It was early one Monday morning when I received an email from Lucy Pearson. She tells me she's been loving my book round-ups on RUSSH (the highest of compliments to an avid reader), and introduces herself as a trained bibliotherapist – yes, a bibliotherapist – and asks if I'd like to participate in a session, followed by a book prescription.

Needless to say, I was thoroughly intrigued, and I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to explore deeper. I email Lucy back with excitement, tell her I'd love to catch up and we promptly set up a time to Zoom one another at the end of the next week.

For context, I'd consider myself a lover of books and reading – perhaps above average in how many I consume, but certainly not to the level of some of my English-majoring, Lit Salon-attending friends whose Goodreads goals are simply too staggering to think about. I enjoy the classics (your Woolfs and Orwells), some lit-fic (your Rooneys and Moshfeghs), and plenty of essayists (from Tolentino to Lebowitz).

But don't be fooled – I struggle with plenty (*cough* Hemingway *cough*) and don't always feel in the mood to read, so it was interesting to sit down with Pearson for our session to see what advice and direction she might point me in. It was a little nerve-wracking even, to think about how my tastes could be judged, or my reading habits picked apart – but as soon as Pearson, smiling, appeared on my screen, all worries felt put to bed.

Gracious, calming and the utmost professional, she guided me through a series of questions to help her prescribe my next few reads. What books did I love? What books did I hate? What books did I feel ambivalent about? What times of day do I read? And by the end of our hour together I felt satisfied that she had gotten to the core of my tastes.

And one week later – impeccably wrapped might I add – a box awaited me on my desk with three books inside, each accompanied by a handwritten note about why they had been selected for me. (Pearson also sent me a digital prescription that included links to letters and short stories by authors I had mentioned in our session – so thoughtful and precise.) I couldn't help but think what a wonderful gift a session would be for a loved one.

Her recommendations for me were apt – Floor Sample by Julia Cameron, The Argnonauts by Maggie Nelson, and Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan. And while I'm yet to tuck into them (I'm committed to finishing Didion & Babitz, which landed on my desk the other week), I'm already feeling assured they'll be new favourites among my reading stack.

If you're still wondering how to define the science of bibliotherapy – what it means, what one might do, how the process of matchmaking works – then rest assured. I asked Pearson all of your (and my) burning questions too:

How did you hear about bibliotherapy? Is it a new-age science or something that’s been around for a while?

I can’t remember precisely when I first came across bibliotherapy, but it’s a practise that has been around for a while. The concept of books as a source of healing can be traced back to ancient civilizations: one of the first known uses of books as a form of therapy was the library of Pharaoh Ramses II in Egypt, which was reportedly inscribed with the phrase 'House of Healing for the Soul'. The term bibliotherapy itself was coined in 1916 by American essayist Samuel Crothers in an article in The Atlantic Monthly.

What was the qualification process like to become a bibliotherapist? What did it involve?

I trained with the UK-based company Book Therapy, completing an online course structured into modules that explored various aspects of bibliotherapy. The course covered everything from identifying who can benefit from bibliotherapy to selecting the right books to support clients. While the training was valuable, the sessions I offer aren’t purely therapeutic. I work with clients on a wide range of goals – from diversifying their reading choices to developing better reading habits, or even guiding those who’ve never read a classic and want to know where to start.

What does bibliotherapy actually entail day-to-day for you?

I work with clients all over the world to help improve their reading life, but alongside bibliotherapy sessions I also work as a freelance writer and I curate libraries for hotels, wellness retreats and Airbnbs.

People find me via my website, my Substack The Literary Edit or my Instagram, and they then book in for one of four different appointments I offer: The Reading Reset, The Constant Reader, A Year of Guided Reading or The Seasonal Reading Subscription.

They range from a one-off bibliotherapy session with a digital prescription, to a year-round bibliotherapy experience designed to flow with the seasons. I’ve also recently partnered with UK charity, Book Aid International, with $10 from each appointment being donated to the charity which provides books to thousands of libraries, schools, universities, hospitals, refugee camps and prisons around the world.

How does your process of book matchmaking work? What do you look for and what do you avoid?

I avoid offering matching people with very obvious recommendations. I would never prescribe someone a book by an author they’ve told me they like – anyone can walk into a bookshop and do that. Sometimes there’s a lot of research involved – other times less so, and it very much depends on how similar my reading taste and repertoire is to that of the person I’m working with.

If, for example, I speak to someone who reads similar books to me, it’s a much more straightforward process than if the person is heavily into sci-fi or dystopian books – neither of which are genres I’ve read much of. I will often scrawl through independent publishers’ catalogues – such as Slightly Foxed and Daunt Book Publishing – to find any hidden gems that they might have available to suit my client. Again, most people are aware of big publishers and their bestseller list; it’s my job to go a bit beyond what’s readily available to find something a client might otherwise not have come across.

What would someone be surprised to know about the profession?

One surprising aspect of bibliotherapy is how deeply personalised it is. Many people might think bibliotherapists simply recommend a few popular books, but the process involves an in-depth understanding of a client’s emotions, goals, and life circumstances—as well as a deep and wide-ranging knowledge of books.

You can get in touch with Lucy Pearson via her website The Literary Edit and follow her musings on her Substack.