I'm going to try something different this year.
I'm going to start 2020 off by reading only mood-boosting books this winter.
What are mood-boosting books? Great Britain has had a program for many years of sharing books that will improve your mood. The program is called Reading Well. You can look online at the official lists of books here. I'm also compiling a list of books on Goodreads called The Best Mood-Boosting Books. I hope you will share your favorites with me either in the comments or to the Goodreads list.
Here are some I would like to try to read this winter:
A Winter Book by Tove Jansson
A Breath of French Air by H. E. Bates
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon
A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir by Diana Athill
Suddenly 60 and Other Shocks of Later Life by Judith Viorst
Bird Cloud: A Memoir by Annie Proulx
The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain
Penguin's Poems for Life
Finding Cherokee Brown by Siobhan Curham
Long Lunch: My Stories and I'm Sticking to Them by Simon Hoggart
All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
The Stories of Jane Gardam by Jane Gardam
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
The Rest of Us Just Live There by Patrick Ness
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
Have any of these boosted your mood?
Any I should try that are not on this list?
Mon. | Dec 16 – #AMonthofFaves Winter Reading – Your fave reads from last Winter, or seasonal reads you love, or books on this year’s winter reading list. Join this year’s hosts Girlxoxo and Traveling with T for our annual #AMonthofFaves blog event – a fun way to recap the year that was (Estella’s Revenge is taking a hiatus for this year). We have a schedule of topics planned out, so feel free to join in anytime for some or all of the topics. There will also be a link-up on our blogs so that we can all stop by each other’s posts to leave comments, high fives, good vibes and well wishes.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
You've got some lovely books there. A Tale for the Time Being, All Passion Spent, The Pursuit of Love and Bird Cloud are all wonderful. I'd add something by Eric Newby, who always lifts my spirits.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear that you have read all of these. I'll add Eric Newby to my list. Maybe A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.
DeleteI love the idea of mood boosting books! I started my year last year reading Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk. It takes place in NYC on New Years Eve, and it was the perfect way to kick off my new year!
ReplyDeleteI love that one. It's a perfect choice.
DeleteI'm currently reading Three Things About Elsie and am enjoying it, so far. Here are a few of my favorites from 2019:
ReplyDeleteDevotion by Dani Shapiro
Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg
Kitchen Yarns by Ann Hood
and Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan (read in 2018).
Reviews for these gems are on my blog and Goodreads.
Thank you for the recommendations, Les. I keep meaning to read the Ann Hood and Kelly Corrigan books. I will add them to my TBR.
DeleteI haven't read any of those books but think they all look lovely!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of mood boosting books. I am definitely going to check that list out. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletei love this idea and thanks so much for sharing so many wonderful looking books
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Mood busting books? Yes, please! Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good idea. Thanks for the list as well.
ReplyDeleteStarting the year with positive reading sounds like a great idea! I have got to do something different in 2020.
ReplyDeleteI felt like I needed to shake things up.
DeleteGreat list! Wives and Daughters is a classic I'd really like to read. I hope you enjoy all of these!
ReplyDeleteI liked North and South a lot, so I hope to read and love Wives and Daughters this winter.
DeleteA Tale for the Time Being is one of my all-time favorite books. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear this.
DeleteI love the idea of mood boosting books! I've always been curious about The Rest of Us Just Live Here.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Can't wait to try it.
DeleteI've been making my way through the All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot to bust my mood which hasn't been good since...well...2016. But I'm getting bogged down, I won't lie. I'll have to bookmark this list for later...or sooner here in the winter.
ReplyDeleteI read it long ago, when my mood was pretty good anyway. Let me know if you think of anything else that might be good to read.
DeleteTales for the Time Being wasn't for me, though I finished it. The President's Hat has been on my TBR forever. I'll pull it out and prioritize it. Wives and Daughters was good and I've liked what all I've read from Vita sackville-West so far. I'm a huge Mitford fan so I'd say start there, lol Good choices. I'm off to see this list you've linked to.
ReplyDeleteI need to add Mitford to my Goodreads list, I think.
DeleteI love mood boosting books! Mine are usually romantic comedies. I hope all of these put you in a great mood!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT.
I haven't read any of these yet, but they all sound amazing! Happy Reading! :)
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten Tuesday!
Laurain's books, yes, definitely! I want one day to finally read Ozeki and Proulx! My list is here: https://wordsandpeace.com/2019/12/17/top-ten-books-on-my-winter-tbr-2/
ReplyDeleteSuch a grand initiative and unique too- not really self help, but happy fiction! I know that I have some sad history coming up on my 'list' and one that I guess you could call self help, yet addresses the phenomenon of the rising stats of Depression world wide, called Lost Connections by Johann Harai.
ReplyDeleteI've heard his Ted Talk and countless podcast and regular interviews and get more and more intrigued as well as excited. After 2019, I need some hope, uplifting, motivation, just plain any better reason than I've had to keep putting one foot forward.
May our selections uplift us all,
Sláinte-G
I love the idea of starting your year out purposely with books that will lift you up!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction