I finished reading a book recently that’s left me with rather bad depression. It deals with the death of the author’s wife, who prior to her death dealt with impostor syndrome which severely affected her artistic self-worth as a writer and, by extension, her purpose in living. Despite a reclamation of faith and finding courage to experience life as an unknowing string of experience, it hit a bit too close to home for me. I say that as someone currently struggling with purpose following earning an MFA in Poetry, while also dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and major depressive disorder. Usually my depression makes me feel sad, but lately I’ve been feeling not much of anything. My struggle with reading anything that isn’t heavy is I still want to learn something from them, thematically and in terms of craft. Rather than re-read EAST OF EDEN for the tenth time, I wanted to branch out and find a new experience within a book I haven’t read before. Something I can read while I wait for my next therapy appointment that’s still a couple weeks out.
So I’m looking for books with any of the following:
* Uplifting, but not sentimental.
* Something with introspection, preferably in regards to solitude (as I have no friends).
* Well-written with depth.
* Deal with art and how it elevates life.
I strongly prefer fiction, but am open to non-fiction. No self-help books as they haven’t helped me in the past.
Thank you for your help!
by Purr_Francine