The Comfort Book

Aptly named, The Comfort Book is filled with comforting thoughts, anecdotes and snippets of wisdom from author Matt Haig. This tiny book shines a light on the importance of emotional intelligence as Haig shares personal experiences with his own mental health and the wisdom, he's learned to help readers weather their tougher times.

The messages are brief yet often powerful and it's the kind of book you can pick up during stressful times, when a nugget of hope is needed. This is the kind of book you don't have to read in order - and honestly, you probably shouldn't read it in a sitting or two like I did. It's meant to be read in short bursts when a comforting nudge is needed because reading all 250 pages gave the book a bit of a repetitive feel. 

This is a self-help/self-care kind of book that doesn't read as too 'self-helpy'. Introspective and sometimes poignant, this wee book is filled with messages of comfort, hope and inspiration and will have readers highlighting many passages.

Some memorable quotes:

“Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.”

“To know which path to take, it helps to take a few wrong ones.”

“Don’t absorb criticism from people you wouldn’t go to for advice.”

“Self-forgiveness makes the world better. You don’t become a good person by believing you are a bad one.”

“The pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”

“You can’t climb a mountain that you pretend isn’t there.”

“It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned while we are at our lowest.”

“But it is helpful to remember that our perspective is our world. And our external circumstances don’t need to change in order for our perspective to change.”

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Matt Haig

Genre: Self Help, Nonfiction

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Canongate

First Published: July 6, 2021

Read: Sept 16-17, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: Reflections on hope, survival and the messy miracle of being alive

It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned 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.

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.

A book of timeless comfort for modern minds.