Book Rx

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photo via Remodelista (print available here, too)

photo via Remodelista (print available here, too)

Sometimes I wish there were a book doctor, someone you could go to and say "I'm feeling _____ and I really need a book that will ______." Of course, in many neighborhoods and corners of the universe, librarians and booksellers serve this purpose really well. But it's not a given that I've found that person in every place I've lived (like right now, for instance) and sometimes I'm left kind of floundering trying to find that next book that suits my mood/energy level/location/calendar. I'm guess I'm longing for a Lucy-in-Peanuts kind of situation where there's a little booth and "the book doctor is in" and she writes up just the perfect literary medicine for what ails me.

So, in case you feel the same way, consider these a few book prescriptions tailored to your mood and inclination, from me to you (and heading into this long weekend, you might want to have a book at the ready just in case):

If you want a fun, romcom (or drama/comedy) kind of read perfect for a holiday trip:
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center (and her other books)
The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos (and her other books)
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan
The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

If you want an atmospheric, wintery read (on the heavier/more dramatic side):
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandrew Dumas
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Possession by AS Byatt

If you want to travel in a literary story to another land or time:
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes

If you want a pep talk to be brave, be yourself, be creative:
Rising Strong (& Daring Greatly, too) by Brene Brown
Year of Yes by Shonda Rimes
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

If you want a satisfying (and sometimes heartbreaking) family-style saga:
History of the Rain by Niall Williams
Martin Marten by Brian Doyle
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Peace like a River by Leif Enger
Rain of Gold, Victor E Villasenor
Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Kate Morton's books
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (and others of his, too)

If you want a fun, chatty read--like a lunch out with friends:
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron (& also I Remember Nothing, too)
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Real Moms: Making It Up As We Go by Lisa Valentine Clark

If you want a page-turning series--binge reading :
The Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny (#11 came out this year)
Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series (#5 came out last year)
The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard (WWII Britain family saga series)

If you want to dive into some ideas:
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
Sacred Fire by Ronald Rolheiser
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
Living a Life that Matters by Harold Kushner
Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
Global Mom: Eight Countries, Sixteen Addresses, Five Languages, One Family by Melissa Dalton-Bradford
Disrupt Yourself by Whitney Johnson

Now it's your turn ! What book suggestions/prescriptions would you give for various moods and circumstances? I'm definitely on the prowl for my next favorite.

For more reading/book gifting suggestions, check out these other books we've loved. And we always share what we're currently reading on the side column over there-->