I Want to Read a Book

I want to read a book that makes me feel less alone

—

by

Katrina Kaziow
in

Feeling alone doesn’t always mean being isolated.

Sometimes it’s the quieter sense that no one quite sees what you’re carrying, or that your inner life feels out of sync with the world around you. The books on this list don’t rush to reassure or fix. Instead, they offer companionship—through shared experience, careful observation, and the relief of being understood.

These are books that sit beside you rather than talk at you.

1. Tiny Beautiful Things — Cheryl Strayed

Drawn from Strayed’s advice column, this book is a collection of responses to people in pain, confusion, and transition. It’s intimate, generous, and deeply human.

  • Why this story matters: It reminds you that suffering is common, even when it feels isolating.
  • What felt most honest: The refusal to pretend things are neat or fair.
  • What stayed with me: You are not uniquely broken.

2. Anxious People — Fredrik Backman

A seemingly chaotic hostage situation becomes a tender exploration of fear, loneliness, and connection. This novel is funny in places, but its real strength is its compassion.

  • What this book is really about (emotionally): How people hide their pain.
  • The kind of reader who will love this: Those who appreciate warmth without sentimentality.
  • How it made me feel after finishing: Softer toward other people.

3. The Anthropocene Reviewed — John Green

Through short essays reviewing aspects of the modern world, Green reflects on meaning, illness, love, and attention. It’s quietly profound without being heavy.

  • Why this book fits this mood: It finds connection in ordinary things.
  • Emotional intensity: Low to medium, reflective.
  • Best time to read it: When you want company but not intensity.

4. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman

This novel follows a woman living a rigid, solitary life that slowly begins to open. It’s about loneliness, yes—but also about the courage it takes to let others in.

  • What this book is really about (emotionally): The cost of self-protection.
  • The kind of reader who will love this: Readers drawn to character-driven stories.
  • How it made me feel after finishing: Quietly hopeful.

If you only read one:
Start with Tiny Beautiful Things if you want immediate reassurance, or Anxious People if you want to feel less alone through story. If you need to rest and get lost in a story, Eleanor Oliphant is your girl.

Sometimes the most comforting thing a book can do is remind you that other people have felt this way too—and survived it.

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