Happy side to therapeutic reading

The trick is to find uplifting books. This is not a new concept.

Bibliotherapist Susan Elderkin says the ancient Greeks practised bibliotherapy.

Finn’s article lists five novels for bibliotherapy that are now on my reading list.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – This Pulitzer prize-winning novel pops up on a lot of reading lists as “the” novel to read. The Charles Dickens-like story of a boy trying to survive after his mother is killed and his father abandons him makes the bibliotherapist’s list for its uplifting message about survival. It’s being called a “confidence-boosting” book.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith – They say money can’t buy happiness, and that is definitely one of the messages in Smith’s novel first published in 1948. The main character pours her thoughts into a diary where readers learn once again that money is not everything. Bibliotherapists want you to absorb the light and often funny mood of this book.

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines – A 15-year-old boy facing poverty makes Elderkin’s list of uplifting books because it is ultimately a survival story that is beautifully written. A Kestrel for a Knave has always been one of my daughter, Ijanaya’s favourite books.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim – Bibliotherapists view von Arnim’s novel as a cure for “relationship woes.” The story of four women, who learn to bond on a vacation, offers many lessons about facing tough times in an inspiring, but fun read.

Carpenters Raise High the Roof Beams, and Seymour by J D Salinger – Readers will most remember Salinger as the author of The Catcher in the Rye, but this is the book that caught the attention of bibliotherapists.

They promise that Buddy Glass’s tribute to his brother Seymour, who committed suicide is not an uplifting story. Elderkin claims after reading this book readers will feel their grief is understood.

I am no bibliotherapist, but I am going to recommend two novels that I feel should be on the list. A Dog’s Purpose by W Bruce Cameron – It’s refreshing to find a dog book that is a fun-loving, uplifting book that will make readers cherish their relationship with their pets while understanding the true meaning of love and giving. Don’t get me wrong, this novel has tear-jerking moments, but the message definitely qualifies for uplifting.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – When I finished the audio version of Min Jin Lee’s book about a Korean family’s life in Korea and Japan, I didn’t know where to find a book equally satisfying.

Readers will relish the feelings of confidence and accomplishment it instils in readers.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson – It’s good to be able to laugh at politics and Jonasson’s book hits the spot for political satire. The real message of this novel lies in the lesson that explosives expert Allan Karisson sends to readers: You don’t have to be passive and depressed when you grow old.

There’s no doubt in my mind that a good book can be therapeutic.