The Bibliofilles

High Functioning but Barely Holding it Together: Books and Mental Health

The Bibliofilles

Show Notes

This week we’re diving headfirst into books & mental health.

Over the years we have received many messages asking for books for when life feels wobbly, overwhelming, or is unravelling at the seams, & we wanted to create a resource to help anyone who may need it.

We’ve organised our recommendations into three groups, the self help & non fiction books (from candid memoirs to practical, perspective-shifting guides), the novels that teach you through character & the gloriously escapist fantasy reads, because sometimes salvation comes with dragons.

There is also a healthy dose of lively chaos & airing of laundry! If you’ve ever needed a book to steady you, distract you, or quietly rebuild you, this one’s for you.

👇 All books mentioned are linked below 👇

How to Thrive with Adult ADHD by Dr James Kustow 👉 https://amzn.to/4bNtcWw

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 👉 https://amzn.to/3M5Pd8v

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 👉 https://amzn.to/3YYKecQ

Open Water by Dr Julie Smith 👉 https://amzn.to/4bjrlbU

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith 👉 https://amzn.to/45xHoPD

Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal 👉 https://amzn.to/3NFGpqn

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason 👉 https://amzn.to/3LTS84b

There’s Nothing Wrong With Her by Kate Weinberg 👉 https://amzn.to/45z58Tw

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah 👉 https://amzn.to/4sX4Yze

The Women by Kristin Hannah 👉 https://amzn.to/49WSw9Y

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb 👉 https://amzn.to/45YEsM0

The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz 👉 https://amzn.to/4pXR6SI

When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister 👉 https://amzn.to/4aeaTbN

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker 👉 https://amzn.to/4qErV8G

Mythos by Stephen Fry 👉 https://amzn.to/49UxzML

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson 👉 https://amzn.to/4abQsw6

The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting by Evanna Lynch 👉 https://amzn.to/4bTuYoZ

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin 👉 https://amzn.to/4rhHy68

Atomic Habits by James Clear 👉 https://amzn.to/49TMMhd

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 👉 https://amzn.to/4qEflWZ

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk 👉 https://amzn.to/4qHuKpR

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 👉 https://amzn.to/3M5Idsg

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 👉 https://amzn.to/4t7f2G7

Becoming by Michelle Obama 👉 https://amzn.to/45vGjI9

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl 👉 https://amzn.to/4aeOriI

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 👉 https://amzn.to/4jVYvjQ

Bewilderment by Richard Powers 👉 https://amzn.to/3ZwTTr7

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 👉 https://amzn.to/4qA0Of2

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 👉 https://amzn.to/4qO1NZq

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 👉 https://amzn.to/4bdlnJw

Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy 👉 https://amzn.to/4pZNnUD

Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding 👉 https://amzn.to/49Vk8fw

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella 👉 https://amzn.to/4qJE64i

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh 👉 https://amzn.to/3NET8K3

Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 👉 https://amzn.to/45R0lNt

Quicksilver by Callie Hart 👉 https://amzn.to/4rbgXYd

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 👉 https://amzn.to/49UzrVN

Discworld by Terry Pratchett 👉 https://amzn.to/4ryzkqv

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller👉 https://amzn.to/4pZOjZ9

Sponsored by London Nootropics ⁠https://londonnootropics.com⁠

Discount code for 20% off Biblio

⁠#books⁠ ⁠#booktok⁠ ⁠#booktube⁠ ⁠#bookreview⁠ ⁠#booklover⁠ ⁠#bookstagram⁠ ⁠#bookish⁠ ⁠#bookrecommendations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from The Bibliofilles

Oct 19, 2026

What does it really take to become a writer and how do you find the courage to keep writing when you know people are going to judge your work?

Oct 12, 2026

Struggling to get into reading? Think you’re just not a book person? You might simply not have found the right book yet. In this episode of The Bibliofilles, Chaya and Sophie share the books they believe can turn even the most reluctant reader into someone who can’t put a book down.

Oct 5, 2026

Is Netflix’s East of Eden getting Cathy Ames completely wrong?

Sep 28, 2026

What happens when you go undercover inside the far right and discover how easily dangerous ideas can become normalised?

Sep 21, 2026

Is fiction getting weirder?

See all episodes →