Journalist and presenter Sara Carbonero relies on a curated selection of literature spanning emotional fiction, survivor memoirs, and mindfulness guides to process personal loss and change, according to public interviews and publisher catalogues.
The Power of Grief and Family Bonds in Fiction
Carbonero’s reading choices frequently center on themes of resilience, family bonds, and processing grief. According to statements published by Women’s Health and referenced across cultural coverage, her reading list balances established literary voices with contemporary works designed to provoke reflection.
Among her selections is Las frases robadas by José Luis Sastre (Plaza & Janés), a debut novel following a daughter reconstructing her father’s life through memories and left-behind words. Carbonero described the story to publishers as one that “stirs” and “moves” readers while reclaiming the present moment.
Her shelf also features El verano en que mi madre tuvo los ojos verdes by Tatiana Țîbuleac (Impedimenta), a brief, intense European novel about a young man named Aleksy spending a final summer with his ailing mother, shifting from resentment to reconciliation, as detailed in literary reviews. Susanna Tamaro’s Donde el corazón te lleve (Seix Barral) offers an epistolary novel structured as an elderly woman’s confession to her absent granddaughter, examining family secrets and personal conscience.
Memoirs of Survival and Literary Recovery
Paul Auster’s Baumgartner (Seix Barral) provides a warm narrative focusing on a philosophy professor and writer engaging with the memory of his late wife, touching on time, grief, and emotional recovery. Alongside it sits Paula by Isabel Allende (Debolsillo), an autobiographical account written by Allende while her daughter was gravely ill, serving as an intimate exploration of family history and loss.
The selection extends to harrowing historical and personal accounts. Viktor Frankl’s El hombre en busca de sentido (Herder) serves as a psychological testimony and memoir detailing the psychiatrist’s survival in concentration camps and exploring human freedom and purpose. Additionally, Mis ganas ganan by Elena Huelva (Montena) is a direct memoir by the late activist regarding her experience with Ewing’s sarcoma, praised by Carbonero for its courage and insistence on living fully in the present despite adversity.
Mindfulness, Thrillers, and Youth Literature
Balancing heavy memoirs with other genres, Carbonero enjoys Castigo by Carme Chaparro (Espasa), an agile thriller centered on a child’s disappearance and family secrets, which she cited as a compelling page-turner.
For mindfulness, she turns to El poder del ahora by Eckhart Tolle (Gaia), a contemporary personal growth guide that, according to her remarks to Women’s Health, she enjoyed reading for its focus on letting go of past and future anxieties to inhabit the present. Her reading circle also dips into youth literature with De mayor quiero ser… feliz by Anna Morató García (Beascoa), a collection of six children’s stories addressing emotional concepts such as self-esteem, positive language, and frustration in family settings.
Wellness Routines and Balanced Living
Alongside her reading habits, Carbonero maintains a deliberate approach to wellness following her recovery from ovarian cancer in 2019.
In her interview with Women’s Health, she noted that she incorporates reformer pilates, cardio, and strength training into her routine while avoiding extreme regimens. Regarding nutrition, she stated that her household minimizes sugar, dairy, gluten, and red meat consumption, emphasizing a balanced lifestyle focused on mental and physical well-being.
Worth a look