“I’m powered by a thousand suns”

(Manjit Thapp)

This is your seasonal reminder that reading is powerful. 

That creating intentional space to focus on one mind and heart-expanding activity at a time is powerful. 

That learning and curiosity are powerful. 

I’ve pulled together some of my favorite reads of the season (and one book I have not yet read, in case you want to do it together) in honor of spring, the season of renewal, new beginnings, and hope sprung anew. 

If I said that this list of books runs the full gamut, I’d be lying to you. There’s no fiction or mystery here this season, my friends. What I do offer up is deeply human, often female-focused, heart-expanding reading for pleasure, for growth, and for connecting deeply with our emotional selves. 

As always, I linked the books on Amazon for visibility, but please seek out these reads at your local bookseller first. Give them your love and your dollars, if you can. 

Women Who Run With Wolves – I have to say, I am within 100 pages of the finish line with this incredible book but it is NOT for the faint of heart. I haven’t read a book this dense, that requires such exquisite attention paid, in quite some time. That being said, this book is worth it. It is a story, quite simply, about stories. The myths, the tropes, the archetypes that have surrounded womxn in literature and folklore as long as we have existed. The startling thing is, regardless of how far back in time and where on this Earth the stories she shares originate from, they feel so familiar, so current, to our modern lives as womxn striving to know ourselves more deeply. I cannot recommend this book enough for those who love stories and themes that invite us to lean into our womanhood. 

The Fate of Food – This non-fiction, borderline investigative book is billed as “what we’ll eat in a bigger, hotter, smarter world.” If you’ve got sustainable eating and how to feed humanity during a climate crisis on your mind, this book is both illuminating and thought-provoking. The author delves deep into individual technologies and the companies putting their money where their mouth is as far as investing in <insert robots, AI, creating and sustaining food in new ways>. From sustainably farming salmon (is that an oxymoron?) to the future of the apple, I have loved pondering the fate of our food system, even when it feels a bit whelming.

Feelings – Part illustrated story, part reflections on what each season gives and demands from us, part personal storytelling, Feelings is both beautiful to see and to read. I read it in one sitting (it’s majority illustrations), but it’s the kind of book that I know I will both pull off of my shelf at the beginning and end of each season to take a moment to reflect, and also will lovingly display in all of its colorful glory. 

The Soul of a Woman – Ah Isabel Allende with the sass. This is a tiny yet mighty memoir and meditation on womanhood from the ever-passionate Isabel Allende. It makes such a great gift for the strong womxn in your life because it’s not only full of her own personal stories, but it’s funny as hell and she is a real-deal feminist powerhouse. I loved learning about what love and sex and relationship has evolved into in this later stage in her life. 

Anatomy of the Spirit – This is the only book on this list that I have not yet read (so that’s your invitation to read it with me wink wink). Divine energy that connects all life living as wisdom in our bodies? Sign me up. I also think it’s fascinating that the author chooses to incorporate principles from many religions that feel universal in nature. No dogma, just ancient wisdom.  

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