The Book Report by Rebecca Traver - Our Online Bookshop Curator
Welcome to the Book Report! How’s it going for you, most esteemed reader of books and newsletters? For me, this past month has been a busy time of joys, transitions, and sorrows. With that in mind, this report is a somewhat abbreviated version of what I normally offer. Instead of a detailed Featured List section, I have put together a group of the lists I find myself returning to most often for support, guidance, and inspiration. It’s my sincere hope that they bring you the same.
Also included in this report is a selection of New + Newly Discovered titles; a special group of Books for Young and Young at Heart Readers; and a couple of Just Because + Just for Fun offerings.
And, please take note that Ebooks are now plentifully available in our online Bookshop.
“You can’t live entirely alone. You have to have some kind of a support system.”
~Wendell Berry
FAVORITE LISTS FOR INSPIRATION + SUPPORT
When I’m feeling confused, overwhelmed, or mightily adrift, I often turn to memoirs and personal narratives for inspiration and connection. Regardless of the point of view or direct experience of the other, I am always lifted up and supported with the awareness that I am not alone…others have walked a similar path and have lived to tell the tale. And, if they can, then maybe I can as well.
Engaging in creativity has long been known as a path of self-discovery and growth. For me, there is nothing else that gets me to a state of centeredness and balance more quickly or as effectively as breaking out my trusty box of art supplies, writing in my journal, or taking my camera for a walk around the house, the block, or onto a trail. And, by the way, I also get a lot of joy out of serious daydreaming and playing with my cat from the comfort and safety of my couch.
If my relationships are out-of-whack, I know that I can find guidance and empathy here, exploring practices, experiences, narratives, and insights about how to create and sustain healthy connections.
Turning to Nature for comfort, wisdom, and joy is a practice I recommend to all of my fellow humans. This is where the magical mirrors of plants, animals, and elemental realms meet me right where I am and beckon me forward to where my heart longs to be.
And, when all else falls short, I look to poetry for help recognizing, processing, and integrating all the things, all the feels, and all the overwhelms. It’s here where I find everything meaningful and useful held within all of the sections listed above.
“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
~Robert Frost
New + Newly Discovered
Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L. McBride sends a sincere and profound message: spiritual trauma is real and has a far-reaching impact. She also reassures us that we can remake ourselves and heal in its aftemath. Drawing on clinical research, trauma literature, insightful interview with experts, and poignant first-person stories, each chapter ends with a short, accessible practice to begin healing.
Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman is a bold manifesto daring us to harness our talents and transform our idealism into action, all with the goal of making the world a better place – for everyone.
Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the Present from Sarah Ruhl is a collection of essays on the life-altering bonds between teacher and student and the timeless wisdom imparted both inside and outside the classroom. Perfect for sharing with loved ones and role models alike and for marking important seasons and milestones.
The Wisdom of Anxiety: How Worry and Intrusive Thoughts Are Gifts to Help You Heal by Sheryl Paul examines the deeper meaning of the racing thoughts, sweaty palms, and insomnia that accompany the uncertain moments of our lives. No one likes to feel anxiety – and yet, Paul asserts it can be a remarkably direct messenger of our subconscious. Here you will learn how you can pause and listen to your anxieties to discover inner truths that you’ve been avoiding. Lucky for us, there is a guided workbook to help us track our process and progress.
Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian brings us stories of how snakes, snails, and, above all, fungi helped to mirror the author’s own developing identities as a queer, neurodivergent person – and in them, too, she found a personal path to a life of science.
The Spiritual Meaning of Birds Oracle Deck from Arin Murphy-Hiscock shows us birds you’ll likely find in your very own backyard or neighborhood, from the blue jay whose own chattiness reminds us to take a closer look at your own communication, to the gull who suggests that you might be taken as a fool and should think carefully about what you believe to be true. From the energetic hummingbird to the nourishing turkey, these oracle cards are here to help you take a closer look at the birds around you and the message they may be trying to share.
For the entire list of new discoveries, click here!
Books for Young Readers + the People Who Love Them
Growing Home from Beth Ferry with illustrations by Terry and Eric Fan brings together an unlikely team of talkative plants, a curious spider, and a grumpy goldfish as they use their newfound magical abilities to defend their family from a greedy human.
Music of the Mountains: A Story of Pakistan by Sabrina Shah, illustrated by Manal Mirza, introduces us to Roohi as she discovers the connections made possible by music and the transformative power of learning to play a traditional instrument.
Beatrix Butterfly Wings It for Once from Maren Morris and Karrina Argow with illustrations by Kelly Anne Dalton shows us how inspiration can show up in the form of friends and in all the beauty in the natural world. What began as an off day turns back on as Beatrix Butterfly evolves and grows by sharing her feelings, keeping a promise, helping others, and winging it for once.
The Arguers by Corinna Luyken is a delightfully preposterous and original fairy tale about a community that forgets how to get along.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
~Dr. Seuss
For more books for young readers click here!
Para libros para lectores jóvenes en Español haga clic aqui!
Just Because + Just for Fun
The latest from the great Alison Bechdel qualifies for both ‘because’ and ‘fun’ with her latest graphic novel Spent. Here, we meet a cartoonist who is running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont. Gentle reader c’mon, that alone should prompt you to get a copy!. As she becomes more and more irked by a climate-challenged world and a citizenry on the brink of a civil war she wonders: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege?
“Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.”
~Randy Pausch
Please visit our online Bookshop to see our full selection of lists and titles.
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May you be inspired, supported, and enriched by what you find here.
