A Therapeutic Library: 100 essential books that teach fulfilment, calm and well-being

'A Therapeutic Library' is a gem. Drawing attention to the number of books in existence (about 130 million) and the number added each year (4 million or so), The School of Life present 100 titles which 'are guaranteed to inspire, console and uplift us'. The chosen works span centuries and include the light-hearted as well as the worthy. Grouped by genres covering fiction, poetry, biography and a wide range of non-fiction, each book is preceded by an illustration and summarised in a single statement before a short essay expanding on what the reader might glean from it. The whole collection is readable, enlightening and thought-provoking. It's a marvellous resource. The final book in the collection was both a surprise and a delight, bringing everything together. Highly recommended. My thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

A Therapeutic Library endeavours to lead readers through literature and contemplation, encouraging self-reflection on how we ought to live. The book emphasizes the importance of not overlooking the vast reservoir of thoughts and ideas from past centuries and authors in favour of exclusively engaging with the latest releases. With its thought-provoking content, this book will likely inspire readers to broaden their reading lists and delve into diverse books and ideas.This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if it were in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

"A Therapeutic Library" is an informative, and easy-to-read reference book containing short yet insightful descriptions of a large number of historical books that have the potential to offer interest and therapeutic value to the reader today. I was intrigued by the variety of the books selected, from Klein and Winnicott to The Highway Code and The Tiger who came to Tea! I think the choices would be great for book club discussion topics. The book would also sit great as a coffee table read. It also added to my 'books to read' list! A must for all book lovers out there who seek self improvement or pleasure through reading.

This book highlights 100 books that we can turn to in various circumstances in our lives. But it goes above and beyond describing the books. The ideas and deeper insights about what we could gain from each book are therapeutic in their own right.The book introduced me to books I’d never encountered before, or had taken at face value, made me want to read them and garner their wisdom for myself. This is a thought provoking book that I will return to time and time again.I was given this book from the author via netgalley only for the pleasure of reading and leaving an honest review should I choose to.

Agree with those who said this would be a good coffee table book. I definitely took some new recommendations away from it and thoroughly enjoyed reading about those I've already read. It's a bit of a different list to just the old faithfuls which was nice to see.

A Therapeutic Library is an extraordinary non-fiction book that is ideal for any book lover. The book features 100 novels that are therapeutic in some way or another.The book begins with an introduction and a history of reading and why back in time different cultures read, such as Christians and Muslims had a goal which was the attainment of holiness. It then moves onto the 100 novels which are split into 12 different sections.-Philosophy-Politics-History-Religion-Psychology-Memoirs-Nature and Science-The Arts and Architecture-Coffee Table Books-Essays-Fiction-PoetryThere are also two intermezzos and an epilogue on the promise of a book.Each double page is a different book beginning with Aristotle’s Poetics. Some of the books, and authors, I’d never heard of before others took me by surprise that they had made the cut, such as The Highway Code.A Therapeutic Library is not a book you can sit and read from cover to cover. It requires your full attention. You can, however, dip in and out of it and choose which novel you want to read about and discover why it is good for your well-being. So whether you have five minutes or fifty minutes to read, A Therapeutic Library is something you can pick up and enjoy.I have certainly gotten to know more books than ever before and I am now seeing them in a different light. This is an astonishingly enjoyable and entertaining book that will hopefully change your life, even if slightly, by the power of reading.*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed