For me, reading is meditation—a flow-inducing escape from whatever woes the workday brings me, and a welcome reprieve from any worries that might be flitting around my mind.
More than 90 percent of the time, I find that escape in the form of a many-volume epic sci-fi or fantasy story. Once in a while, though, I need something more subtle and nuanced—a book or a story that speaks to my need for calm and comfort and allows—even encourages—my mind to take a break from my anxieties and find a new perspective.
It takes a special kind of book by a special kind of author to ease my mind in exactly the right way, and today I’m happy to share five of my favorites with you. These books and stories are all at the top of my list whenever I need to take a break, reflect, and focus on what’s important in life…
The Monk & Robot Series by Becky Chambers
The more I read Becky Chambers, the more I’m convinced that no working SFF author is better at capturing the human experience on the page—extra props for doing it through a sentient robot on a distant planet’s small moon.
Monk & Robot contains two novellas: A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. Both follow a monk, Sibling Dex, as they venture to villages serving tea and hearing people’s stories. Eventually, Dex’s journey brings them to the Wilds, where they meet Mosscap. The plucky robot joins Dex, and together they learn and grow while trying to gain a better understanding of themselves and humanity.
Chambers crafts a low-stakes adventure and slots her themes neatly into the novel’s characters. Monk & Robot eschews deadly space battles and rigid galactic politics. Instead, the series offers a personal and intimate take on what it means to be yourself and grow as a person. I pick up these therapeutic wonders of science fiction whenever I need to feel okay, even when it seems like problems are piling up around me.
“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin
Various Tor.com contributors have written at length about “Omelas” over the years. Consider this my plea to anyone who hasn’t heard of this short story: read it!
The story takes maybe 30 minutes to read, and it’s worth returning for multiple rereads and reconsiderations. I’m not going to spoil anything here; the story’s too quick and focused for me to spill any details ahead of time. I suggest you go in with no prior knowledge (or, if you’ve encountered the tale in the past, try revisiting it with fresh eyes).
I read “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” whenever I feel the weight of the world’s problems pressing down on me. How far will we go in allowing others to suffer? What would it take for us to abandon comfort and convenience in the pursuit of justice and equality? Le Guin’s slippery narrative forces the reader to face these questions and many others, and sparks reflection unlike any story I’ve read before. Be warned, however: “Omelas” is as heartbreaking as it is thought-provoking. Have a box of tissues handy.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
With little nuggets of wisdom and inspiration delivered alongside with fluid, deeply touching illustrations, Charlie Mackesy’s book garnered instant acclaim, and has been adapted into an Oscar-winning animated short film.
The book doesn’t nestle into a single genre. Still, fantasy fans will connect with its whimsy and its pithy, resonant quotes. It feels like it could fit comfortably in Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood, a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, and a quiet corner of Narnia all at once.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” reads one page, above a drawing of the boy and the mole perched on a tree branch; the response comes beneath it: “‘Kind,’ said the boy.”
Little moments like this one grace every page of the book, which you could read in an hour or less. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is the perfect antidote to a grim or gloomy day. It serves as a warm, wise reminder to have the courage to be kind to yourself and others.
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
My previous picks can make you smile, cry, think deeply and reflect. This last one’s meant to make you laugh. Hyperbole and a Half features gut-busting stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood and adult life, as well as chronicling her struggles with depression and anxiety. As someone who deals with those issues myself, I found a unique sort of solace in Brosh’s work. Some of her tales are positively ridiculous—one involving an entire birthday cake sticks strongly in my memory—and others are honest, visceral takes on the effects of mental illness.
Even with a heavy subject matter, Brosh handles her stories with a deft hand, walking the line between comedy and serious anxiety without flaw. Her illustrations break the tension and fill in the visual moments of her anecdotes. Every page brims with laugh-out-loud
Allie Brosh’s work fits into the humor and autobiography categories more so than fantasy or sci-fi, but Hyperbole and a Half and the sequel—Solutions and Other Problems—are ideal picks for anyone who wants to feel seen and understood while also enjoying frequent bouts of chuckling.
Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun
Jonny (aka Jomny) Sun has written for BoJack Horseman and the current Peacock series Mrs. Davis. He’s also known for his delightful Twitter presence, where he shares funny and uplifting bits of goodness. His book Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too, is as charmingly (and deliberately) misspelled as its title.
Everyone’s a Aliebn follows an adorable extraterrestrial exploring Earth long past the days of humanity. This is about as SFF as the book gets. The alien’s sojourn across our planet is filled with wonderful encounters between the main character and the beings that still inhabit Earth. On one page, the alien rests under a tree. The quote across from the drawing reads:
“I’ve been wondering why the lonely ones make the most beautiful music and I think it’s because they’re the ones most invested in filling the silence.”
Almost every page is poster-worthy, offering an affirmation, a reminder that it’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to enjoy the good times. It’s okay to feel a multitude of things at once. Even if you feel like you’re an “aliebn,” chances are you aren’t the only one.
I also recommend Jonny Sun’s Goodbye Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations.
I hope these picks help to ease your mind whenever you need a break, a laugh, or a good cry. If you have any favorite mental health-related or mindful reads, please recommend them in the comments!
I absolutely adore the Monk & Robot stories by Becky Chambers. I have reread them several times, when the real world seems a bit too much. I have not read any of the other suggestions here, and will have to add them to my reading list. Thank you!
I will definitely make use of these tips!
I have to say, and with no disrespect, but “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is not something I would expect in a list of books “to help me feel better about the world”. It is, unfortunately, so damn true that reading it reminds me of how pissed off I am at the infrastructure I am forced to live with, in order to even minimally function….
To throw out two more examples, I would add The Goblin Emperor, which surprised me with how well it maintained my hopefulness throughout, and for having a protagonist who was just good. And I always find Small Gods by Pratchett to be a balm in difficult times.
I like “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” but the older I get, the less satisfactory I find it. I vastly prefer N. K. Jemisin’s “The Ones Who Stay and Fight”: it challenges me to do something in a way that “Omelas” doesn’t.
@@.-@: I agree about Small Gods and I’d add Hogfather as well. The conversation about the necessity of fantasy (HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.) is just… ugh. I don’t know how to express what it means to me.
Victoria Goddard is really excellent for this, especially The Hands of the Emperor which would benefit from some editorial attention but is still a really excellent book, and I wept in joy on multiple occasions reading it.
Olivia Atwater’s Regency Fairy Tales are made of equal parts heartwarming, social commentary, and faerie magic. I have reread them numerous times.
@@.-@ The Goblin Emperor is the sweetest story that I have encountered about healing from abuse and choosing to do good instead of the bad you’ve been shown all your life. This does make it difficult to explain to new people why it’s so great. “Yes, the protagonist was neglected and abused most of his childhood and deals with the trauma and loneliness of it, but I swear, it’s not a downer!” It balances that precarious knife edge of showing enough pain that the healing arc is so satisfying but not leaning so deep into it that it feels like exploitation and shock value.
Maia’s character in a line: (when explaining why he won’t punish people who hurt him terribly the way he really wants to) “We consider it cruel, and we do not think that cruelty is ever just.”
When I’m sad or depressed I always re-read/listen to an audiobook of Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle. It is my comfort classic and often feels like when you put a spoon of honey into a warm cup of tea and then you lick the warm liquid residue honey off it. Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to feel better.
Antoine Saint Exupery’s classic The Little Prince would fit right in with The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse and Everyone’s an Aliebn based on your descriptions. I also really like his book Wind, Sand, and Stars–I find his descriptions of the beauty nature meditative. And I second almost all of the other recommendations. ( I haven’t yet read anything by Olivia Atwater or The One Who Stay and Fight, so I can’t comment on those.)
When I feel bad, I read Victoria Goddard’s The Hands of the Emperor. It’s just so sweet and beautiful; it feels as if nothing bad can happen in a world where Kip and the Emperor are in charge.
I didnt see anyone mention this series. You should look at Mindtouch by M.C.A. Hogarth. A quiet book about an Eldritch from a closed esper world learning to be a xenopsychiatrist and his relationship with people on the campus. It’s hard to describe The book but like Becky Chambers is without battles and about quiet growth as a person.
Feeling so appreciative of this article. Please write more like this. And please more recommendations from readers for books that soothe and comfort, that support introspection and reflection, that are about good people whether that be through authenticity, compassion, or ethics, or that are about hope and building communities through supporting each other. More please!
I too find Becky Chamber’s Monk and Robot books to be a unique balm for existentially heart broken soul. Another title that I enjoy for the cozy family that is developed is Legends and Lattes.
The T. Kingfisher Paladin books are also good reading–yes, people are in trouble, and there’s the whole severed head problem, but people are generally decent to each other and the Temple of the Rat will come fix things.
I don’t actually do this, but if I felt I wanted to read a comforting book, my first thought is Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 classic The Secret Garden. Second thought is Nevil Shute’s 1950 book The Legacy (aka A Town Like Alice).
My go-to feel better reads are two childhood classics: The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. Both can be read in a day or two and don’t interrupt my reading goals too much which is also nice.
I have recommend Charlie Jane Anders ‘All the Birds in the Sky’ to a number of people to read about how nature and technology could, one day, be integrated and compliment one another. An encouraging thought in todays climate change disaster.
The other, also more recent book, that I have given to almost every child and adult I know is by Kelly Barnhill ‘The Girl Who Drank the Moon’. There’s something about children’s books that helps my anxiety relax and this one is a story I always come back to. And makes me want my own pet dragon of course!
Lastly, back to the classics, and everyone’s favourite, is Lord of the Rings. No matter how bad it gets, no matter what happens our little hobbits and other characters keep moving forward because there is no other choice but to fight back against the evil of Sauron. The same goes for these movies as well. They provide a familiarity I can’t get in many other sources (except a few tv shows I’ve seen countless times).
They say predictability and familiarity are immediate remedies for many with severe anxiety. Like the security blanket or stuffy a child carries around. Ultimately at the end of the day I never go far from my home without a book. Back in the day I was made fun of for it. Today I can carry almost endless books on my smartphone or e-reader which always make me feel a little better about whatever comes up; and when you get delayed, car breaks down, or whatnot you always have some reading to keep you company while you wait
Pretty much anything by Sherri Tepper works for me – they show the horrors of how evil mankind can be, and the resolution is always just.
My mental health read will always be Pilgrimage by Zenna Henderson. No matter how depressed I am when I start, I always feel better after re-reading. Available on Kindle nowadays as part of Ingathering by Zenna Henderson, from NESFA Press.
@13 T. Kingfisher’s romances are amazing comfort reads for me. They’re the perfect blend of humour, occasional severed heads, and subtle, yet deep and incredibly well written, interpersonal relationships. “Swordheart” is just as spectacular as the Paladin books, too.
@15 +1 for “The Girl Who Drank the Moon”. I was absolutely blown away by it the first time I read it. Such a beautiful story.
All the Narnia books…………. but even more, Till We Have Faces.
As a senior citizen who relies on Social Security Retirement Income and reads several books each month, I depend upon the free offerings on Google Books and other websites. I would appreciate it if, when you review or tout an older book from several decades ago, you post a special link in the article to a free or 99cent copy as an ebook.
Thank you.
@@@@@#20 Robert Domitz: Aside from the issue of asking for likely non-existent deals, books that are 20+ years old are also much less likely to be available as ebooks. But your local library is always free, and if you have trouble getting there in person, a call or email to the librarians of your local branch should get you set up with what you need to check out ebooks from home. Any books they don’t already have can be requested for purchase, and while you may have to wait a while, you’ll generally eventually see that request filled.