Reading Well Mood-boosting Books - Macmillan list

Our Reading Well Mood-boosting Books scheme is a national promotion of uplifting titles, including novels, poetry and non-fiction. The books are recommended by readers.
We have worked with Macmillan Cancer Support to involve people who have been diagnosed with cancer in recommending books. Below is the list of 20 titles that they have suggested. Most of the books are not specifically about cancer but have been recommended as books that people found mood-boosting during or after treatment.
- Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years by Sue Townsend
- Aphrodite's Hat by Salley Vickers
- Being Alive edited by Neil Astley
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach
- The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley
- Chocolat by Joanne Harris
- Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart
- The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Hector Finds Time by François Lelord
- Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 hours by Jamie Oliver
- Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
- The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
- My Boy Butch: The Heart-warming True Story of a Little Dog Who Made Life Worth Living Again by Jenni Murray
- Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott
- Restless by William Boyd
- Starter for Ten by David Nicholls
- This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes
- Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
If you would like a list of books about cancer, you can download the Macmillan Cancer Support list for libraries.
Get involved
You can order promotional materials for £11 per pack from The Reading Agency shop.
We are always on the look-out for more recommendations, and will publish a selection on our website.
If you have a book to recommend, email moodboosting@readingagency.org.uk with the title and a short comment or tweet your suggestions using #moodboosting