Five books for when life is tough
This week I'm sharing five books for when life is tough because let’s face it life is really tough sometimes. These books have all helped me in some way over the last two years. Sometimes to better understand what others are going through so I can support them, but most of the time to help me get through what has been a tricky couple of years to put it mildly. Some of these books I have mentioned before but I thought bringing them together would be really helpful.
My first recommendation is on a very specific topic – How to heal a broken heart: From rock bottom to reinvention (via ugly crying on the bathroom floor) by Rosie Green. I chose to listen to this on audible and the pain described was quite raw at times. So, why did I listen to this when among the many things I’ve dealt with over the last year a broken heart has not been one of them? Well, first I have to admit that I was a huge fan of Rosie Green’s very funny column she wrote about her family life for Red Magazine and a little bit of me was interested to find out more having read about her marriage for years. But mostly I was interested in the concept of reinvention after hitting rock bottom.
Many of us hit rock bottom in our lives without a marriage having to end but that said I have also watched as close friends and family have been through this and similar in the last two years and I wanted to be able to have more understanding of all the things they are going through in trying to unravel finances, co-parent and find a way forward. The publicity for the book reads,
“It wasn't a conscious uncoupling. I had my heart ripped out and stamped on.
This is the frank, uplifting and insightful book Rosie wished she could have found when her whole world fell apart. Here's your guide to getting through it - with advice from the experts, with the help of your friends, with a deliciously dark sense of humour … Let her brilliantly honest handbook show how you can heal faster, understand yourself better and move on.”
It's an uplifting and insightful book. She not only draws on her own experience and how she got through it but shares stories from the many letters and emails she received from other women who had similar experiences. It certainly helped me to have a better insight into what my friend is currently going through. If you are in this horrible situation or helping someone else navigate their way through Rosie Green’s book may be the book for you.
My second recommendation is a truly universal one that has helped so many people over the last two years, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. This is a beautiful gem of a book written and illustrated by Charlie Mackesy. It has inspired, comforted and brought hope to people of all ages across the globe. I found the book very reassuring. A reminder in the storms of this world that we all matter, and that kindness, friendship and love can be freely given and received. It’s had nearly 90,000 ratings on Amazon, 92% of which are five star which says a lot. That said, the people who don’t like it really don’t like it.
It’s a beautiful book that can be read in about half an hour – or as one reviewer put it, over a cup of coffee. If you’re looking for dense text that provides actions you can take to move your life forward this is not the book for you. But, if you are looking for beautiful inspiration and a reminder that even when life feels bleak and you feel lost love can bring you home then this is for you.
My third recommendation is on a specific topic again and one very close to my heart at the moment, The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer. How to feel empowered and take control by Professor Trisha Greenhalgh and Dr Liz O’Riordan. This is the book I wish I’d had from the day I was diagnosed. Unfortunately, I didn’t come across it until six months in. I make no apologies for including it as 55,000 women in Britain alone are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and around 370 men and this information is so desperately needed to help understand what is happening, what treatments involve, how to cope and the questions to ask.
Professor Greenhalgh is a qualified GP who has also had breast cancer and Dr O’Riordan is a breast surgeon who has had breast cancer. They are uniquely placed to provide the information and support needed with a thorough and real understanding of both the science and medicine and what it is like to be the patient. And because they are British they are also writing with the British health system in mind. I cannot recommend this book enough if you or anyone you know of love is going through this at the moment.
Book number four is another universal one, The Comfort Book by Matt Haig. In its publicity the book is described as “a collection of consolations learned in hard times and suggestions for making the bad days better. Drawing on maxims, memoir and the inspirational lives of others, these meditations celebrate the ever-changing wonder of living. This is for when we need the wisdom of a friend or a reminder we can always nurture inner strength and hope, even in our busy world. A book of timeless comfort for modern minds.”
Matt Haig is an author who has written and spoken about his battles with depression quite openly and I did find real comfort in the pages of this book during a difficult time when chemo had got really grim. It was like slipping into a warm bubble bath dipping into those pages. Not only was it comforting reading little essays and thoughts on all the things that bring Matt Haig comfort but it reminded me how I could find joy in the little things even when the weather was lousy, I was stuck inside and I felt truly more dreadful than I ever had in my life.
My fifth and final recommendation is Finding God in the Mess: Meditations for Mindful Living by Jim Deeds and Brendan McManus. Regular readers will know that I'm a Christian and this is a Christian book based in the spirituality of St Ignatius. I found this book of short meditations and questions a life saver during the first lockdown two years ago when I was alone, my main source of income had completely evaporated and my grandfather died. To say things were bad was an understatement. This book helped me enormously reminding me that life is difficult, but not impossible, that we can get through the storms of life.
So these of my recommendations for when life is tough. I do hope you find something here to help you if you or those you love are facing difficulties at the moment.
NB This is not an advert. I am not being paid for promoting any of the above books!
