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The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You
Publisher's Weekly
"Delightful... elegant prose and discussions that span the history of 2,000 years of literature."
A novel is a story transmitted from the novelist to the reader. It offers distraction, entertainment, and an opportunity to unwind or focus. But it can also be something more powerful—a way to learn about how to live. Read at the right moment in your life, a novel can—quite literally—change it.
The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power. To create this apothecary, the authors have trawled two thousand years of literature for novels that effectively promote happiness, health, and sanity, written by brilliant minds who knew what it meant to be human and wrote their life lessons into their fiction. Structured like a reference book, readers simply look up their ailment, be it agoraphobia, boredom, or a midlife crisis, and are given a novel to read as the antidote. Bibliotherapy does not discriminate between pains of the body and pains of the head (or heart). Aware that you’ve been cowardly? Pick up To Kill a Mockingbird for an injection of courage. Experiencing a sudden, acute fear of death? Read One Hundred Years of Solitude for some perspective on the larger cycle of life. Nervous about throwing a dinner party? Ali Smith’s There but for The will convince you that yours could never go that wrong. Whatever your condition, the prescription is simple: a novel (or two), to be read at regular intervals and in nice long chunks until you finish. Some treatments will lead to a complete cure. Others will offer solace, showing that you’re not the first to experience these emotions. The Novel Cure is also peppered with useful lists and sidebars recommending the best novels to read when you’re stuck in traffic or can’t fall asleep, the most important novels to read during every decade of life, and many more.
Brilliant in concept and deeply satisfying in execution, The Novel Cure belongs on everyone’s bookshelf and in every medicine cabinet. It will make even the most well-read fiction aficionado pick up a novel he’s never heard of, and see familiar ones with new eyes. Mostly, it will reaffirm literature’s ability to distract and transport, to resonate and reassure, to change the way we see the world and our place in it.
Library Journal
"This appealing and helpful read is guaranteed to double the length of a to-read list and become a go-to reference for those unsure of their reading identities or who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the world. "
"Delightful... elegant prose and discussions that span the history of 2,000 years of literature."
A novel is a story transmitted from the novelist to the reader. It offers distraction, entertainment, and an opportunity to unwind or focus. But it can also be something more powerful—a way to learn about how to live. Read at the right moment in your life, a novel can—quite literally—change it.
The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power. To create this apothecary, the authors have trawled two thousand years of literature for novels that effectively promote happiness, health, and sanity, written by brilliant minds who knew what it meant to be human and wrote their life lessons into their fiction. Structured like a reference book, readers simply look up their ailment, be it agoraphobia, boredom, or a midlife crisis, and are given a novel to read as the antidote. Bibliotherapy does not discriminate between pains of the body and pains of the head (or heart). Aware that you’ve been cowardly? Pick up To Kill a Mockingbird for an injection of courage. Experiencing a sudden, acute fear of death? Read One Hundred Years of Solitude for some perspective on the larger cycle of life. Nervous about throwing a dinner party? Ali Smith’s There but for The will convince you that yours could never go that wrong. Whatever your condition, the prescription is simple: a novel (or two), to be read at regular intervals and in nice long chunks until you finish. Some treatments will lead to a complete cure. Others will offer solace, showing that you’re not the first to experience these emotions. The Novel Cure is also peppered with useful lists and sidebars recommending the best novels to read when you’re stuck in traffic or can’t fall asleep, the most important novels to read during every decade of life, and many more.
Brilliant in concept and deeply satisfying in execution, The Novel Cure belongs on everyone’s bookshelf and in every medicine cabinet. It will make even the most well-read fiction aficionado pick up a novel he’s never heard of, and see familiar ones with new eyes. Mostly, it will reaffirm literature’s ability to distract and transport, to resonate and reassure, to change the way we see the world and our place in it.
Library Journal
"This appealing and helpful read is guaranteed to double the length of a to-read list and become a go-to reference for those unsure of their reading identities or who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the world. "
418 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
436 people are currently reading
10373 people want to read
About the author
Ella Berthoud
8 books90 followersElla Berthoud started reading on a journey from Tehran to London, on the parcel shelf of a Wolsey 1300 when she was five. She spent the next thirteen years reading books in inappropriate places like ski-lifts and trampolines. She studied English Literature at Cambridge University, where she read as many novels as she could at once. She continued on to University of East London where she studied Fine Art, and combined her twin passions of reading and painting by listening to books while creating works of art. She has worked as an artist in residence at Pentonville Prison, Friends School Saffron Walden and Queenswood School.
Ella first started talking about bibliotherapy with Susan Elderkin when they were at Cambridge together. Over the ensuing years they prescribed literature to their friends and family, while Ella worked as an artist and Susan wrote her own novels. In 2007 they developed the idea in conjunction with The School of Life into what it is today, a one to one service taking place in person, or over the phone.
Ella lives in West Sussex with her husband and three daughters.
Ella first started talking about bibliotherapy with Susan Elderkin when they were at Cambridge together. Over the ensuing years they prescribed literature to their friends and family, while Ella worked as an artist and Susan wrote her own novels. In 2007 they developed the idea in conjunction with The School of Life into what it is today, a one to one service taking place in person, or over the phone.
Ella lives in West Sussex with her husband and three daughters.
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September 1, 2018
i made a booknerd giftgiving list over on riffle! enjoy! http://www.rifflebooks.com/list/24946...
bibliotherapy is the self-help application of readers' advisory. i did the whole library science schooling thing, with a specialization in readers' advisory, for which it seems i have an aptitude (summa cum laude, bitches!), but we never once talked about bibliotherapy, so this was an interesting book for me to read. practitioners of readers' advisory train in how to help someone select a book for their leisure reading based on their interests and tastes, while bibliotherapy seeks to match a reader with a novel that will help them heal and deal with situations they are facing in their lives.
bibliotherapists will analyze your reading tastes, habits, and yearnings, as well as where you're at in your personal and professional life, then create a reading list tailored especially for you, which sounds just like basic readers' advisory work, but this book focuses on the ability of novels to play an active role in the healing process and the emotional lives of readers. is it effective?? i can't say for sure, and while a casual google-search didn't bring up anything about any licensed bibliotherapists, apparently it is a viable profession, so it's gotta be helping someone somewhere.
it's hard to take it 100% seriously. on the one hand, sure - books can certainly affect readers in profound ways, and literature, speaking as it does to the human condition, can offer object lessons, but a reader has to be willing to take these lessons to heart and either accept or dismiss what they have read. and they can only do so much.
the authors of this book are realistic,
In serious cases of depression, bibliotherapy is very unlikely to be enough. But we urge sufferers to make full and imaginative use of fiction as an accompaniment to medical treatment... novels can often reach sufferers in a way that little else can, offering solace and companionship in a time of desperate need.
bibliotherapy doesn't profess to cure these various ailments; for example, cancer or baldness or alcoholism are in no way going to be cured by a book, but the idea is that novels can help a reader deal with their own afflictions by seeing the ways in which characters handle similar situations and apply their reading to their own lives, either through emulation or as cautionary tales of "don't do this, for the love…" it is an idea worth exploring.
some of the included topics are just completely silly ailments, in terms of what a book is going to be able to realistically offer a reader: broken leg, broken china, eating disorders, burning the dinner, chasing after a woman who is a nun, claustrophobia, not being able to find a decent cup of coffee, falling out of a window, etc.
however, for ailments that are less… clinical or are broader in number of people afflicted, such as sadness, adolescent malaise, the horror of aging, or a break-up, i can see this helping someone who is able to respond emotionally to books.
oh, and their cure for unhappiness??
