Inspired by a conversation in front of a Little Free Library where a neighbor and her dog found me looking at Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, a cozy read, I wanted to put together a list of books for when everything—news, politics, the economy, social media—feels too overwhelming. These are books that comfort, restore hope, offer wisdom, and help us reconnect with what matters. Many of these are recommendations that I have received and am now sharing with you.

Fiction

• All Creatures Great and Small – James Herriot → The gentle, humorous, and heartfelt memoirs of a country vet in Yorkshire (I LOVE the PBS Masterpiece show).
• The House in the Cerulean Sea – TJ Klune → A heartwarming found-family fantasy about acceptance and kindness.
• Weyward – Emilia Hart → A multi-generational tale of resilience, nature, and the power of women.
• Sophie's World – Jostein Gaarder → A whimsical, thought-provoking journey through the history of philosophy.
• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – Charlie Mackesy → Gentle, illustrated wisdom about love, friendship, and hope.
• The Book Thief – Markus Zusak → A moving story of courage and kindness during WWII, narrated by Death.
• The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry → A timeless fable about love, loss, and seeing with the heart.
• The Last Unicorn – Peter S. Beagle → The unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny.
• The Princess Bride – William Goldman → A delightful, swashbuckling tale of adventure, true love, and wit. Filled with unforgettable characters, humor, and heart.
• The NeverEnding Story – Michael Ende → A magical, mind-expanding journey into the world of Fantasia, where a boy’s imagination becomes the key to saving a realm of stories.
• A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman → A grumpy old man learns to open his heart to an unlikely found family and community.
• The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern → A lush, magical tale of love, creativity, and possibility.
• The Overstory – Richard Powers → An epic, deeply moving novel about trees and our interconnectedness with nature.
• The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. Le Guin → A groundbreaking sci-fi novel about gender, trust, and human connection.
• Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir → A heartwarming, funny, and hopeful sci-fi novel about survival and friendship.
• Psalm for the Wild-Built – Becky Chambers → "A Psalm for the Wild-Built begins a series that looks optimistic and hopeful, pursuing stories that arise from abundance instead of scarcity…" (NPR)
• Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt → a charming novel about an octopus and human connection.

Nonfiction

• Braiding Sweetgrass – Robin Wall Kimmerer → Indigenous wisdom and scientific insight on reciprocity and care for the earth.
• Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl → A powerful reflection on resilience, suffering, and the search for meaning.
• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times – Pema Chödrön → Universal wisdom on navigating pain and uncertainty. “To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.”
• The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships – Bonnie Badenoch → A deep dive into trauma healing through connection and compassion.
• No Bad Parts – Richard Schwartz → A guide to understanding and healing the different parts of ourselves through Internal Family Systems (IFS).
• Ambiguous Loss – Pauline Boss → How to cope with losses that have no closure, from missing loved ones to lost identities.
• Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole – Susan Cain → A beautiful exploration of why longing and melancholy can be sources of connection and creativity.
• Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness – Rick Hanson → True resilience is much more than enduring terrible conditions.
• The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains – Nicholas Carr → How constant digital distractions are reshaping our ability to think deeply.
• Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again – Johann Hari → Investigates why our attention is breaking down and how to reclaim it.
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World – Cal Newport → Practical ways to cut through digital noise and find focus.
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman → A refreshing take on how to make peace with our limited time.
• Full Catastrophe Living – Jon Kabat-Zinn → A mindfulness-based guide to handling stress and uncertainty.
• Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times – Katherine May → embracing quiet seasons of life.
• The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere – Pico Iyer → embracing slowness in a chaotic world and finding contentment right where we are.
• The Untethered Soul – Michael A. Singer (one of my personal favorites) → Whether this is your first exploration of inner space, or you’ve devoted your life to the inward journey, this book will transform your relationship with yourself and the world around you. You’ll discover what you can do to put an end to the habitual thoughts and emotions that limit your consciousness.
• Essentialism – Greg McKeown → letting go of overwhelm and focusing on what matters.
• Into the Magic Shop – James R. Doty → neuroscience, compassion, and the magic of the mind.