Illness: Cry of The Flesh, by Havi Carel
Spy of The First Person, Sam Shephard
The One Inside, Sam Shephard
2023 Nightstand Collective Book List
Daily Rituals Book, by Mason Currey
2021 Nightstand Collective Book List
A Cat, A Man and Two Women, Junichiro Tanizaki, Paul McCarthy
Amusing Ourselves To Death - Neil Postman
Art And Laughter, by Sheri Klein
Blood Child, by Octavia Butler
Dune, by Frank Herbert
Everybody: A Book About Freedom, by Olivia Laing
Fearing The Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, Sabrina Strings
Feminist Queer Crip, Alison Kafir
Ill Feelings, by Alice Hattrick
I’m Fine And Other Lies…, by Whitney Cummings
In Our Mad And Furious City, by Guy Gunarante
Life, I Swear, by Chloe Dulce Louvouezo
Mind of My Mind, by Octavia Butler
New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color, Edited by Nisi Shawl
The Body Keeps The Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk
The Lost Ones - Samuel Beckett
The Star and The Shamrock, by Jean Grainger
The Utopia Of Rules, by David Graeber
Visions and Longings: Medieval Women Mystics, by Monica Furlong
My Personal Book List: The most Helpful Books on The Topic of Illness
100 Questions and Answers About Endometriosis, David Redwine, MD
Adventures in Being Human, Gavin Ferancis
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Atul Gawande
Biography of a Germ, Arno Karlen
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body to Face Stress, Pain and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn
Giving Up The Ghost, a Memoir, by Hilary Mantel
Heal Pelvic Pain, by Amy Stein M.P.T
How To Be Sick, by Toni Bernhard
Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and its Metaphors, Susan Sontag
Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind, Daniel Seigel
Migraine, Oliver Sacks
Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, Daniel Siegel
Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays From Your Nervous System, by Sonya Huber
Stop Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain, by Andrew Cook M.D
Survival of The Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem
The Alchemy of Illness, by Kat Duff
The Autoimmune Epidemic, by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Van Der Kolk M.D
The Body in Pain: Making and Unmaking of the World, Elaine Scarry
The Mindful Way Through Depression, Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindal Segal, Jon Kabbat-Zinn
The Noonday Demon, Andrew Solomon
The Sound of A Wild Snail Eating, by Elizabeth Tova Bailey
The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness, by Karen Armstrong
The TMJ Healing Plan: Ten Steps to Relieving Headaches, Neck Pain and Jaw Disorders, by Cynthia Peterson, PT
The Two Kinds of Decay A Memoir, Sarah Manguso
The Wisdom of the Body: Discovering the Human Spirit, Sherwin Nuland
The Wounded Storyteller, by Arthur Frank
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, Sharon Begley
Running list of all books regarding illness from the last 5 years
A Beautiful Disaster: Finding Hope in the Midst of Brokenness, by Marlena Graves
Adaptogens: herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief, by David Winston and Steven Maimes
Addiction and Grace, by Gerald May
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book
Blue Dreams: The Science and the Story of Drugs That Changed Our Minds, by Lauren Slater
Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic, by Peter Green M.D
Chronic Babe 101: How To Create an Incredible Life Beyond Illness, by Jenni Grover
Happiness in a Storm: Facing Illness and Embracing Life as a Healthy Survivor, by Wendy Schlessel Harpham, M.D
Hope For Today, by Al- Anon
How To Be Sick, by Toni Bernhard
Living With it Daily: Meditations for People with Chronic Pain, by Patricia D Nielsen
Making Friends With Your Mind, by Pema Chodron
Stop Being Your Symptoms Start Being Yourself, by Arthur Barsy M.D and Emily Deans M.D
Surviving and Thriving With An Invisible Chronic Illness, by Ilana Jacqueline
The Alchemy of Illness, by Kat Duff
The Angry Book, by Theodore Rubin M.D
The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer
The Bipolar Handbook, by Wes Burgess
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen
The Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook, by Sheri Colberg
The Lost Years, by Kristina Wandzilak
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elizabeth Tova Bailey
The Wahls Protocol, by Terry Wahls
The War of the Gods in Addiction, by David Schoen
Think Like A Pancreas, by Gary Sceiner
This Naked Mind Control Alcohol: Find Freedom, Discover Happiness and Change Your Life, by Annie Grace
We Moon-Bound Date Book for Recording Health Stuff
Where Does it Hurt?, by Jonathan Bush and Stephen Baker
Top Ten Most Featured Books from Nightstand Collective
One of my favorite things about working on The Nightstand Collective is seeing all the books glide by, and what learning folks are diving into. What books folks are using to escape, bring joy or transport. Over the last four years there have been a number of books that show up again and again, so I thought a list featuring those might be helpful to some. So here you have it the top ten most featured books.
