The Book Report by Rebecca Traver - Our Online Bookshop Curator
Welcome to the Book Report!
Here we are deep into Fall’s tender embrace – a time of transition and late-season harvest. Lately I’ve been finding myself in a nostalgic mood, enormously grateful for the little things, and looking forward to the joy the holidays bring. As I ponder all of this, I am also reminded of the absolutely, non-negotiable importance of self-care and gentling down the hustle and bustle that seems to creep in with holiday doings. Luckily for us, our selection of books on healing and life support is always available to lend a hand in the form of a book. May you find great ease and joy today and in the days to come.
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 from Chronicle Books, one of my favorite publishers of all things innovative, creative, and eclectic.
I hope you enjoy what you find here and know that, as always,
I am honored by the privilege of taking up space in your inbox.
“Our capacity to forgive is our superpower.”
~Mirabai Starr
FEATURED LIST – Life Support: Healing Body, Mind & Spirit
Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground by Mirabai Starr is a stunning exploration of finding the extraordinary in the everyday. Here, we are guided to discover our own inner mystic and let go of the limiting belief that spiritual life exists only in traditional places of worship. It’s Life itself that is our holy ground.
Too Much: A Guide to Breaking the Cycle of High-Functioning Codependency from Terri Cole is an empowering new take on codependent behavior, revealing the underlying reasons we struggle with striving to do it all – and the path forward to recovery and freedom.
The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life from beloved therapist Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer who sadly passed away in July 2024, leaving a remarkable legacy behind. With this, her last book, she offers an urgent guide to combating loneliness with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, based on insights from her life story and her unparalleled career.
Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness by Jamil Zaki brings science and storytelling to bear in beating back cynicism – thinking critically about people and our problems, while honoring and encouraging our strengths.
Unruly: A Guide to Reclaiming Your True Self by Shelah Marie shares stories, practices, and tools to teach us that being unruly isn’t about changing yourself but rather about uncovering the many layers of who you are, accepting them fully, and allowing them to flourish.
Can Anyone Tell Me?: Essential Questions About Grief and Loss from psychotherapist and grief expert Meghan Riordan Jarvis breaks the process of navigating loss down into manageable bites as a series of commonly asked questions on the brain, body, emotions, sense of self, relationships, timeline expectations, and how to get the right support.
“What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.”
~Haruki Murakami
To browse the entire list click here!
“You were born a child of light’s wonderful secret – you return to the beauty you have always been.”
~Aberjhani
New + Newly Discovered
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World is available now for pre-order and serves as the latest offering from Robin Wall Kimmerer whose Braiding Sweetgrass continues to be a bestseller and source of inspiration for many a book lover. As Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. Here, we are given the antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our times, and a reminder that “hoarding won’t save us, all flourishing is mutual.”
Rest Is Sacred: Reclaiming Our Brilliance Through the Practice of Stillness by Octavia F. Raheem brings concise, potent, poetic messages of inspiration, direction, and encouragement for you to embrace rest and reflection as a deep spiritual practice.
Floriography Coloring Book from the lovely artist Jessica Roux is a beautifully designed coloring book collecting 45 of the artist’s botanical illustrations alongside easy-to-follow line art.
Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab brings both expertise and a fresh perspective to the everyday struggles we all navigate in our relationships and within ourselves. This empowering and embraceable book helps us to stay the course – and grow more fully into ourselves every day.
Kokoro: Japanese Wisdom for a Life Well Lived by Beth Kempton invites us to cultivate stillness and contentment in an ever-changing, uncertain world, inspired by ancient and contemporary Japanese wisdom.
She Followed the Moon Back to Herself is the tenth poetry collection from amanda lovelace, deviating from the well-worn path of fairy tales and myths, and bringing us instead face to face with the person behind the poems that have made her a beloved author.
My Life: Growing Up Native in America edited by IllumiNative is a moving collection of twenty powerful essays, poems, and more that capture and celebrate the modern Native American experience, featuring entries by Angeline Boulley, Madison Hammond, Kara Roselle Smith, and other notable writers.
Beyond the Surface: A Gold Medalist's Guide to Finding and Loving Yourself from inspirational speaker and Paralympic champion Jessica Long offers an intimate exploration of the hard-won lessons she learned on her extraordinary journey. She opens up about the toughest challenges she faced – not just the trauma of multiple surgeries and prosthetics, but the anger, resentment, and insecurity of trying to find her place and identity in a world that viewed her as less than whole.
The Universe in Verse: 15 Portals to Wonder Through Science & Poetry by Maria Popova with illustrations by Ofra Amit is a collection of essays in celebration of the human search for truth and beauty through the lenses of science and poetry.
Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums edited by George H. Schwartz is the first illustrated volume to gather the art and objects that made medium and magician performances iconic during the Spiritualism movement and beyond, a time when people actively debated and wondered, “can spirits return?”. From the origins of the Oujia board to spirit photography, this book is a treasure trove.
Queering the Runes: Reclaiming Ancestral Wisdom in Rune Magic and Mythology by Siri Vincent Plouff is a contemporary, inclusive, nonbinary, and forward-thinking approach to the runes – a love letter to the runes, the gods, and the people who follow the Nordic path. Exploring them as active, living symbols available to all as well as the inherent connection with ancestral magic that comes with rune work.
Mexican Magic: Brujeria, Spells, and Rituals for All Occasions from Laura Davila shares magical knowledge and lore – offering an overview of magic from across Mexico, featuring magical recipes, spells, tips, and advice for a wide variety of intentions, including love, lust, sex, good luck, money, protection, and more.
Breath Cards: Daily Breathwork Practices for Calm Clarity, and Renewal by Isabel Tew is dedicated to making breathwork an accessible, fun, self-directed journey that easily integrates into daily life. If this resonates with you, welcome to an indispensable resource for creating your own breathwork practice for greater health, fulfillment, and joy.
The Council of Horses Oracle from Sandra Wallin and Kim McElroy invites us to tap into the divine wisdom of horses for guidance and self-transformation.
Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling: Divining with Tarot, Palmistry, Tea Leaves, and More from Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele brings us the knowledge and personal experiences of being raised to be fortune-tellers. Here, we learn divination methods, tools, and techniques, including card reading, palmistry, dream divination, and tea-leaf and coffee reading.
For the entire list, click here!
“My alma mater was books, a good library…I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”
~Malcolm X
Books for Young Readers + the People Who Love Them
A Field Guide to Autumn: Play and Learn in Nature by Gabby Dawnay with illustrations by Dorien Brouwers is a pocket-sized guide to autumn. Building on children’s natural curiosity about the world around them, this book aims to establish a connection with nature at an early age that will go on to last a lifetime.
Knight Owl and Early Bird from Christopher Denise is a follow-up to his earlier book, Caldecott Honor award-winner Knight Owl. Here, our endearing and heroic owl makes an unlikely friend in the over-zealous Early Bird who very much hopes to be a brave knight, too.
The Remarkables: The Most Incredible Children I've Met - So Far! by Clotilde Perrin introduces us to 38 extraordinary children: an electric child, a flying child, elastic, invisible, miniature, a child made of cake, and more. This is a sweet book of fantasy and humor that entertains and provides a gentled way to talk about emotions and identity.
My Friend LeVar by Ezra Edmond, illustrated by Jenna Nahyun Chung celebrates the joy of reading and imagination with Ezra who loves discovering new picture books with his friend LeVar Burton, whom he knows from TV.
What Can a Mess Make? from Bee Johnson is a beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book of two sisters spending their day playing at home and leaving joyful, cozy messes in their wake.
The Strangest Fish is a bewitching picture book from fantasy author by Katherine Arden with illustrations by Zahra Marwan tells the story of a girl who wins a funny-looking goldfish at a county fair that ends up being secretly magical.
Songlight by Moira Buffini is a well-crafted YA novel of star-crossed lovers, against-all-odds friendship, and a brutally unforgiving world making this first in a trilogy utterly unforgettable.
Lola from Karla Arenas Valenti is a simmering tale of magic, adventure, and the extraordinary bond between a brother and sister who’d journey to the ends of the Earth to save each other – a heartfelt story deeply rooted in Mexican magical realism.
Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri with illustrations by Matt Rockefeller is an enthralling and emotional palindrome picture book about a young boy grieving the loss of his mother and the fantastical adventure that illuminates what remains when our loved ones are gone.
For more books for young readers click here!
Para libros para lectores jóvenes en Español haga clic aqui!
“Children are often the forgotten grievers.”
~David Kessler
Just Because + Just for Fun
642 Tiny Things to Draw is a perfect inspirational drawing book and guided mini journal for the artist on the go. With a collection of silly, thought-provoking, simple, and complex prompts, this drawing ideas book will push your mind – and pencil – to think outside the box.
Pad of Butter is a wonderfully designed non-stick notepad – perfect for slathering your most brilliant ideas and reminders onto.
“Never 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.
