Hope is a precious thing. It can make the impossible seem like child’s play. But our daily life tends to get to us and as lethargy sets in, it’s often difficult to look at the brighter side of things. I feel this is where books can come in, to show us a different side to life and remind us that even though things might look bleak sometimes, we can always turn things around. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey has always been able to have honest and empathetic conversations with people. In Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey’s ‘What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing’ she puts the trauma therapist on the spot, and together they discuss what trauma does to the brain, focusing mostly on what a traumatic upbringing does to your overall development. They also explore the importance of community and connection for healing. You might not be inclined to pick up a book on trauma when you want to feel better and hopeful but this has some valuable lessons about life.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

I know many voracious readers who love this book. I read it on the recommendation of a relative and I loved it. It’s essentially a self-help book with lots of practical advice on life and love and everything in between. With instructions on how to live a creative life, Gilbert has written a book that you will find yourself going back to time and again. The author discusses how fear plays a key role in all our decisions and shows us how by acknowledging fear and not trying to run away from it, we can strip it of its power. ‘Big Magic’ is an enjoyable read that will give you a lot of food for thought. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in August 2007. The university has a tradition of inviting professors to give a lecture as if it were their last. What would you share? What life lessons have you learned? What advice would you give? Randy’s ‘Last Lecture’ was titled ‘Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams’ and it actually was his last lecture. He passed away in July 2008, shortly after the publication of the book early that year. The book or the lecture is full of stories from Randy’s childhood, his life as a husband and a father, and the lessons learned along the way. It’s wildly optimistic and funny as well. Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune T J Klune is a fabulous writer. His book ‘The House on the Cerulean Sea’ is one of my absolute favorites. His stories are empathetic and leave a lasting impact. ‘Under the Whispering Door’ is a whimsical fantasy novel about a man named Wallace Price who dies and becomes a ghost. It’s a story about what it means to be a ‘good’ person and how you can live a life that you won’t regret when the end eventually comes. The book is about death and grief and it would have been a depressing read had Klune not gotten the balance between the serious stuff and the lighter moments right. And thanks to an engaging plot, the book leaves you feeling hopeful. The Humans by Matt Haig ‘The Humans’ is a humorous look at the human condition as seen by an alien. The narrator comes from the planet Vonnadoria, where life is based on math, logic, and rationality. There are no emotions to deal with. The narrator comes to Earth to kill a Cambridge University professor named Andrew Martin who has discovered the Riemann hypothesis, a real mathematical conundrum involving prime numbers, that the Vonnadorians believe holds the key to space travel. At the beginning of the book, Martin has been killed and an alien inhabits his body. He quickly absorbs all the knowledge but doesn’t understand the ‘human customs’ and that leads to some hilarious incidents. Through the eyes of an alien, we are forced to see humans (aka ourselves) as we truly are. It makes for some eye-opening moments.