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A Lit Life

Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness

How to Get Out of a Reading Slump

February 27, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
The reading life is full of ups and downs. From time to time, you might find yourself stuck in a reading slump and reading slump can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You might find yourself stuck in a genre, reading...
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100 Days of Notebooking with Michelle Haseltine

February 20, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
If you love notebooking or journaling, then you’re in for a treat inside today’s episode. Today, I’m chatting with Michelle Haseltine. Michelle is a lifelong notebooker (with 99 completed notebooks and counting!) and leader of the 100 Days of Notebooking Facebook Group. Her work has brought so much inspiration to my...
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Book Projects I Adore

February 13, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Bookish love is in the air and today, I’m talking about something I adore…and am often jealous about, too.  Come listen as I talk about the bookish projects that are lighting up my reading heart, from gluten-free pies and book ornaments to book quilts and flat-lays, too.  Then, I’ll talk with...
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Books to Beat the Winter Blues

February 6, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Right now, we are smack dab in the middle of winter. The days are shorter, the sun sets earlier, the wind is colder and for many, that brings on a case of the so-called winter blues. We can feel less motivated, our overall mood can decrease and we might feel stuck...
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Literate Love for January 2024

January 30, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Each month, I take a deep dive into what I’ve been reading, writing, learning and loving throughout the past 30 days or so.  This month, I’m sharing about how I kicked off my reading and writing life in 2024. I’ve got some unexpected books to share, some new writing experiments, small...
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Daughters of Green Mountain Gap with Teri M. Brown

January 23, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Many of us have authors who we adore. We will read ANYTHING they write as soon as they publish it and know with utmost certainty that we will love it.  For me, one of those authors is Teri M. Brown, author of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, An Enemy Like Me and...
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The Write Habit with Dr. Nicole Janz

January 16, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
I love books. I love reading. I love notebooks. I love writing.  But life is busy and sometimes, it can be hard to make the time for the kind of reading and writing lives we want to have.  Today’s guest is changing all of that. Dr. Nicole Janz is a writer’s...
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My 2024 Notebook Stack & TBW List

January 9, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
It’s time for my annual notebook stack reveal! Today, I’m sharing my 2024 notebook stack: all the notebooks I’m using and loving and why. Right now, I’ve got a stack of 8 notebooks I’ll use across the coming weeks and months…and maybe one or two more up my sleeve, too.  I’ll...
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The Healing Power of Books with Bijal Shah

January 2, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Bibliotherapy, the idea that books can help us grow through what we go through, is a fascinating field highlighting the important role that reading can play in making our lives better and today’s guest is leading the way forward in it. Bijal Shah is a bibliotherapist, counsellor and author. She is...
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Literate Love for December 2023

December 31, 2023 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Well, I blinked and December FLEW by. Did it pass quickly for you, too? I had to dig deep for today’s episode: a calendar audit, a photo roll scroll, thumbing through my journals and more.  I’m so glad I did. It was the BEST way to reflect back on a busy...
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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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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
A Note from my Nudge Notebook... A Nudge Notebook A Note from my Nudge Notebook...

A Nudge Notebook is a special notebook where I track all of the whispers, nudges and ideas I get for making my life better from the books I read.

This week’s nudge came from The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts by Mary Claire Haver.

In it, she recommends tracking your daily nutritional intake through an app called Cronometer. I am NOT a person to track my food for a few reasons, but for some reason, it stuck with me and I’ve tried it for a couple of weeks with surprising results. 

My favorite takeaway is what I’ve learned about micronutrients: 

I’m not getting NEARLY what I thought I was, but after a couple weeks of tracking and making small changes, I am MUCH more balanced than I was and I can feel the difference. 

What nudges did you get from your reading this week?

@drmaryclaire
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