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. Ruining the present by worrying about the future is like burning your most treasured possession simply because you might one day lose other possessions that you don’t own yet. Profound, witty and uplifting, and a stirring testament to hope and the imagination”― Observer (London) It all seems a long way from the dark moment in Ibiza in 1999. Is he in that fabled “good place”? “I will for ever have to be mindful of my mental health,” he says. “I can’t take my eye off the ball. But I’m definitely in a very grateful place. I never say I’m a happy person, because that’s almost like saying you’re a sad person. It fixes you as that thing and imposes certain expectations. I try to be open to everything. The Comfort Book by Matt Haig is a collection of little islands of hope, a gathering of consolations and stories that give us new ways of seeing ourselves and the world.

The bestselling author of Notes on a Nervous Planet and The Midnight Library offers earnest reflections in this thought-provoking, affirming collection that is both personal and universal…With Haig’s trademark empathy and celebration of the resilience of the human heart, this is a book we all need and deserve.” — Booklist

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Promises two things I can’t get enough of: hugs and lists . . . After a year starved of hope and hugs to the extreme, I can’t think of a greater comfort read than that”― Evening Standard, Best Summer Reads (London) Sometimes it takes more than one perspective to change your outlook on life. When you find yourself in a situation where you feel like losing faith, don’t be afraid to borrow it from someone else. How? Get inspired by the little stories you hear from your friends, acquaintances. Look for other people’s inspiring journeys to motivate yourself. 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. The acceptance that if we are suddenly lost in a forest, there will be a way through. All we need is a plan, and a little determination."

Although this wasn't the perfect book for me, I did enjoy the authors' mission and I know this is a book that many have found helpful and loved. That's always a good thing! 3.25 stars! Bestselling Author Matt Haig Delivers Another Must-Read That Will Leave you Feeling All the Human Feelings It's a warm, cozy evening by the fire, sipping your coffee, walking through the autumn leaves after the rain, learning to breathe in and out slowly type of book. Yeah, it's comforting. Go for a walk. Stretch. Place your legs against the wall. Get some sunlight, if there is some available. Head, if you can, to somewhere green. A garden, a park, a field, a meadow, a forest.Truly, how can any of us imagine where we might be twelve months from now? But it could be in a good place. As he simply says "stay". For the person that you're yet to be, and for the people that you're yet to meet and love. 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.

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”. 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.” Discover the evolutionary mind and body benefits of living at the edges of your comfort zone and reconnecting with the wild.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.