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Like mindfulness before it, kindness has become the buzz word of 2018 as people are realising, that for a harmonious world, all we really need to do is be kind to one another.

Last year the Guardian wrote an article on the cult of kindness and how, amid all the dark and heavy news we are presented with each day, there is a 'yearning' for good news. News about kind things people have done for others.

Thus, the kindness 'trend' was born. The article also states that the difference between happiness and kindness is the former is passive while the latter is active. Being kind to someone is something you choose to do every day. Happiness is an emotion you voluntarily (or involuntarily) feel.

Kindness and mindfulness are intrinsically linked, to be truly mindful you also need to practice being kind. So it's no wonder the idea of mindfulness has evolved to encompass actively practising kindness also.

Like many ideas of their time, this trend has infiltrated literature. Below are seven of the best books about kindness.

1. Kindness: The Little Thing that Matters Most by Jamie Thurston

This book touches on 52 simple things you can do to spread kindnes, from being a seat vigilante to being kind to unkind people.

2. Dare to Be Kind: How Extraordinary Compassion Can Transform Our World by Lizzie Velasquez

Lizzie Velasquez was born with a rare genetic condition and her book is about the path to self-acceptance, tolerance, love and forging a compassionate world. It’s even been endorsed by Michelle Obama so you know it’s good.

3. Kindness: Change your life and make the world a kinder place by Gill Hasson

Gill Hasson delivers a more practical guide for how to be kind, including how to recognise kindness all around you and identifying opportunities to be kind to others.

4. The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness by Laura Kemp

This feel-good novel follows protagonist Ceri Price as she arrives in Dwynwen in West Wales. Intending to stay just two nights, she ends up staying a year to help the town rebrand itself.

5. The Little Book of Kindness by Bernadette Russell

Author Bernadette Russel pledged to be kind to a stranger every day for a year, in this book she documents what she learnt and offers suggestions to help readers practice being kind.

6. Kindfulness by Padraig O'Morain

Written by psychotherapist Padraig O'Morain, who has also penned a non-fiction book on mindfulness, this guide will help you dispel negativity in your life and show you how everyone can benefit from 'kindfulness'.