The Body Keeps The Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Braving The Wilderness, by Brene Brown
How To Be Sick, by Toni Bernhard
The Seat of The Soul, by Gary Zukov
Proust Was a Neuroscientist, by Jonah Leher
The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer
When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elizabeth Tova Bailey
Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
I Thought It Was Just Me, Brene Brown
2020 Nightstand Collective Booklist
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Frida, by Hayden Herrera
I’ll Be Gone in The Dark, by Michelle McNamara
Memories and Misinformation, by Jim Carrey
Mink River, by Brian Doyle
Persepolis, by Marjane Strapi
Seat of The Soul, by Gary Zukov
The Book of Symbols, by Taschen
The Body Keeps The Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk
The Lost Years, by Kristina Wandzilak
This Naked Mind Control Alcohol: Find Freedom, Discover Happiness and Change Your Life
by Annie Grace
To The River, by Olivia Laing
2019 Nightstand Collective Book List
A Beautiful Disaster: Finding Hope in the Midst of Brokenness, by Marlena Graves
A Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Adventures in Criticism, by Arthur Quiller-Couch
Aimee Semple McPherson: Everybody's Sister, by Edith Blumhofer
Captive State, by George Monbiot
Collected Poems, by Theodore Roethke
Complete Poems, by Basil Bunting
Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time, by Joseph Frank
Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist, by Hee-Jin Kim
From Marx to Gramsci, by Paul Le Blanc
I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, by Michelle McNamara
Into the Silent Land: The Practice of Contemplation, Marin Laird
Jonathan Edwards: A Life, by George Marsden
Money, by Martin Amis
New Left Review, Jan-Feb 2005
New Left Review Nov-Dec 2006
Saint Therese of Lisieux, Kathryn Harrison
Selected Poems, by Thom Gunn
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Simon Sebag Montefiore
The Affluent Worker in the Class Structure, by John Goldthorpe
The Art of the Advocate, Richard Du Cann
The Book of Margery Kempe, by Margery Kempe
The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training, by John Daido Loori
The Sea and Poison, Shusaku Endo
Who Dies? An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying, by Stephen and Ondrea Levine
Why? Looking at God, Evil and Personal Suffering, by Sharon Dirckx
2018 Nightstand Collective Book List
A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success is Wrong, by Eric Barker
Be Here Now, by Ram Dass,
Big Red Dictionary- To look up big words in The New Yorker
Blue Dreams: The Science and the Story of Drugs That Changed Our Minds, by Lauren Slater.
Braving The Wilderness, by Brene Brown
Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic, by Peter green M.D
Chronic Babe 101: How To Create an Incredible Life Beyond Illness,
by Jenni Grover
Collected Stories by Lydia Davis
Confabulations by John Berger
Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within All of Us, by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
Each Day a New Beginning, by Alex Uwajeh
Fairies, by Brian Fround
Happiness in a Storm, by Wendy Schlessel Harpham, MD
Hope for Today, by Al Anon
How To Be Sick, by Toni Bernhard.
How To Live Well With Chronic Pain and Illness, by Toni Bernhard.
I Thought It Was Just Me, by Brene Brown
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
Irrational Man, by William Barrett
Language of Letting Go
Living With it Daily: Meditations for People with Chronic Pain, by Patricia D Nielsen
Making Friends With Your Mind, by Pema Chodron
Mrs. Fletcher, by Tom Perrotta
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
One True Thing, by Anna Quindlen.
