Can Bibliotherapy Actually Help with Anxiety and Grief?

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

It Takes a Village to Keep a Secret

This summer, Andrea Robin Skinner, the youngest daughter of Nobel-winning writer Alice Munro, revealed that she was sexually abused by her stepfather—Munro’s husband—and that Munro knew about the abuse and did nothing. Further, many family members, friends, and associates kept the secret, weaving a web of silence and complicity that held for decades, until after Munro’s death this May. Colleagues of Munro’s who knew of the abuse came out in support of Skinner and corroborated her story when she spoke out in July. Now, the New York Times‘s Giles Harvey has a deeper look into what Alice Munro knew and why she stayed silent. This is damning stuff.

Shelf Help

I tend to look askance at headlines about bibliotherapy because while yes, books are powerful and can be life-changing, I’m wary of the tendency some book lovers have to act like reading is a panacea. Sure, put a book on it, but also: take your meds, go to therapy, drink water, exercise, get some sleep. Ya dig? I’m looking for a well-rounded approach, which is why I appreciated this conversation about the role books can play in addressing anxiety, depression, and grief. More like this, please.

All the Non-Book Gifts Book Riot’s Staff Recommend This Year

Buying books for fellow bibliophiles is a minefield! Here are a bunch of recommendations from the Book Riot staff for great gifts that aren’t books.