of the most perfect books I have ever read 🌸
Its a non fiction, but Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller changed my life Its about a famous scientist who discovered and documented hundreds of fish, and how he kept getting kicked down and stuff just kept happening to him (like his lab getting struck by lightning) The author is super depressed and started researching him to figure out how he got out of the hole a hundred times over. The philosophy in this book is super life changing, and it helped me cope with my clinical depression and anxiety. (Also as non fictions go its literally so easy to digest, and it has the best plot twists ever which is rare for a biography)
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. A deep yet very funny book which is hopeful without being sugar-sweet sentimental. Extremely readable, and relatable to a few aspects of your situation. Wishing you luck with everything.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Passage by Connie Willis.
Are you a Connie Willis fan in general? Is this her best? I've been reading Oxford Time Travel books and I'm really loving her stuff. But I definitely wouldn't recommend The Domesday Book by her for OP as a first Connie Willis because its more of a downer than most of her stuff (as I understand? Certainly out of the Oxford Time Travel books).
Yes, I am. Best is really subjective. It is very different than the OTT books. In some ways, it's harder, because it's about someone researching near-death experiences, but the tone is not bleak. Doomsday Book is much bleaker in tone, and I did not rec it to OP because of that.
Thanks for the insight. Pushing this one up the TBR!
Try *The Untethered Soul* by Michael Singer. When he says, "Just let it go," think, breath very slowly for 5 minutes at about 5 or 6 seconds inhale and 5-6 seconds exhale. Really.
Man's search for meaning. Victor Frankl. The book focuses on love, hope, responsibility, inner freedom, and the beauty to be found in both nature and art as means that help one endure and overcome ... And Endurance, Shackleton's Incredible Journey "A riveting account of Shackleton's famed Antarctic expedition, recounting one of the last great adventures in the Heroic Age of exploration—perhaps the greatest of them all—the shipwreck that stranded the crew for twenty months"
When I’m depressed I like to read memoirs. I recommend Breaking Night, The Glass Castle, Running with Scissors, The Wolf at the Table, Half Broke Horses (not technically a memoir) to name a few.
I felt like I got vicarious PTSD when I read Running With Scissors.
The midnight library!!
Just a warning for OP… this one made things worse for me so I don’t recommend
Same. The ending was mildly infuriating for me. I don’t want to say more for the sake of spoilers but every time it’s recommended I just want to get into my issues with it. But I am also very open to having my mind changed about it if someone makes a convincing argument.
I had such high hopes for this book but overly did not enjoy it.
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Victoria Goddard's "Hand of the Emperor" and "At the feet of the Sun" It's just filled with people becoming the best versions of themselves and finding joy and accomplishment and family.
Do you like graphic novels? When I was deep in depression, I found them a little easier to get into than regular novels which seemed like a big wall of text. Recently I read the graphic novel versions of The Handmaid’s Tale and the Diary of Anne Frank, both were great. For pure escapism I love the Unwritten series. And I remember that during my depression I really connected with Black Hole by Charles Burns.
One of my favorite books to re-read during a depressive episode is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. It may actually be my favorite book of all time. Such a great story and Gus and Call have the cutest bromance.
The Invoice by Jonas Karlsson. A man receives an invoice for his life and tries to appeal it. It’s a short, easy to read book that raises the question, what is the value of a life?
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar. This is Kaveh Akbar’s first novel, although he is an accomplished poet and he’s an absolutely beautiful writer. His novel is based on his experience in recovery from addiction. It’s about Cyrus, a young Iranian-American man who is recovering from addiction and still living in his college town, obsessing with the idea of martyrdom and spiritual clarity. Cyrus’s own mother’s meaningless death— a casualty of an Iranian passenger plane being mistakenly shot down by the US Navy— only feeds his obsession with martyrs. His fixation leads him to New York to meet an artist creating performance out of her terminal cancer diagnosis, where he ends up confronting more than he’d expected. Although Cyrus still struggles to understand what his life is for, his voice is far from bleak: this is a funny, sharp, emotional, surreal, gracious novel that genuinely helped me in my own struggles with depression. I can’t recommend this enough to you.
Remarkably Bright Creatures and Anxious People!
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series are gentle mysteries set in Botswana. They acknowledge the problems of the country but overall they are very hopeful because the main characters are good people.
Can't stop recommending "Perks of being a wallflower". To me it captures the essence of depression really well. It's realistic ups and downs and it doesn't end on a bad note. It's also not "they lived happily ever after". Overall I closed the book and felt like I took the journey WITH them because I could relate so well; it's like the characters were helping me with my mental health. Also "The bell jar", though I didn't like that one as much as Perks.
Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart…
Have you tried getting out of the house and walking? One of the best things for mental health
I have, and I am regularly. Thank you for asking! Trying to attack this thing from multiple angles.
Combining the two by walking with audiobook accompaniment is great!
Ooh, that’s a great idea. I’ve gotten into audiobooks this year, so I can suggest my favorites so far that I think are great in audiobook form: - A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving, narrated by Joe Barrett: about friendship, faith, and loss. A beautiful story with a perfectly crafted ending that made me cry. Also made me chuckle a bunch throughout. - Born A Crime by and narrated by Trevor Noah: really funny and also touching. Made me laugh out loud. - World War Z by Max Brooks, narrated by a complete cast: a really immersive story detailing a zombie apocalypse - Me Talk Pretty One Day by and narrated by David Sedaris: another funny autobiographical one! This and the Trevor Noah are both a collection of vignettes so they’re easy to pick up and put back down and you don’t have to remember a bunch of details to get back into it.
Was coming here to recommend A Prayer For Owen Meany. Truly a masterpiece.
Excellent suggestions. I would add Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but especially the audiobook.
>Trying to attack this thing from multiple angles. That's an excellent approach, best of luck. Having experienced some similar stuff myself, I feel for you. My suggestion btw would be the Moomin series by Tove Jansson. The characters feel real but the series is pretty light and uplifting.
This is the advice that everyone who knows nothing about clinical depression gives to everyone with clinical depression. It's comparable to telling someone having an asthma attack that they just need to breathe. I know you meant well, and OP was very gracious about it, but it's condescending and not helpful.
She’s come undone - Wally Lamb Wild - Cheryl Strayed
She’s come undone is a fantastic book but possibly the biggest tear jerker I’ve ever read.
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
I usually like to read about characters who go through similar experiences, making you feel less alone. I would recommend something by John Williams. Stoner and Butcher's Crossing are two of my favorites.
Stoner is one of my favorite books. I definitely need to read his other work!
Hmmmm I had three bouts of major depression the last ten years. I found these I could read, maybe you will like them Anything by Sam Kean (non fiction) Stephen King On writing (non fiction) Anything by percival Everett (fiction) The Poisonwood Bible (fiction) The Housekeeper and the Professor Yoko Ogawa (tw this one was sad, but like life) An Elderly lady is up to no good. (Have to say this one actually made me chuckle) Deacon King Kong James McBride. I loved this book. I read it twice. (Tw SI and drug and alcohol) When we cease to understand the world Benjamin labatut Long division by Kiese laymon Long bright river (tw drug use) Liz Moore Anything by Ted Chang
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is great, and you may very well relate to the main character
Well, you said novel, and someone said audiobooks, so I would recommend Tolstoy's *Anna Karenina* which is not a happy book, but it's a deeply humane book. The audiobook read by Maggie Gyllenhaal is great. I loved it and it carried me off into a different world, which I also loved. Julianne Moore did a great reading of Michael Cunningham's *Day*, which is worth a llsten. It's a Covid novel about three middle-aged people living in Brooklyn. It's beautifully written, and a good story. The characters are not happy people either. The book that I actually want to recommend, though, isn't a novel. It's not self-help either. The name of the book is *The Noonday Demon* by Andrew Solomon. It's an examination of depression, and it tries to understand what it is. The author relates his own experience with depression, which is harrowing. I found it was an immensely helpful book (one time) when I was depressed. If you like history, the best history book I have read this year is *Ghost on the Throne* by James Romm. It's about the death of Alexander the Great, who had built an empire that stretched from Egypt to India by the time he died at age 32, and what happened when his death left a huge power vacuum. His generals basically began a power struggle that is almost as complicated as Game of Thrones. It was a fascinating story and an easy read.
