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A Lit Life

Latest Podcast Episodes & Posts

Books to Celebrate Festivus

December 20, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Festivus is on December 23rd and I am celebrating in books. If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you know what I’m talking about and if not, get ready to explore a made-up holiday that many celebrate around the world. Today, I’m sharing a collection...
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Fabulous Book Adjacent Holiday Gifts

December 15, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
So, how’s your holiday shopping going? Today, I’m sharing over ten book and notebook adjacent gift ideas for the readers and writers in your life…including yourself! Think bookmarks, book embossers, innovative sticky notes, writing gloves and much more.  Here they are in no particular order (note: some of these are Amazon...
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Three Must-Read Holiday Picture Books

December 13, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
We all have different definitions of what holiday reading means to each of us, but I hope there’s one thing we can agree on: Holiday picture books are the BEST kind of reading. =) Today, I’m sharing three holiday picture books to update my basket of holiday books nestled under my...
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Ten Middle Grade & YA Books Every Adult Should Read

December 12, 2022 in Books & Reading, Children's Literature
Childhood is ripe with imagination in real life and in books. And while many children adore fantasy books that take them outside of the realm of possibility, I’ve found that fewer adults tend to do so freely. But that can change with this list. Here are ten middle grade and young...
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Paper Crafting with Debra Glanz

December 8, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
As a book-lover and notebook-hoarder, I love all things paper. I love the smell of it. I love the feel of it. I love the way it holds ideas that others have shared with me and that I’m sharing with others. It’s kind of an obsession. That’s why I’m so excited...
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Four Holiday Books for Your December TBR Stack

December 6, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
It’s the most wonderful reading time of the year.  Reading under a warm blanket, next to a crackling fire that illuminates the twinkling Christmas tree lights is my very favorite place to be.  And reading books that embrace the holiday spirit is the frosting on the Christmas cake.  Today, I’m sharing...
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A Journaling Challenge to End 2022 Strong

December 1, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Are you ready to end 2022 strong and start 2023 with a resounding bang? Yes? Well, then you need to start this 30-Day Journaling Challenge with me. Today. Come listen as I share everything related to the challenge: why you need to give it a try, what it’s all about and...
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Three Books Crowdsourced from Friends & Fiction

November 29, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
I recently had a wonderful dilemma: my mother took me on a book shopping date to choose my own books as my Christmas presents this year. Think good coffee, a beautiful bookstore and books. Lots of books. =) So, how did I choose which books to make my own? I crowdsourced...
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ABOUT

Stephanie

A book-loving, notebook-hoarding bookologist on a mission to change lives one book and one notebook at a time.

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Stephanie's books

Paperweight
Paperweight
by Meg Haston
I read this hauntingly beautiful book on the recommendation of my teenage daughter. She told me it was powerful, told me I wouldn't want to stop reading it...and she was right. Meg Haston invites readers into the mind of Stevie, causing ...
The Gifts of Imperfection
it was amazing
The Gifts of Imperfection
by Brené Brown
I haven't stumbled across anything written by Brene Brown that I did not love and this book is no exception. Written so conversationally as if Brene was literally speaking directly, and only, to me, I could'n help bu be personally moved ...
I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
it was amazing
I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
by Anne Bogel
True to its title, this book was simply delightful. I felt like I was talking with a long-lost friend, a fellow book-lover whose life was just as entangled with the plots, settings and characters of fictional books as they were those in ...
Some Places More Than Others
it was amazing
Some Places More Than Others
by Renée Watson
It was almost like I was reading a book that was written just for me, even though the daily lives and locations of the characters were vastly different. The theme of love, self-worth and family connection was prevalent on each and every ...
Touching Spirit Bear
it was amazing
Touching Spirit Bear
by Ben Mikaelsen
This book shook me to my motherly core. I read this with my 13-year old twins as part of a school assignment and was swept into Cole's story of literally fighting for survival and for love. My children were drawn to Cole's story of survi...

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This book was a gorgeous exploration into love, lo This book was a gorgeous exploration into love, loss, family and the complications among them. Tasked with clearing out her family’s home after both her parents passed, Plum wades through the objects of the home and the emotions of her heart. It’s filled with lyrical writing and an invitation to consider our own roots, our own stuff and our next moves.

#ALitLife
#Memoirs
Surprise! I’m here with a bonus episode to close Surprise!

I’m here with a bonus episode to close out the end of National Library week with a delightful middle grade biography of an important bookish figure: Ursula Nordstrom.

Plus, for the first time ever, I invited an additional guest on to share the book love with me. Come listen!

@mother_goose_librarian
#KidLitLove PODCAST LINK IN BIO!
#ALitLife
#MiddleGrade
A Note From My Nudge Notebook… This week, I was i A Note From My Nudge Notebook…

This week, I was inspired to write a really terrible first draft of a picture book inspired by a conversation with my father and grandfather AND the writing advice from inside this incredible middle grade biography by Nancy Hudgins: BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU. Ursula Nordstrom will now stand on my writing shoulders forever.

What acts of inspired action are you taking from the books you’ve read this week?

#NudgeNotebook
Middle grade novels hold a unique kind of magic an Middle grade novels hold a unique kind of magic and Ann Braden unlocks that magic with every novel she writes.

Her newest book is no exception.

HIJACKED BY GOATS is a heartfelt middle grade novel that delicately captures Josie’s inner world and the sheer number of compulsive and overwhelming thoughts that battle for her attention. Officially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Josie progresses through residential treatment and outpatient therapy as she navigates recovery and a kinder way of treating herself.

Ann delicately captures the challenges Josie faces, the overwhelming thoughts and feelings that won’t let her rest and the brave choices she makes to move through them with the support of new friends, family and knowledgeable professionals.

While every middle grade reader might not be able to relate to Josie directly, they WILL be able to relate to going through something hard, wishing away particular thoughts or feelings or knowing someone who is struggling with their mental health. So will every adult reading this book, too.

This book so beautifully captures the entirety of the human condition and invites every emotion to the table, holding out a hand to those that need it and providing a window of empathy to those that need that, too.

It’s an incredible book and I’m forever grateful for having read it.

@annbradenbooks
#KidLitLove
#ALitLife
#MiddleGrade
#OCD
#Bibliotherapy
This. I know this face. I’ve made this face. I now This. I know this face. I’ve made this face. I now have better words to explain the significance of it and the love it holds. Thank you, Ann. ❤️

HIJACKED BY GOATS by Ann Braden

Coming September 2026
Full review coming soon.
@annbradenbooks
A restorative reading and writing practice doesn't A restorative reading and writing practice doesn't just feel good.....it sends a signal of safety to our nervous systems and THAT is what starts well-being at a cellular level.

Come listen as I talk about the one thing standing in the way of a reading and writing life that makes your actual life better and helps you feel better, too. 

We'll take a sensory audit of our reading and writing and brainstorm key ways to speak the language of our bodies and truly enhance our practice. 

Click the podcast link in my bio or visit me on Substack to listen!
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