Read Yourself Happy : How to Use Books to Ease Your Anxiety. This book is much more than the subtitle suggests, and is more about how to use books as a balm and support for anything, not just anxiety. I really enjoyed it, and love to see what books other people love and why. I have come away with a reading list, both classic and modern with a good variety of books on. I love the idea of 'self help' and healing by books, what could be better and more nourishing. There are bonus interviews with bestselling authors including David Nicholls and Catherine Gray. The book is divided into chapters dealing with all sorts of things such as happiness, romance, sexiness, humour, and relatives. So you could read it cover to cover or prescriptively depending on how you feel. There is lots of nourishing advice and information, such as when you return to a beloved book you will always see something new, and how to use books for emotional release. I loved the variety and the way the author suggests classics and modern books. It is a book about books that just makes you feel good. The perfect prescription for book lovers everywhere.

Books about books are one of my Achilles heel / catnip books and I heard about this one in passing and knew that I had to read it as soon as possible and it really didn't disappoint.

In many ways this book could be used in the same way as other bibliotherapy titles - you could look up what you want a book to help with and then just read that chapter and take notes about the books suggested, but for me there was such a personal strand of autobiography running through the book that I found it more like an autobiography/collection of autobiographical essays that happened to recommend books to you!

What made this book so much better than the others I've read in this vein is that the books are all reasonably modern books, and ones that you find everywhere as Buchanan makes the point that all reading can be therapeutic - it doesn't have to be a classic book or anything heavy.

I can see this making a great book group discussion book where members talk about the books that help them with the emotions/feelings talked about.

"Read Yourself Happy" is a fun read for book-lovers. It is full of anecdotes with suggested book titles, interviews with authors and reassurance of books as he right balm to heal whatever ails you. Highly recommended and great as a gift. Pub Date: February 6, 2025. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC,

#ReadYourselfHappy

I love reading, I love lists and recommendations and I am interested in mental health so this is really the book for me. I have already planned who I will buy it for when it comes out. Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy. I pretty much inhaled this in a couple of days and have now made a rather long reading list of new suggestions and old favourites.

I think this book is better for newer "self-help" readers, as it read more light and encouraging than practical and helpful.

Read Yourself Happy by Daisy Buchanan extols the benefits of reading and how different books can get you through various difficult experiences that life throws at you.

This book feel more like a journal exercise about books. There not a lot of recommendations and the one included are about pretty known book so I wasn't convinced sorry

Daisy Buchanan provides the ultimate guide on the benefits of reading, and it has equipped me with countless facts for replies when I'm asked, "Don't you have enough books?"

Whether you're just starting your reading journey or are a seasoned bookworm, this book covers everything. While you might think it focuses solely on anxiety-related reads (which I admit I initially thought), it offers so much more. With chapters dedicated to reading for freedom, happiness, sexiness, and various book recommendations, I feel fortunate to have read this before publication.

Buchanan's writing style shines in this part memoir, part self-help book, making it accessible to everyone. The fluidity of her prose allows for a quick read; I finished it in just three days, even while jotting down notes as I went along. I could have read it even faster.

If I had to sum up why you should read this book in one sentence, I would quote Daisy Buchanan: "Reading saves sanity!"

This is a well-deserved five-star read, which I definitely will be purchasing in 2025!