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Books for the Nights When It Feels Too Quiet
20
items Not every lonely night needs fixing. Sometimes you just need a story or a voice that gets it. These 20 books keep you company, make you feel less alone, and gently remind you that connection is closer than it seems.
A woman gets to try out all the lives she could have lived. It's a warm, hopeful read for anyone who's ever wondered "what if?" and needs a reason to stay curious about this life.
The Midnight Library: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel (The Midnight World)
Eleanor lives a strict, solitary routine until one small act of kindness cracks it open. Funny, sad, and so tender. You'll be rooting for her the whole way.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
A grumpy widower who wants to be left alone keeps getting pulled into his neighbors' lives. It'll make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A nonfiction look at loneliness through the lives of artists in New York. It doesn't try to cure you, it just makes loneliness feel human and shared.
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing
Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness.
In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for the loneliness epidemic as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcoho...
Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.
But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.
In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for the loneliness epidemic as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcoho...
Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.
But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World – An NYT Bestselling Public Health Guide to Overcoming the Loneliness Epidemic by Vivek H Murthy M.D.
Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next.
Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.
Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Qu...
And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Henne...
Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.
Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Qu...
And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Henne...
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel by Rachel Joyce
A girl grows up alone in the marsh and learns to survive on her own. Beautiful nature writing with a story that pulls at your heart.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A lonely caseworker visits a magical orphanage and finds a family he never expected. Cozy, funny, and honestly a big warm hug in book form.
The House in the Cerulean Sea: Special Edition (Cerulean Chronicles, 1) by TJ Klune
Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls lined with thousands upon thousands of statues. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; and waves thunder up staircases, while rooms are ...
There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begi...
“Spellbinding, strange, and unforgettably original” (Esquire), Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty.
There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begi...
“Spellbinding, strange, and unforgettably original” (Esquire), Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Taken hostage by a failed bank robber while attending an open house, eight anxiety-prone strangers--including a redemption-seeking bank director, two couples who would fix their marriages, and a plucky octogenarian--discover their unexpected common t...
Anxious People (Thorndike Press Large Print Core) by Fredrik Backman
“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way throug...
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way throug...
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
A woman finds comfort in her convenience store job while everyone around her expects her to change. Short, quirky, and great if you've ever felt like you don't fit in.
Convenience Store Woman: A Novel by Sayaka Murata
When red-headed orphan Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables, she feels sure she’s found the home she has always longed for. Her new adoptive parents, the Cuthberts, are less certain – they had asked the orphanage for a boy.
But before long, Anne’s irrepressible optimism and loving nature charms them. While her temper is unpredictable and her extravagant imagination makes her dreamily whimsical and prone to comic mishap, they come to love Anne as if she were their own ch...
But before long, Anne’s irrepressible optimism and loving nature charms them. While her temper is unpredictable and her extravagant imagination makes her dreamily whimsical and prone to comic mishap, they come to love Anne as if she were their own ch...
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
A shepherd boy follows his dream across the desert. Short and simple, and a nice reminder that a journey alone isn't the same as being lonely.
The Alchemist: A Modern Classic Fable of Spiritual Healing, Self-Discovery, and the Power of Dreams by Paulo Coelho
Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other.
She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, a...
But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.”
Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness.
Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the br...
She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, a...
But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.”
Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness.
Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the br...
Braving the Wilderness: Reese's Book Club: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
What are the advantages of being an introvert? They make up at least one-third of the people we know. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working ...
It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society. In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so.
She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture.
She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions.
Passionately argued, impeccably researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how you see yourself.
It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society. In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so.
She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture.
She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions.
Passionately argued, impeccably researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how you see yourself.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
IN THIS AGE OF CONSTANT CONNECTIVITY, LEARN HOW TO ENJOY SOLITUDE AND FIND HAPPINESS WITHOUT OTHERS.
Our fast-paced society does not approve of solitude; being alone is antisocial and some even find it sinister.
Why is this so when autonomy, personal freedom, and individualism are more highly prized than ever before? In How to Be Alone, Sara Maitland answers this question by exploring changing attitudes throughout history.
Offering experiments and strategies for overturning our fear of solitude, she helps us practice it without anxiety and encourages us to see the benefits of spending time by ourselves.
By indulging in the experience of being alone, we can be inspired to find our own rewards and ultimately lead more enriched, fuller lives.
Our fast-paced society does not approve of solitude; being alone is antisocial and some even find it sinister.
Why is this so when autonomy, personal freedom, and individualism are more highly prized than ever before? In How to Be Alone, Sara Maitland answers this question by exploring changing attitudes throughout history.
Offering experiments and strategies for overturning our fear of solitude, she helps us practice it without anxiety and encourages us to see the benefits of spending time by ourselves.
By indulging in the experience of being alone, we can be inspired to find our own rewards and ultimately lead more enriched, fuller lives.
How to Be Alone (The School of Life) by Sara Maitland
What really causes depression and anxiety--and how can we really solve them? Award-winning journalist Johann Hari suffered from depression since he was a child and started taking antidepressants when he was a teenager.
He was told that his problems were caused by a chemical imbalance in his brain. As an adult, trained in the social sciences, he began to investigate whether this was true-and he learned that almost everything we have been told about depression and an...
Across the world, Hari found social scientists who were uncovering evidence that depression and anxiety are not caused by a chemical imbalance in our brains. In fact, they are largely caused by key problems with the way we live today.
Hari's journey took him from a mind-blowing series of experiments in Baltimore, to an Amish community in Indiana, to an uprising in Berlin. Once he had uncovered nine real causes of depression and anxiety, they led him to scientists who are discoveri...
It is an epic journey that will change how we think about one of the biggest crises in our culture today. His TED talk, “Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong,” has been viewed more than eight million times and revolutionized the glo...
He was told that his problems were caused by a chemical imbalance in his brain. As an adult, trained in the social sciences, he began to investigate whether this was true-and he learned that almost everything we have been told about depression and an...
Across the world, Hari found social scientists who were uncovering evidence that depression and anxiety are not caused by a chemical imbalance in our brains. In fact, they are largely caused by key problems with the way we live today.
Hari's journey took him from a mind-blowing series of experiments in Baltimore, to an Amish community in Indiana, to an uprising in Berlin. Once he had uncovered nine real causes of depression and anxiety, they led him to scientists who are discoveri...
It is an epic journey that will change how we think about one of the biggest crises in our culture today. His TED talk, “Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong,” has been viewed more than eight million times and revolutionized the glo...
Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari
A pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert. There, far away from civilization, he meets The Little Prince, a strange young boy who left his solitary life on a distant asteroid and traveled to the disenchanted adult world.
What unfolds is an unforgettable adventure through the night sky, and a timeless meditation on the power of seeing the world with wonder and clarity.
What unfolds is an unforgettable adventure through the night sky, and a timeless meditation on the power of seeing the world with wonder and clarity.
The Little Prince Deluxe Edition: The Timeless Classic with a Touch of Wonder, Experience the Beauty of Seeing with the Heart (Mariner Classics) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
A gentle, honest memoir about getting through dark times. Not heavy in tone, just real, and it might be the book someone needs right now.
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig