Books, herbal teas and pampering

The first months of the year are the best for reading , or rather to choose what to read: physiologically we have some good intentions in mind, in some cases it is still cold, so you are happy to stay at home, cuddled on the sofa, between the pages of a good book, with an herbal tea or hot chocolate in your hands and, for the lucky ones, a crackling fireplace.

In these few lines you will find 5 specially selected books , novels, short stories but also more targeted texts that will help you start the new year well, that is, in a desecrating and positive way, fun and in progress, profound and self-deprecating at the same time … after all, life should be taken like this, right?

Books to read in 2018

Business Insider magazine   asked Harvard professors late last year to  compile a list of books they think every student should read in 2018.

The texts proposed by eminent personalities from different sectors, Nobel laureates, scientists, economists and Pulitzer Prize winners were:

> Anna Karenina , the well-known novel by Leo Tolstoy;

> The internationalists  (original title:  The Internationalists ), a recently published volume in Anglo-Saxon countries that explains the phenomenon of the decline of war between states;

> The Theory of Moral Feelings , Ancient Text  by Adam Smith;  Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy ; Robot-Proof  by Joseph Aoun.

Sticking to the  theme of happiness , especially considering  readings in Italian , here is the list of 5 books for 2018 , for which we peeked through writings and articles that talk about ” bibliotherapy “ , the practice that invites you to browse the pages of a good book to feel good, paying particular attention to what Ceridwen Dovey wrote for The New Yorker .

Read also Books for the winter >>

New year, what to read to get started

Here, therefore, in conclusion are the 5 inevitable books for 2018 , if you have not yet read them or they do not appear on your bedside table, which could not only be good companions for happy hours and days, but also new small and simple spiritual guides, to the beyond the great classics such as Osho or Krishnamurti, to accompany the search for your personal happiness.

> ” The king of rain ” by Saul Bellow , a book from 1959 but very current, perfect for those who have just turned 50, comic and human at the same time: the protagonist, Eugene Enderson, suggests that nothing is ever lost in life , that you can get out of the box at any time, that you can turn your point of view upside down and imprint your new vision on the world whenever you want, relying on spontaneity and a smile. 

> ” Happiness comes when you choose to change your life ” by Raphaëlle Giordano , writer, artist, painter,   creativity coach, who wrote her first book with the idea that the second life begins when you really understand have only one . Perfect for those who hate the arrogant and love kindness, and for those who want to transform their thoughts to seek well-being and happiness.

> ” Sum – In the life beyond ” by Davi Eagleman , one of the most surprising books of the year 2012, through which the author-neuroscientist does not want to present life after death in a serious way, but, through a series of short stories of post-mortem experiences, desecrates the theme of the great passing away thanks to a brilliant taboo-breaking fantasy . Perfect for those who love eschatology with a Matrix ending and for those who want to console their uncertainty about transcendence, paraphrasing Voltaire “uncertainty is an uncomfortable position, but certainty is an absurd position”. 

> ” The Ministry of Supreme Happiness ” by Arundati Roy , a powerful and delicate novel at the same time, made up of parallel stories that at a certain point intersect and integrate, completing and enriching the lives of the various characters. A hard but at the same time necessary book , which always reveals a note of hope. 

> ” The Life You Want ” by Leela Lovegarden, Prasad David Wandres and Alvina Wandres . A recent book, which offers the possibility of achieving what everyone has always dreamed of, probing and understanding the intimate inner laws of attraction that push towards one thing rather than the other. The perfect book for those looking for something more from life , for those who don’t want to waste time and for those who want to get to the bottom of their talents and strengths.