The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You
cheeky, cheeky...
as a book to dip into and treat as an encyclopedia or a reading guide-overview of a ton of different novels, this is a really good resource, even if you don't buy that books can actually heal you in any appreciable way.
i disagree with some of the selections - The Old Man and the Sea might actually cause rather than cure anger, for example, and Bel Canto is used twice, in a more or less contradictory way, but overall, it is a clever little book, but be warned - sometimes i think they give away a little too much plot. not all the time - there are several instances where they rein it in just in the nick of time, but if you want to know every single thing that happens in Wuthering Heights, this book will basically give you the extended cliffs notes.
there was one really good lesson for me in the book:
Procrastination, or the art of avoidance, has nothing whatsoever to do with laziness, or even busyness. Its causes are emotional. Quite simply (and, one could argue, quite sensibly), the procrastinator avoids those tasks which, consciously or subconsciously, he or she associates with uncomfortable emotions, such as boredom (see: boredom), anxiety (see: anxiety), or fear of failure. The problem with allowing an uncomfortable emotion to stand in your way is that, once avoided, tasks that were probably quite achievable to begin with grow larger both in our imaginations - and, often, in actuality - until they loom over us in such an oppressive way that they become worth procrastinating about. And while we're busy procrastinating and avoiding those uncomfortable emotions, untold opportunities for happiness and success - whole lives, in fact - pass by. It is this sense of a life half lived, and the intense regret that follows, that we should be trying to avoid - not just a few unpleasant emotions that will in any case quickly pass. What procrastinators need, therefore, is a lesson on the catastrophic consequences of running away whenever an unpleasant emotion threatens to ruffle our ponds.
their cure: The Remains of the Day. which i have read, and still i procrastinate!
however, there is a lot here to upset the true book lover. i disagree with all of this, for example:
Some people won't dog-ear the pages. Others won't place the book facedown, pages splayed. Some won't dare make a mark in the margin. Get over it. Books exist to impart their worlds to you, not to be beautiful objects to save for some other day. We implore you to fold, crack, and scribble on your books whenever the desire takes you. Underline the good bits, exclaim "YES!" and "NO!" in the margins. Invite others to inscribe and date the frontispiece. Draw pictures, jot down phone numbers and Web addresses, make journal entries, draft letters to friends or world leaders. Scribble down ideas for a novel of your own, sketch bridges you want to build, dresses you want to design. Stick postcards and pressed flowers between the pages.
When next you open the book, you'll be able to find the bits that made you think, laugh, and cry the first time around. And you'll remember that you picked up that coffee stain in the cafe where you also picked up that handsome waiter. Favorite books should be naked, faded, torn, their pages spilling out. Love them like a friend, or at least a favorite toy. Let them wrinkle and age along with you.
no, no, no! i do not doodle web addresses on my friends, nor do i break their spines. i am a good friend, and a better book-owner. pppbbllttt, bibliotherapists! my friends should most certainly not be naked with their pages spilling out. guh-ross!
and aarrgghh - their cure for being put off by giant books is to CUT THEM UP INTO SMALLER PIECES!!!
If it's a hardcover, stand the book upright and peer down: you'll see that the pages are divided into a number of "signatures" which are then stitched together. Make your divisions between one signature and the next. The pages of paperbacks are glued to the spine and can be attacked in a more random fashion; you'll need to carry a supply of paper clips with you to keep the loose leaves together. Suddenly the big fat tome has metamorphosized into a dozen slim tracts, each about the size of a long short story and no longer intimidating at all.
they actually used the word "attacked!!!
BUT IT GETS WORSE!
And don't be too precious about the loose pages, by the way. Once you've read them, throw them away. We're fond of the notion of blithely letting the pages fly one by one out the window of a fast-moving train (although to recommend such littering would be irresponsible).
the horror!! SO MUCH HORROR, THERE!!
there is a list in here called "the ten best novels for seeming well-read"
i have read three of them. apparently, i am not at all well-read.
i'd better get cracking!
here is how i will do so.
this book introduced me to
books i had never heard of and now must read:
Cleave
Agapanthus Tango
The House of Paper
Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home
books i had heard of but never knew i wanted to read, and now do:
Roxana
Pobby and Dingan
Surfacing
The Holy Terrors
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
So Long, See You Tomorrow
I am Legend and Other Stories
Anywhere But Here
Le Grand Meaulnes
books i had already wanted to read, but now want to read immediately:
Caribou Island
Mildred Pierce
Little Children
First Love
The Sisters Brothers
Under the Skin
The Story of Lucy Gault
After You'd Gone
Incendiary
New Finnish Grammar
The Idiot
and books i now want to REread:
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Desperate Characters
come to my blog!
bibliotherapy is the self-help application of readers' advisory. i did the whole library science schooling thing, with a specialization in readers' advisory, for which it seems i have an aptitude (summa cum laude, bitches!), but we never once talked about bibliotherapy, so this was an interesting book for me to read. practitioners of readers' advisory train in how to help someone select a book for their leisure reading based on their interests and tastes, while bibliotherapy seeks to match a reader with a novel that will help them heal and deal with situations they are facing in their lives.
bibliotherapists will analyze your reading tastes, habits, and yearnings, as well as where you're at in your personal and professional life, then create a reading list tailored especially for you, which sounds just like basic readers' advisory work, but this book focuses on the ability of novels to play an active role in the healing process and the emotional lives of readers. is it effective?? i can't say for sure, and while a casual google-search didn't bring up anything about any licensed bibliotherapists, apparently it is a viable profession, so it's gotta be helping someone somewhere.
it's hard to take it 100% seriously. on the one hand, sure - books can certainly affect readers in profound ways, and literature, speaking as it does to the human condition, can offer object lessons, but a reader has to be willing to take these lessons to heart and either accept or dismiss what they have read. and they can only do so much.
the authors of this book are realistic,
In serious cases of depression, bibliotherapy is very unlikely to be enough. But we urge sufferers to make full and imaginative use of fiction as an accompaniment to medical treatment... novels can often reach sufferers in a way that little else can, offering solace and companionship in a time of desperate need.
bibliotherapy doesn't profess to cure these various ailments; for example, cancer or baldness or alcoholism are in no way going to be cured by a book, but the idea is that novels can help a reader deal with their own afflictions by seeing the ways in which characters handle similar situations and apply their reading to their own lives, either through emulation or as cautionary tales of "don't do this, for the love…" it is an idea worth exploring.
some of the included topics are just completely silly ailments, in terms of what a book is going to be able to realistically offer a reader: broken leg, broken china, eating disorders, burning the dinner, chasing after a woman who is a nun, claustrophobia, not being able to find a decent cup of coffee, falling out of a window, etc.
however, for ailments that are less… clinical or are broader in number of people afflicted, such as sadness, adolescent malaise, the horror of aging, or a break-up, i can see this helping someone who is able to respond emotionally to books.
oh, and their cure for unhappiness??
The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You
cheeky, cheeky...
as a book to dip into and treat as an encyclopedia or a reading guide-overview of a ton of different novels, this is a really good resource, even if you don't buy that books can actually heal you in any appreciable way.
i disagree with some of the selections - The Old Man and the Sea might actually cause rather than cure anger, for example, and Bel Canto is used twice, in a more or less contradictory way, but overall, it is a clever little book, but be warned - sometimes i think they give away a little too much plot. not all the time - there are several instances where they rein it in just in the nick of time, but if you want to know every single thing that happens in Wuthering Heights, this book will basically give you the extended cliffs notes.
there was one really good lesson for me in the book:
Procrastination, or the art of avoidance, has nothing whatsoever to do with laziness, or even busyness. Its causes are emotional. Quite simply (and, one could argue, quite sensibly), the procrastinator avoids those tasks which, consciously or subconsciously, he or she associates with uncomfortable emotions, such as boredom (see: boredom), anxiety (see: anxiety), or fear of failure. The problem with allowing an uncomfortable emotion to stand in your way is that, once avoided, tasks that were probably quite achievable to begin with grow larger both in our imaginations - and, often, in actuality - until they loom over us in such an oppressive way that they become worth procrastinating about. And while we're busy procrastinating and avoiding those uncomfortable emotions, untold opportunities for happiness and success - whole lives, in fact - pass by. It is this sense of a life half lived, and the intense regret that follows, that we should be trying to avoid - not just a few unpleasant emotions that will in any case quickly pass. What procrastinators need, therefore, is a lesson on the catastrophic consequences of running away whenever an unpleasant emotion threatens to ruffle our ponds.
their cure: The Remains of the Day. which i have read, and still i procrastinate!
however, there is a lot here to upset the true book lover. i disagree with all of this, for example:
Some people won't dog-ear the pages. Others won't place the book facedown, pages splayed. Some won't dare make a mark in the margin. Get over it. Books exist to impart their worlds to you, not to be beautiful objects to save for some other day. We implore you to fold, crack, and scribble on your books whenever the desire takes you. Underline the good bits, exclaim "YES!" and "NO!" in the margins. Invite others to inscribe and date the frontispiece. Draw pictures, jot down phone numbers and Web addresses, make journal entries, draft letters to friends or world leaders. Scribble down ideas for a novel of your own, sketch bridges you want to build, dresses you want to design. Stick postcards and pressed flowers between the pages.
When next you open the book, you'll be able to find the bits that made you think, laugh, and cry the first time around. And you'll remember that you picked up that coffee stain in the cafe where you also picked up that handsome waiter. Favorite books should be naked, faded, torn, their pages spilling out. Love them like a friend, or at least a favorite toy. Let them wrinkle and age along with you.
no, no, no! i do not doodle web addresses on my friends, nor do i break their spines. i am a good friend, and a better book-owner. pppbbllttt, bibliotherapists! my friends should most certainly not be naked with their pages spilling out. guh-ross!
and aarrgghh - their cure for being put off by giant books is to CUT THEM UP INTO SMALLER PIECES!!!
If it's a hardcover, stand the book upright and peer down: you'll see that the pages are divided into a number of "signatures" which are then stitched together. Make your divisions between one signature and the next. The pages of paperbacks are glued to the spine and can be attacked in a more random fashion; you'll need to carry a supply of paper clips with you to keep the loose leaves together. Suddenly the big fat tome has metamorphosized into a dozen slim tracts, each about the size of a long short story and no longer intimidating at all.
they actually used the word "attacked!!!
BUT IT GETS WORSE!
And don't be too precious about the loose pages, by the way. Once you've read them, throw them away. We're fond of the notion of blithely letting the pages fly one by one out the window of a fast-moving train (although to recommend such littering would be irresponsible).
the horror!! SO MUCH HORROR, THERE!!
there is a list in here called "the ten best novels for seeming well-read"
i have read three of them. apparently, i am not at all well-read.
i'd better get cracking!
here is how i will do so.
this book introduced me to
books i had never heard of and now must read:
Cleave
Agapanthus Tango
The House of Paper
Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home
books i had heard of but never knew i wanted to read, and now do:
Roxana
Pobby and Dingan
Surfacing
The Holy Terrors
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
So Long, See You Tomorrow
I am Legend and Other Stories
Anywhere But Here
Le Grand Meaulnes
books i had already wanted to read, but now want to read immediately:
Caribou Island
Mildred Pierce
Little Children
First Love
The Sisters Brothers
Under the Skin
The Story of Lucy Gault
After You'd Gone
Incendiary
New Finnish Grammar
The Idiot
and books i now want to REread:
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Desperate Characters
come to my blog!
May 22, 2021
Once in a while when I'm in a bookshop I have some silly caprice (I hear my wife correcting me: "always", she says). So, yesterday, I bought this rather bulky book full of tips for further reading, as if I don't have enough books on my want-to-read-list already. But this is a special one: it's written by 2 British bibliotherapists, and it suggests you can cure every psychological or even physical affection by reading novels.
Now, it is no revolutionary view that reading fiction broadens your horizon, sharpens your capability of empathy, offers a mental path to escape dreary reality, and in doing so helps to tone down problems and affections. You don't have to convince me of that. But going one step further and stating that reading is a cure for everything, well, there I'm lost. I'm not saying this book does just that, because reading it, you can sense a lot or irony and humor in it (and I appreciate that!), but the introduction and some of the lemma's suggest the authors present themselves as real doctors. So, I have some mixed feelings about this book.
But for now, forget these pitiful remarks, just read it, and have fun, because it IS well documented (all books clearly have been read, and that is not self-evident), it is broad in its range of literature, and in its range of affections. Enjoy! (and let yourself be cured from whatever affliction)
Now, it is no revolutionary view that reading fiction broadens your horizon, sharpens your capability of empathy, offers a mental path to escape dreary reality, and in doing so helps to tone down problems and affections. You don't have to convince me of that. But going one step further and stating that reading is a cure for everything, well, there I'm lost. I'm not saying this book does just that, because reading it, you can sense a lot or irony and humor in it (and I appreciate that!), but the introduction and some of the lemma's suggest the authors present themselves as real doctors. So, I have some mixed feelings about this book.
But for now, forget these pitiful remarks, just read it, and have fun, because it IS well documented (all books clearly have been read, and that is not self-evident), it is broad in its range of literature, and in its range of affections. Enjoy! (and let yourself be cured from whatever affliction)
December 23, 2016
I was trying to stubbornly work through this despite the fact I found it incredibly condescending and tone deaf, but this sealed the deal. On being broke, seemingly written by someone who has never even brushed poverty:
Finally, return to The Great Gatsby and do what James Gatz should have done: inhabit and accept your impoverished self and find someone who loves you as you are. Then quit wasting money on lottery tickets, downsize, and learn to budget. If your job still doesn’t bring in enough for the basics, get another one. If it does, stop whining and get on with living happily ever after within your modest means.
Oh good, glad it's that easy. Those silly people who aren't wealthy, all they needed all along was to quit buying lottery tickets and get a well paying job!
What utter tripe.
Finally, return to The Great Gatsby and do what James Gatz should have done: inhabit and accept your impoverished self and find someone who loves you as you are. Then quit wasting money on lottery tickets, downsize, and learn to budget. If your job still doesn’t bring in enough for the basics, get another one. If it does, stop whining and get on with living happily ever after within your modest means.
Oh good, glad it's that easy. Those silly people who aren't wealthy, all they needed all along was to quit buying lottery tickets and get a well paying job!
What utter tripe.
June 13, 2019
A good book, read at the right moment, should leave you uplifted, inspired, energized and eager for more. With so many books to choose from, what’s the point of reading even one more that leaves you cold?
For anyone new to the concept of bibliotherapy or interested in finding out more, this is a learned and at times tongue-in-cheek book of advice about what fiction to read if you’re suffering from any sort of malady – physical, psychological, or imagined. (Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin are two of the bibliotherapists at London’s School of Life.)
The alphabetical format and “see also” asides make it more like a cross-referenced encyclopedia than a book to read straight through, though I tried it both ways. Initially I flipped through at random, letting one entry take me to another related one and so on, but after a while I went back to the start and caught up on unread entries to finish within a year.
You’ll be amazed at the range of conditions and circumstances for which the book offers prescriptions. Newly retired? “Bucolic and tranquil, The Enigma of Arrival [by V.S. Naipaul] will encourage you to take stock of your life and enjoy the unfolding of new possibilities.” Workaholic? “Immerse your desiccated soul in something very simple, very rustic, very small. We suggest [Thomas] Hardy’s gentlest, most innocent novel, Under the Greenwood Tree.” But some of these entries surely resulted from the authors thinking “hey, here’s a great book we have to mention,” and then coming up with a category to fit it into, like “determinedly chasing after a woman even when she’s a nun” for In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje.
Indeed, there’s a certain levity to this book that I think some reviewers have missed. These aren’t all entirely serious suggestions, though they are all worthwhile books. I especially liked the sections where the authors incorporate pastiche of the book in question. A piece recommending Pamela by Samuel Richardson is in the form of an old-fashioned letter, for example, while “single, being” apes Bridget Jones’s diary entries. They even imitate certain authors’ prose style, as in “Who poses questions without question marks and observes the subtle changes in the light with exquisite brevity.” Answer: J.P. Donleavy, apparently.
The book is also a great source of top ten lists (I’m working through their novels for thirty-somethings) and advice for how to deal with reading crises (e.g. “busy to read, being too” and “giving up halfway through, tendency to”). My only criticism of the book – and this is one I level against many examples from the ‘books about books’ genre – is that there’s a fair bit of plot summary, sometimes so much so that it puts me off reading a book rather than whets my appetite for it.
It’s a bit belated (or early) for suggesting this as a Christmas gift for a book lover, but perhaps you can hand it over as a birthday gift or an anytime present – even to yourself. I got my copy on Amazon for £4, quite a bargain for a book I’ll be returning to again and again over the years.
(Originally published, along with some more personal reflections, on my blog, Bookish Beck.)
February 21, 2020
Quanto le parole (e i libri) possono lenire,
possono essere balsamiche, analgesiche, sedative, euforizzanti , antipiretiche persino blandamente antibiotiche
Questo libro è un ironico manuale che contiene tantissimi rimedi ,sperimentati e di provata efficacia ,per numerosi malanni e diversi disturbi di lettura
C'è tutto quanto , indicazioni, modalità di somministrazione consigliate , interazioni ;
dai classici, consolidati ricostituenti ,
ai tonici omeopatici contemporanei
dai balsami balzachiani alle purghe di Perec o di Proust ,
dalle pomate di Saramago alle iniezioni di Faulkner o Dostoevskij,
fino alle pillole psicotrope wallaciane ...
C'è solo un unico, serio effetto collaterale : un certo aumento ponderale :)
...della propria WTR !
PS. Il libro contiene delle bizzarre top ten ,alcune sono divertenti ,altre condivisibili, tante se ne potrebbero aggiungere a proprio piacimento ma questa ...è la più strana, oh, io proprio non l'ho capita !(libri evacuativi?)
I 10 migliori romanzi da leggere al gabinetto
-Il re della pioggia,Saul Bellow
-Post office, C.Bukowski
-Pasto nudo, W.Burroughs
- Il Grande sonno, R.Chandler
-Diario di un anno difficile, JM Coetzee
-Le finestre illuminate , Heimito von Doderer
- Uomo invisibile, R.Ellison
-La vera storia del pirata Long John Silver, B.Larsson
- Il giardino dove suonavano gli ottoni , S.Vestdijk
- Le opere complete di Billy the kid, M. Ondaatje
possono essere balsamiche, analgesiche, sedative, euforizzanti , antipiretiche persino blandamente antibiotiche
Questo libro è un ironico manuale che contiene tantissimi rimedi ,sperimentati e di provata efficacia ,per numerosi malanni e diversi disturbi di lettura
C'è tutto quanto , indicazioni, modalità di somministrazione consigliate , interazioni ;
dai classici, consolidati ricostituenti ,
ai tonici omeopatici contemporanei
dai balsami balzachiani alle purghe di Perec o di Proust ,
dalle pomate di Saramago alle iniezioni di Faulkner o Dostoevskij,
fino alle pillole psicotrope wallaciane ...
C'è solo un unico, serio effetto collaterale : un certo aumento ponderale :)
...della propria WTR !
PS. Il libro contiene delle bizzarre top ten ,alcune sono divertenti ,altre condivisibili, tante se ne potrebbero aggiungere a proprio piacimento ma questa ...è la più strana, oh, io proprio non l'ho capita !(libri evacuativi?)
I 10 migliori romanzi da leggere al gabinetto
-Il re della pioggia,Saul Bellow
-Post office, C.Bukowski
-Pasto nudo, W.Burroughs
- Il Grande sonno, R.Chandler
-Diario di un anno difficile, JM Coetzee
-Le finestre illuminate , Heimito von Doderer
- Uomo invisibile, R.Ellison
-La vera storia del pirata Long John Silver, B.Larsson
- Il giardino dove suonavano gli ottoni , S.Vestdijk
- Le opere complete di Billy the kid, M. Ondaatje
September 23, 2013
I love the idea of a book doctor, one who prescribes fiction as an antidote for many of lives ills. This is a book about books, tells one what books to read if one is feeling a certain way or facing a certain challenge. Not only does it names the books but it describes why that particular book was picked. Many classics, many I never heard of and too many that I added to my TBR.
Well written, loved the layout of the book and how it is presented. This is a book I will probably buy as it is a great book to have as a resource and there is just too much in it to remember. Someone told me that there is actually such a thing as a real book doctor, who charges 30.00 per hour. I want that job.
Well written, loved the layout of the book and how it is presented. This is a book I will probably buy as it is a great book to have as a resource and there is just too much in it to remember. Someone told me that there is actually such a thing as a real book doctor, who charges 30.00 per hour. I want that job.
December 14, 2013
Great idea for a list book! Do you have a problem? Are you listless, bored, sad, unemployed, ill, just lost the love of your life....? There is almost assuredly a book, a very good book, to see you through your problem time and help you come smiling out the other side. Conversely there are books to help you, the unsuspecting reader, avoid pitfalls others have been snagged and tripped by, suffering along the way.
Ella Berthoud provides dozens and dozens of books to assist us all on our paths through life, some with brief synopses entailing their curative potential. She also provides many lists of 10 "bests" to be pulled out when the situation merits, such as when you reach 40 or are going on a plane or want to read a huge classic.
Personally, along with books I've already read, I found many titles to highlight here, books I fully intend to come back for and add to my reading list. I know that I will return to this book again and again. This is not just a book to read, it's one to flip through, one to look through on a lark or for a specific reason. It's written both with whimsy and serious purpose.
There's much to enjoy and I highly recommend it to all readers who enjoy this type of collection.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for the purpose of review.
Ella Berthoud provides dozens and dozens of books to assist us all on our paths through life, some with brief synopses entailing their curative potential. She also provides many lists of 10 "bests" to be pulled out when the situation merits, such as when you reach 40 or are going on a plane or want to read a huge classic.
Personally, along with books I've already read, I found many titles to highlight here, books I fully intend to come back for and add to my reading list. I know that I will return to this book again and again. This is not just a book to read, it's one to flip through, one to look through on a lark or for a specific reason. It's written both with whimsy and serious purpose.
There's much to enjoy and I highly recommend it to all readers who enjoy this type of collection.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for the purpose of review.
January 26, 2021
I liked the general idea of a novel cure, books for all circumstances and troubles. From the titles mentioned I found the ones I have already read fitting the relevant problems. A bit odd I often thought the lists of the 10 best books in a certain situation.
I read the German translation of this book and noticed something quite curious: the German version only lists 253 books whereas the English one lists 751. And not all of the ones from the English version appear in the German edition but were replaced by ones written by German-speaking authors. I can understand this replacement as the book was made suitable for the German market but I don‘t know what made them cut the number of books so dramatically.
The book is a good work of reference of people who don‘t read very much but would like a book matching their current situation. I found it fun to browse through but it‘s nothing I‘d buy for myself.
I read the German translation of this book and noticed something quite curious: the German version only lists 253 books whereas the English one lists 751. And not all of the ones from the English version appear in the German edition but were replaced by ones written by German-speaking authors. I can understand this replacement as the book was made suitable for the German market but I don‘t know what made them cut the number of books so dramatically.
The book is a good work of reference of people who don‘t read very much but would like a book matching their current situation. I found it fun to browse through but it‘s nothing I‘d buy for myself.
September 13, 2021
Interessante come elenco di possibili letture da cui attingere. Insistenti, petulanti e non richieste le voci pseudo autorevoli delle due autrici, in realtà imbevute di ideali catto-cristiani sulla necessità di preservare un matrimonio ed evitare un divorzio a qualsiasi costo, nonché inconsapevoli del loro alquanto radicato White privilege, desumibile da allegre scene in cui si permettono di prendere bonariamente in giro i vegetariani perché "mangiare carne è nella natura delle cose voluta da Dio" (e lo dico da non vegetariana) o di trattare la depressione ed altre serie condizioni cliniche come sintomi di un semplice non volersi dare da fare e avere solo voglia di poltrire. BAH.
May 6, 2019
Finalmente l'ho finito! Dopo quattro anni! Beh, ho finito di leggere il libro, ma non la mia sfida di "curarmi" con i libri. In sé il libro è troppo lungo e noioso. Sì, alcune volte è divertente, ma alla lunga stanca. Devo però ammettere che mi ha fatto scoprire autori e libri che non conoscevo (alcuni molto validi), e mi ha dato un motivo per leggere finalmente libri che avevo da lungo tempo nella lista desideri. Spero di riuscire a leggere tutti i libri inseriti nella recensione ma la vedo dura perché alcuni sono fuori stampa o introvabili.
