LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
The Comfort Book is just that. A beautifully packaged, beautifully comforting hug in a book. Haig’s lists, aphorisms, quotes, case studies and recipes are an antidote to today’s busy lifestyles, medicine for our crazy lives. It is suggested that you should read it how you want; “it’s as messy as life”. And there is something incredibly liberating about being told there are no rules on opening a book. So then I flicked. Because I could. Because I was given permission to.
I came to a chapter: Short. Life is short. Be kind. And it make me stop and think about when I last displayed kindness. Am I too busy in my life juggling. existing. coping. to show kindness as much as I should.
We need to give ourselves space. To breathe. And I spent 15 minutes on that page. Six words.
Another page with 10 words I laughed out loud at. Pasta, is all I have to say.
This book really made me stop. And think. And breathe. The pace of my life stopped each time I picked it up. And that space was so needed.
The book is filled with Haig’s reflections on hope, survival and the messy miracle of being alive. He shares his collection of consolations learned in hard times and suggestions for making the bad day’s better. For now, I’m still enjoying it but know I’ll keep it by my bed or maybe next to the toilet for people to share. It’s a book to be savoured. To be enjoyed. To come back to. It’s a marathon. Not a sprint. He includes quotes from Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, Nietzsche, existential philosopher Rollo May, Bruce Lee.
Haig’s witty. He’s wise. I love the way he writes, the way he imparts wisdom, shares his nuggets on life and I recognise that I haven’t got a routine baggy enough to live in. Thank you Matt for the comfort. I’m off to make Matt’s hummus. And eat crisps. And get some “baggy” in my life.
Deborah Maclaren
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About
The Comfort Book Synopsis
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
The new uplifting book from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of a little encouragement.
Named by The Washington Post as one of the best feel-good books of the year
"It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt 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."
Don't miss Matt Haig's new novel The Life Impossible, coming September 2024
THE COMFORT BOOK is Haig's life raft: it's a collection of notes, lists, and stories written over a span of several years that originally served as gentle reminders to Haig's future self that things are not always as dark as they may seem. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world, history, science, and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780593413623 |
| Publication date: |
6th July 2021 |
| Author: |
Matt Haig |
| Publisher: |
Penguin Audio an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group |
| Format: |
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| Primary Genre |
Self Help and Personal Development
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Matt Haig Press Reviews
Full of eloquent, cogent and positive reminders of the beauty of life . . . Will prove enormously sustaining and valuable to a lot of people . . . Genuinely uplifting . . . Haig is a sensitive, introspective and thoughtful guide to the human dilemmas that affect us all -
Independent -
The Comfort Book, a collection of aphorisms and inspirational stories of survival against the odds, is a guide to living and finding hope in these disjointed times -
Guardian -
The literary equivalent of a steaming hot chocolate on a chilly day . . . The ideal read for dipping into whenever you need a pick-me-up or change of perspective -
Metro -
Pick up this book any time you're in need of a boost of positivity, calm and - as it says on the cover - comfort -
ELLE -
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 -
[A] 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 -
Praise for Matt Haig: Haig is one of the most important writers of our time -- DOLLY ALDERTON I can't describe how much his work means to me . . . The king of empathy -- JAMEELA JAMIL Love this man's books -- JODI PICOULT Matt Haig is a writer for children and adults who is adept at digging into the human heart -
Sunday Times -
Author
About Matt Haig
Matt Haig is an author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 40 languages. It is being made into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and The Guardian called it an ‘instant classic’. His novels for adults include the award-winning How To Stop Time, The Radleys, The Humans and the number one bestseller The Midnight Library.
He has sold over three million books worldwide.
Matt Haig on his teen novel, The Radleys:
"This is a story about growing up, first and foremost. About how we learn to come to terms with who we are, independent of the ideas our parents had for us. About how we decide our own identities. As well as what shapes those identities - who we choose to love, and hate, admire and fear. It is about how denying ourselves can sometimes be more dangerous than succumbing to tempation. This is the story I wanted to tell. I never set out to write a vampire story, but vampires were the obvious choice. After all, as family secrets go, you can't get much bigger than finding out you are actually a full-blown creature of the night. And hopefully it fits as a metaphor for teenage life. A life full of physical changes, forbidden cravings, and feelings of being an outsider. In that sense, we've probably all been vampires at some stage."
Author photo © Clive Doyle
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