Phenomenology of Perception, by Merleau-Ponty
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsey
Playing Dead, by Elizabeth Greenwood
Proust Was A Neuroscientist, by Jonah Lehrer
Secret of a Sun King by Emma Carroll
Sing, unburied, sing- By Jesmyn Ward
Stop Being Your Symptoms Start Being Yourself, by Arthur Barksy M.D, and Emily Deans M.D.
Surviving and Thriving With an Invisible Chronic Illness, by Ilana Jacqueline.
The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer
The Best Catbook Ever, by Kate Funk
The Body Keeps The Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk
The Case for Faith by, Lee Strobel,
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen
The Debutante and Other Stories by Leonora Carrington.
The Dharmmapada, by Gil Fronsdal
The Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich
The Five Second Rule, by Mel Robbins
The Four, by Scott Galloway
The Gluten Free Diet, by Elizabeth Hasselbeck
The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
The Phenomenological Mind, by Shaun Gallagher
The Pocket Pema Chodron, by Pema Chodron.
The Seat of The Soul, by Gary Zukov, Aå
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elizabeth Tova Bailey
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counter Intuitive Approach to Living A Good Life, by Mark Manson
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Utopia For Realists, by Rutger Bregman
We'Moon-Bound date book for recording health stuff.
Where Does it Hurt, by Johnathan Bush and Stephen Baker
Women Writers of The Provincetown Players, edited by Judith Barlow
‘winter’ and ‘autumn’ by Ali Smith
2017-118 Books From 51 Nightstands of People Navigating Chronic Illness
118 books from 51 Nightstands~2017
I started The Nightstand Collective Project in order to learn what other people were doing with their time while confined to bed; what tools were they using for their physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. I have often found the process of managing chronic illness to be an isolating experience, and the times when I was consumed with trying to understand this process in my body has ebbed and flowed. I wanted to know what other people were experiencing and working with during these vulnerable times. The items on our bedroom nightstand are the most revealing in this journey. I was curious.
After a year of collecting nightstand stories I am starting to see some patterns and themes that run throughout all of the nightstands. One of and the strongest items by far is the old fashioned book. Actual paper books are thriving! A few Kindle's are featured and when they are I have asked for the top books being read at the time, but by and large books are the rule. I have gathered the list of all the books from 51 nightstands and here it is. I am simply fascinated by this list. I had anticipated the books to be primarily about illness, and was honestly surprised to find that they are hardly any on the topic of physical illness, but rather books on tools to manage spiritual and mental health. Lots of plain old fantasy distraction and coloring books are heavily used. Largely missing from this list is romance novels. Interesting.
13 Reasons Why, By Jane Asher.
A Very Short Introduction Series, by Oxford University Press
Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief, byDavid Winston, and Steven Maimes
Addiction and Grace, by Gerald May.
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book
All The Joy You Can Stand, by Debrena Jackson Gandy
Art Therapy Disney Princesses
Artful, by Ali Smith
Awakenings, by Thomas Keating.
Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success is Wrong, by Eric Barker
Braving The Wilderness, by Brene Brown
Build Your Own Independent Nation, by Sakagushi Kyohei
Calm: 50 Mindfulness Exercises to de-stress and unwind, by Dr. Arlene Unger
Chernobyl Prayer, by Svetlana Alexievich.
Children's Bible
Children's Bible.
CoDependant No More, by Melody Beattie.
Color Therapy Coloring Book
Compassion and Self Hate, by Theodore Rubin MD.
Complete Etiquette: The Complete Modern Guide For Day-To-Day Living The Correct Way, by Frances Benton.
Courage, by Anna Akhmatova
Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within All of Us, by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths.
Dorothy Must Die, by Danielle Paige.
Dust, by Patricia Cornwall
Fantastic Beasts, by J.K. Rowling
For Boys Only: The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever, by Marc Aronson.
Fourth Way Teachings, by Rebecca Nottingham.
Fragments, by Murat Yagan.
Fuck Feelings: One Shrink's Practical Advice For Managing All Of Life's Impossible Problems, by Michael Bennett, MD and Sarah Bennett.
