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A Lit Life

Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness

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...
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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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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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Three Books to Spark Gratitude

November 22, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
It’s that time of year when the weather turns cooler, the leaves change color and fade away and we start looking forward to the holidays. Here in the United States, we’re getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and that means food, family, friends, gathering and lots of gratitude. Today, I’m sharing three...
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The Power of Bibliotherapy

November 17, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Today I am talking about one of my favorite topics…the topic that sparked the idea for this very podcast: bibliotherapy. I get a lot of emails from listeners asking what exactly bibliotherapy is, what it entails, how to do it and how I can help them get started. This episode starts...
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Three Books for Gathering

November 15, 2022 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
I’ve been choosing one word themes to guide my year for many, many years. Until 2020. My chosen one word no longer applied to the way the world was working.  So, I changed it. And I changed it again and again as the world changed and I changed along with it. ...
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The Book Club Card with Colin Harrang

November 10, 2022 in Books & Reading, Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Today, I’m talking to Colin Harrang about her bookish creation I instantly fell in love with: the Book Club Card.  The Book Club Card is a delightful library card with a powerful mission: to celebrate reading and connect readers together.  Come listen to explore what a Book Club Card is, how...
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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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