Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah

Bijal Shah

Hi, my name is Bijal Shah and I am a bibliotherapist and founder of Book Therapy (a bibliotherapy and literary curation practice: www.booktherapy.io). I'm also the author of the book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading (https://bit.ly/bibliotherapybook).  I curate book prescriptions and provide online training in bibliotherapy, more detail of this can be found on my website, www.booktherapy.ioIn this podcast, I share my knowledge and research on bibliotherapy, including the latest developments, science and book recommendations. Join me every week where we take a deep dive into Bibliotherapy. We release two episodes a week:1.  Voicenotes fom Me, Your Resident Bibliotherapist.2.  Ask the Bibliotherapist: Book Recommendations for What's On Your MindJoin our member-only  subscription here to listen to all episodes for free. To get access to corresponding transcripts: https://bibliotherapywithbijal.substack.com/subscribeI hope you enjoy the show and if you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading (https://bit.ly/bibliotherapybook) a helpful companion.Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like the transcripts to all episodes,  you can join our member-only subscription on Substack: https://bibliotherapywithbijal.substack.com/subscribeAnd as always, I love hearing from listeners so if you'd like to get in touch, share any book recommendations or thoughts on bibliotherapy, you can do so at bijal@booktherapy.io

  1. 8H AGO

    40 Books from 2025 You Need to Read in 2026

    In this episode of Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah I reflect on the most powerful, inspiring, and thought-provoking books of 2025 — the ones you’ll want to carry with you into 2026. From breakout literary fiction and moving memoirs to transformative nonfiction and hidden indie gems. I explore how these books can both entertain, and inspire personal growth for the year ahead. Whether you’re looking for comfort reads, bold new voices, or stories that challenge and heal, this episode is your reading prescription for the months to come. Tune in for an insightful, heartfelt conversation about why these books really stood out this year — and discover your next favorite book for 2026. If you'd prefer to read this, you can do so here: https://bibliotherapywithbijal.substack.com/p/40-books-from-2025-you-need-to-read Hope you enjoy the listen! Email us at bijal@booktherapy.io Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like access to the transcripts, do subscribe to my substack: Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Transcripts on Substack. If you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading a helpful companion. ****************************************************************************************** Get 10% off with code PODCAST on the following: Online Bibliotherapy Courses Personalised Book Prescriptions Bibliotherapy Sessions You can also follow us on your preferred platform using the links below: Instagram Facebook

    1h 5m
  2. NOV 4

    The Romantic Comedy and Bibliotherapy

    In this week’s episode of Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah, we turn our attention to one of the most joyful yet underestimated genres in literature — the romantic comedy. So often dismissed as light or escapist, the rom-com is in fact one of the most powerful forms of emotional storytelling, offering laughter, tenderness, and deep psychological insight. We’ll explore how romantic comedy functions as a form of bibliotherapy — a way of healing through reading and emotional reflection. From Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to modern favourites like The Flatshare and Bridget Jones’s Diary, these stories trace the journey from chaos to clarity, self-doubt to self-acceptance, and loneliness to connection. I’ll also be unpacking the role of the romantic hero — from the proud, emotionally guarded Mr. Darcy to today’s more vulnerable and emotionally intelligent figures — and how their transformation mirrors our own healing journeys. Along the way, we’ll discuss how humour, hope, and the rhythm of love stories can help us recover from stress, heartbreak, or burnout, teaching us that joy is not frivolous but restorative. Join me as we rediscover the romantic comedy and the role of humour as a therapeutic intervention in bibliotherapy. Email us at bijal@booktherapy.io Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like access to the transcripts, do subscribe to my substack: Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Transcripts on Substack. If you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading a helpful companion. ****************************************************************************************** Get 10% off with code PODCAST on the following: Online Bibliotherapy Courses Personalised Book Prescriptions Bibliotherapy Sessions You can also follow us on your preferred platform using the links below: Instagram Facebook

    25 min
  3. OCT 31

    Life Imitates Art: AI, Relationships, and the Insights of Utopian & Dystopian Fiction

    In this episode of Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah, I explore how contemporary fiction and nonfiction depict love and relationships between humans and artificial intelligence.  Blending utopian and dystopian perspectives, I examine novels such as Klara and the Sun, Machines Like Me, and Frankissstein, alongside nonfiction works by thinkers like Sherry Turkle and Susan Schneider.  Utopian stories portray AI as capable of empathy and moral growth, offering new forms of connection, while dystopian visions warn of emotional automation and the commodification of intimacy. Nonfiction writers echo these tensions, questioning whether real affection is possible with machines and what our longing for digital companionship reveals about human loneliness.  Is AI both our mirror and our muse? Join me as we explore all this and more! Hope you enjoy the listen.  Email us at bijal@booktherapy.io Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like access to the transcripts, do subscribe to my substack: Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Transcripts on Substack. If you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading a helpful companion. ****************************************************************************************** Get 10% off with code PODCAST on the following: Online Bibliotherapy Courses Personalised Book Prescriptions Bibliotherapy Sessions You can also follow us on your preferred platform using the links below: Instagram Facebook

    23 min
  4. OCT 26

    The Role of Romantic Storytelling in Bibliotherapy

    In this week’s episode of Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah, we explore the quiet, transformative power of love stories — and how the romance genre can become a profound tool for emotional healing. From the classic worlds of Jane Austen to the modern intimacy of Sally Rooney, and from the wisdom of Bell Hooks and Erich Fromm to the poetic tenderness of Alain de Botton, we look at how stories of love — in all their beauty and heartbreak — help us understand ourselves and others. Through the lens of bibliotherapy, I’ll unpack how reading about love can validate our experiences, repair our emotional wounds, and remind us that connection and hope are still possible - even in an age of disconnection. I hope you enjoy the episode and as always, all thoughts/reflections welcome! x Email us at bijal@booktherapy.io Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like access to the transcripts, do subscribe to my substack: Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Transcripts on Substack. If you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading a helpful companion. ****************************************************************************************** Get 10% off with code PODCAST on the following: Online Bibliotherapy Courses Personalised Book Prescriptions Bibliotherapy Sessions You can also follow us on your preferred platform using the links below: Instagram Facebook

    23 min
  5. OCT 16

    On Love, Loneliness, and the Literature That Heals Us

    In this opening episode of Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah, I trace love’s enduring role as literature’s greatest subject, and explore love not as sentimentality, but as a profound human discipline that shapes how we live, connect, and heal, from divine longing to intimacy, navigating loss and loneliness. I reflect on the paradox of modern loneliness: that the deepest ache is not the absence of others, but the longing to be truly seen. Drawing on the words of Erich Fromm, Rumi, and Kahlil Gibran — and novels from Pride and Prejudice to Normal People — I explore how reading love stories and romance can mend the fractures of the heart and remind us that belonging is possible. I also discuss how the romantic comedy is an important literary device in this respect — a gentle rebellion against cynicism — and explore how it offers a space for forgiveness, courage, and restoration of faith in love’s ability to connect, heal and empower us. Email us at bijal@booktherapy.io Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like access to the transcripts, do subscribe to my substack: Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Transcripts on Substack. If you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading a helpful companion. ****************************************************************************************** Get 10% off with code PODCAST on the following: Online Bibliotherapy Courses Personalised Book Prescriptions Bibliotherapy Sessions You can also follow us on your preferred platform using the links below: Instagram Facebook

    17 min
  6. SEASON 4 TRAILER

    Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Season 4 Trailer

    Excited to share Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah is back with Season 4! In Season 4, I’ll be sharing my 40 best books of 2025 to read in 2026 across both fiction and non-fiction — and yes there are some surprise reads in there! We’ll also dive deep into the role of the romantic comedy in healing — and what it means to be a romantic hero: someone who, despite a hundred heartbreaks, can still say, “I still believe in love.” After all, most of us have been heartbroken — if not by a person, then by a loss of any kind. We’ll analyse characters who embody romantic heroism, and what they teach us about endurance, vulnerability, and faith in connection. From my favourite romance books from age 0 to 43, to AI and love in utopian and dystopian futures, and the timeless wisdom of Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving — this season is a love letter to literature and to life. We’ll also explore books to help us cope with disconnection, loss, and heartbreak over the festive season, and why true and lasting love often brings us closer to the divine. And finally, I’ll share my most anticipated reads and bibliotherapy predictions for 2026 — stories that will heal, uplift, and inspire. First episode drops this Thursday. Hope you love it! x Email us at bijal@booktherapy.io Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like access to the transcripts, do subscribe to my substack: Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah - Transcripts on Substack. If you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading a helpful companion. ****************************************************************************************** Get 10% off with code PODCAST on the following: Online Bibliotherapy Courses Personalised Book Prescriptions Bibliotherapy Sessions You can also follow us on your preferred platform using the links below: Instagram Facebook

    4 min

Trailers

About

Hi, my name is Bijal Shah and I am a bibliotherapist and founder of Book Therapy (a bibliotherapy and literary curation practice: www.booktherapy.io). I'm also the author of the book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading (https://bit.ly/bibliotherapybook).  I curate book prescriptions and provide online training in bibliotherapy, more detail of this can be found on my website, www.booktherapy.ioIn this podcast, I share my knowledge and research on bibliotherapy, including the latest developments, science and book recommendations. Join me every week where we take a deep dive into Bibliotherapy. We release two episodes a week:1.  Voicenotes fom Me, Your Resident Bibliotherapist.2.  Ask the Bibliotherapist: Book Recommendations for What's On Your MindJoin our member-only  subscription here to listen to all episodes for free. To get access to corresponding transcripts: https://bibliotherapywithbijal.substack.com/subscribeI hope you enjoy the show and if you'd like a bibliotherapist in your pocket then you might find my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading (https://bit.ly/bibliotherapybook) a helpful companion.Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and get new episodes as they are released. If you'd like the transcripts to all episodes,  you can join our member-only subscription on Substack: https://bibliotherapywithbijal.substack.com/subscribeAnd as always, I love hearing from listeners so if you'd like to get in touch, share any book recommendations or thoughts on bibliotherapy, you can do so at bijal@booktherapy.io

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