Bibliotherapy Is The Latest Wellness Trend And We’re Here For It

LU: How did you first get into book curation? Were you inspired by a certain stay somewhere?

LP: It all happened quite by chance. I was reviewing a sleep retreat in Italy for a UK broadsheet, and I’d asked the PR if I could bring a plus one. Sometimes with media famils you’re able to, sometimes you aren’t, but it’s always worth asking! They said yes, so I took my mum with me, and we had the most incredible week together—and they even let my mum have several treatments at the spa. They had an onsite library at the hotel, but most of the books were in Italian or German, so—as a thank-you—I sent them a box of English books to add to their library for English-speaking guests.

About nine months later, having completely forgotten about the books I sent, the spa director from the Italian retreat got in touch and said she was overseeing the opening on a women’s only wellness club in Abu Dhabi, and asked if I would be interested in curating a library for their designated reading room. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance!

You’ve curated book collections for stays like Captains Rest and The Voyager in Tasmania. What’s involved in creating a really good library? What are all the things you think about?

Most of the libraries I’ve curated have been made up of lovely, second-hand books. It’s important to me that libraries have a lived-in feel, and I don’t want guests to be afraid of thumbing through a pristine book that has no signs of wear and tear. I take a two-pronged approach, and think about both content and appearance: I want the books to look good, but I also want there to be substance to them too.

This usually involves hunting around for different editions—for example, one library I curated recently had quite a lot of classic literature, but the colour palette was sage greens, teals, blacks and off-whites, so—rather than sourcing the bright orange Penguin Classics that most people will be familiar with—I found some gorgeous black hardbacks in a second hand shop in Somerset when I was visiting family in the UK.

What are some of the briefs you’ve received that have challenged you?

The brief for the wellness club in Abu Dhabi required a more thorough level of research than others, as all books had to be respectful of Muslim culture. This means I needed to carefully assess each book I chose to ensure it met those criteria.

What stays come to mind when you think about beautifully curated book collections or libraries? 

Oh gosh, so many! B2 Boutique hotel in Zurich is a recent favourite—it has around 33,000 books in the dining area so is an absolute book lovers dream. I loved Hotel Altstadt in Vienna, and an old favourite is Cas Gasi in Ibiza, which has a gorgeous library suite. 

Some of Lucy’s curation work at Saltmarsh on the NSW Central Coast

Your bibliotherapy sessions sound fascinating, when did you begin this offering?

During lockdown, I began offering bibliotherapy sessions through my local bookshop, Gertrude & Alice in Bondi, where I co-founded and host The Bondi Literary Salon. What started as a slightly tongue-in-cheek idea quickly gained traction as more people began asking for reading recommendations—either because they had more time on their hands or were dealing with increased stress and anxiety due to the pandemic. I’ve since gone on to train in bibliotherapy with Book Therapy, a UK-based company, to better understand how to use books as a form of therapy. Combining this training with my passion for literature, I truly enjoy helping clients deepen their reading habits and find meaningful connections through books.

Who typically books them and what have some of the results been like?  

I always caveat my appointments by saying that I’m by no means a therapist—just an avid and passionate reader who wants to help others read more. My focus is more on offering personalised book recommendations that go beyond simply suggesting the latest release by a favourite author. I also work with clients to address common pain points in their reading lives, whether it’s finding more time to read or overcoming a reading slump, and help identify strategies to resolve these challenges.

Do you remember the very first book you ever read?

Sadly I don’t, but one of the first books I remember reading with my mum was Little Lost Angel by Janet Field Heath. 

What was the last book you couldn’t put down? And what’s next on your reading list?

I’m currently reading my way through the New York Times Best 100 Books of the 21st Century, with the aim of finishing them all by my fortieth birthday—so I have about eighteen months and sixty books to go. Subsequently, a lot of my reading at the moment is dictated by this list. Next up I’m reading The Overstory by Richard Powers, and Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward and—as for the last book I couldn’t put down, I loved Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout. 

You can find out more about Lucy’s library curation services and bibliotherapy sessions at The Literary Edit, subscribe to her Substack, and/or follow her on Instagram at @the_litedit

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