At APNI we think it is a good idea to suggest books which we hope will not make depressed mums feel more anxious or upset. We want to encourage mums to send us suggestions for books that they have enjoyed.
Cider With Rosie is recommended by GPs across the country, in the hope that its therapeutic qualities will help those with mental illness. The book, which chronicles the Gloucestershire childhood of author Laurie Lee, is one of a list of ‘mood-boosting’ books which experts hope will help those with depression, anxiety and stress.
laurieleeThe list also includes Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden and Salmon Rushdie’s Haroun And The Sea Of Stories. This list is part of the ‘Books on Prescription Scheme’.

The official list of books was drawn up by the Reading Agency in 2012 via book groups, many catering to people with anxiety and depression.

The book is one of a 27-strong list of ‘mood boosting’ books which will help those with depression
Debbie Hicks, director of research at the Reading Agency, said: ‘Readers chose books which they thought had qualities that promote well-being.
‘We have funny and humorous titles and you also get books that have quite breath-taking experiences in them.
‘Reading is a really good stress-buster. It can help you escape to another world and get out of your everyday life.
‘There’s lots of evidence that reading can really help you relax and escape and this is a good strategy for dealing with stress and anxiety.’
The full original list is below. Each year a new list is published and can be found on The Reading Agency’s website:
www.readingagency.org.uk/adults/quick-guides/reading-well/#reading-well-mood-boosting-books

The Beach Café by Lucy Diamond
Being Human by Neil Astley
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
Couch Fiction by Philippa Perry
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord
Life According to Lubka by Laurie Graham
Life with the Lid Off by Nicola Hodgkinson
A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Men at Work by Mike Gayle
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
Tackling Life by Charlie Oatway
That Awkward Age by Roger McGough
To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell
Trouble on the Heath by Terry Jones
A Winter Book by Tove Jansson
Stop What You’re Doing and Read This – Various contributors
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
Waterlog by Roger Deakin
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett