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First, welcome to all the new subscribers! I’m so glad you’re here.
I’ve been sick this week and not sleeping much, which means writing a full essay was pretty much out of the question. But I don’t want to lose my momentum. Posting weekly is a goal for this Bipolar(ish) brain of mine, and I’m determined to stick with it.
I love books. Mostly nonfiction. (I am trying to read more fiction). I’m endlessly fascinated by why we humans do what we do, how we can grow, and how to keep our brains and bodies healthy. Especially when you live in a body that doesn’t always cooperate.
So, instead of writing an essay, I did what any self-respecting insomniac would do: I went down a rabbit hole in my Audible and Kindle libraries and started making a list of books I’ve loved, learned from, and leaned on over the years. This took a long time, but I think it was worth it. Hopefully, you agree.
One hundred books later, here we are.
Apparently, I have a lot of feelings about books.
Rather than overwhelm you with all 100 at once (you’re welcome), I’m splitting the list into two parts.
This week is Part One: Books That Helped Me Learn How to Be Sick.
These are the books that helped me navigate chronic illness, health shame, burnout, anxiety, and the sometimes exhausting business of having a body and a brain that don’t always cooperate. Some helped me understand what was happening to me. Others gave me tools to calm my nervous system, rethink old patterns, or simply feel a little less alone.
Next week, I’ll share Part Two: Books for the Rest of Being Human, with recommendations on friendship, relationships, creativity, midlife, memoirs, and all the other things I’m endlessly curious about.
Some of these books changed my life. Some made me feel seen. Some I just remember really liking.
This isn’t a definitive list of the best books ever written. It’s simply a collection of books that met me where I was, often when I needed them most.
I’ve organized everything into categories and pulled out a handful of favorites to make browsing easier. And when Part Two comes out next week, I’ll include a downloadable PDF with the complete 100-book list and my notes. The whole shebang.
Consider this a little bookshelf you can return to whenever you need something.
Pour something warm, browse around, and take what you need.
The Books I’d Hand You First
If you don’t have the time or inclination to wade through all these recommendations, start here.
These are the books that stayed with me. Not necessarily the best books on the list, whatever that means. Just the ones that have meant the most to me, particularly when it comes to navigating illness, understanding myself, and figuring out how to live a full life when things don’t go according to plan.
Burnout | Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
One of the most important books I’ve ever read. 📖 + 🎧 Both
The Invisible Kingdom | Meghan O'Rourke
Helped me name what I went through.📖 + 🎧 Both
What My Bones Know | Stephanie Foo
Absolutely riveting. One of my favorite books ever. I especially recommend the audiobook. There's a little surprise at the end that makes listening worth it. 🎧 Listened”
Bittersweet | Susan Cain
One of my all-time favorites.📖 + 🎧 Both
When Things Fall Apart | Pema Chödrön
Really helped when my health was falling apart, and it still does. 📖 Read
Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life | James Hollis
My favorite Hollis book. Essential reading for the second half of life. 📖 + 🎧 Both
Part One: Books That Helped Me Learn How to Be Sick
On chronic illness, shame, healing, and making peace with an uncooperative body.
Chronic Illness
The Invisible Kingdom — Meghan O’Rourke. A super important read for me. Helped me put words to what I'd been through. 📖 + 🎧 Both
When Things Fall Apart — Pema Chödrön. Really helped when my health was falling apart, and it still does. 📖 Read
Between Two Kingdoms — Suleika Jaouad. Beautiful and heartbreaking, as is her Substack. 📖 Read
What Doesn’t Kill You — Tessa Miller. A great book for us sickies. 📖 Read
Tell Me Where It Hurts — Rachel Zoffness. Great tools for working the pain “volume knob” on my illness. 🎧 Listened
The Way Out — Alan Gordon. A great book with the same volume knob idea.🎧 Listened
Mind Your Body — Nicole J. Sachs. I love her Substack too. 📖 Read
How to Be Sick — Toni Bernhard. Inspired the opening song of my solo musical. 📖 + 🎧 Both
🎶 Speaking of learning how to be sick, here’s the opening song from my original musical, Molly Bell’s Hysterical, appropriately titled “How to Be Sick.” Have a listen! 👇
How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness — Toni Bernhard 📖 Read
On Being Ill — Virginia Woolf. Research for my musical. 📖 Read
Famesick — Lena Dunham .I didn't expect to relate to this one as much as I did. Turns out, we had more in common than I imagined. 🎧 Listened
Health Shame
You Don’t Look Sick! — Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman, MD. A book for my health shame. 📖 Read
What It Takes to Heal — Prentis Hemphill. A book for my health shame. 📖 Read
Stress and Burnout
Burnout — Emily and Amelia Nagoski. One of the most important books I’ve ever read. 📖 + 🎧 Both multiple times!
