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Your Mood-boosting Books recommendations

In May we launched a new list of Mood-boosting Books with Macmillan Cancer Support. The list includes titles recommended as uplifting by people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Most of the books aren’t specifically about cancer, but they’ve been recommended as books that people have found mood-boosting during or after treatment.

We asked you to share your recommendations of mood-boosting titles and we’ve received a number of them on Twitter since the launch.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn Ella Minnow Pea

Priscilla McClay’s suggestion always puts a smile on her face. Join Ella Minnow Pea on the fictional island of Nollop, where the Council has started banning certain letters of the alphabet.

The Life and Times of the Thunder Bolt Kid by Bill Bryson The Life and Times of the Thunder Bolt Kid

Kath does not recommend reading this book in public: ‘Bits of it are hysterically funny. You’d snort out loud on the train.’ In his memoir, Bill Bryson travels back in time to share the hilarious moments of his childhood.

Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody &
The Good Women of China by Xinran
The Good Women of China

Jess Evans’ recommendations are both about overcoming struggles. Not Without My Daughter is ‘the true story of one woman’s struggle to keep her child and win freedom for them both’. The Good Women of China invites the reader to listen to the voices of women in China as never heard before.
The Cellist of Sarajevo

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

Although this book is filled with sadness and pain, Joanne Monk says it is ‘the redemptive message’ of The Cellist of Sarajevo which makes it an uplifting book for her.

Get involved

Books have a different impact on every reader. Do you prefer laugh-out-loud books or are your uplifting choices about overcoming challenges? Tell us about your mood-boosting books by emailing [email protected] or sharing your suggestions on Twitter using #moodboosting.

Find out more about the new Macmillan Mood-boosting Books list.

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