Book picks similar to
The Nectar of Pain by Najwa Zebian
poetry
favorites
poems
self-help
Never Greener
Ruth Jones - 2018
Always thinking the grass is greener on the other side. But it never is. It’s still grass. Just a different patch of it, that’s all.’*****The past has a habit of tracking us down. And tripping us up.When Kate was twenty-two, she had an intense and passionate affair with a married man, Callum, which ended in heartbreak. Kate thought she’d never get over it.Seventeen years later, life has moved on – Kate, now a successful actress, is living in London, married to Matt and mother to little Tallulah. Meanwhile Callum and his wife Belinda are happy together, living in Edinburgh and watching their kids grow up. The past, it would seem, is well and truly behind them all.But then Kate meets Callum again.And they are faced with a choice: to walk away from each other . . . or to risk finding out what might have been.Second chances are a rare gift in life. But that doesn’t mean they should always be taken . . .
Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life
Cleo Wade - 2018
Featuring over one hundred and twenty of Cleo’s original poems, mantras, and affirmations, including fan favorites and never before seen ones, this book is a daily pep talk to keep you feeling empowered and motivated. With relatable, practical, and digestible advice, including “Hearts break. That’s how the magic gets in,” and “Baby, you are the strongest flower that ever grew, remember that when the weather changes,” this is a portable, replenishing pause for your daily life. Keep Heart Talk by your bedside table or in your bag for an empowering boost of spiritual adrenaline that can help you discover and unlock what is blocking you from thriving emotionally and spiritually.
You Were Never Broken: Poems to Save Your Life
Jeff Foster - 2020
After a lifetime of self-loathing, crippling fear, and attempts to numb his own feelings, he was left on the verge of suicide. It was only when he opened himself completely to his emotions—both the unbearable and the wonderful—that he stopped seeking death and started truly living.In You Were Never Broken, Foster explores this transformation through poetry so raw and vulnerable that you too will feel the full triumph of his journey. Whether exploring life’s uncertainties or the joy of personal realization, Foster’s poems embrace the full spectrum of human experience.Amid these verses, Foster provides his signature direct teachings on meditation, the great value of stillness and silence, and what it means to surrender completely to the beauty of the present moment. For Foster, the winding path to self-acceptance started with nonjudgmental observation of the thoughts that plagued him—and here he shares his world-renowned expertise on how to begin your own journey.With You Were Never Broken, Jeff Foster shares the true heart of his inspiring, revelatory path to awakening. In his own words, these are poems to make you stand up and cry, “Yes, I am broken . . . but I am unbreakable!”
Life of the Party
Olivia Gatwood - 2019
In Life of the Party, she weaves together her own coming of age with an investigation into our culture's romanticization of violence against women. In precise, searing language—at times blistering and riotous, at times soulful and exuberant—she explores the boundary between what is real and what is imagined in a life saturated with fear. How does one grow from a girl to a woman in a world wracked by violence? Where is the line between perpetrator and victim? What is the meaning of bravery? Visceral and haunting, this multifaceted collection illustrates that what happens to our bodies makes us who we are.
Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us
Will Storr - 2017
This is our culture’s image of the perfect self. We see this person everywhere: in advertising, in the press, all over social media. We’re told that to be this person you just have to follow your dreams, that our potential is limitless, that we are the source of our own success. But this model of the perfect self can be extremely dangerous. People are suffering under the torture of this impossible fantasy. Unprecedented social pressure is leading to increases in depression and suicide. Where does this ideal come from? Why is it so powerful? Is there any way to break its spell? To answer these questions, Selfie by Will Storr takes us from the shores of Ancient Greece, through the Christian Middle Ages, to the self-esteem evangelists of 1980s California, the rise of narcissism and the selfie generation, and right up to the era of hyper-individualistic neoliberalism in which we live now. It tells the extraordinary story of the person we all know so intimately – our self.
Our Stop
Laura Jane Williams - 2019
Well, except if she oversleeps or wakes up at her friend Emma’s after too much wine.Daniel really does get the 7.30 train every morning, which is easy because he hasn’t been able to sleep properly since his dad died.One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper:
To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?
So begins a not-quite-romance of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word.
Inquire Within
In-Q - 2020
Rhythmic. Original. Authentic. Inspiring. A journey to the center of the soul, Inquire Within is a provocative and entertaining debut from an award-winning poet. You’ll never look at poetry the same way again.