Healing and Trauma
Bittersweet — Susan Cain. One of my most favorite books. 📖 + 🎧 Both multiple times!
What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo. Riveting, one of my best reads ever, best on audio. 🎧 Listened (obviously)
There I Am — Ruthie Lindsey. A great memoir. 📖 Read
Calming and Letting Go
Glimmers — Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillips. Loved it. The one I return to for remembering how to calm my nervous system. 🎧 Listened (good at sleep time)
Wintering — Katherine May. I need help learning to rest, and this helped. 🎧 Listened (good at sleep time)
Comfortable with Uncertainty — Pema Chödrön. Awesome. We all need help with that. 📖 Read
No Mud, No Lotus — Thich Nhat Hanh. A great one, and peaceful. 📖 Read
Confidence — Ethan Nichtern. A great book, Buddhist-centered. 📖 Read
Waking Up — Sam Harris . A sometimes listen when I can’t sleep. I mostly follow his Waking Up podcast. 📖 + 🎧
Gentle — Courtney Carver. I remember liking it at night time. 📖 + 🎧
Let That Sh*t Go — Nina Purewal and Kate Petriw. A simple Buddhist book in a “girlfriend’s guide” voice. I enjoyed the audio more than reading it. 📖 + 🎧
The Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein. Anything by him is amazing. A Buddhist psychologist, calm, rational, and very helpful. (Thoughts Without a Thinker, Advice Not Given, The Trauma of Everyday Life). 📖 + 🎧
Stress, Habits & Understanding My Brain
ADHD and Relationships
The ADHD Effect on Marriage — Melissa Orlov. A great pick if you have a partner or child with ADHD (or you both do), especially for the parent-child dynamic. 📖 + 🎧
Focus, Habits, and Technology
Dopamine Nation — Anna Lembke. She’s awesome, and has a particularly great story about her addiction to romance novels. 📖 + 🎧
Digital Minimalism — Cal Newport. It’s why I brick my phone. 📖 + 🎧
Happy — Derren Brown. Loved it. Practical insights, and his reading is charming. 🎧 Listened
Better Than Before — Gretchen Rubin . Loved it. A bit type A for me, but super helpful with practical tips. I love her podcast too and a lot of her books. 📖 + 🎧
Wise Effort — Diana Hill, PhD. Enjoyed this one, though I'm honestly not sure I finished it. Which probably means I should go back and finish it before recommending it. 😂 📖 Started
And that’s Part One!
These are the books that helped me make sense of being sick, calm my nervous system, understand my brain, and occasionally stop fighting with myself.
Next week, I’ll share Part Two: Books for the Rest of Being Human. We’ll get into friendship, relationships, creativity, midlife, memoirs, and all the other things I’m endlessly curious about.
Because as much as illness has shaped my life, it isn’t the whole story.
And thank goodness for that.
One little favor before you go!
If you found this list helpful, I’d love it if you’d share this post on Substack. I’m growing Between Sick & Well organically, and every share helps new readers find their way here.
And if you enjoyed it, tap that little ❤️! Those hearts help too.
Not subscribed yet? I’d love to have you here. It’s free!
Thanks for reading, sharing, and helping Between Sick & Well find its people.
New Here? A Few More Things I’ve Written ❤️
If you’re new to Between Sick & Well, here are a few other pieces you might enjoy. I write about chronic illness, mental health, creativity, and the sometimes ridiculous business of being human.
Happy reading!
Stay Well(ish) & Keep Creating,
♥️ Molly