Relax on Labor Day with These 9 Feel-Good Books

A twisted truth about modern life is that sometimes relaxing can feel like the least relaxing thing in the world. When you’re used to the constant demands of always-on productivity, slowing down can feel strange, even unsettling.

So this Labor Day, we’re recommending an activity that may not be “productive” in the traditional sense, but feels restorative, enriching, and deeply worthwhile. Kick back with one of the nine feel-good books below, and you’ll be on your way to guilt-free relaxation.

Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being

By Sue Varma

From the first medical director and attending psychiatrist at the World Trade Center Mental Health Program comes a practical program to help you live fully and joyfully in an imperfect, turbulent world. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Sue Varma, in the Next Big Idea App

Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World

By Craig Foster

An Academy Award-winning documentarian reveals how we can attend to the earthly beauty around us and deepen our love for all living things, whether we make our homes in the country, the city, or anywhere in between. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Craig Foster, in the Next Big Idea App

The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife

By Ben Katt

Distilling Joseph Campbell’s classic Hero’s Journey into an accessible, ten-step program, the debut book from an advanced meditation teacher and former ordained minister is an inspiring roadmap to healing, belonging, and fulfillment. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ben Katt, in the Next Big Idea App

And How Does That Make You Feel?: Everything You (N)ever Wanted to Know About Therapy

By Joshua Fletcher

A psychotherapist takes us on a tour of the inner mind of a therapist—revealing a hilariously candid point of view on the therapeutic process, a practical guide to therapy, and maybe a few more cobwebs and dark corners than one might expect. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Joshua Fletcher, in the Next Big Idea App

World Class: Purpose, Passion, and the Pursuit of Greatness On and Off the Field

By Grant Wahl

Spanning four decades of storytelling, World Class collects the finest writing of beloved sports journalist Grant Wahl, from op-eds for his college newspaper to twenty-five years of reporting at Sports Illustrated to his deeply personal work on Substack. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by the late author’s wife Céline Gounder, in the Next Big Idea App

The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging

By

Julia Hotz

In this combination of diligent science reporting, moving patient success stories, and surprising self-discovery, an acclaimed journalist helps us discover the lasting and life-changing power of social prescribing. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Julia Hotz, in the Next Big Idea App

Sex, God, and the Brain: How Sexual Pleasure Gave Birth to Religion and a Whole Lot More

By Andrew Newberg

With research technical enough for academics, but explained simply enough for the everyday reader, Sex, God, and the Brain will reframe our understanding of the link between spirituality and sexuality. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Andrew Newberg, in the Next Big Idea App

Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV

By Emily Nussbaum

In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of “dirty documentary”—from its contentious roots in radio to the ascent of Donald Trump—a Pulitzer Prize winner unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Emily Nussbaum, in the Next Big Idea App

The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity

By Claudia de Rham

A diver, pilot, and world-renowned physicist shares how her life’s path turned from a precipitous fall to an exquisite flight toward the discovery of something entirely new about our surprising, gravity-driven universe. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Claudia de Rham, in the Next Big Idea App.