Get Your Shit Together, by Ruth Field
Giapponeserie, by Antonio Marazzi
Going After Cacciato, by Tim O'Brien
Growing a Feast, by Kurt Timmermeister
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, by J.K Rowling
Haunthed, by Chaun Palanik
How Can I Get Better, by Dr. Richard Horowitz
How To Smoke Pot (properly): A Highbrow Guide To Getting High, by David Bienenstock
Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh
I Thought It Was Just Me, by Brene Brown
I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen, by Silvie Simmons
If You Feel Too Much, by Jamie Tworkowski
Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer.
Inner Work, by Robert Johnson.
Intern, by Doctor X
Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
Lonely Planet To Somewhere
Love Poems, by Nikki Giovani
Making Friends With Your Mind, by Pema Chodron
Man's Search For Meaning, by Victor Frankl
Managing Thought, by Mary J Lore
Maps of The Disney Parks, by Vanessa Hunt
Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs.
Morrissey Autobiography
Mrs. Fletcher, by Tom Perrotta
Multicultural Japan, Edited by Denoon, Hudson, McCormack, and Morris Suzuki.
My Brother, by Jamaica Kincaid
Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of law, by Dean Spade
Not That Kind Of Girl, by Lena Dunham
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
Painted Shadow, by Carole Seymor-Jones
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, by Thich Nhat Hanh
Practical Mysticism, by Evelyn Underhill
Proust Was A Neuroscientist, by Jonah Lehrer
Red Dust, by Gillian Slovo
Relationships, by The School of Life & Alan de Botton
Saving The Appearances, by Owen Barfield.
Selected Poems, by Sergei Esenini
Sing, unburied, sing- By Jesmyn Ward
Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult
Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, by Pablo Hidalgo, and Simon Beecroft.
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
SweetBitter, by Stephanie Danler
The Alchemy of Illness, by Kat Duff
The Angry Book, by Theodore Rubin MD.
The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer
The Bell Lap, by Muriel A Murch
*The Bible
The Bipolar Handbook, by Wes Burgess
The Book of Human Emotions: From Ambiguphobia to Umpty- 154 Words From Around The World For How We Feel, by Tiffany Watt Smith
The Christian Archetype, by Edward Edinger.
The Complete Poems and Tales of Edgar Allen Poe
The Cosmic Christ, by Hans-Werner Schroeder.
The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed & Lorraine Warren, by Gerald Brittle.
The Diabetic Athlete's Handbook, by Sheri Colberg.
The Divided Self, By R.D.Laing.
The Enchantress Returns, by Chris Colfer.
The Five Second Rule, by Mel Robbins
The Four, by Scott Galloway
The French Lieutenants Woman, by John Fowles
The Geology of The Island of Arran, Andrew Crombie Ramsey
The Healer, by Greg Hollingshead
The Lonely City, by Olivia Laing
The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann.
The Museum of Unconditional Surrender, by Dubravka Ugresic
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot, by Robert Macfarlane
The Pagoda, by Patricia Powell
The Poisoners Handbook, by Deborah Blum
The Ragmuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning
The Science of Universal Awe Vol 1, by Ahmsta Kebzeh.
The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory, by Carol J Adams
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elizabeth Tova Bailey
The Spiritual Challenge of Midlife: Crisis and Opportunity, by Anselm Grum.
The Story of The Other Wise Man, by Henry Van Dyke
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counter Intuitive Approach to Living A Good Life,
by Mark Manson
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
The Wahls Protocol, by Terry Wahls
The War of the Gods in Addiction, by David Schoen.
The Way of Hermes, by Hermes Trismegistus.
The Yellow Brick War, by Danielle Paige.
Think Like A Pancreas, by Gary Scheiner
Unbearable Splendor, by Sun Yung Shin
Unstoppable, By Bill Nye
Waking Up White, by Debby Irving
Waste Free Kitchen, by Dana Gunders
* When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron
Where Does it Hurt, by Johnathan Bush and Stephen Baker
*Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
Women Who Run With The Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
YOU are a BADASS: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness And Start Living An Awesome Life, by Jen Sincero.
You Deserve A Drink, by Mamrie Hart
(*= appears on more than one nightstand)