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Reading to Ease Your Mind & Spirit

Adult - What We're Reading | Published May 1, 2025

  • Give your mind and spirits a lift in May, Mental Health Awareness month: Pick up a work of feel-good fiction, memoir, or self-care. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available: Call or text 988 for free, confidential support.

Gentle & Feel-Good Fiction

  • Front cover of The Reading List, an illustrations of colorful books falling against a yellow background

    The Reading List / Sara Nisha Adams
    A shared list of beloved library books forges an unlikely friendship between a lonely widower and a teen library clerk in this heartfelt tale about connection and grief.

  • Front cover of Meet Me at the Lake: an illustration of two people atop a lighthouse, looking out at the sunset

    Meet Me at the Lake / Carley Fortune
    A tender second-chance romance unfolds between two people bound by one unforgettable day, revisited years later as they confront the past and dream of more.

  • Front cover of Elinor Oliphant, an illustration of a woman standing, showing her neck to her legs. She's wearing an orange shirt and brown skirt; her arms are crossed in front of her. She has brown hair, barely visible, to her shoulders.

    Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine / Gail Honeyman
    A quirky, socially awkward woman’s tightly structured life begins to unravel in unexpectedly healing ways after a random act of kindness.

  • Front cover of The House in the Cerulean Sea: a colorful illustration of a brick manor house perched on the edge of a cliff

    The House in the Cerulean Sea / TJ Klune
    A warm-hearted fantasy about a caseworker who discovers a magical orphanage that changes his life. Filled with kindness, whimsy, and found family.

  • Front cover of The Authenticity Project: an illustration of a woman with short black hair and wearing dark reading classes holding up a book to read

    The Authenticity Project / Clare Pooley
    A found notebook filled with one man’s truths sets off a ripple effect among strangers who open up, connect, and transform their lives through honesty and vulnerability.

  • Front cover of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill showing an illustration of a red-haired woman in blue eyeglasses, holding a book and reading it, one eyebrow arched

    The Bookish Life of Nina Hill / Abbi Waxman
    A trivia-loving introvert’s quiet life is upended when she discovers she has a sprawling new family, forcing her out of her comfort zone and into community.

Memoirs & Essays on Healing

  • Front cover of Everything Happens for a Reason

    Everything Happens for a Reason / Kate Bowler
    A theologian facing terminal cancer examines the myths we tell ourselves about suffering and invites readers into her quest for meaning and grace.

  • Front cover of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone showing a yellow tissue box against a blue background

    Maybe You Should Talk to Someone / Lori Gottlieb
    A therapist shares stories from her practice and her own life as she seeks therapy herself, revealing the humanity and humor in healing.

  • Front cover of I'm Glad My Mom Died showing a picture of the author, holding a pink urn and smiling

    I’m Glad My Mom Died / Jennette McCurdy
    A darkly funny and moving memoir about child stardom, abuse, and reclaiming identity after a complex and painful mother-daughter relationship.

  • Front cover of Tiny Beautiful Things showing a single cube of sugar

    Tiny Beautiful Things / Cheryl Strayed
    A collection of raw, compassionate, and profound advice columns that delve into life’s messiest questions with honesty and heart.

Self-Care & Wellness

  • Front cover of Wintering showing the outline of an oak leaf on an orange background

    Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times / Katherine May
    An elegant meditation on the necessity of rest and retreat during life’s inevitable fallow periods, inspired by the rhythms of nature.

  • Front cover of Radical Compassion

    Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN / Tara Brach
    Blending mindfulness and psychology, Brach introduces a powerful practice called RAIN to cultivate self-love and emotional healing.

  • Front cover of The Little Book of Hygge: Nordic-styled illustrations of two lighted candlesticks and a kettle on the flame

    The Little Book of Hygge / Meik Wiking
    A cozy and charming guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, warmth, and connection, full of simple pleasures and rituals.

  • Front cover of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down showing a field of daisies

    The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down / Haemin Sunim
    A Zen monk offers calming wisdom on mindfulness, love, and spiritual balance, paired with soothing illustrations.

  • Front cover of How to Do Nothing: a photo showing a mass of flowers, red, pinks, and off white

    How to Do Nothing / Jenny Odell
    A thought-provoking critique of productivity culture that advocates for attention, stillness, and reclaiming our time and selves.

  • Front cover of Simple Pleasures: a photo of a white teacup, a throw blanket, and flowers

    Simple Pleasures / Susannah Seton
    A charming little book filled with short suggestions for joyful, grounding daily rituals—like taking a bath, making tea, or watching the rain.
    hoopla ebook only

  • Front cover of Self-Compassion including a photo of a single yellow flower blooming in the sand

    Self-Compassion / Kristin Neff
    A foundational work on treating ourselves with the same kindness we offer others, full of both research and practical tips.
    hoopla ebook and audio only

     

     

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