My Bookshelf

Food may nourish my body, but books nourish my soul.

I was always the child who was caught staying up late at night, buried beneath a blanket reading by flashlight. I was so privileged to have a mom who was also a bibliophile, and always encouraged my love of reading. She never censored what I could read as a child, and because of that, I devoured all the books I could get my hands on at bookstores, libraries, garage sales, and second-hand stores. Unsurprisingly, I grew up to be a bookseller in an earlier life for nearly 10 years before I made the decision to go back to school. I have probably averaged about 1 book per week for the entirety of my life. Entering graduate school certainly slowly that down, but I fell in love with audiobooks to balance out all of the scientific textbooks and articles.

As an adult, I have two main types of books that I read -- the ones I read for fun and escapism (e.g., fiction and psychological thrillers) and the ones I read to learn more about the world. I have always considered myself to be a perpetual student, and I hope to always, always be learning. We all have so much to teach one another.

So, for that reason, here is a place where I will display the books that I've been reading most recently, as well as some of my favorite to recommend. This is not an exhaustive list (I have left off the thrillers and fictional fluff I also love), but I have included all of the books that I felt have helped me learn and evolve. I try to read at least one book each month that challenges my perspectives. The majority of these books come from non-fiction categories such as the social justice, psychology, self-development, or memoirs, but occasionally I'll also include a poignant and thought-provoking novel.

Please enjoy!

My TBR pile:

#connection

#nature

#feminism

#socialjustice

#mentalhealth

#memoir

#connection

#selfdevelopment

#racewealthpower #nonfiction

#socialjustice #memoir #blackqueerfeminist

#humannature #psychology

#pleasureandpain #neuroscience

#socialjustice

#memoir

#supremecourtjustice #memoir

My recent reads (2024):

Current Read:

#mentalhealth #natureofchildhood

#memoir #onwriting #identity

#memoir #hope #livingyourtruth

#memoir #poverty #appalachia

#memoir #homeschooling

#deathanddying #nonfiction

#emotionalrecovery

#clinicalpsychology

#feminism

#socialjustice

#memoir

#lgbtiacommunity

#mentalhealth

#anxiety

What I read in 2023:

#mentalhealth #ocd

#psychology

#mentalhealth

#memoir

#rumination #cognition

#psychology

#nature #connection

#psychology

#confrontingracism

#novel

#transstories

#memoir

#blackstories

#memoir

#adhd #mentalhealth

#memoir

#feminism

#memoir

#traumaresponse

#psychology

#confrontingracism

#socialjustice

#settingboundaries

#selfdevelopment

What I read in 2022:

#blackstories

#memoir

#selfcompassion

#selfdevelopment

#confrontingracism

#socialjustice

#confrontingracism

#novel

#meaningoflife

#memoir

#confrontingracism

#memoir

#selfcompassion

#selfdevelopment

#selfcompassion

#selfdevelopment

#confrontingracism

#novel

#confrontingracism

#socialjustice

#mindgutconnection

#psychology

#contextmatters

#psychology

Favorites & Highest Recommendations

Asking me to pick my favorite book is like asking me to pick my favorite day of the year or my favorite candy. It all depends on when you ask me, what my mood is, and which favorite I think of when the question comes up. Due to my lack of commitment, here are my favorite books (in no particular order) and the ones I would give my highest recommendations to.

#personalfavorite

#novel