Want to know what books Matt Haig recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Matt Haig's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a fostered family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth.
Here Sissay recounts his life story. It is a story of neglect and determination. Misfortune and hope. Cruelty and triumph.
Sissay reflects on a childhood in care, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the... more At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a fostered family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth.
Here Sissay recounts his life story. It is a story of neglect and determination. Misfortune and hope. Cruelty and triumph.
Sissay reflects on a childhood in care, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation's best-loved poets, this moving, frank and timely memoir is the result of a life spent asking questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity. less 
Recommended by Matt Haig, Matt Haig, Dave Gorman, and 3 others. Matt HaigThe brilliant @lemnsissay is one of the greatest people I am privileged to know. His story is harrowing and inspiring all at once. It is now a book called My Name is Why that you should read. https://t.co/Abf7rl6FUJ (Source)
Matt HaigThe brilliant @lemnsissay is one of the greatest people I am privileged to know. His story is harrowing and inspiring all at once. It is now a book called My Name is Why that you should read. https://t.co/Abf7rl6FUJ (Source)
Dave GormanWas buying @lemnsissay's book (because Lemn's great) and was delighted to see he was a best seller. But now I'm imagining a disgruntled book-buyer scouring this section and getting upset because the racist and discriminatory books he's looking for aren't there. https://t.co/6ortqu6rez (Source)
2
Matt HaigGreat book. Devoured this. https://t.co/Useu1A6GPt (Source)
3
There are plenty of books out there on how to survive a zombie apocalypse, all-out nuclear war, or Armageddon.
But what happens when it feels like the world is ending every single time you wake up? That's what having anxiety is like - and How to Survive the End of the World is here to help. Or at least make you feel like you're not so alone.
From helping readers identify the enemy, to safeguarding the vulnerable areas of their lives, Aaron Gillies will examine the impact of anxiety, and give readers some tools to fight back - whether with medication, therapy, CBT, coping... more There are plenty of books out there on how to survive a zombie apocalypse, all-out nuclear war, or Armageddon.
But what happens when it feels like the world is ending every single time you wake up? That's what having anxiety is like - and How to Survive the End of the World is here to help. Or at least make you feel like you're not so alone.
From helping readers identify the enemy, to safeguarding the vulnerable areas of their lives, Aaron Gillies will examine the impact of anxiety, and give readers some tools to fight back - whether with medication, therapy, CBT, coping techniques, or simply with a dark sense of humour. less Recommended by Matt Haig, Matt Haig, and 2 others. Matt Haig@TechnicallyRon Your book is brilliant. And I didn't read his book but I am guessing it wasn't. (Source)
Matt Haig@TechnicallyRon Your book is brilliant. And I didn't read his book but I am guessing it wasn't. (Source)
4
From the author of Hild, a fierce and urgent autobiographical novel about a woman facing down a formidable foe.
So Lucky is the sharp, surprising new novel by Nicola Griffith—the profoundly personal and emphatically political story of a confident woman forced to confront an unnerving new reality when in the space of a single week her wife leaves her and she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Mara Tagarelli is, professionally, the head of a multi-million-dollar AIDS foundation; personally, a committed martial artist. But her life has turned inside out... more From the author of Hild, a fierce and urgent autobiographical novel about a woman facing down a formidable foe.
So Lucky is the sharp, surprising new novel by Nicola Griffith—the profoundly personal and emphatically political story of a confident woman forced to confront an unnerving new reality when in the space of a single week her wife leaves her and she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Mara Tagarelli is, professionally, the head of a multi-million-dollar AIDS foundation; personally, a committed martial artist. But her life has turned inside out like a sock. She can't rely on family, her body is letting her down, and friends and colleagues are turning away—they treat her like a victim. She needs to break that narrative: build her own community, learn new strengths, and fight. But what do you do when you find out that the story you’ve been told, the story you’ve told yourself, is not true? How can you fight if you can’t trust your body? Who can you rely on if those around you don’t have your best interests at heart, and the systems designed to help do more harm than good? Mara makes a decision, and acts, but her actions unleash monsters aimed squarely at the heart of her new community.
This is fiction from the front lines, incandescent and urgent, a narrative juggernaut that rips through sentiment to expose the savagery of America’s treatment of the disabled and chronically ill. But So Lucky also blazes with hope and a ferocious love of self, of the life that becomes possible when we stop believing lies. less Recommended by Matt Haig, Matt Haig, and 2 others. Matt HaigJust podcasted with the great and funny @hotpatooties. Also have been reading her book So Lucky which is out in October and a total joy. https://t.co/PDfbor9VHb (Source)
Matt HaigJust podcasted with the great and funny @hotpatooties. Also have been reading her book So Lucky which is out in October and a total joy. https://t.co/PDfbor9VHb (Source)
5
Schizophrenia: whether it's the associations it conjures or the people it brings to mind, it is a word we all have a view on. How we perceive it—and how we treat people living with it—is at the core of how we understand mental health. But what do we really know? How much time do we spend listening? Do we truly comprehend this complex and often contradictory diagnosis?
In The Heartland , Nathan Filer, mental-health nurse and award-winning writer, takes us on a journey into the psychiatric wards he once worked on. He also invites us to spend time with world-leading experts,... more Schizophrenia: whether it's the associations it conjures or the people it brings to mind, it is a word we all have a view on. How we perceive it—and how we treat people living with it—is at the core of how we understand mental health. But what do we really know? How much time do we spend listening? Do we truly comprehend this complex and often contradictory diagnosis?
In The Heartland , Nathan Filer, mental-health nurse and award-winning writer, takes us on a journey into the psychiatric wards he once worked on. He also invites us to spend time with world-leading experts, and with some extraordinary people who share their stories about living with this strange and misunderstood condition. The Heartland debunks myths, challenges assumptions, and offers fresh insight into what it means to be mad, and what it means to be human. less 
Recommended by Matt Haig, Matt Haig, Suzi Gage, and 4 others. Matt HaigRead Nathan's book. It's great. https://t.co/G8ohumtovp (Source)
Suzi GageOoh look - @nathanfiler's brilliant book in Liverpool airport's WH Smiths! https://t.co/XrdVy0lGtD (Source)
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Recommended by Matt Haig, Matt Haig, and 2 others. Matt HaigGreat book. https://t.co/5cDyXq31wE (Source)
7
Some people reject the fact, overwhelmingly supported by scientists, that our planet is warming because of human activity. But do those of us who accept the reality of human-caused climate change truly believe it? If we did, surely we would be roused to act on what we know. Will future generations distinguish between those who didn’t believe in the science of global warming and those who said they accepted the science but failed to change their lives in response?
In We Are the Weather, Jonathan Safran Foer explores the central global dilemma of our time in a surprising,... more Some people reject the fact, overwhelmingly supported by scientists, that our planet is warming because of human activity. But do those of us who accept the reality of human-caused climate change truly believe it? If we did, surely we would be roused to act on what we know. Will future generations distinguish between those who didn’t believe in the science of global warming and those who said they accepted the science but failed to change their lives in response?
In We Are the Weather, Jonathan Safran Foer explores the central global dilemma of our time in a surprising, deeply personal, and urgent new way. The task of saving the planet will involve a great reckoning with ourselves—with our all-too-human reluctance to sacrifice immediate comfort for the sake of the future. We have, he reveals, turned our planet into a farm for growing animal products, and the consequences are catastrophic. Only collective action will save our home and way of life. And it all starts with what we eat—and don’t eat—for breakfast. less Recommended by Matt Haig, Matt Haig, and 2 others. Matt HaigA brilliant book. Advocates a world war scale emergency response to climate change. And reminds us how much human behaviour can change for the better when the chips are down and we understand and FEEL like the stakes are high. https://t.co/GekPX3xwN0 (Source)
Matt HaigA brilliant book. Advocates a world war scale emergency response to climate change. And reminds us how much human behaviour can change for the better when the chips are down and we understand and FEEL like the stakes are high. https://t.co/GekPX3xwN0 (Source)
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