The good reading guide for the soul

CURLING up with a good book is a well-trodden route to relaxation. But now a Scots psychologist has gone a step further, compiling a "reading list for the soul" to help stressed-out workers deal with the pressures of the global recession.

• Dr Mary Brown has selected five books she believes will help people to cope with work pressures and their effects on relationships. Picture: Complimentary

Dr Mary Brown says the five books she has selected - ranging from a classic detective novel to a book of love poetry by the Poet Laureate - could help people to cope with job uncertainty and long working hours when they are reluctant to go sick to deal with work pressures and its effects on relationships.

Dr Brown, of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, devised the list from a shortlist of almost 500 books, fiction and non- fiction, covering the categories of "work", "love", "friendships", "spirituality" and "fun".

The books chosen are: The Long Good-bye by Raymond Chandler, Love Poems by Carol Ann Duffy, A Complete Guide to the Soul by Patrick Harpur, What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

The booklist is part of Dr Brown's research "Work 'Til We Drop" project, examining reasons for taking or not taking sickness leave during the recession.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) say sickness levels have fallen for the third year in a row. They reveal that 1.7 per cent of men and 2 per cent of women had taken at least one sick day in the previous week in 2009. The equivalent data for 2001 was 2.6 per cent for men and 3 per cent for women.

Dr Brown said: "Most workers have mortgages to pay and don't have the option of downsizing or leaving their jobs. In the current economic climate, they are more likely to be waiting for the 'tap on the shoulder', telling them they are out of a job.

"This leads to tremendous stress, but people feel they have to be at their desks to protect their jobs.

"From my research, I identified a real need among people to boost their self-respect when in a job they could not risk leaving. Counselling has its benefits, but books can be dipped into at any time in a more private and deeper capacity.

"These books are inspiring and address people's issues, giving them subtle hints on how to resolve them without preaching at them. They will give them the confidence it's not them at fault, it's the workplace and that there are ways of bringing meaning to your life without packing in your job."

David Lonsdale, assistant director of CBI Scotland, said: "I agree with Dr Brown's general point that people need to face up to the reasons why they are stressed and try to do something about it. Our own research shows employers take stress and the mental wellbeing of their staff very seriously, and recognise that a pro-active approach has a positive effect on morale, absence rates and productivity.

"Non-work-related stress, in particular, is a significant cause of absences, and two-thirds of employers have policies or services in place to help staff cope, such as access to counselling and occupational health, flexible working and job redesign."

Dan Franklin, of Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate, said: "A reading list for the soul is an interesting idea, especially in such tough times. All books are good for the soul, but I can see why narrowing down the number to those addressing different aspects of human nature would be very effective."

Mr Franklin, who this year helped Canongate to secure the rights to The Pacific, the book of the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks Second World War blockbuster television drama, added: "The only thing I would always be cautious about is the idea of someone telling you what to read. Reading is an adventure you should explore for yourself."

Five of the best to help stressed workers cope with the recession

1. A Complete Guide to the Soul by Patrick Harpur

Looks at spirituality.

A search for the meaning of life by a theorist-cum-philosopher who is developing a cult following.

Dr Brown says: "Harpur dips into different philosophies and religions, showing how we can take a little from each one to find meaning in our life.

"He stresses that this world is not just materialistic and how to make sense of the world of imagination.

"It is a highly unusual book which takes the mind to a different level."

2. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (1953)

Addresses problems with friendships.

Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend accused of murdering his wife.

Dr Brown says: "Most detective novels, like those by Ian Rankin, are easy to read but not demanding. The Long Goodbye is about the nature of friendship. Marlowe helps a man who becomes a friend. This chap appears a really charming person who gets people to what he wants. The truth about his exploitative nature only emerges at the end.

This is a dark and humorous book, examining the highs and lows of friendships."

3. What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles

Offers guidance on work/career direction.

A guide for career change.

Dr Brown says: "On the surface, this is a blueprint for changing career. But in reality it shows people how to understand and market themselves in a tough job climate.

"It makes clear that you don't have to be a job-seeker to do this and that paid employment is not the sole marker of making a contribution to society."

4. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

For fun. The novel about 14-year-old Lily Owens, living in South Carolina in 1964, who flees tragic family circumstances and seeks solace with a black sisterhood of beekeepers.

Dr Brown says: "This is a no apologies, non-right-on, indulgent fun book with a message about hope.

"It focuses on the mesmerising world of bees, but also on the light and shade nature of human nature."

5. Love Poems by Carol Ann Duffy (2010)

Helps with troubled love life.

Collection of poems charting a relationship from hopeful beginning to bitter end.

Dr Brown says: "Duffy is accessible and doesn't use complicated language. This work doesn't have a happy ending, but has a resolution that quite often relationships do not work out.

"It helps to make sense of why relationships go wrong. Her poem Text, which includes the words 'I tend the mobile now/like an injured bird' reflects the 'is-it-on-is-it-off?' way texts are universal and torturous to many in love."