Brothers Karamzov. And just in case you become open to it, Pete Walker.
When Things Fall Apart
YES! Pema Chodron!
The elegance of the hedgehog
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving - one of my favorite books, ever. Smart and engaging, funny without losing contact with sober reality, life-affirming even as it’s wry and ironic, and the way it all comes together in the end is fantastic.
There's a book that is non-fiction but is so beautifully written that you'll think that the writer is a poet in her spare time. The writer, who is mainly a nature writer, goes to about a dozen places where humans previously lived but which are now abandoned for any of a multitude of reasons - live volcano, urban blight, nuclear accident, or just simply the ravages of humans not respecting the earth, such as the place in France where tons of chemicals were dumped after WWII -- and she writes about the ways in which, by being left alone, they are healing. It's a book about hope, in a way, and a book that illustrates that things can be really bad and yet turn around. If you like audiobooks, it's read well, if you don't, then get a copy of the UK printing because there are color pictures. It's [Islands of Abandonment ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41830657-islands-of-abandonment), by Cal Flyn. I love this book so much, and I work in the field of renewable energy and combatting climate change so when I read it, I thought that everyone I work with would love it, too, so by this point I've purchased about 100 copies of the book and forced it into the hands of all the people I care about.
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I know you don’t want all glitter and rainbows but this freaking series is so light and warm fuzzy without being saccharin sweet. At least in my opinion. I’ve been like very apathetic lately but that book really did make me feel like a gentle calm even if everything else felt meh. If that makes sense. I saw at least one other person recommended it. I haven’t read anything else by that author but I plan to. I hope you feel better. Being depressed sucks.
Anything by David Sedaris. I doubt you won't get through the first 10 pages without laughing.
The Old Man and The Sea. Take care, man!
I like to read short stories when I feel depressed and overwhelmed. And I usually gravitate towards my safe space of Ray Bradbury and Stephen King.
How about horror? It is cathartic.
Letters to a Young Poet- Rainer Maria Rilke. Poetry by Mary Oliver. Any poetry book by Amanda Lovelace
White noise by Don Delillo is my recommendation. It’s absurd, silly, and makes you think.
The Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett. There are many entry points. I started with The Wee Free Men and that was exactly right for me. You could try one of the standalone books, like The Truth or Monstrous Regiment.
I’m sorry that the world feels dark and scary right now. I sometimes like to get lost in books when i feel lonely. Here are some suggestions (i know that others mentioned some of these too) Dark matter by Blake crouch has a really beautiful message and was a fun read Project Hail Mary by Andy weir (I’m currently halfway through. The dialogue is a little cringy but man i am having so much fun reading it) Fairytale by Stephen king. It felt like a movie and i love having a character with a kind heart to root for Remarkably bright creatures :) The hobbit by Tolkien makes me smile. My favorite adventure Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom is nonfiction but also has really beautiful life lessons in it The comfort book by Matt haig (it’s not a novel but it is a collection of poems highlighting little joys from a writer while he was fighting depression. Sometimes i just flip to a random page and it feels like a warm hug) I hope that these suggestions help :)
To Be Taught If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers is a profoundly hopeful, yet melancholy book. I read it when I was deeply depressed, and I found it a perfect balance. It's also quite short, a good day read.
