Whether your sitting bedside while someone you care for sleeps, waiting for the results of a surgery in a hospital sitting room, or trying to decompress after a long day, you need good books to read in the hospital. These five books will lift your spirit.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things, Jenny Lawson

Yes this book is about mental illness. And yes this book is laugh out loud funny. Author Jenny Lawson is down-to-earth, wildly funny, quirky, and kind. And her book is a reflection of her. Read it to not feel alone. Read it to laugh out loud.

Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls, David Sedaris
Speaking of funny, anything by David Sedaris will make you laugh so hard you snort. But Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls is my favorite. Maybe that’s because I read it in a hospice home at a time when I really needed a laugh. From his father eating dinner pantless to the pygmy skeleton he finds in a shop, Sedaris can make any subject entertaining.

Ten Poems To Change Your Life, Roger Housden

Roger Houdsen compiled ten  poems that inspire you to think about what matters most and help you find the beauty in every thing. Two of my favorites are “The Journey” by Mary Oliver and “Love After Love” by Derek Walcott.

One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
You can lose yourself in this beautifully written novel described as magical realism. The story spans centuries and generations and blurs fantasy and reality. And of course, the theme of solitude will appeal to any overtaxed caregiver.

How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Terry McMillan

This one may be 12 years old, but it’s escapism fiction at it’s best. Stella is the kind of woman that makes other women ask, “How does she do it all?” Her life is a well-oiled machine. But then she takes a vacation and falls in love. And Stella decides to mix things up!