Self-Care Books for Comfort and Growth

Tune into yourself with books that will help you with your self-care goals through the Read Great Things 2021 Challenge.

A set of Scrabble tiles, some turned over so they are blank in the background, with the words SELF CARE spelled out on top

Self-care can be about taking care of yourself in many ways: emotionally, spiritually, creatively, physically, or mentally. 

Keep reading for some suggestions based on what your own self-care goals might look like, including some suggestions contributed by your Durham Tech community. 

If your self-care goal is to care for your body, mind, and spirit:

If your self-care goal is to move your body or get outside: 

If your self-care goal is to make something:

If your self-care goal is to cope with the loss of a loved one or help those you care about grieve: 

If your self-care goal is get involved to make change:


A gif of Captain Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek sitting on a lounge chair with a book in hand. Caption says, "All I require is to sit in the sun and read my book. Alone."

For some people (see: me), reading itself can be a way to practice self-care because it’s something that encourages me to relax and disengage from stressors. Reading outside in my fancy patio chair is even better.

While I like lots of types of books, sometimes my “reading specifically for self-care” choices differ from my “reading in general” choices. During those times, I especially like fast-paced slightly horror-related YA (preferably with magic), historical fiction set in the 1920s (especially about VERY rich people coping with their own privilege), crime books (especially when the perpetrator gets caught), or a fairy/folk tale rewrite (ALL OF THEM).

Other people love to catch up with their favorite prolific author, Regency, Western, or shifter romance, police procedural, murder mystery, family drama, or whatever sings to their soul. We often choose to repeat a genre when it’s used for self-care not because we’re looking for a surprise, but because we want to engage with something enjoyable and a little predictable in the best way possible. It’s comfort, the book genre-version. Be sure to check out Dogwood Digital Library for some awesome new fiction that you can access from home. 


Want to check one of these books out? You can either request it yourself through the catalog or contact us and we can get it for you and schedule a time for you to come get it.


Happy reading! And remember that any of these books fit into our favorite category– A book suggested by a Durham Tech Library staff member or on the Library blog!


Looking for more Read Great Things 2021 category suggestions? Check out our short book list from January and our outer space books from February

About Meredith Lewis

Meredith is a librarian at Durham Tech on both the Main and Orange County Campuses.