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A Therapeutic Library
Recommended reading from The School of Life, featuring 100 books that offer therapeutic insight and enlightenment. Books, however familiar, are amongst the strangest objects on the little portals that open directly into the ideas, feelings, loves and sorrows of writers from all times and places. There are many reasons to love reading. But boldly, we emphasise we read for emotional guidance and support. The right book can bring consolation or courage; it can locate fresh sources of generosity or confidence; it can help unlock our half-forgotten reserves of creativity or resilience. But time is precious, and opportunity is limited. That’s why The School of Life has put together an ideal library that can speak helpfully to our individual needs and longings. Ranging across history and drawing on world literature, we’ve found our group of book-friends. A few may be acquaintances already, many will be new companions. But all, we hope, offer the same essential they will go with us as true friends through the complex, fascinating (and sometimes painfully hard) places of life with kindness and wisdom.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2023
9 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
The School of Life
173 books3,146 followersThe School of Life is a global organisation helping people lead more fulfilled lives.
We believe that the journey to finding fulfilment begins with self-knowledge. It is only when we have a sense of who we really are that we can make reliable decisions, particularly around love and work.
Sadly, tools and techniques for developing self-knowledge and finding fulfilment are hard to find – they’re not taught in schools, in universities, or in workplaces. Too many of us go through life without ever really understanding what’s going on in the recesses of our minds.
That’s why we created The School of Life; a resource for helping us understand ourselves, for improving our relationships, our careers and our social lives - as well as for helping us find calm and get more out of our leisure hours. We do this through films, workshops, books and gifts - as well as through a warm and supportive community.
We believe that the journey to finding fulfilment begins with self-knowledge. It is only when we have a sense of who we really are that we can make reliable decisions, particularly around love and work.
Sadly, tools and techniques for developing self-knowledge and finding fulfilment are hard to find – they’re not taught in schools, in universities, or in workplaces. Too many of us go through life without ever really understanding what’s going on in the recesses of our minds.
That’s why we created The School of Life; a resource for helping us understand ourselves, for improving our relationships, our careers and our social lives - as well as for helping us find calm and get more out of our leisure hours. We do this through films, workshops, books and gifts - as well as through a warm and supportive community.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 10, 2024
Years ago I had read a similar book that basically talked about bibliotherapy, but from another point of view. Rather than actually believing in this therapy, because as a psychotherapist I would like to think of it as complementary and not main, I admit that I have a soft spot for books that talk about books, especially if I don't know them well, so as to enrich my already endless TBR.
Anni fa avevo letto un libro simile che parlava fondamentalmente di biblioterapia, ma da un altro punto di vista. Piú che credere concretamente in questa terapia, perché come psicoterapeuta mi piacerebbe pensarla come complementare e non principale, ammetto di avere un debole per i libri che parlano di libri, specialmente se non li conosco bene, in modo da arricchire la mia giá infinita TBR.
I received a complimentary DRC from the Publisher in exchange of a honest review.
Anni fa avevo letto un libro simile che parlava fondamentalmente di biblioterapia, ma da un altro punto di vista. Piú che credere concretamente in questa terapia, perché come psicoterapeuta mi piacerebbe pensarla come complementare e non principale, ammetto di avere un debole per i libri che parlano di libri, specialmente se non li conosco bene, in modo da arricchire la mia giá infinita TBR.
I received a complimentary DRC from the Publisher in exchange of a honest review.
April 11, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher The School of Life for an advance copy of this guide to building a library that might help a person deal with the many slings and arrows that come from being a modern human.
Recently there has been a little strife going on in my world, and as I have usually done I reach for books to consulation and to make me forget for a brief time what is happening. Reading is my super-power, probably the only thing I can do well, and it has helped me in many ways over the years. My comfort readings are old comic collections, movie books, and music books, usually the making of albums. I can learn some things, view things differently, even hear things better, and hope this will carry over into my everyday life. I know I am not alone in this. As a bookseller one can read customers and can figure out why they are buying or even browsing a particular section. One picks up on asking if they need help, just saying any questions stop by the front, or just give them space. We all have our books of comfort. The School of Life has decided to create what they consider a library of books to explain the unexplainable, the modern world we have found ourselves inhabiting. A Therapeutic Library: 100 essential books that teach fulfilment, calm and well-being, is exactly what the title and subtitle say.
The book begins with numbers that are amazing to me, and make me realize I have a lot of reading to do. There are about 130 million books in the world, with 4 million being added each year. Deciding what to read is subjective to people, some like classics, some only read nonfiction, some only new fiction. The School of Life set themselves a goal, to find 100 books, that can help people be not just better people, but able to be better in dealing with the world. Some of the books seem obvious, a lot don't, and some appear for reasons that don't seem apparant, until one reads why. Each book is given there own description, and history along with an essay to explain the book being on the list. The Communist Manifesto is on the list, not for its political reasons, but because Mark and Engels were such different people, and could still come together and write a book. Jilly Cooper's Riders is a book that looks like it was sold in a pharmacy in a mass market spinner, but is on the list as a book that distracts the mind, the old argument of high-brow, low-brow literature. Biographies, books of travel, poems, short stories and much more fill out the collection.
A book that could cause fights in some circles, as well as could cause some people to feel better about themselves. Even the reading of the book takes on mind off the world. I went about ten books, before thoughts of the outside crashed back in, but for those ten books I was fully engaged and happy. The writing really sells this book, the way they approach the readings from different views, and makes one think in different ways about things that were once familiar, or even dismissed. If nothing else there are more books to be added to wishlist to be read someday. A self-help book that is much more than that. This might be the first book I have ever read that could be called a self-help library. A really interesting, special kind of book.
Recently there has been a little strife going on in my world, and as I have usually done I reach for books to consulation and to make me forget for a brief time what is happening. Reading is my super-power, probably the only thing I can do well, and it has helped me in many ways over the years. My comfort readings are old comic collections, movie books, and music books, usually the making of albums. I can learn some things, view things differently, even hear things better, and hope this will carry over into my everyday life. I know I am not alone in this. As a bookseller one can read customers and can figure out why they are buying or even browsing a particular section. One picks up on asking if they need help, just saying any questions stop by the front, or just give them space. We all have our books of comfort. The School of Life has decided to create what they consider a library of books to explain the unexplainable, the modern world we have found ourselves inhabiting. A Therapeutic Library: 100 essential books that teach fulfilment, calm and well-being, is exactly what the title and subtitle say.
The book begins with numbers that are amazing to me, and make me realize I have a lot of reading to do. There are about 130 million books in the world, with 4 million being added each year. Deciding what to read is subjective to people, some like classics, some only read nonfiction, some only new fiction. The School of Life set themselves a goal, to find 100 books, that can help people be not just better people, but able to be better in dealing with the world. Some of the books seem obvious, a lot don't, and some appear for reasons that don't seem apparant, until one reads why. Each book is given there own description, and history along with an essay to explain the book being on the list. The Communist Manifesto is on the list, not for its political reasons, but because Mark and Engels were such different people, and could still come together and write a book. Jilly Cooper's Riders is a book that looks like it was sold in a pharmacy in a mass market spinner, but is on the list as a book that distracts the mind, the old argument of high-brow, low-brow literature. Biographies, books of travel, poems, short stories and much more fill out the collection.
A book that could cause fights in some circles, as well as could cause some people to feel better about themselves. Even the reading of the book takes on mind off the world. I went about ten books, before thoughts of the outside crashed back in, but for those ten books I was fully engaged and happy. The writing really sells this book, the way they approach the readings from different views, and makes one think in different ways about things that were once familiar, or even dismissed. If nothing else there are more books to be added to wishlist to be read someday. A self-help book that is much more than that. This might be the first book I have ever read that could be called a self-help library. A really interesting, special kind of book.
