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A Lit Life

Latest Podcast Episodes & Posts

Must Love Books, Intentional Spirals & Book Sleeves

March 4, 2022 in Literate Love
Happy March! This week, my twins turned fifteen (yikes!), so we celebrated with cookies, chocolate-covered fruit and cold medicine (yuck!). Plus, since it is officially Middle Grade March, I celebrated with a few books, too. This week, I have three books to share,...
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Bibliotherapy Book List: Minimize

March 1, 2022 in Bibliotherapy Book List
I love quotes and I love mantras: bite-sized phrases and sentences with big impact. Here are a few that have been on my mind and heart lately: Less is more. 20% of our actions give us 80% of our results. Present is better than perfect. The small stuff is actually the...
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Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?, Chocolate & Journals

February 25, 2022 in Literate Love
My children were on February break this week and we tried to make the most of it: we went out for lunch, tried candle-making, joined a virtual chocolate tasting, took walks in the sun before the snowstorm came and watched a few movies, too. I’ve got two books to share, some...
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Is It Too Late for a 5-Year Journal?

February 22, 2022 in Notebooks & Writing
I recently found myself scrolling through my social media feed and saw an advertisement for a beautiful 5-year journal. A 5-year journal is specifically designed to record experiences, events, feelings and thoughts from each day across a period of 5 years. If you open up to a particular day, you can...
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30 Things I Love About Myself, Sonder & Bibliotherapy

February 18, 2022 in Literate Love
It was a COLD week filled with Valentine’s Day desserts and random acts of kindness. I’ve got two beautiful books to share, a new word I’ve never heard of and my next passion project…it’s a good one! What I’m Reading: I read two books this week that had me turning the...
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Books & Chocolate: The Perfect Combination

February 13, 2022 in Bibliotherapy Book List, Books & Reading
There are just some things that go together perfectly: peanut butter & jelly, green eggs & ham, peas & carrots and books & chocolate.  If I had to choose, books and chocolate would be my favorite pairing (with books and coffee a close second!), especially if it was my favorite Salty...
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We Are Not Like Them, Sorry & Snacking Cakes

February 11, 2022 in Literate Love
How was your literate life this week? As always, I’m here to celebrate our literate lives with a sneak peek into my own. Here’s what I’ve been reading, writing, learning and loving this week. I’ve got three books to share, the perfect bookish writing prompt and a whole bunch of links...
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How to Choose the Perfect Notebook

February 8, 2022 in Notebooks & Writing
I have a secret to share.  When I am ready to purchase a new purse for the season, the first question I ask when browsing the shelves is this: Will my notebook easily fit into this? Really.  I have multiple notebooks and I take many of them with me on a...
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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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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!
On this episode of the KidLit Love podcast, I’m ta On this episode of the KidLit Love podcast, I’m talking with Melanie Dale about her newest upper middle grade novel: A GIRL OF LORE.

In this atmospheric paranormal novel, inner demons and town secrets collide in the haunting Southern town of London, Georgia. It had me guessing on every page, closing my eyes on some of them and truly inviting me into Mina’s world throughout.

Come listen as we talk about the unexpected way Melanie decided to write her first middle grade novel, the varied themes and entry points for all readers and why you should read it and hug it, too. Don’t be mistaken: even if you do not typically read novels like this, this book is for you. It’s enchanting. 

@melanierdale
#KidLitLove Podcast Link in Bio
#ALitLife
Books make Mondays better! This month, my one wor Books make Mondays better!

This month, my one word theme is RELEASE: of the past, of the things that no longer serve me....and the clothes that no longer fit. =)

This memoir is part of my book apothecary for the month to help me do just that:

THEY LEFT US EVERYTHING by Plum Johnson

It's been hailed as "a funny, touching memoir about the importance of preserving family history to make sense of the past and nurturing family bonds to safeguard the future."

I'm only two chapters in and I cannot get enough quickly enough. I have a feeling I'll hug this one after I'm done.

What books are making your Monday better?

#BooksMakeMondaysBetter
#IMWAYR
#ALitLife
#Memoirs
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