Reading List

Gentle things to read.

These books and gentle reads have supported us through overwhelm, quiet struggles, and moments of rebuilding. We’ve chosen titles that feel soft, accessible, and grounding, especially for people navigating trauma, grief, sensory overload, or hard days. Take what feels helpful. Leave what doesn’t. Move slowly.

BSLVideo coming soon

About our reading list, in BSL

BSL videos are being added throughout July–August 2026.

We are currently adding BSL videos across the website to make our content even more accessible. Thank you for your patience while we update. Follow us on YouTube for BSL updates.

This list is a starting point, not a prescription. Some titles are widely available in paperback, e-book, and audiobook. Others may be harder to find — we have noted UK Deaf writers and anthologies where we can.

If a book isn’t right for you today, that’s okay. You can come back another time.

Gentle Wellbeing & Overwhelm

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down— Haemin Sunim

Wintering— Katherine May

The Comfort Book— Matt Haig

Tiny Beautiful Things— Cheryl Strayed

Trauma‑Informed & Nervous System Care

Anchored— Deb Dana

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve— Stanley Rosenberg

Selected chapters from The Body Keeps the Score— Bessel van der Kolk(Can be heavy)

Grief, Tenderness & Emotional Softness

Grief Is Love— Marisa Renee Lee

The Wild Edge of Sorrow— Francis Weller

I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying— Bassey Ikpi

Short, Calm Reads

Notes on a Nervous Planet— Matt Haig

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse— Charlie Mackesy

The Poetry Pharmacy— William Sieghart

Deaf Culture & Lived Experience

Deaf Republic— Ilya Kaminsky

True Biz— Sara Nović

The Silent Child— Anders Olsson

Gentle Self‑Support Tools

Self‑Compassion— Kristin Neff

The Mindful Self‑Compassion Workbook— Neff & Germer

The Little Book of Rest— Joanna Gray

UK Deaf Writers

We also celebrate Deaf writers whose work reflects identity, culture, and lived experience.

Raymond Antrobus (UK) — The Perseverance, All the Names Given

Poetry exploring Deaf identity, family, trauma, and tenderness.

Deafinitely Theatre (UK) — Deaf playwrights

Stories and scripts created by Deaf writers across the UK.

Sophie Stone (UK) — Can You Hear Me Now?

Memoir exploring Deaf identity, motherhood, and navigating the hearing world.

Anthologies

Stairs and Whispers: D/deaf and Disabled Poets Write Back

The Unwritten: Stories from the Deaf World

International Deaf writers widely read in the UK

Deaf Republic— Ilya Kaminsky

True Biz— Sara Nović

Have a gentle read you think should be here? Email us a suggestion.