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LITERATURE LIBRARY
All things books!
A place to share texts, books, poems, authors and more. Hopefully here, you can find recommendations of books others have read, reviewed, enjoyed and shared in the hope that these same pieces of writing will bring you comfort, peace or enjoyment.
REASONS TO STAY ALIVE
Matt Haig
Matt Haig’s book really does what it says on the tin. It gives you reasons to stay alive. He details his experience of anxiety and depression, and whilst he may not have struggled with either as a result of grief, that’s pretty irrelevant.
This book is exactly what you need when you might be feeling alone with your thoughts and feelings, like nobody will ever understand. I’ve been there many times with my own experiences of depression. This book might tell you what you can expect from depression and/or anxiety or it might simply help clarify and normalise feelings you’ve already experienced, all depending on where you are in your journey. An overall easy ready, that in my opinion was grounding, calming and reassuring.
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Charl
WHEN THINGS FALL APART
Pema Chödrön
‘’The usual advice for coping with pain and suffering is to sweeten it up, smooth it over, take a pill. But distraction only makes you miss opportunities for happiness – when the courage to live in the present can bring clarity, and even spiritual change…’’
I purchased this book after seeing an Instagram influencer who had recently lost her mum share the book, and suggested it had helped her. It was a little bit of an impulse buy, as I was having a rubbish time myself. Although the book wasn’t what I expected – in hindsight, I was hopeful the book would ‘make me better’ – it does make for a very interesting read. The book focuses a lot on the teachings of Buddhism and the practices we should employ to be comfortable with pain and suffering, with groundlessness and hopelessness.
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Charl
GRIEF IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS
Max Porter
Synopsis:
In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This self-described sentimental bird is attracted to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and physical pain of loss gives way to memories, this little unit of three begin to heal.
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A bit of a quirky and unusual piece on the journey of grief. It is full of dark humour, sarcasm, and blunt truths. This is not a piece that I would recommend somebody in the height of their grief, but is perhaps more suitable to those who have been experiencing grief for a while. Would love to hear other people's thoughts on this piece!
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Kya
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GOOD VIBES GOOD LIFE
Vex King
Synopsis:
‘How can you truly learn to love yourself? How can you transform negative emotions into positive ones? Is it possible to find lasting happiness?
In this book, Instagram guru Vex King answers all of these questions and more. Vex overcame adversity to become a source of hope for thousands of young people, and now draws from his personal experience and intuitive wisdom to inspire you.’
I’m only half way through this book, and pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying it. I’ve thought for a long time that our attitude towards things can dictate a lot, how we perceive the world, our current situations, the people around us, and much more. This book has a nice way of telling us what we need to do in order to free ourselves from negative emotions and see the good in things. I haven’t even finished it yet, and I already can’t wait to read it again!
I’ll update you all when I’ve finished it!
Charl