You can’t change the past. You can’t change other people. You can change you though. You narrate this story. So start to write a new chapter. Whether it is about fitting in, facing one’s demons or happiness itself, each short anecdote, quote or simple sentence does just what the book aims to do: give comfort”— Evening Express (London) The Comfort Book is a collection of consolations learned in hard times and suggestions for making the bad days better. Drawing on maxims, memoir and the inspirational lives of others, these meditations celebrate the ever-changing wonder of living. This is for when we need the wisdom of a friend or a reminder we can always nurture inner strength and hope, even in our busy world. This is the most fitting book to bid adieu to 2021 with. The last day of a very long and extremely trying year. Thank you Matt Haig, always ❤ I truly wish you knew the effect your words have on people. the book’s unpretentiousness will enable its positive message to reach a wide and grateful readership.” — The Guardian

I’ve read, and loved, several of Matt Haig’s books, but I hesitated on reading this one. I needn’t have hesitated, but I’m glad that I did since I’d opted to add it to my library list of requests, and it arrived at the perfect time for me. You can look up stories from people just like you, who’ve gone through depression or negative, traumatic events in their life and made it. You can find inspiration in similar cases to yours, or completely different stories from people who managed to survive, push through, and create a beautiful life afterward. I liked the recipes, poems, lists, and biographies of inspiring people. I felt there could have been more of those (a list of comforting songs AND movies but no list of comfort books in THE comfort book?) and less of his little speech-y moments. I didn't dislike all of them; as I said they were just too repetitive. This book has created so many emotions in me. Matt Haig has definitely become my favorite author. I love that he can write different genres including non-fiction, a genre that I don't tend to read a lot and still, entertain me so much. No is a good word. It keeps you sane. In an age of overload, no is really yes. It is yes to having the space you need to live.It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned while we are at our lowest." The Comfort Book, a collection of aphorisms and inspirational stories of survival against the odds, is a guide to living and finding hope in these disjointed times’— Guardian My two essential books, at the moment. One is Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book. This book is like a Bible of really lovely little titbits to help you through what could be a stressful time….Very helpful. This is something that offers a very lovely amount of relief and it’s like a cuddle.” – Jonathan Bailey ( Ten Things He Can’t Live Without, GQ)

brand new reads for our 7 day count down to Halloween! BooknBrunch #Besties @danish_mustardreads shares her latest book haul with the help of her furry friends! 🎃 Whether you are going through some tough times, or simply need some occasional inspiration, there’s something worthwhile in The Comfort Book for you. Discover the evolutionary mind and body benefits of living at the edges of your comfort zone and reconnecting with the wild.

The Comfort Book is a collection of consolations learned in hard times and suggestions for making the bad days better. Drawing on maxims, memoir and the inspirational lives of others, these meditations offer new ways of seeing ourselves and the world. In the toughest moments of their life, people lose the sense of clarity and feel as if there’s no way they’ll be happy again. Finding the light at the end of the tunnel is difficult. However, if you trust that there is a way out of your situation, although you don’t know it yet. The key is to keep pushing forward, one step at a time.

Matt Haig has done it again. With his refreshing honesty and signature wit, he has managed to capture the paradox of being human while reminding readers of their worth and authenticity while practicing self-compassion and getting comfortable with feeling your feelings. I can’t say – or write – enough about this book, except it should have a special place on every book lover’s bookshelf and be made part of the school curriculum so kids grow up knowing it’s okay to feel your feelings, be committed to self-compassion, and that they can get through to the other side even if they are a little broken. After all, as Leonard Cohen sang, “that’s how the light gets in”. I learned so much from this book even though in my opinion, it was extremely short. Matt Haig talks about his mental health and the way he has struggled with it his whole life while giving you different recommendations for feel-good movies, recipes, and music. In addition, Haig tells us how we can continue our lives despite the bad experiences we have had in the past, how to appreciate imperfections as a natural part of our existence and how to accept our mental health and just allow ourselves to live. Change is eternal. In being change, you too are eternal. You are here. In this moving moment. And in being here, you are also forever. Haig draws heavily from his own experiences with being suicidal and depressed; sometimes perhaps too much so. Not every nugget of wisdom hits the mark, but then, this is "his" Comfort Book. I found it occasionally delved too deep into the philosophy; but the entries were so short, it wasn’t long before another one better suited me and hit home hard. Your value has no because. You are the right quantity. You are a full cup. You are worth yourself, and that is always enough.

Perhaps the best thing about The Comfort Book is that it inspired me to create my own personal version of it. I think everyone should have a scrapbook or compilation of things that give them comfort. We could all use something like that when life gets tough, or when we simply need to pause and show gratitude. It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard.” As the placard held up in the movie Love Actually says: "To me, you are perfect." That's how I feel about this book. It touched so many raw nerves. I teared up more than once. But the emotions it evoked were worth every single tear drop. The author of 2020’s fictional The Midnight Library and the self-help memoirs Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet has written a new little “gifting” book that’s essentially a personal journal he’s now sharing with the world. As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, he’s kept notes, lists, and quotes to help him find the sun on the dark days. To celebrate #NationalCookbookMonth, Jacqueline Hodges shares her favourite recipes from her top choice cook books!

Like with any self-help book, you take what gets at you and leave the rest. Some of it felt just a touch cheesy and overdone but it was a good mood boost overall. I love The Comfort Book so much. If you ever feel overwhelmed or stressed, read it as soon as possible. It's great! If it is a clear night, watch the stars, just as Marcus Aurelius did in times of turmoil nearly two thousand years ago." Crying releases stress hormones. Swearing increases pain tolerance. Fury can motivate us into action. Feel what you feel. Silence and smiles aren’t the only way to respond to pain. Sometimes it is good to howl.”

Do not think that the person who is trying to console you lives effortlessly among the simple, quiet words that sometimes make you feel better….But if it were any different he could never have found the words that he did.’ The English novelist and journalist has been refreshingly and unflinchingly candid about his struggles with anxiety and depression, which saw him at the age of 24 years old almost walking off a cliff in Ibiza. In The Comfort Book , which I discovered while doing a deep dive into his works after I read The New York Times bestselling worldwide phenomenon The Midnight Library , Haig shares a collection of notes, lists, and stories that serve as a gentle reminder that things are not always as dark as they may seem. I started laughing the moment I read this sentence in the short prologue: "You can throw it out of the window." And there, no pressure and no rules.