VPL - Bibliotherapy: Literary Prescriptions for Social IsolationLike this list

20 items

• A Certain Loneliness

  a Memoir

  Lambert, Sandra Gail,

  Add A Certain Loneliness to your for later shelf

  This memoir is about being socially isolated due to illness - something some of us can probably relate to right now.

• A Confederacy of Dunces

  Toole, John Kennedy, 1937-1969

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  A literary classic, beloved by Creative Writing students everywhere. Darkly funny, it follows Ignatius J. Reilly's tragicomic story, presenting the effects that years of social isolation have on the mind.

• Good Morning, Midnight

  Rhys, Jean

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  Sasha copes with the loves and losses of her past. This stream-of-consciousness style story explores the effects of alcoholism as her downward spiral intensifies.

• Have You Seen Luis Velez?

  a Novel

  Hyde, Catherine Ryan,

  Add Have You Seen Luis Velez? to your for later shelf

  This is a novel about friendship and kindness amidst volatile times.

• Heft

  Moore, Liz, 1983-

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  You never know the new relationships you will gain, even when you are self-isolated.

• The Lonely City

  Adventures in the Art of Being Alone

  Laing, Olivia

  Add The Lonely City to your for later shelf

  I never thought of this book as a life guide, but perhaps we could all use a primer on the art of being alone.

• M Train

  Smith, Patti

  Add M Train to your for later shelf

  If you want a peek into how to use isolation for creative purposes, look no further than this dreamy, thoughtful memoir.

• The Martian

  a Novel

  Weir, Andy

  Add The Martian to your for later shelf

  It's easy to feel a bit "lost in space" right now, as we reckon with emptying streets and working from home. Maybe you'll relate to astronaut Mark Watney, isolated in space and unable to contact anyone back on Earth.

• My Year of Rest and Relaxation

  Moshfegh, Ottessa

  Add My Year of Rest and Relaxation to your for later shelf

  If your way of finding comfort is to relate to a character's existential alienation, this one is for you.

• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

  Solzhenit͡syn, Aleksandr Isaevich, 1918-2008

  Add One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich to your for later shelf

  If you need an inspiring story of resilience, start here. Ivan Denisovich is in the gulag under horrible conditions, yet he learns how to cope by taking one day at a time.

• Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel

  Hogan, Ruth, 1961-

  Add Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel to your for later shelf

  Another book filled with funny, whimsical characters that will keep you company while you are hanging out at home.

• Reasons to Stay Alive

  Haig, Matt, 1975-

  Add Reasons to Stay Alive to your for later shelf

  This memoir about Haig's struggle with depression is a good reminder that everything will be okay, despite how it seems right now.

• Small Beauty

  Wilson-Yang, Jia Qing

  Add Small Beauty to your for later shelf

  Mei, a Chinese-Canadian trans woman, learns to deal with the death of her cousin by moving into his now-empty house in a small town. This is a quiet, sensitive novel.

• Strange the Dreamer

  Taylor, Laini

  Add Strange the Dreamer to your for later shelf

  Forget your troubles for a little while as this Printz award nominee transports you to an atmospheric, imaginary world.

• Summer Hours at the Robbers Library

  a Novel

  Halpern, Sue

  Add Summer Hours at the Robbers Library to your for later shelf

  A feel-good story about a small town library, complete with bright, kind characters that you'll want to know yourself.

• Tales of the City

  Maupin, Armistead

  Add Tales of the City to your for later shelf

  If you are yearning for your friends, maybe this group will do for now. A funny, very 1970s take on community and human connection.

• We Love Anderson Cooper

  Short Stories

  Maizes, R. L.

  Add We Love Anderson Cooper to your for later shelf

  Pushcart Prize-nominated author R.L. Maizes has written a collection of short stories that focus on surviving isolation with humour. For those of you who like your laughter with a tinge of quirky darkness.

• We Went to the Woods

  a Novel

  Dolan-Leach, Caite

  Add We Went to the Woods to your for later shelf

  This novel is about five twenty-somethings who decide to go "off the grid" together into an self-sustaining compound. It is there that they experience the dangers of isolation, as their relationships grow intensely tangled.

• Wolf Hall

  a Novel

  Mantel, Hilary, 1952-2022

  Add Wolf Hall to your for later shelf

  You no longer have the excuse to not read Wolf Hall because it is too "thick." Mantel's brilliant trilogy has become a classic in historical writing literature, for a good reason. And the third book in the trilogy was just released so get…Read moreRead more of this annotation

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