Reading Suggestions
All books have been recommended by a wide variety of people of all ages and backgrounds as having been helpful, inspirational or thought-provoking. For a printable list, please click here.
Depression
The following books have all been reviewed recently* in The Guardian in an article on depression. We haven’t had a chance to read them yet, so are not able to personally recommend them but they may be worth a look!
Bereavement
Drugs, addiction and recovery
Asperger Syndrome
Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Autism
Schizophrenia
Nutrition
Dealing with trauma
Managing stress, anxiety and negative thinking
Suicide
Stroke
Parkinson’s Disease
Chronic pain
Insomnia
Phobias
Delusions and Obsessive behaviour
Psychological insights and relationships
Meditation and Spirituality
Mindfulness
Uplifting memoirs
Physical activity and therapy
(*Date of list 23 January 2019 and currently being updated)
- ‘Cheer up Love’ by Susan Calman
- ‘Nature Cure’ by Richard Mabey
- ‘Depression and how to survive it’ by Spike Milligan & Anthony Clare
- ‘Me and my mate Jeffrey: a story of big dreams, tough realities & facing my demons head on’ by Niall Breslin
- ‘Overcoming depression’ by Paul Gilbert
- ‘I had a black dog’ by Matthew Johnstone
- ‘Living with a black dog’ by Matthew Johnstone
- ‘The Inflamed Mind’ by Edward Bullmore
The following books have all been reviewed recently* in The Guardian in an article on depression. We haven’t had a chance to read them yet, so are not able to personally recommend them but they may be worth a look!
- ‘The Happy Brain: The Science of Where Happiness Comes From, and Why’
- ‘Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope’ by Johann Hari
- ‘Happy Ever After: Escaping the Myth of The Perfect Life’ by Paul Dolan
- ‘Love for Imperfect Things: How to Accept Yourself in a World Striving for Perfection’ by Haemin Sunim
- ‘The Other Side of Happiness: Embracing a More Fearless Approach to Living
Bereavement
- ‘When Parents Die. Learning to live with the loss of a parent’ by Rebecca Abrams
- ‘You’ll get over it: the rage of bereavement’ by Virginia Ironside
- ‘We need to talk about grief’ by Annie Broadbent
- ‘A Manual for Heartache’ by Cathy Rentzenbrink
- ‘Grief Works. Stories of Life, Death and Surviving’ by Julia Samuel
Drugs, addiction and recovery
- ‘Mum, can you lend me twenty quid? What drugs did to my family’ by Elizabeth Burton-Phillips
- ‘The Outrun’ by Amy Liptrot
Asperger Syndrome
- ‘Nerdy, shy and socially inappropriate: a user guide to an Asperger life’ by Cynthia Kim
Alzheimer’s and Dementia
- ‘The End Of Alzheimer’s’ by Dr Dale Bredesen
Autism
- ‘A friend like Henry’ by Nuala Gardner
- ‘Thinking in pictures’ by Temple Grandin
- ‘Animals in Translation’ by Temple Grandin
Schizophrenia
- ‘Henry’s demons: living with schizophrenia, a father and son’s story’ by Patrick and Henry Cockburn
Nutrition
- ‘Eat yourself calm’ by Gill Paul
- ‘Optimum nutrition for the mind’ by Patrick Holford
Dealing with trauma
- ‘Lucky’ by Alice Sebold
- ‘Crooked Angels’ by Carol Lee
- ‘Instrumental’ by James Rhodes
Managing stress, anxiety and negative thinking
- ‘Why Zebras don’t get ulcers’ by Robert M Sapolsky
- ‘Managing anxiety with CBT for Dummies’ by Graham C Davey
- ‘The art of effortless living’ by Ingrid Bacci
- ‘The Compassionate Mind’ by Paul Gilbert
- ‘Women who think too much’ by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
Suicide
- ‘CALMzine’ magazine for Campaign Against Living Miserably
Stroke
- ‘My year off: rediscovering life after a stroke’ by Robert McCrum
Parkinson’s Disease
- ‘Always Looking up’ by Michael J Fox
Chronic pain
- ‘Effortless pain relief’ by Ingrid Bacci
Insomnia
- ‘Sleep: 50 mindfulness exercises for a restful night’s sleep’ by Arlene Unger
Phobias
- ‘The Easy way to enjoy flying’ by Allen Carr
Delusions and Obsessive behaviour
- ‘Beyond belief’ by Tamsin Knight
Psychological insights and relationships
- ‘Forgiveness and other acts of love’ by Stephanie Dowrick
- ‘Choosing happiness; short answers to the big questions’ by Stephanie Dowrick
- ‘Feeling loved’ by Jeanne Segal
Meditation and Spirituality
- ‘A path with heart’ by Jack Kornfield
- ‘The Art of Happiness’ by HH Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutler
Mindfulness
- ‘The little pocket book of mindfulness’ by Anna Black
Uplifting memoirs
- ’A street cat named Bob’ by James Bowen
- ‘The World according to Bob’ by James Bowen
Physical activity and therapy
- ‘Body Awareness as Healing Therapy’ by Moshe Feldenkrais
- ‘Breathing Underwater. The Inner Life of T’ai Chi Ch’uan’ by Margaret Emerson
- ‘Awakening the Spine’ by Vanda Scaravelli
- ‘A Philosophy of Walking’ by Frederic Gros
- ‘Borderline Personality Disorder for Dummies” by Charles H Elliott & Laura L Smith
(*Date of list 23 January 2019 and currently being updated)