My relationship with reading has been on and off for the past 15 years. During my college summers, I could easily get through 10-15 books… using my down time by the pool, or on a family vacation, to become lost in a completely fictional storyline that would never even come close to my real life (or so I hoped since I was very into psychological thrillers at that point…)….
Then I entered graduate school and my reading was consumed by educational text books. Learning about family systems, theories of change, cultural diversity, etc… I didn’t have much time for leisure reading….
When graduate school ended and my weekends weren’t consumed with papers + studying for exams, I was able to pick up my relationship with “fun” reading again…. and it remained the same until I became a mom…
It took me a good year or so to get back into reading after having Harper… and then after having Camille I’ve gotten through 2ish books (started a couple and never finished)…. some have suggested listening to books on tape during my runs, but there is just something about physically holding a book that adds to my relationship with reading…
I’m feeling like my life is in a spot where I can try to pick up a few books, and actually finish them, so I took to instagram to ask for recommendations. So many great ones came through…
Recently, I’ve also received quite a few questions regarding therapy books for parenting and marriage, so I included some of my favorites (that I used in practice and for myself) here as well as a few that were suggested by others. And there is a short, but sweet, cookbook section at the end as well!
Hope you can find something that fits just what you’re looking for!
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BOOKS FOR LEISURE
Where The Crawdads Sing
The Silent Patient (loved it!)
Educated
Panchinko
Know My Name
The Perfect Couple
The Couple Next Door (loved it!)
Woman In The Window (loved it!)
Woman In Cabin 10 (loved it!)
Untamed (SO many recommended this book)
My Husband’s Wife (someone said it was similar to Gone Girl)
The Husband’s Secret
All The Ugly + Wonderful Things
The Wives
Mud Vein
Homegoing
The Henna Artist
The Glass Hotel
The Vanishing Half
Mrs. Everything
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone (SO many recommended this one)
Farm City
Big Summer
The Silent Wife
The Giver Of Stars
The Pilot’s Wife
The Guest List
Valentine
American Dirt
Verity
Clap When You Land
I’m Not Dying With You Tonight
Eleanor Oliphant Is Fine
In Five Years
The Great Alone (someone said it’s a slow start but gets really good)
An American Marriage
Such A Fun Age
The Dutch House
Behind Closed Doors
The Mothers
Then She Was Gone
Becoming
The Secrets We Keep
Daisy Jones + The Six
Tattoo Artist of Auschwitz
Half Broke Horses (someone said it was “light, funny, + inspiring”)
We Were Liars
The Fountainhead
The Turn Of The Key (someone said it was a “thriller”)
White Fragility
Blink
28 Summers
Living With A Seal
The Anonymous Girl
Queenie
Before We Were Yours
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
The Warmth Of Other Suns
Just Mercy
THERAPEUTIC BOOKS
The Whole Brain Child (I can’t recommend this more, I used it in practice + it’s so good)
No-Drama Discipline
The Conscious Parent (another book I personally used in practice + for myself)
The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work
8 First Dates: Essential Conversations For A Lifetime of Love
Hold Me Tight (written by an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist)
The Boy Crisis
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
How To Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It (someone said it was “excellent”)
The Upside Of Being Down
How To Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk (another personal favorite I used in practice)
Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Mid Life Crisis
The 5 Love Languages
Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Aspergers
Good Morning, I Love You
COOKBOOKS
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat- Mastering The Elements of Good Cooking
Love + Lemons Cookbook
Barefoot Contessa: Cooking For Jeffery
