A few recents that have been brain splurges over the past several weeks…
Books
Small Wonder: Book of Essays – Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite writers and I love every single one of her novels. Her book of essays I came across in a used book store several months back and absolutely fell in love with her short stories and essays. Published shortly after 9/11, her thoughts on international politics, human behavior, genetic engineering and ultimately big world catastrophes are so eloquently paralleled in her enviable ability to appreciate the little things all around her. Like the bees in her vegetable garden. Her daily challenges of motherhood. Her obstacles a writer. Her interactions with the living world. When the trajectory of the world is looking so incredibly grim (still, now), she adds a thoughtfulness and shift in thinking that puts a smile on my face, every time I read her work.
The Balance Within: The Science of Connecting Health and Emotions – This has been a fun read (taken me a while to get through, but awesome nonetheless). It’s a research based dive into how our emotional body is intricately and forever connected to our physical body and how imbalance and disease are undoubtedly closely tied with our emotional health. It’s one of those “duh” concepts, and for centuries we’ve known this (and intuitively, every single one of us knows this to be true), but proving things (especially medical things) takes a while to catch up to human intuition. Seeing as how 99% of the people I see clinically have a huge stress component to their health story, this has been a spot on reference and resource in how we can support our physical body with emotional and stress therapy. Highly recommend.
Outlander (Dragonfly in Amber) – I know, I’m way behind on this series. I’ve been traveling so much in September and October that Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber have been so fun to read in the car for hours and hours and during downtime. I read Outlander probably 5 years ago and forgot everything about it other than I thought I liked it, so I read it again and totally loved it. Obviously, I mean – historical fiction, Scotland, herbal medicine, time travel, adventure. It’s a total brain escape…and I like excessively long book series’ I can binge on for a few months.
Walden: Life in the Woods – I read this book every year in the fall, cover to cover, and have since high school. It’s my favorite drawing inward book, perfect for this season when I start to feel more hermit-ish and crave being out in the woods by myself for days at a time. I adore this book and all of the detailed descriptions of slower life. #goals.
Podcasts
Becoming Wise – After my total obsession with the On Being podcast it’s been no surprise that I’ve been loving Becoming Wise. It has a similar theme but dives a little deeper into questions and actions surrounding how we create more thoughtful and intentional lives. Embracing our many differences, recognizing how trauma affects our inner spirit, tapping into our innate curiosities, cultivating compassion…every single episode and interview makes me re-think how I’ve been thinking about emotions and interactions my whole life. Also awesome – Creating our Own Lives
She Explores : Women in the Outdoors – Oh my gosh this podcast is amazing. For someone who has constant travel lust this podcast is so inspirational and encouraging to get out there and go it alone (if you don’t have a travel buddy, that’s OK!). It interviews women who have traveled all over the world, hiked the long trails and grow their souls outside. They speak on their fears, their courage, their challenges, their emotions and their epiphanies. Total badassery.
What are you reading this fall? Do you have a favorite genre for the season? This is by far my favorite time of year to curl up with a hot cup of tea, a cozy blanket and my pup at my feet and dive into a few good books!
