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Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman

We’re true believers in the idea that fantasy can transform you as well as any of its storied magicians — after all, so very many readers and thinkers got started on the printed stuff by way of fantasy: certainly a life saver, or at the very least changer, that. Gaiman is always a good bet, whether you’re looking for a gateway drug or your addiction is old hat, but this book in particular, a selection of short fictions, was recently picked out by the UK’s Society of Chief Librarians and the nonprofit Reading Agency as one of the mood-boosting books that they think could mitigate some people’s need for actual prescription drugs. “It is hoped those with ‘mild to moderate’ mental health conditions will try out the idea before turning to prescription drugs — many of which can have unpleasant side effects,” The Daily Mail explains. We can’t advocate skipping out on your medicine, but we can advocate reading this book.