Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Books have the power to heal. Reading stories that expand your mind and introduce new ideas can be a powerful tool to help you overcome hard times in life. So when a woman struggling opened up to complete strangers for book recommendations to help her through, they delivered.

"Looking for a book that can help me through a really hard time in life right now," she shared. "I’m going though a lot of changes and grief in my life right now. Getting very depressed and it’s hard for me to keep positive. I’m looking for a book that changed your life? Something that helps with perspective and makes you think." These are 46 of the best books that have helped people get through hard times.


1. "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb." – lam516

book against a white backgroundMaybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori GottliebLorigotltieb.com

Author, psychotherapist, and national advice columnist Lori Gottlieb shares a behind the scenes look into her life as a therapist as she navigates helping clients while also navigating her own personal challenges.

2. "When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön." – Altruistic-Pause-890

3. "Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl; The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, How to Cook a Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (VERY inspirational & lifechanging novel); Art of Loving by Erich Fromme; The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other (a Jungian analysis on Relationships) by James Hollis; Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Milman; Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés; Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani; A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; Books by Irvin D. Yalom such as Becoming Myself, Staring at the Sun and Love's Executioner; Anatomy of an Illness: As Received by the Patient by Norman Cousins; On Becoming A Person: A Therapist's View on Psychotherapy, Humanistic Psychology, and the Path to Personal Growth by Carl Rogers; Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Persuasion by Jane Austen (themes of deep regret)." –bewell84 (This entry counts for a whopping 19 titles!)

4. "The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd." – Sweet_Sub73

5. "Illusions by Richard Bach. Was life changing for me." – xanaxnationx

6. "Well I’m not sure that this is what you’re looking for according to your post but Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America helped me a lot when my depression hit the roof years ago. If anything, it made me feel less alone." – mynameisipswitch2

book againt a white background Prozac Nation by Elizabeth WurtzelBookshop.org

Author Elizabeth Wurtzel's memoir highlights her experience with depression, drug use, and psychopharmacological treatment methods. She shares her raw journey towards mental health.

7. "Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton." – mik-the-beachbunny

8. "Wild by Cheryl Strayed." – ciestaconquistador

9. "Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. I find this book very soothing. It’s the story of a life lived simply. Hardships and tragedies are not missing or ignored, but they are lived through. Beauty is noticed. Choices are made and examined." – MaleficentMousse7473

book cover against white backgroundThe Year of Magical Thinking by Joan DidionBookshop.org

10. "If you’re down for something very emotional but extremely touching I recommend The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. It’s her reflections on the year when she lost her husband and how she experienced that grief. It’s amazing and I’ve heard many say it helped them process their own grief! I’m sorry you’re experiencing grief, books are great company in hard times <3." –Independent_Exam8274

This memoir by Joan Didion details the depths of love, loss and grief as she navigated simultaneous family tragedies regarding her daughter and husband. It was also named on the The New York Times’ list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

11. "Currently reading Hector and The Search for Happiness (by François Lelord). Deals with a psychiatrist looking for the meaning of happiness. When I’m depressed sometimes it’s hard to have the motivation to do certain things and this book is nice because it has short chapters and reads quickly. I wish you luck on your journey through life." – NewAd5794

12. "C.S.Lewis, A Grief Observed. About his own grief after losing his wife." – Taffergirl2021

book cover against a white backgroundA Grief Observed by C.S. LewisBookshop.org

Author and literary scholar C.S. Lewis reflects on the life, death, and faith in A Grief Observed, written after the death of his wife Joy Davidman in 1960. Lewis grapples with how to survive devastating loss and his experience with bereavement.

13. "Maude by Donna Foley Mabry. This book saved me. I was at the worst point in my life when this book found me. Maude was a badass woman! What she survived in insane. Life was cruel to her, but that did not stop her from waking up every single day and trying. This book put my life in perspective. Yes. We all have problems. It is how we manage those problems that matter." – Cami_glitter

14. "The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins." – suitable_zone3

15. "Hmm, if you're up for a short novel about unlikely friendship and humanity and finding meaning/purpose in life and overcoming a difficult past I'd recommend Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, it's a really touching and beautiful story and my go to comfort book that never fails to make me feel better about myself and the world and give me hope when I'm feeling low. As for “actual” grief, as in focusing on losing a person close to you, Kitchen (and the novella, Moonlight Shadow that's added at the end of most editions) by Banana Yoshimoto is a book that definitely helped me a lot in accepting my pain and sadness and giving myself time but at the same time finding my way back to a new life. Finally in terms of giving you perspective and making you think, you might find Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha helpful/interesting? It was quite life-changing for me. I'm not sure if any of these are quite up your alley, maybe not if you were looking more for self-help recommendations than fiction, but I'm sending you my love regardless, I hope you feel better soon!" – maedhreos

