National Book Month

Reading: it gives us mental stimulation and reduces stress; it provides us with knowledge and education; it helps expand our vocabularies, memories and creative imaginations. The mere act of opening a book invites us into another world, which can often distract us from stressors and give us a much-needed respite from our daily lives. Studies indicate that even only six minutes a day of reading can reduce overall stress by up to 68%.

Each October, we celebrate National Book Month: a month-long observation created by the National Book Foundation that reminds us of the critical importance — and benefits of — reading, writing and literature. For this #NationalBookMonth, we polled our readers on book recommendations focused on eating disorders and mental health conditions.

Here are some of your suggestions:

• The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
• Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnston
• Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
• Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life by Melody Moezzi
• Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
• Relationships: The Key to Love, Sex, and Everything Else by Dean Sherman
• The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World by Alan Downs
• Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders by Jennifer Gaudiani
• Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia by Stephanie Covington Armstrong
• The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Stop Surviving Start Fighting by Jazz Thorton
• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
• Emotional Agility by Susan David
• The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
• Life Without ED by Jenni Schaefer
• Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds by Kara Richardson Whitely
• Pound for Pound: A Story of One Woman’s Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life by Shannon Kopp