Maps for the Modern World
Valerie June Hockett - 2021
A poetic call for mindfulness, creativity, and analog real-world connection in an increasingly disconnected world from singer-songwriter Valerie June.Maps for the Modern World is a collection of poems and original illustrations about cultivating community, awareness, and harmony with our surroundings as we move fearlessly toward our dreams. I love youLike a fall leaf dancingAnd twirling in the windSoftly landing,Returning to the warm earthRestMake newBegin Again-comfortably
Heartsick
Jessie StephensJessie Stephens - 2021
And so we are left in the middle of the ocean, floating in a dinghy with no anchor, while the world waits for us to be okay again.'Claire has returned from London to the dust and familiarity of her childhood home, only to realise something is wrong with her partner Maggie.Patrick is a lonely uni student, until he meets Caitlin - but does she feel as connected as he does?Ana is happily married with three children. Then, one night, she falls in love with someone else.Based on three true stories, Heartsick is a compelling narrative nonfiction account of the many lows and occasional surprising highs of heartbreak. Bruising, beautiful, achingly specific but wholeheartedly universal, it reminds us that emotional pain can make us as it breaks us, and that storytelling has the ultimate healing power.
If My Body Could Speak
Blythe Baird - 2019
Blythe Baird deftly and uniquely charts a course through various modes of womanhood and women's bodies. Through love, loss, and the struggles of disordered eating, If My Body Could Speak uses sharp narratives and visceral imagery to get to the heart of a many-layered existence, speaking to many generations at once.
Inward
Yung Pueblo - 2017
It serves as a reminder to the reader that healing, transformation, and freedom are possible.
The Valkyries
Paulo Coelho - 1988
An essential volume alongside Coelho’s other bestselling and influential books, such as The Alchemist, The Pilgrimage, Brida, and The Winner Stands Alone, the searing and unforgettable narrative in The Valkyries asks the questions most central to all literature—and all of humanity’s quest for understanding. Why is it that we destroy the things we love most? And how can we learn to let go of the past and believe in the future?
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Elizabeth Gilbert - 2009
Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both were survivors of previous bad divorces. Enough said.) But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government, which-after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing-gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving into this topic completely, trying with all her might to discover through historical research, interviews, and much personal reflection what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is. Told with Gilbert's trademark wit, intelligence and compassion, Committed attempts to "turn on all the lights" when it comes to matrimony, frankly examining questions of compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, family tradition, social expectations, divorce risks and humbling responsibilities. Gilbert's memoir is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of love with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, actually entails.
Nyx in the House of Night: Mythology, Folklore and Religion in the PC and Kristin Cast Vampyre Series
P.C. CastJana Oliver - 2011
It's a place where magic, religion, folklore, and mythology from multiple traditions merry meet and meld to create something incredible and new.In Nyx in the House of Night—a 2-color illustrated companion to the House of Night series—some of your favorite YA authors, plus a few experts, help you navigate the influences behind the House of Night series in a guide that would get even Damien's seal of approval.Travel with P.C. Cast as she gets her first tattoo in Ireland, climbs the ruins of Sgiach's castle, and discovers the lore that led to the Isle of Skye vampyres. Read Kristin Cast's defense of women in history and mythology who, like Zoey, have made a practice of juggling multiple men. Sit in on a vampyre lecture by Bryan Lankford, the real-life basis for House of Night instructor Dragon Lankford, on the parallels between Wiccan and vampyre circle rituals. Tour Tulsa's House of Night landmarks with local Amy H. Sturgis.Plus:•Karen Mahoney on Nyx and other goddesses of the night•John Edgar Browning on vampires in folklore, fiction, and reality•Jana Oliver on tattoos and other Marks•Ellen Steiber on feline familiars•Yasmine Galenorn on priestesses and goddess worship•Jordon Dane on Zoey's Cherokee heritage•Jeri Smith-Ready on the Raven Mockers and Kalona's less than heavenly inspiration•Christine Zika on the connection between Nyx and the Virgin Mary•Triniy Faegen on the Greek version of the OtherworldNyx in the House of Night also includes an appendix of character names that reveals the myth behind Zoey's last name, which House of Night cats have ties to Camelot, Egypt, and Middle-earth, and more!
Why Men Love Bitches
Sherry Argov - 2002
With saucy detail on every page, this no-nonsense guide reveals why a strong woman is much more desirable than a "yes woman" who routinely sacrifices herself. The author provides compelling answers to the tough questions women often ask: · Why are men so romantic in the beginning and why do they change? · Why do men take nice girls for granted? · Why does a man respect a woman when she stands up for herself? Full of advice, hilarious real-life relationship scenarios, "she says/he thinks" tables, and the author's unique "Attraction Principles," Why Men Love Bitches gives you bottom-line answers. It helps you know who you are, stand your ground, and relate to men on a whole new level. Once you've discovered the feisty attitude men find so magnetic, you'll not only increase the romantic chemistry—you'll gain your man's love and respect with far less effort.