16. "The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest!!! 'if you really want to change your life, let yourself be consumed with rage. Not towards others, not with the world , but yourself.'"– Ill_Tangerine_7125

17. "The Wintering by Katherine May." – BhamsterPine

18. "The book Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein. I'm not a Buddhist, but years ago this Intro to Buddhism helped lighten my load." – Living_Screen9111

19. "The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. Applied stoicism." – Strokesite

20. "I don’t know if it will help, but my go to book whenever I’m depressed is The Summerhouse by Jude Devereau. It reminds me that no matter how bad I feel, there are people who have faced worse problems than me. If I need to laugh I’ll read post apocalyptic novels which reminds me how much more insane it can be." – Crazy_Past6259

21. "The Testament by John Grisham." – LectureOk5523

22. "A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. This book helped me process my dad’s death. I recommend it to everyone." – mcmesq

bok cover against a white backgroundA Man Called Ove by Fredrik BackmanBookshop.org

This novel by Fredrik Backman follows the life of curmudgeon Ove whose solo life is transformed after he is befriended by two warm and friendly neighbors. It was turned into a film starring Tom Hanks in 2022 titled A Man Called Otto.

23. "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Book by Mark Manson." – Emotional_Ocelot969

24. "Piranesi by Susanna Clarke." – tofudelight13

25. "The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Oprah loved it." – textbandit

More For You

Boss fires woman unfairly, then panics when she obeys his request
Representative photo by Canva

Boss fires woman unfairly, then panics when she obeys his request

Being abruptly fired from a job can be emotionally devastating, often leaving the dismissed employee stunned and hurt. While most people quietly pack their things and depart, one woman chose to fully comply with her boss’s instructions—and her compliance ended up unsettling him greatly.


Keep ReadingShow less
group of kids dancing in black shirts and jeans

Never say never.

Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash

Dance teacher gives encouraging speech to young girl who was told she'd never be a professional dancer

Encouraging kids to pursue their dreams and goals is a powerful catalyst to see them go for it. With the right people in your corner, anything can seem possible. Without them or the encouragement, though, it can be dream crushing. And if kids are explicitly told they will never accomplish those dreams, it can be a nail in the coffin.

For Kim McSwain, owner of KM Agency Dance School, she turned one of her own mistakes from the past into a moment to help one of her students, Zoe, go for her dance dream. McSwain shared an emotional video of her encouraging one of her dancers to pursue her dream of becoming a professional after she was told she would never be one. In the caption, she wrote, "We want all of our kids to grow up and be what they want to be 💕."

Keep ReadingShow less
United States Post Office at night

Sweet story delivery!

Photo by Joe Han on Unsplash

Woman with Down syndrome named Grace, 26, befriends favorite postman named Will

The most unlikely friendships can develop in the most unlikely places. For best friends Will and Grace (yep, just like the namesake NBC sitcom, Will & Grace), that place was their local post office.

Grace, a 26-year-old with Down syndrome, is an artist and entrepreneur who owns a small business called Candidly Kind. She started in March 2018 when she was a senior in high school after she was mistreated and turned down for a job. "Her mission since day one has been to spread light, love, and acceptance, and to give back to help people with disabilities," her mom Carrie explains in an Instagram video. With frequent packages to mail to her customers, Grace began making trips to her local post office, where she met Will, a postman working there who quickly became her favorite.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cybersecurity experts now say complex passwords do more harm than good
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Antoni Shkraba

Cybersecurity experts now say complex passwords do more harm than good

For years, we've been told that long, complicated passwords—filled with random letters, numbers, and special characters—are the key to keeping our accounts secure. But new guidelines from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) suggest that this approach is outdated—and may actually make you less safe.

Instead of hard-to-remember combinations, experts now recommend using simpler, more memorable passwords that don’t require frequent changes, according to QBE European Operations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman texts ‘brutally ugly’ date by mistake—he leaves her with the bill
Representative cover image source: Pexels | Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Woman texts ‘brutally ugly’ date by mistake—he leaves her with the bill

First dates don’t always go as planned, but one woman’s dating misstep turned into an instant regret moment after she accidentally sent an insulting text—not to her friend, but directly to her date.

Reddit user u/Affectionate_Base827 shared his experience of a date gone wrong, explaining how a mistaken text message led him to walk out mid-meal, leaving his date stuck with the bill.

Keep ReadingShow less