Person
Matt Haig's book recommendations
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Matt Haig appears on, in one place — not just one.
Matt Haig’s most recommended books
- Winnie the Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh) by A. A. Milne
- The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
- Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
- Paris Trance by Geoff Dyer
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
- The Outsiders by S. E Hinton
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, Lewis Carroll, Lily Mathew, Lewis Lewis Carroll
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Matt Haig is an English author and journalist who writes both fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre. During podcast appearances, Haig discussed several of his own works, including the editing cuts made to his novel The Humans, the creative process behind The Midnight Library, and his early, deeply pessimistic novel The Possession of Mr. Cave, which he explicitly advised against reading. In addition to discussing his own writing, Haig recommended several books to readers. He praised A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, noting that he initially loved them as a child and rediscovered them as an adult during a period of mental breakdown, viewing them as profound sources of comfort and wisdom with hidden adult depths. He also recommended Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities as a fantastical work he returns to repeatedly, and named Geoff Dyer's Paris Trance as his favorite obscure book.
Books recommended by Matt Haig
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Winnie the Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh)
Winnie the Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh) by A.
Recommended“Winnie the Pooh is a book I loved as a child and then I loved again when I was 24 years old having a breakdown at my parents house... I think it's the ultimate self-help book that's ever been written.”
Where to get it
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The Midnight Library
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a bestselling novel about a depressed woman who finds herself in a magical library where every book offers an alternate version of her life choices.
Discussed“Midnight Library was definitely one where I thought that is a very simple idea, but I had that idea for a long time.”
Where to get it
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The House at Pooh Corner
The House at Pooh Corner is a classic children's story collection by A.
Discussed“Well, I love now looking back that it was just children's books, because I don't think I could have been reading I mean, it wasn't just children's books, there were some classics on there as well. But, it was basically books like proper childhood books like Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner and teenage books like The”
Where to get it
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Reasons to stay alive
Discussed“And in the UK, I was already a bit known for writing about mental health and I'd done so in non-fiction. I'd written a memoir/ slight self-helpy territory book called Reasons to Stay Alive.”
Where to get it
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The Humans
Discussed“I mean, with a novel I write called The Humans, I think I deleted 40, it was a small novel to start with. It was about 80,000 words.”
Where to get it
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Invisible Cities
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino is a fantastical work of magical realism featuring imaginative descriptions of fictional cities recounted by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan.
Recommended“I would say two different ones. I would say Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, which is basically every page is a different city and it's an imagined city, they're fantastical cities.”
Where to get it
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Paris Trance
Paris Trance by Geoff Dyer is a contemporary novel capturing the drifting lives, artistic ambitions, and romantic entanglements of young expatriates living in the French capital.
Recommended“Matt, what is your favorite book that you think no one else has heard of? I'm going to choose one called Paris Trance by uh Geoff Dyer.”
Where to get it
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a beloved 19th-century children's fantasy novel about a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a bizarre underground world governed by absurd logic.
Discussed“Best book I've ever received as a gift, I've got it here. And for those who can actually see this, I am holding up a Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from the 19th century, but not a first edition, alas.”
Where to get it
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Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare is a celebrated historical play that explores political rebellion, honor, and the tumultuous coming-of-age of Prince Hal as he navigates his royal responsibilities alongside the roguish Sir John Falstaff.
Discussed“And to up the pretentiousness a little bit further, it's a retelling of Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1 with Labradors.”
Where to get it
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The Labrador Pact
Discussed“So, I suppose it's 22, 23 years ago. I started writing a very strange novel, which in America it's called The Labrador Pact. My title for it was The Last Family in England, which is what it's called here.”
Where to get it
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The Last Family in England
Discussed“So, I suppose it's 22, 23 years ago. I started writing a very strange novel, which in America it's called The Labrador Pact. My title for it was The Last Family in England, which is what it's called here.”
Where to get it
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The Outsiders
The Outsiders by S.
Discussed“Well, I love now looking back that it was just children's books, because I don't think I could have been reading I mean, it wasn't just children's books, there were some classics on there as well. But, it was basically books like proper childhood books like Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner and teenage books like The”
Where to get it
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The Polar Express
Discussed“You've got Polar Express. Yeah. You've got a lot of magic trains in children's books. So, that was one of the things that led me towards the train. Cuz that's the way things happen in the Polar Express. I love that book.”
Where to get it
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The Possession of Mr. Cave
Discussed“I mean I wrote a book my third book which you won't have read no one has read. It's called the possession of Mr. Cave. It's like the most depressing book I think anyone's ever written. Everyone dies in it. There's literally no hope. I would recommend no one to read this book.”
Where to get it
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Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll is a classic children's fantasy novel and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, featuring famous scenes like Alice and the Red Queen running to stay in place.
Discussed“So, it's the closest thing I've got to a family heirloom and it was Through the Looking Glass and Alice's Adventures.”
Where to get it
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Walden
Walden by Henry David Thoreau is a classic transcendentalist reflection on the value of simplicity, self-reliance, and intentional living in deliberate harmony with nature.
Discussed“Well, I think Thoreau is like a very attractive figure for 21st century mind that feels overwhelmed by modernity and contemporary society, absolutism, everything else. Just not necessarily the real man who he was, but the idea of Walden, the idea of going into the woods, building a cabin, retreating from society, and then enriching yourself more.”
Where to get it
Books by Matt Haig
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The Midnight Library
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How to stop time
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A Boy Called Christmas
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The Humans
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Reasons to stay alive
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The Comfort Book
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The Dead Fathers Club
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Shadow forest
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The Possession of Mr. Cave
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Brand Failures
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Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest
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Radleys
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The Girl Who Saved Christmas
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Mouse Called Miika
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Life Impossible
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The Last Family in England
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The Labrador Pact
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Brand Royalty
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To Be a Cat
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Father Christmas and Me
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Haig: How to Write a Book Millions of People Read | How I Write | How I Write | 2026-08-26 | 8 |
| Matt Haig on ‘The Midnight Library,’ Mental Illness and Winnie-the-Pooh | The Book Review | 2026-05-15 | 15 |