Mood-boosting books

If you are feeling stressed, depressed or just want a bit of a pick-me-up, boost your mood with an uplifting read. Reading has been shown to help to reduce stress levels and the UK Reading Agency has asked readers to recommend books which gave them a lift. The result is a list of uplifting titles comprising novels, non-fiction and poetry including humorous and reflective writing.

The Mood-boosting books list and a copy of each of the recommended books is available in each branch of Clare County Library. The titles on the list are:

Bee Journal by Sean Borodale
Dart by Alice Oswald
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Staying Alive: real poems for unreal times edited by Neil Astley
Being Alive: the sequel to Staying alive edited by Neil Astley
Being Human: the companion anthology to Staying alive and Being alive edited by Neil Astley
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
A Sea Change by Veronica Henry
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
The Thread by Victoria Hislop
Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd
Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
Turned out Nice Again by Richard Mabey
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Various Pets Alive and Dead by Marina Lewycka

Further lists of mood-boosting books are available on http://readingagency.org.uk/adults/quick-guides/reading-well/