Books for lonely times

Books can be a friend at 3 a.m. They can show you that someone else has felt exactly what you feel. And talking about a book is one of the easiest ways to connect with new people.

Ways to read for free

• Your public library. Library cards are usually free for people who live in the area. Libraries lend books, large-print books and audiobooks, and some even lend e-readers. Librarians are glad to help you find something you'll like.
• Libby. A free app made by OverDrive. Sign in with your library card to borrow ebooks, audiobooks and magazines on a phone, tablet or computer. What's available depends on your library.
• Hoopla. Some libraries also offer Hoopla, with ebooks, audiobooks, comics, music and films. Monthly borrowing limits vary by library.
• Audiobooks. Listening while you walk, cook or lie awake can feel like having someone read to you. Both Libby and Hoopla offer them.
• If reading print is hard (low vision, blindness, or a physical or reading disability), the U.S. Library of Congress runs the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (opens in a new tab). It is free, mails audiobooks and braille at no cost, and lends players. Outside the U.S., ask your library about similar services.

Book clubs

A book club gives you a reason to meet the same people again and again, and something ready to talk about.

• Library book clubs are usually free. Many libraries have several: for older adults, young adults, mystery fans, and more.
• Bookstores, community centers and places of worship often host them too.
• Online book clubs work well if you can't get out, live rurally or prefer to type.
• Start one. Two or three people and one book is enough. See start something.

Nonfiction

• Together, Vivek H. Murthy (2020). A former U.S. Surgeon General explains why loneliness is so common and how we can rebuild connection.
• Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick (2008). A clear look at the science of loneliness from a pioneering researcher.
• The Lonely City, Olivia Laing (2016). A writer alone in New York finds company in the lives of artists who also felt alone.
• Braving the Wilderness, Brené Brown (2017). On true belonging, which starts with being yourself rather than fitting in.
• Bowling Alone, Robert D. Putnam (2000). A landmark study of how Americans drifted away from clubs, neighbors and community, and why it matters.
• Self-Compassion, Kristin Neff (2011). How to treat yourself with the kindness you'd show a friend, from the researcher who helped define the idea.
• The Good Life, Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz (2023). Lessons from a study that has followed people's lives for more than 80 years, pointing to relationships as key to a good life.
• Platonic, Marisa G. Franco (2022). A practical guide to making and keeping friends as an adult, drawing on attachment research.
• Quiet, Susan Cain (2012). A respectful look at introverts and how they can thrive in a loud world.
• Wintering, Katherine May (2020). A gentle book about resting and recovering during the hard, cold seasons of life.
• Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl (first published in German in 1946). A psychiatrist who survived the Nazi camps writes about finding meaning even in suffering.

Fiction

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman (2017). A lonely, routine-bound woman is slowly drawn into friendship by a kind coworker. It deals with past trauma and dark thoughts.
• A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman (2012 in Swedish). A grumpy widower is brought back to life by his noisy new neighbors. It includes suicide attempts.
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce (2012). A retired man sets out to post a letter and keeps walking, meeting strangers along the way.
• The Midnight Library, Matt Haig (2020). A woman explores the lives she might have lived and rediscovers why her own matters. It opens with a suicide attempt.
• The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (2020). A lonely, rule-following caseworker finds a found family on a magical island.
• Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (2022). A widow working nights at an aquarium forms an unlikely bond with a very clever octopus.
• Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004). An aging minister writes a long, loving letter to his young son.
• Charlotte's Web, E. B. White (1952). A lonely pig, a loyal spider and the meaning of true friendship; worth rereading as an adult.

Picture books (for children and everyone)

• Frog and Toad Are Friends, Arnold Lobel (1970). Short, funny stories about two very different friends who look after each other.
• Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers (2005). A boy tries to help a penguin find home and learns what the penguin really needed.
• The Invisible Boy, Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Patrice Barton (2013). A quiet boy no one notices until one small act of welcome changes things.
• The Rabbit Listened, Cori Doerrfeld (2018). When something goes wrong, the friend who helps most is the one who simply listens.
• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy (2019). Simple drawings and kind words that many adults keep by the bed.

For films with a similar spirit, see movies and shows with a hopeful message.