***
Ho iniziato a leggere questo libro nel lontano 2014. L'avevo iniziato per curiosità, ma poi ho pensato che sarebbe stato divertente iniziare a "curarmi" con i libri consigliati, per vedere se effettivamente potevano dare una mano per alleviare le patologie per cui venivano consigliati. Ovviamente ho preso tutto come un gioco, e anche per scoprire scrittori a me sconosciuti o per leggere libri che altrimenti non avrei letto.
Questa, quindi, non sarà una recensione ma una "cartella clinica" che aggiornerò man mano che leggo i libri. "Cartella clinica" da prendere con le pinze perché non ho aggiunto libri che riguardano i miei malanni (più che altro immaginari), ma soprattutto libri che avevano una trama interessante. Non sono messa così male come si potrebbe credere vedendo i malanni che ho aggiunto!
A
agorafobia: La donna di sabbia
ambizione scarsa: Il petalo cremisi e il bianco ✔ Nov. 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Avviso ai naviganti
amore, disamorarsi dell': 1Q84 ✔ Dic. 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
ansia: Ritratto di signora ✔ Aprile 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
apatia: Il postino suona sempre due volte ✔ Aprile 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
autostima bassa: Rebecca la prima moglie ✔ Maggio 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
autostrada, allergia alla: Gli autonauti della cosmostrada ovvero Un viaggio atemporale Parigi-Marsiglia ✔ Aprile 2019, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
B
bisognosi, essere: Il Grinta
C
cambiamento, resistenza al: Lo scimmiotto ✔ Marzo 2015, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
cervicale: I maestri di tuina
claustrofobia: La casa nella prateria
compleanno, tristezza da: I figli della mezzanotte ✔ Agosto 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
confronto, paura del: Il mio nome è Asher Lev ✔ Set. 2015, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
D
depressione: L'insostenibile leggerezza dell'essere (letto circa 30 anni fa, non penso di rileggerlo nonostante mi sia piaciuto molto)
La campana di vetro
Il male oscuro
Fratelli
romanzi per tirare su il morale: Dona Flor e i suoi due mariti ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jakob il bugiardo
disperazione: Ognuno muore solo
diversi, essere: Il gabbiano Jonathan Livingston
E
emozioni, incapacità di esprimere: Dolce come il cioccolato ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
entusiasmo, mancanza di: Ragtime
esaurimento: Zorba il greco ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
estraneo, essere: Oscar and Lucinda
F
fiducia, eccesso di L'asino d'oro, o Le metamorfosi ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
follia I consolatori ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
G
genitore single, essere un L'ultimo samurai
genitori, invecchiamento dei Le correzioni
Questioni di famiglia ✔ Aprie 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I
insoddisfazione Vicolo Cannery
M
mal di schiena Il massaggio mistico
maniaci del controllo, essere La casa da tè alla luna d'agosto ✔ Marzo 2019 recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
misantropia L'eletto
P
pronto a dare giudizi A voce alta
S
senilità Il cornetto acustico
sentimentali, essere troppo Un ciclone sulla Giamaica
specchio, malattia dello Il figlio di Bakunìn
spocchia La morte della Pizia
stravaganza Il martin pescatore sul paralume Rumer Godden
V
ventunesimo secolo, malessere del Nuoce gravemente alla salute
vertigini La mia Antonia
***
Ho iniziato a leggere questo libro nel lontano 2014. L'avevo iniziato per curiosità, ma poi ho pensato che sarebbe stato divertente iniziare a "curarmi" con i libri consigliati, per vedere se effettivamente potevano dare una mano per alleviare le patologie per cui venivano consigliati. Ovviamente ho preso tutto come un gioco, e anche per scoprire scrittori a me sconosciuti o per leggere libri che altrimenti non avrei letto.
Questa, quindi, non sarà una recensione ma una "cartella clinica" che aggiornerò man mano che leggo i libri. "Cartella clinica" da prendere con le pinze perché non ho aggiunto libri che riguardano i miei malanni (più che altro immaginari), ma soprattutto libri che avevano una trama interessante. Non sono messa così male come si potrebbe credere vedendo i malanni che ho aggiunto!
A
agorafobia: La donna di sabbia
ambizione scarsa: Il petalo cremisi e il bianco ✔ Nov. 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Avviso ai naviganti
amore, disamorarsi dell': 1Q84 ✔ Dic. 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
ansia: Ritratto di signora ✔ Aprile 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
apatia: Il postino suona sempre due volte ✔ Aprile 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
autostima bassa: Rebecca la prima moglie ✔ Maggio 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
autostrada, allergia alla: Gli autonauti della cosmostrada ovvero Un viaggio atemporale Parigi-Marsiglia ✔ Aprile 2019, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
B
bisognosi, essere: Il Grinta
C
cambiamento, resistenza al: Lo scimmiotto ✔ Marzo 2015, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
cervicale: I maestri di tuina
claustrofobia: La casa nella prateria
compleanno, tristezza da: I figli della mezzanotte ✔ Agosto 2014, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
confronto, paura del: Il mio nome è Asher Lev ✔ Set. 2015, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
D
depressione: L'insostenibile leggerezza dell'essere (letto circa 30 anni fa, non penso di rileggerlo nonostante mi sia piaciuto molto)
La campana di vetro
Il male oscuro
Fratelli
romanzi per tirare su il morale: Dona Flor e i suoi due mariti ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jakob il bugiardo
disperazione: Ognuno muore solo
diversi, essere: Il gabbiano Jonathan Livingston
E
emozioni, incapacità di esprimere: Dolce come il cioccolato ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
entusiasmo, mancanza di: Ragtime
esaurimento: Zorba il greco ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
estraneo, essere: Oscar and Lucinda
F
fiducia, eccesso di L'asino d'oro, o Le metamorfosi ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
follia I consolatori ✔ Febbraio 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
G
genitore single, essere un L'ultimo samurai
genitori, invecchiamento dei Le correzioni
Questioni di famiglia ✔ Aprie 2018, recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I
insoddisfazione Vicolo Cannery
M
mal di schiena Il massaggio mistico
maniaci del controllo, essere La casa da tè alla luna d'agosto ✔ Marzo 2019 recensione: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
misantropia L'eletto
P
pronto a dare giudizi A voce alta
S
senilità Il cornetto acustico
sentimentali, essere troppo Un ciclone sulla Giamaica
specchio, malattia dello Il figlio di Bakunìn
spocchia La morte della Pizia
stravaganza Il martin pescatore sul paralume Rumer Godden
V
ventunesimo secolo, malessere del Nuoce gravemente alla salute
vertigini La mia Antonia
April 28, 2014
An A-Z Guide to reading for what ails you.
If you asked me for a book recommendation for someone who was depressed I could easily find one in non-fiction that would fit the bill. I could choose from what the reader needed, an explanation of the causes, perhaps a memoir by someone who's been there or some type of self-help book. But what if I wished to help someone find fiction that would aid in helping that person feel better? The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness is just that; a novel idea, a novel cure.
I had the opportunity to meet the co-author and to see the philosophy of this idea at work. Susan Elderkin talked about how she and her co-author, Ella Berthoud thought up the idea, bibliotherapy so to speak. She then invited an audience member to present an ailment and we, the audience, got an opportunity to suggest some books to come to her aide. Easier than it sounds.
Look up your ailment and you'll find a great suggestion of a book to read. And even if you're not ailing, there's bound to be something here for you, a book you've never heard of or a prescription for one you've been meaning to read.
A few examples
Broken Heart = As It Is In Heaven by Niall Williams
Guilt = Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Midlife Crisis + Girl, 20 by Kingsley Amis
Sibling Rivalry = Cain by Jose Saramago
There are hundreds of others with short descriptions to whet your interest. It's an interesting book to browse and one I can come back to as my mood strikes.
Includes indexes for reading ailments, Ten-best lists that are referenced throughout the book, and importantly, an author and title index.
If you asked me for a book recommendation for someone who was depressed I could easily find one in non-fiction that would fit the bill. I could choose from what the reader needed, an explanation of the causes, perhaps a memoir by someone who's been there or some type of self-help book. But what if I wished to help someone find fiction that would aid in helping that person feel better? The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness is just that; a novel idea, a novel cure.
I had the opportunity to meet the co-author and to see the philosophy of this idea at work. Susan Elderkin talked about how she and her co-author, Ella Berthoud thought up the idea, bibliotherapy so to speak. She then invited an audience member to present an ailment and we, the audience, got an opportunity to suggest some books to come to her aide. Easier than it sounds.
Look up your ailment and you'll find a great suggestion of a book to read. And even if you're not ailing, there's bound to be something here for you, a book you've never heard of or a prescription for one you've been meaning to read.
A few examples
Broken Heart = As It Is In Heaven by Niall Williams
Guilt = Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Midlife Crisis + Girl, 20 by Kingsley Amis
Sibling Rivalry = Cain by Jose Saramago
There are hundreds of others with short descriptions to whet your interest. It's an interesting book to browse and one I can come back to as my mood strikes.
Includes indexes for reading ailments, Ten-best lists that are referenced throughout the book, and importantly, an author and title index.
December 29, 2013
I'm going to review this book now, even though I have not read the whole book yet, because it is quite possible I may never finish. By that I mean that it will stay on my bedside table to be perused when I have a few minutes to spare for some witty and passionate synopses of books I would like to read, or have already read, or to put in the hands of friends who need to read them. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and was very excited to find it in my mailbox. I love books about books, and this one is organized by ailment or condition that can be helped by a certain piece of literature. This is a lovely gift for bookaholics, and a wonderful way to feed the addiction.
October 18, 2017
Questo libro è fighissimo ma ATTENZIONE: se non volete trovarvi la wish list che si allunga la notte.. non leggetelo!!
Me lo aspettavo un po' diverso, invece sono rimasta piacevolmente sorpresa dalle due autrici, che spesso si rivolgono direttamente al lettore come se stessimo facendo due chiacchere viso a viso e dalla "familiarità" che ci accoglie leggendo questo libro.. Insomma, una specie di rimpatriata letteraria!!
Mi è piaciuto molto il fatto che più di una volta io abbia avuto l'impressione che le autrici parlassero proprio di me e a me, come se il libro mi fosse stato cucito addosso.. Ero lì che "sì, sì, è così! Avete ragionissima!! Ma daiiii come facevate a saperlo?!" e soprattutto l'aver scoperto millemila nuovi libri *_* La tentazione di chiudere tutto e andare a cercare questi altri romanzi mi è presa più e più volte, ma come Ulisse con le Sirene, sono stata bravissima e ho resistito, limitandomi a mettere delle orecchiette al libro per andarmeli poi a ricercare con calma (e con la mente fresca, per evitare acquisti assurdi scatenati dalla lettura alle undici di sera..): di contro così ho il libro che ormai è praticamente un'unica grande orecchia :D
Non ho dato il voto pieno perché due cose mi hanno disturbato: la prima, più lieve, è la mancanza di una 'scheda' seppur minimale, con le informazioni del libro, come ad esempio data di pubblicazione ed editore.. quisquilie, sciocchezze, anche perché posso reperire le informazioni facilmente.. Ma a v0lte mi sarebbe piaciuto inquadrare in una determinata epoca/periodo un libro :(
La seconda è più grave e riguarda l'edizione italiana: Fabio Stassi (per cui io, a pelle e non so perché, provo una grande antipatia) probabilmente stava giocando a Clash of Clans mentre ci lavorava su perché ho trovato errori biechi (parole con la Z invece che con la S.. Sul serio?!), sintassi spaventosa ed alcune traduzioni che sembrano più frutto di Google translate che altro..
ORA. Dopo che io un libro lo pago 18€, un po 'di cura me l'aspetto!!! Lo so che le autrici non ne hanno colpa.. Ma mi ha veramente indispettito!!
L'idea comunque è geniale cavolo, geniale!!
Me lo aspettavo un po' diverso, invece sono rimasta piacevolmente sorpresa dalle due autrici, che spesso si rivolgono direttamente al lettore come se stessimo facendo due chiacchere viso a viso e dalla "familiarità" che ci accoglie leggendo questo libro.. Insomma, una specie di rimpatriata letteraria!!
Mi è piaciuto molto il fatto che più di una volta io abbia avuto l'impressione che le autrici parlassero proprio di me e a me, come se il libro mi fosse stato cucito addosso.. Ero lì che "sì, sì, è così! Avete ragionissima!! Ma daiiii come facevate a saperlo?!" e soprattutto l'aver scoperto millemila nuovi libri *_* La tentazione di chiudere tutto e andare a cercare questi altri romanzi mi è presa più e più volte, ma come Ulisse con le Sirene, sono stata bravissima e ho resistito, limitandomi a mettere delle orecchiette al libro per andarmeli poi a ricercare con calma (e con la mente fresca, per evitare acquisti assurdi scatenati dalla lettura alle undici di sera..): di contro così ho il libro che ormai è praticamente un'unica grande orecchia :D
Non ho dato il voto pieno perché due cose mi hanno disturbato: la prima, più lieve, è la mancanza di una 'scheda' seppur minimale, con le informazioni del libro, come ad esempio data di pubblicazione ed editore.. quisquilie, sciocchezze, anche perché posso reperire le informazioni facilmente.. Ma a v0lte mi sarebbe piaciuto inquadrare in una determinata epoca/periodo un libro :(
La seconda è più grave e riguarda l'edizione italiana: Fabio Stassi (per cui io, a pelle e non so perché, provo una grande antipatia) probabilmente stava giocando a Clash of Clans mentre ci lavorava su perché ho trovato errori biechi (parole con la Z invece che con la S.. Sul serio?!), sintassi spaventosa ed alcune traduzioni che sembrano più frutto di Google translate che altro..
ORA. Dopo che io un libro lo pago 18€, un po 'di cura me l'aspetto!!! Lo so che le autrici non ne hanno colpa.. Ma mi ha veramente indispettito!!
L'idea comunque è geniale cavolo, geniale!!
February 6, 2014
“Sick? Tired? Lost your job? Take one dose of literature and repeat until better.”
I would like to be known as a Bibliotherapist; it is on my twitter profile so it must be true. I received this book for Christmas from the most amazing person (my wife) and now I finally have the textbook to officially hand out some bibliotherapy. You have a shopping addiction, please go away and read American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (that’s what it recommends); I can tell you after that book you’ll not want to be so concerned about what clothing labels are trendy enough to buy and reference in conversation. This is the medical handbook that I can truly get behind and I had a lot of fun looking through it and finding out just how to deal with my parents during Christmas. I loved this book, it was so much fun to flick through. My only problem was the fact that Frankenstein was never prescribed to cure an illness, why can’t it help a god complex, isolation or something like that?
I would like to be known as a Bibliotherapist; it is on my twitter profile so it must be true. I received this book for Christmas from the most amazing person (my wife) and now I finally have the textbook to officially hand out some bibliotherapy. You have a shopping addiction, please go away and read American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (that’s what it recommends); I can tell you after that book you’ll not want to be so concerned about what clothing labels are trendy enough to buy and reference in conversation. This is the medical handbook that I can truly get behind and I had a lot of fun looking through it and finding out just how to deal with my parents during Christmas. I loved this book, it was so much fun to flick through. My only problem was the fact that Frankenstein was never prescribed to cure an illness, why can’t it help a god complex, isolation or something like that?
February 17, 2014
Brilliant book. Aesthetically it looks great, it's well written and it has hundreds of ideas for new books to read. This is a really interesting concept, using books to cure ailments, from the silly to the serious. There are book suggestions for just about anything and I think I'll be dipping in and out of this for many years to come. Very much recommended.
April 8, 2025
? Dit boek heb ik niet voor de eerste keer geleend uit de bieb en er grote stukken uit gelezen.
🤔 Dit boek is een vertaling uit het Engels en er is een aanvulling gedaan van een aantal belangrijke Nederlandstalige literaire werken. Het boek is zeker niet onaardig, maar ik lees liever boeken over literatuur van bijvoorbeeld Pieter Steinz. De Nederlandse boeken zoals 'Een nagelaten bekentenis' van Marcellus Emants zijn besproken met een uitgebreide samenvatting die op zich prima is...maar als je deze samenvatting gelezen hebt, dan blijft er dus weinig meer te raden over bij het boek. Dat vind ik jammer, dan lees ik liever waarom dit boek zo speciaal is en waarom ik als lezer aangeraden wordt om deze klassieker te lezen. Neemt niet weg, dat de samenvattingen goed en interessant zijn!
Top 10 lijstjes staan er ook veel in het boek, zeker aardig, maar ook wel weer verrassend en van een aantal gelezen boeken snap ik eigenlijk niet waarom ze in een bepaald lijstje staan: bijvoorbeeld waarom is de Engelbewaarder dan zo'n goed boek is om vooral vrouwen weer aan het lezen te krijgen. Er zit ook vooral humor in de keuzes. Die zal mij vast wel eens ontgaan zijn ;-)
MW 8/6/21
MW 30/3/22
Vandaag dit aardige boek over (wereldliteratuur) weer eens doorgelezen vooral weer ter inspiratie. Blijft een aardig boek met vaak een cynische humorvolle ondertoon bij de samenvattingen.
MW5/4/25
🤔 Dit boek is een vertaling uit het Engels en er is een aanvulling gedaan van een aantal belangrijke Nederlandstalige literaire werken. Het boek is zeker niet onaardig, maar ik lees liever boeken over literatuur van bijvoorbeeld Pieter Steinz. De Nederlandse boeken zoals 'Een nagelaten bekentenis' van Marcellus Emants zijn besproken met een uitgebreide samenvatting die op zich prima is...maar als je deze samenvatting gelezen hebt, dan blijft er dus weinig meer te raden over bij het boek. Dat vind ik jammer, dan lees ik liever waarom dit boek zo speciaal is en waarom ik als lezer aangeraden wordt om deze klassieker te lezen. Neemt niet weg, dat de samenvattingen goed en interessant zijn!
Top 10 lijstjes staan er ook veel in het boek, zeker aardig, maar ook wel weer verrassend en van een aantal gelezen boeken snap ik eigenlijk niet waarom ze in een bepaald lijstje staan: bijvoorbeeld waarom is de Engelbewaarder dan zo'n goed boek is om vooral vrouwen weer aan het lezen te krijgen. Er zit ook vooral humor in de keuzes. Die zal mij vast wel eens ontgaan zijn ;-)
MW 8/6/21
MW 30/3/22
Vandaag dit aardige boek over (wereldliteratuur) weer eens doorgelezen vooral weer ter inspiratie. Blijft een aardig boek met vaak een cynische humorvolle ondertoon bij de samenvattingen.
MW5/4/25
August 28, 2017
Un libro (antologia?) piuttosto furbo, il cui unico interesse è quello di proporre liste infinite di libri interessanti.
Diciamo che offre infiniti spunti di lettura, ma che la lettura del testo, di per se stessa, non è questo granchè. Non è nemmeno terribile se è per questo, ma alcune "malattie" lasciano perplessi (e che palle tutti quegli orgasmi, averne troppo pochi, sesso, farne troppo o troppo poco, flatulenze ?!?) e anche alcune cure proposte.
E odio le liste tipo "i dieci migliori libri per"...
Durante la lettura, non fate come me: scrivetevi subito il titolo dei libri che vi interessano, perchè poi, alla fine, ben difficilmente ve li ricorderete in tutto quel marasma, e hai voglia a ripassare 700 pagine per trovarli!
Diciamo che offre infiniti spunti di lettura, ma che la lettura del testo, di per se stessa, non è questo granchè. Non è nemmeno terribile se è per questo, ma alcune "malattie" lasciano perplessi (e che palle tutti quegli orgasmi, averne troppo pochi, sesso, farne troppo o troppo poco, flatulenze ?!?) e anche alcune cure proposte.
E odio le liste tipo "i dieci migliori libri per"...
Durante la lettura, non fate come me: scrivetevi subito il titolo dei libri che vi interessano, perchè poi, alla fine, ben difficilmente ve li ricorderete in tutto quel marasma, e hai voglia a ripassare 700 pagine per trovarli!
August 2, 2016
A biblioterapia é uma "actividade" que começa a ganhar cada vez mais adeptos. Acho que qualquer leitor comprova as capacidades "medicinais" que certos livros exercem em nós em determinados momentos da nossa existência.
Aqui encontramos várias sugestões (a juntar ao número infindável de listas de livros para ler que a maioria dos leitores ávidos tem) para curar maleitas, estados de espírito e afins...
Este livro, em si, já é um remédio. Aconselho vivamente a qualquer apaixonado da leitura a lê-lo, pois para além das hipóteses e possíveis efeitos de cura, é garantido soltar não uma mas várias gargalhadas.
Aqui encontramos várias sugestões (a juntar ao número infindável de listas de livros para ler que a maioria dos leitores ávidos tem) para curar maleitas, estados de espírito e afins...
Este livro, em si, já é um remédio. Aconselho vivamente a qualquer apaixonado da leitura a lê-lo, pois para além das hipóteses e possíveis efeitos de cura, é garantido soltar não uma mas várias gargalhadas.
July 17, 2016
Qualunque sia il vostro disturbo, la nostra ricetta è semplice: un romanzo (o più di uno) da leggere a intervalli regolari.
November 21, 2013
Bah, “Curarsi con i libri”, sembrava allettante. In effetti nel Prontuario medico libresco ci son libri per rimedi di ogni genere. Fisici, psicologici, sociali, non scendo nei dettagli. O magari sì: Libri contro l'impotenza, il priapismo, la sfiga, l'abbattimento, il cuore spezzato, il bullismo, l'avidità, la mancanza di denaro, l'arrivismo, il vittimismo e chi più ne ha, più ne metta. Ci sono anche i dieci migliori libri per fasce d'età o situazione(per ventenni, trentenni, centenari e tutte le fasce di mezzo). l dieci migliori libri per le vacanze, per le convalescenze, per lettori svogliati, demotivati, che comprano troppi libri, insomma, una pacchia, sembrerebbe.
Il problema con questo libro, è che intende curare il male con cura omeopatica: ti fanno male i denti? Leggi – teniamoci forte - Anna Karenina perché, alla fine, Vronskij in partenza per la guerra, sul treno, ha un fortissimo mal di denti che lèvati, ma non tanto forte da non ricordare, per associazione di memoria, la ferrovia_Anna_lo sfacelo della sua (di lei) e poi anche di lui vita. Sembra che il mal di denti gli sia poi passato. Insomma, a mio modestissimo parere, i libri prescritti non sempre azzeccano la cura. Col mal di denti ci vorrebbe un altro libro, non cura omeopatica ma d'attacco, tipo un Amis a caso, o un De Lillo, o qualcosa che faccia ridere a crepapelle.
Seconda pecca, i libri consigliati per malanno sono pochi (liste a parte), e se uno per curare il proprio malanno non ha quel libro lì, che fa? Va in farmacia o al Pronto Soccorso?
Terza pecca – in parte ovviata dall'editing italiano, con aggiunta di alcuni titoli nostrani, menzione d'onore per Horcynus Orca che non mi ricordo più che cosa cura, a me curò un periodo tristissimo in cui stavo per perdere un gatto amatissimo e uno zio, amato alla pari e forse, be', anche di più del gatto – troppo incentrato sulla GB e USA, del resto, le curatrici sono inglesi... ma lasciano fuori un mondo di letteratura: pochi russi, francesi, tedeschi, sembra che scrivano opere curative solo gli anglosassoni....