June 16, 2024
As a librarian I was fascinated to see what The School of Life would bring to the table with this book. We are introduced to the concept of Therapeutic reading - which to be honest is what composes most of my self-selected reading these days. However I focus on fiction for my comfort reads, this book expanded my boundaries to include non-fiction and meditative works from philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates and Plato. Each of the 100 books selected have a rationale for their inclusion, more I feel to pique your interest and then use the suggestion as a springboard into an area you may previously not explored. The book is split into sections covering classic subjects of Philosophy, Politics, History, Religion and Psychology, we then move to Memoirs, Nature & Science, The Arts & Architecture, Coffee Table Books, Essays, Fiction and Poetry.
An eclectic mix of titles which include Judith Kerr's The Tiger who came to tea, Highway Code 1931, Jilly Cooper's Riders (in Politics), Confucius The Analects, The Bible, The Quran (where else but Religion), How to Win Friends and influence people (still popular), Edouard de Pomiane Cooking in 10 minutes (recommend this one with its definitive scrambled egg recipe) , Charles Darwin - Descent of Man, An Atlas of the World and the ineffable Miffy at the zoo by Dick Bruna.
The expectation is not for you to read all the books listed, to agree with the choices or be constrained by the choices. The key here is to open yourself to serendipitous reading, take a chance, go to your library ( if you don't like a book you can take it back - for free!) and this may lead you to curating your own list of books that are good for your wellbeing.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing access to this ARC - all views are my own.
An eclectic mix of titles which include Judith Kerr's The Tiger who came to tea, Highway Code 1931, Jilly Cooper's Riders (in Politics), Confucius The Analects, The Bible, The Quran (where else but Religion), How to Win Friends and influence people (still popular), Edouard de Pomiane Cooking in 10 minutes (recommend this one with its definitive scrambled egg recipe) , Charles Darwin - Descent of Man, An Atlas of the World and the ineffable Miffy at the zoo by Dick Bruna.
The expectation is not for you to read all the books listed, to agree with the choices or be constrained by the choices. The key here is to open yourself to serendipitous reading, take a chance, go to your library ( if you don't like a book you can take it back - for free!) and this may lead you to curating your own list of books that are good for your wellbeing.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing access to this ARC - all views are my own.
May 4, 2024
'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.
June 3, 2024
I really like what The School of Life has done here. They've provided readers with synopses of 100 books throughout history that are worthy of our time and recognition of the author's contribution to the culture and thinking process of their time; contributions which continue to resonate years (in some cases centuries) later. Most of these books, I'd never heard of and wouldn't have chosen out of the millions of books available to me. However, I appreciate the golden nuggets they contain, and The School of Life's effort to bring them to light.
This was a fascinating read!
My thanks to The School of Life for permitting me to access an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.
This was a fascinating read!
My thanks to The School of Life for permitting me to access an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.
August 25, 2024
Reading about the library is always interesting. I had a lovely time reading from cover to cover.
Despite, many book titles/ topics that I'm not familiar with, I gain much insight from the literature in the past.
Some of my favorites are topics about The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Pillow Book, and An Artist of the Floating World.
The world is very wide and many things to explore. The exploration can start with the library.
Thank you Netgalley and The School of Life for providing digital ARC in change of honest review.
Despite, many book titles/ topics that I'm not familiar with, I gain much insight from the literature in the past.
Some of my favorites are topics about The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Pillow Book, and An Artist of the Floating World.
The world is very wide and many things to explore. The exploration can start with the library.
Thank you Netgalley and The School of Life for providing digital ARC in change of honest review.
July 8, 2024
3.5 - 4 stars
November 26, 2024
Liked: good mix of books, concise summaries. Disliked: wanted more cover/book art.
January 21, 2025
The School of Life always comes along at the right time. For me, the review of Baldwin’s “The Devil Finds Work,” and every entry in the final section on poetry, made the book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews