Samaritans has launched an online book club to encourage self-care and raise vital funds for the charity.
At a time when looking after our mental health and human connection is more important than ever, the Feel Good Book Club provides an opportunity for readers to chat over a cuppa and a good wellbeing book.
Award-winning author and How to Fail podcast presenter, Elizabeth Day is supporting Samaritans’ Feel Good Book Club to get the public turning pages and chatting with like-minded book lovers from the comfort of their own home.
Elizabeth loves getting lost in a good book and shares how reading provides an escape from the troubled times we now face.
“Reading has a huge and unquantifiable impact on my wellbeing. It enables me to lose myself in a different world when things feel too tough in the real one, and it also enables me to imagine myself into different lives, encouraging qualities of empathy and understanding. Lately I have been reading books that I have never had time to get around to in the past, and that has included a few classics. There is something wonderfully reassuring about reading a classic novel which has stood the test of time and which reminds us of the universal nature of human fears, loves and desires. Their existence reminds me that this too shall pass.”
Award-winning author, Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth also credits reading for helping her through the breakdown of her marriage: “Lots of books have had a positive impact on me, but the one that sticks in my mind is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, which I read as my marriage was coming to an end. It felt like my precise experience reflected on the page, which made me feel less alone and gave me the strength to push on through some of the darkest times of my life.”
Each month, members will receive a bumper box with an uplifting book and carefully chosen gifts which will be based on a specific wellbeing theme, from beautiful stationery to organic treats. All books have been handpicked to inspire and surprise readers with fantastic stories of self-healing, gratitude or overcoming adversity.
The excitement doesn’t end once the book’s finished, as club members are invited to come together and review the read of the month on the Feel Good Book Club Facebook group.
All proceeds from the Feel Good Book Club will go towards Samaritans and help the charity to support anyone struggling to cope. Book lovers can pick from a range of monthly and annual subscription plans in order to find the best package to suit their needs. Prices start at £16.49 per month for the annual subscription.
Subscribe or learn more about the book club today
Visit the feel good book club website