Notes on a Nervous Planet: A Short Book Review

Notes on a Nervous Planet, as its name suggests, is a notebook where Matt Haig has scribbled his thoughts on depression and anxiety. It is a running commentary – a monologue – on the usual suspects that have made us more nervous than we ever were: smartphones, social media, news, marketing that panders to our insecurities, lack of sleep, work. It contains the germ of his bestseller, The Midnight Library, and you can almost see the birth of Nora Seed. Sample this:

The Midnight Library: A Short Book Review

In the movie, ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,’ Ben Stiller’s character is stuck in a mundane existence and often day-dreams to break the monotony and enter a life that could have been. It’s an unconventional favorite but it is the kind of movie that leaves you warm and fuzzy, just like Matt Haig’s book, The Midnight Library.

Lost Connections: A Short Book Review

I must confess something at the outset: this is the longest I have taken to finish a book this year. And it’s not on account of its verbosity or the complexity of its content, but because of its provocative nature. Johann Hari’s Lost Connections is an important read. It attempts to draw a comprehensive picture of the various aspects of anxiety and depression as they are viewed today, without resorting to esoteric language, medical jargon or indulging in pain porn.