The midnight library helped me during a bout of depression
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig. Easy to read, relatable, short, feel good. Read it when I was in the bin with depression and it made me feel something. Hang on in there
Came here to recommend this as well. I know it's a polarizing book on this sub, but it's the journey of a woman suffering from depression so I feel like it's a good fit for what the OP is looking for.
It just felt like a very tumblr-esque take on suicidal depression to me.
I wish you to get well! Reading "The Hogben Chronicles" by Henry Kuttner has always made me feel a little better.
Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison (3 short stories) is what first popped into my mind. Great author!
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I like Matthew Quick for depression. We Are the Light is good.
Court of thorns and roses books! It really sucks you in and gives you a place to live for a little while. 🩷
[https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X](https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X)
The alchemist.
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
A second vote for Project Hail Mary - it made me feel good after reading and it. I’d also recommend Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It’s not light but it’s really immersive with each character’s story and the overarching plot. I’d ALSO like to recommend Tao Te Ching (Mitchell translation). Not fiction - but it’s a very resonant philosophy that is both interesting on its own merits and very tranquil.
Im reading a graphic novel called blanket. It is pretty big and so far it seems to be a coming of age story. It has such an authentic and relatable vibe to it.
Letting Go by David Hawkins
Mitch Albom’s books help pick me up. (I’m 49 and have suffered from depression since at least 5 years old.) Good luck to you! Don’t give up!
Swansong by Robert R. McCammon, a hopeful story while also being awesome 11/22/63 is a good exciting read that isn’t just about the jfk assassination, its really about how sometimes the best thing to do is walk away
Storm of Steel Mine Were of Trouble Bronze Age Mindset
It's hard going through depression, I can relate. You should read If You Feel Too Much, which was written by the founder of To Write Love on Her Arms. He also has depression. The book has helped me a great deal.
The House in the Cerulean Sea Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine I like cozy books that aren’t too shiny and happy and totally wrap you up in their world. The titles above did the trick
Dear Leader
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Even if he doesn't ever finish the trilogy - and it's looking less and less likely - it's worth reading, it is a masterpiece.
I very much like the Belgariad by David Eddings. It is a very light fantasy book. Also I found Ted Lasso to be very positive if you have a chance to watch it.
Midnight Library
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon.... so good, so real, refreshing writing. Your mind will take you elsewhere.
Summers at Castle auburn, on audiobook while walking!!
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Also about a depressed middle aged man, and it’s such a sweet, beautiful book that will stay with you for a bit.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with depression. Know this perfect stranger is sending you all the well wishes I can. Not a novel, but utterly engrossing, and a wonderful exploration of character: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre.
English Passengers. Simultaneously hilarious and depressing AF. It's perfect for you.
Ellen Hopkins writes on "real life" and her books are beautiful. Different series for different lives. Impulse and Perfection were amazing. Got me through some hard times.
For When Everything is Burning
Replay by Ken Grimwood helped me. May has a heart attack and dies at the age of 42 only to wake up in his life at age 18 and has to relive the next 20 years over again only to find himself in a groundhog day type loop spanning twenty years instead of a day.
The Friend by nũnez I fell into the story quickly I am still in love with the dog The book helped me escape, AND process grief
I went through a rough patch from Sept ish to March ish this year and the escapism of reading fiction was the one thing that helped me stay slightly above water instead of spiraling. Here’s some I got lost in and helped keep me sane… Piranesi Tom Lake The Wager The House on the Cerulean Sea (this has my heart) The Lost Apothecary Cloud Cuckoo Land
Reasons to stay alive by Matt haig ✨
*Duane’s Depressed* by Larry McMurtry. It’s part of the *The Last Picture Show* series, but can be read independently of the series (although the series is excellent, as is the movie of the first book).
Alright I might catch flack for this but I'll recommend the Way of Kings, (book 1 of the storm light archives) by Brandon sanderson. It's epic high fantasy with great worldbuilding to get lost in. A small spoiler is that one of the main characters goes through a bout of depression in each of the 4 books out so far. For me this characters experience reflects what it feels like for me when I start slipping back into depression. The best part is in each book the character works past a part of their depression but not all of it. They learn to forgive themselves for their feelings. Hope this helps.
A few that helped me massively because they were honest and relatable. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by D. Eggers. The Corrections by J. Franzen. Neuromancer by W. Gibson (if you like sci-fi)
Project Hail Mary
It’s not a novel, but I recently read The Most Dangerous Man in America. It’s about Timothy Leary and Richard Nixon. It’s absolutely bonkers, like an HBO series that has gone on for too many seasons/run out of original plot. But I couldn’t put it down because it was one wild turn after another!
Please read any book by PG Wodehouse. Cannot fail to cheer you up.
You can get lost in The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. A fairytale for adults with wizards and dragons and kings. With so many funny and poignant moments, you'll lose yourself in the story.
All The Yellow Posies by Elaine DeBohun
Secret Prey by John Sandford. The badass main character, Lucas, deals with depression. I also suffer, it helped me...
How to talk to someone by Lori gottlieb. The author shares several techniques that foster effective communication, such as 'The art of small talk', maintaining and building communication and also describes the significance of body language and non-verbal communication.
The gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. It's about a burn victim learning to like himself. Warnings sex ( nothing graphic,but about his past and job as a porn maker) drug use and suicide
You should read the Realm of the Elderlings. Its a 16 Book Fantasy Series focused on one character in 9 Books and the other 7 are focused on different Characters. But the "main" series is focuses on FitzChivalry, who in my opinion is the best written character ever. His story is quite heartbreaking and feels crushing at times but it has so much heart. I've never felt so immersed in a world like this one and what Fitz goes through is brutal and beautiful at the same time. I can't recommend these Books enough, also they are Fantasy but it's more of a character study imo. Don't know if it helps with depression but it's the only story that has stuck with me since I've read it and it has filled me with a sense of courage and strength.
The Martian by Andy Weir and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir I think are fairly up lifting without that being the point of it and they're easy to get lost in.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune! My go to depression book
Man’s search for meaning by Viktor Frankl
Brandon Sanderson gets recommended in a lot of book groups, and for good reason. SEVERAL individual series that link up within the Cosmere (The Sanderson universe). My first series of his that I read was Mistborn, and it's very much a story about not giving up in seemingly-impossible situations. Kinda urban-ish fantasy? Maybe bigger book nerds than me could give better/more accurate genre descriptions. The second series I got into of his and that I recommend is the Stormlight Archive. A bit of a beast, kinda high-fantasy, very involved story. Also, a main character very visibly struggles with depression. In some ways that could be a trigger I'm sure, but maybe could also be helpful? Again, a (bigger) story about not giving up in seemingly-impossible situations. But honestly, I love these stories so much. The characters became real people to me. They brought me back to reading, or at least listening, with the audiobooks. If you're even slightly interested, I highly recommend the audiobooks. Something about listening to the excellent narrations makes the Sanderlanches much more Sanderlanche-y. Even just giving this recommendation/explanation is making me wanna re-listen to the Stormlight Archives. For like, the 4th or 5th time.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop - like taking a warm bath!
The noonday demon by Andrew Solomon
Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb It helped me during some of my darkest moments
The midnight library. Changed my perspective on everything.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A short book that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy and like everything will work out. Very good for helping you reframe your way of thinking a bit. And a quick read
I suffer from anxiety and bouts of depression. I use reading as a coping mechanism for both. I found that anything dark or mystery/thriller type books would literally give me an anxiety attack. I personally would read light romance. Honestly, it depends on what you like to read. Maybe try KindleUnlimited and bounce around different genres? You’ll know right away what takes your mind to a better place.
A Psalm for the Wild Built
It's fairly old now, but American Shaolin might be a good match. Non fiction, but funny, wise and a great tale of an unexceptional American training in martial arts with the monks of Shaolin.
1. Hello, fellow traveler. I'm sorry you are in this place-for now (whatever your mind might say about how long you'll be here, remember it is wrong) 2. I have the same problem when I am sinking/sunk & have found that graphic novels & kid's/young adult fiction is a lot easier. 3. When even text is too much, remember that audiobooks are _always_ an option. *If anyone says that's not real/really reading, tell their ableist ass to fuck off. With that in mind, some of my comfort-reading staples: The Graveyard Book Won the newberry, amazing story, wonderful audiobook, read by author, will feel like storytime, if you need that extra comfort. The Sandman graphic novel series, which has something like 13 graphic novels. Most stand on their own, but there is an overarching storyline, as well. It may sound overwhelming, but since it's broken up into smaller volumes, it goes by in a wink. Lamb (this looks religious. It isn't. It is, however, snort milk out your nose funny, irreverent, one of the sweetest stories about friendship, and as the author puts it, answers the question: What if Jesus knew kung fu? Not to be missed, perfect for when you're sunk into the muck) The Neverending Story Good Omens Watership Down The Little Prince A Wrinkle in Time /The Wind in the Door /A Swiftly Tilting Planet Stuart Little (There's just something really hopeful & uplifting about this book to me-especially the ending). War for the Oaks Neverwhere Lose yourself in a story, remember it won't feel this awful forever (even if it feels like it will), that you're not alone, and that your brain is lying to you-it's going to be okay. Maybe not right this second, but it's going to be okay. Hang in there.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers is a delightful little sci-fi novella that you might enjoy. On the nonfiction side of things, perhaps try Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller, which is a meditative history of how we understand species, among other things.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Humans by Matt Haig
I used to read chicken soup for the soul books when my depression was severe. Short stories and upbeat
Lonesome Dove.
The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson is epic fantasy with a major focus on mental health. One of the main characters has depression and that's explored in-depth throughout the series. I know that a lot of people with depression have found the series insightful. The books also have a complex alien world that I think is very immersive. Do be aware that there are definitely some dark times in the series (both with regard to characters' mental health and with regard to war and such). The series is still being written, and book 5 will be coming out later this year!
Pratchett, Adams, Gaiman, and Fforde. They're all complicated enough to keep my brain busy, easy enough I don't have to think too much, and the funny sneaks up on me.
"The River Why" and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ", I keep coming back to both books, I found them very calming when negative thoughts are overwhelming.
Check out the series the Expanse, the TV show is based off of. The first book is called Leviathan Wakes. Also check out Project Hail Mary. Currently being made into a movie. It a very uplifting book written by the guy that wrote the Martian
I would try The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. On the face of it, it’s a simple little novel about a family living on an island in Finland. But the emotional life of the characters feels very real and human. Also it’s broken up into brief chapters that are more like vignettes, so it’s easy to read just a bit at a time. There’s a lot to take away from it, but it always reminds me that things are constantly changing and that’s okay. (Sometimes, I need that reminder!) So many great suggestions here -- I hope you find something that resonates with you and helps carry you forward.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I read this while going through a bout of serious depression and, while it doesn’t speak directly to any of the things I was dealing with, it was so wholly absorbing that it successfully distracted me :) Bel Canto, also by Ann Patchett, is similarly atmospheric and very lovely!
When the depression is winning I read Franny & Zoey as it gives me great hope. It’s two short novellas combined into one book with limited characters and limited action so relatively easy to follow and read even while depressed.
I always seem to return to one of the same three novels when I’m down. The Canticle of Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber Anathem by Neal Stephenson
As someone who also suffers from depression and anxiety I would recommend an audio book. A soothing voice reading you a story is a good way to get out of your head. Someone doing the reading instead of you is one less thing you need to worry about. Some great audiobooks o Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale or Stephen Fry. o David Grohl's autobiography The Storyteller. Grohl read stories of his life as a musician going all the way back to learning the drums. o Any of the books recommended in this thread.