Quarta e ultima pecca: ciascun lettore forte ha la sua cassetta di medicinali libreschi ad hoc, costruita negli anni di gusti, di ricerche, di annusamenti, insomma, il presente Prontuario si addice più a un neofita, a chi legge poco o affatto, ma è sulla via di convinzione e redenzione, constatando che leggere aiuta sempre, in ogni fase della vita, la più gioiosa, la più triste, perché allarga la percezione della realtà, per immedesimazione o per estremo distacco. La parola consola, guarisce, irretisce...Meglio fiondarsi in libreria che a sbevazzare nei bar o, peggio che mai, a impasticcarsi di tranquillanti, sedativi, anfetamine, corroboranti o chissà quali altre schifezze. Leggere, è vero, lenisce quasi ogni stato d'animo o esistenziale, fatta eccezione per l'ira (lì, più che leggere un libro, è concesso bruciarlo o farlo a pezzi, per evitare di bruciare o fare a pezzi qualcun altro) o in caso di morte propria, all'altro mondo la lettura cartacea non va molto, è più in voga quella delle auree, dei pensieri, dei mondi, ma in fondo sempre lettura è. Ach, non ci si libera mai del tutto da un vizio, anche se come leggere, benedetto. In conclusione, mi pare un ottimo regalo di Natale, da rifilare anche in formato digitale, quasi a costo zero.
Il problema con questo libro, è che intende curare il male con cura omeopatica: ti fanno male i denti? Leggi – teniamoci forte - Anna Karenina perché, alla fine, Vronskij in partenza per la guerra, sul treno, ha un fortissimo mal di denti che lèvati, ma non tanto forte da non ricordare, per associazione di memoria, la ferrovia_Anna_lo sfacelo della sua (di lei) e poi anche di lui vita. Sembra che il mal di denti gli sia poi passato. Insomma, a mio modestissimo parere, i libri prescritti non sempre azzeccano la cura. Col mal di denti ci vorrebbe un altro libro, non cura omeopatica ma d'attacco, tipo un Amis a caso, o un De Lillo, o qualcosa che faccia ridere a crepapelle.
Seconda pecca, i libri consigliati per malanno sono pochi (liste a parte), e se uno per curare il proprio malanno non ha quel libro lì, che fa? Va in farmacia o al Pronto Soccorso?
Terza pecca – in parte ovviata dall'editing italiano, con aggiunta di alcuni titoli nostrani, menzione d'onore per Horcynus Orca che non mi ricordo più che cosa cura, a me curò un periodo tristissimo in cui stavo per perdere un gatto amatissimo e uno zio, amato alla pari e forse, be', anche di più del gatto – troppo incentrato sulla GB e USA, del resto, le curatrici sono inglesi... ma lasciano fuori un mondo di letteratura: pochi russi, francesi, tedeschi, sembra che scrivano opere curative solo gli anglosassoni....
Quarta e ultima pecca: ciascun lettore forte ha la sua cassetta di medicinali libreschi ad hoc, costruita negli anni di gusti, di ricerche, di annusamenti, insomma, il presente Prontuario si addice più a un neofita, a chi legge poco o affatto, ma è sulla via di convinzione e redenzione, constatando che leggere aiuta sempre, in ogni fase della vita, la più gioiosa, la più triste, perché allarga la percezione della realtà, per immedesimazione o per estremo distacco. La parola consola, guarisce, irretisce...Meglio fiondarsi in libreria che a sbevazzare nei bar o, peggio che mai, a impasticcarsi di tranquillanti, sedativi, anfetamine, corroboranti o chissà quali altre schifezze. Leggere, è vero, lenisce quasi ogni stato d'animo o esistenziale, fatta eccezione per l'ira (lì, più che leggere un libro, è concesso bruciarlo o farlo a pezzi, per evitare di bruciare o fare a pezzi qualcun altro) o in caso di morte propria, all'altro mondo la lettura cartacea non va molto, è più in voga quella delle auree, dei pensieri, dei mondi, ma in fondo sempre lettura è. Ach, non ci si libera mai del tutto da un vizio, anche se come leggere, benedetto. In conclusione, mi pare un ottimo regalo di Natale, da rifilare anche in formato digitale, quasi a costo zero.
December 25, 2016
Awful waste of time for me. I got a few suggestions but none excite me. And I was reminded of a few older books I want to read, but those didn't seem to be, imo, apt cures the for the condition tagged. I have plenty of books on my shelves, and I keep getting charmed by the shiny displays at the library, and when I read a good book I add the author's oeuvre, *and* goodreads has far too many ways to get recommendations. Why do I continue to read books like this? I must stop.
EtA: So, I did the research on the titles I added, and mostly they're pretty obscure books that don't appeal to me (or, apparently, to the goodreads community) at all. I got *one* that I'm actually interested in that's at my library.
EtA: So, I did the research on the titles I added, and mostly they're pretty obscure books that don't appeal to me (or, apparently, to the goodreads community) at all. I got *one* that I'm actually interested in that's at my library.
September 4, 2016
Great concept and easy format makes this readers' book a pleasurable read. I did not always agree with some of their Cures but did have a good time thinking of different or more fitting books for various Ailments.
A solid addition to any library.
A solid addition to any library.
January 24, 2016
This book is a great reference for mood reading, an art in which I specialize :D
July 22, 2019
While I find the concept of biblio therapy extremely interesting, this book is a list of recommendations (761 to be precise) and I found literally zero interesting books among them.
January 5, 2018
È stata una scorpacciata di letteratura! Originale nell’associare alcuni libri alle tematiche ordinate alfabeticamente. C’è molta letteratura angloamericana moderna, che a me quasi sempre non piace, ed è per questo che gli affibbio 3 stelline.
June 13, 2022
"One sheds one’s sicknesses in books—repeats and presents again one’s emotions, to be master of them." —D. H. LAWRENCE, The Letters of D. H. Lawrence
I loved this book! It took me about two months to read, and it's the first reference work I've actually read from cover to cover! I made just about 600 highlights and countless number of notes throughout my reading. It was hilarious, charming, and made my pile of books to-read much larger. I really appreciated their compilation of lists for everything from heartbreak to sci-fi for beginners. My quibble was that there were tons of spoilers for books, including...you guessed it...how some ended. If you know that going in, I think you'll fare better and can skim those sections. I'm just grateful for my forgetful memory. I'm sure by the time I get to some of these prescribed reads, I'll have forgotten the summarized plot. I can't wait to get my hands on The Story Cure: An A-Z of Books to Keep Kids Happy, Healthy and Wise!
March 23, 2019
Lido de Agosto 2018 a Março 2019.
Este livro está repleto de recomendações literárias para vários "problemas", como, por exemplo, dor nas costas, compras compulsivas, ter bicho-carpinteiro, etc.
É um conceito muito interessante. Fui lendo as poucos e introduzindo alguns livros na lista de livros para ler.
Quando não sabemos o que ler talvez este livro nos dê uma ajuda ;)
Este livro está repleto de recomendações literárias para vários "problemas", como, por exemplo, dor nas costas, compras compulsivas, ter bicho-carpinteiro, etc.
É um conceito muito interessante. Fui lendo as poucos e introduzindo alguns livros na lista de livros para ler.
Quando não sabemos o que ler talvez este livro nos dê uma ajuda ;)
June 4, 2017
Una joyita para disfrutar y conservar.
Me ha parecido casi perfecto en su concepción y edición
http://entremontonesdelibros.blogspot...
Me ha parecido casi perfecto en su concepción y edición
http://entremontonesdelibros.blogspot...
August 18, 2020
Molto carina l'idea, ma le opinioni personali delle autrici infilate qui e là mi hanno dato sui nervi a lungo andare. Il divorzio non va bene, se non ti è piaciuto questo romanzo sei come il personaggio antagonista, se è così è bianco altrimenti è nero... Assurdo.
Sarebbe stato meglio limitarsi al consigliare i libri in base all'argomento, molti erano abbastanza scontati ma ne ho segnati alcuni che sicuramente recupererò.
Sarebbe stato meglio limitarsi al consigliare i libri in base all'argomento, molti erano abbastanza scontati ma ne ho segnati alcuni che sicuramente recupererò.
January 11, 2023
A nice book to see what to read when you are feeling certain ways. Not only does it tell you what to read, but why you should and how it will help with the emotion that you are feeling. Nice little encyclopedia for sure.
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