Restorative Reading and Writing for Wellness

I have a notebook obsession. I love them in all shapes and sizes and for all reasons and purposes. I’m often asked about my obsession from those wanting to cultivate their own notebooking habit: How many notebooks do you have? What do you write in each of them? How often do you write in them? How do you manage them all? Today, I’m tackling all of your notebook questions and am sharing my 2023 note...

I’m here with a very exciting first for the Get Lit(erate) podcast: I’m talking to an author! It was such a joy to talk with Teri Brown, author of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow and An Enemy Like Me, two historical fiction books that I adored. By the end of the episode, we were fast friends talking all things books and reading and I know you’ll feel that connection with her, too. You'll find all the...

I’m so excited to launch the podcast into 2023 with a special guest and reading challenge to start the year strong. Today, I’m chatting with Jules Buono of The Literary Lifestyle on all things Gilmore Girls. She’s created an AMAZING list of over 500 books that have been read, referenced, mentioned or seen on The Gilmore Girls and created The Rory Gilmore Book Club Challenge that I’ll be joining in...

There’s something magical to me about the week after Christmas. It feels suspended in time, a bonus week with the entire family home after a beautiful holiday but before the fresh start of a year ahead. It’s full of possibilities and I often spend this week thinking about the past year and making plans for the year ahead, not to mention cleaning out a closet or two, too. And since my reading life...

Festivus is on December 23rd and I am celebrating in books. If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you know what I’m talking about and if not, get ready to explore a made-up holiday that many celebrate around the world. Today, I’m sharing a collection of books that represent all four components of Festivus: the Festivus pole, the airing of grievances, the Festivus dinner and the feats of strength. It’s...

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. You'll find the show notes for this episode here. Love this podcast and want more? Consider this your invitation to join my Get Lit(erate) Patreon...

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 Christmas tree. These books are beautiful, lyrical, recently-published and patiently waiting for you to pick them up. Y...

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 to talk with Debra Glanz of The Paper Assembly. She’s the artist behind the repurposed book tree I love so much and much, much more. Come lis...

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 FOUR books (yes, I added one!) that embody the ultimate holiday read: they take place in the holiday...

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 how to get the support and accountability you need to finish it. It will be a game-changer. Promise. You'll find the show notes fo...

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 the opinions from the dedicated readers of the Friends & Fiction Facebook group. After just 24 hours, I had hundreds of reactions...

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 books that will light a spark for your own gratitude practice. I’ve got one picture book, one...

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 to answer those questions. Here's what you'll find inside the episode: What bibliotherapy is and how I define it. How...

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. I haven’t looked back. Now, I create monthly themes to guide my daily living and those themes seep into my reading life, too. Today, I’m shari...

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 the idea came to be, how you can use it and much more….including a discount code at the end to try one for yo...

I don’t know about you, but I set personal reading goals. Yes, my overall goal is to simply enjoy my reading life, but I do set other personal goals to help enrich my reading and my actual life, too. Right now, my main reading goal is to diversify my reading life: the genres I read, the formats I read them in and the authors I welcome into my TBR stack. Today, I’m sharing three books written by in...

Years ago, I created my first holiday notebook out of sheer desperation to better manage the holidays. Now, it’s a tool that I cannot live without. Come listen to what a holiday note book is, how you can make one and why you need to start yours today. If you like what you hear, you can join me inside my Get Lit(erate) Patreon community to create one with us LIVE in our annual holiday notebooking s...

Sometimes, the bookish themes I share are fun and whimsical. Sometimes, the bookish themes I share are unexpected. And sometimes, the bookish themes I share are serious. Today is a serious kind of day. According to the Center for Disease Control, 6 in 10 Americans are battling a chronic health diagnosis and 4 in 10 Americans are battling multiple chronic diseases. That’s a lot of people dealing wi...

I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth. Really. My most favorite thing to enjoy is a yummy slice of vanilla cake with a thick layer of homemade vanilla frosting. It’s the best. But along with that sweet tooth, I have some food intolerances, too. I’m gluten-free, dairy-free and watch my sugar, too. That means I do not get to eat a whole lot of cake. So, what’s a reader with a sweet tooth to do? Rea...

Here in upstate New York, the Fall season is in full bloom: it’s colder, it’s rainier, the leaves are turning beautiful colors and the need for some mood reading is kicking in. Add in that Halloween is only a couple weeks away and you have the perfect combination for a reading life full of intrigue. That’s what today’s episode is all about: three books full of intrigue to complement the season. An...

Today, I’m sharing three how-to books (yes, they have that phrase in the title!) that can change lives. They can change our mindsets, our actions and our ability to create the kind of life we love. You'll find all the books mentioned here in the show notes page, plus much more! If you loved these book pairings, you might like to take a look at my digital reading and writing community called Get Li...

Today, I’m sharing all about my new rating system (and book journal!) and offer three books that have touched my reading heart so much, I gave them a 5 heart rating and recommend them to everyone. You'll find all the books mentioned here in the show notes page, plus much more! If you loved these book pairings, you might like to take a look at my digital reading and writing community called Get Lit...

Today, I’m sharing three books that embrace the idea of flaneuring: wandering with intention for a better life. I’ve got one adult non-fiction selection to kick us off, an adult fiction book that will literally immerse you in flaneuring and a picture book that will sucker-punch you in your gut to start paying attention to life. Really. You'll find all the books mentioned here in the show notes pag...

I’m trying a bookish experiment. Today, I’m sharing three of the books I put on Pango: one middle grade book, one young adult book and one adult fiction book. I know books wait patiently for me, but now, they can find the perfect reader for them a lot sooner. You'll find all the books mentioned here in the show notes page, plus much more! If you loved these book pairings, you might like to take a...

Today, I’m sharing three books NOT to read when you’re hungry…but perfect to read when you want to explore the connections between food, family and friendship. You'll find all the books mentioned here in the show notes page, plus much more! If you loved these book pairings, you might like to take a look at my digital reading and writing community called Get Lit(erate). Each month, we take a deep d...