3 Book Recomendations from 2023
I like to read…like, a lot. I read about 110 books in 2023. I read for two reasons, to learn and to be entertained. While reading for fun and relaxation ranks as a top choice for me, turns out taste in books can vary WILDly!
On the other hand, reading to learn hits a wider group. Especially if we’re all going through the same thing…like, say, Empty Nest!
(We probably all read Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy back in the day too!)
As always, I get a small commission from items purchased through these links. I recommend products that I enjoy or think that would be helpful to other Launching Moms.
Here are my top three books that helped me in my Empty Nest- Launching Big Kids journey this year.
The Emotional Life of Teenagers By Dr. Lisa Damour. Even if our kids are barely teens at this point, I still gleaned a notebookfull of gold-plated info from this book. Its easy to read and explains practical ways to interact with moody teenagers. It also gives behind the scenes insight into their motivations and makes their confusing behavior a little less puzzling.
2. The Perfectionist Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler
This was my top book of 2023. I have highlighted and taken notes and post-it this book to within a square inch of its life. Before I read it if you had asked me, Colin, are you a perfectionist? I would have laughed in your face. Have you seen my house? Have you seen my life? This book changed not only my ability to understand and embrace my perfectionist side, but to see it as a superpower! Every page I was calling out to my husband, “Listen to this!” The book defines 5 differently types of perfectionism and explains why women are constantly sold the elusive and false promise of exchanging their perfectionism for “balance”. The author beautifully paints a picture of adaptive vs. maladaptive perfectionism that forever changed my understanding of how I am wired…for the better. Buy this book!
3. The Grieving Brain by Mary Francis O’Connor Ph.D
This book is amazing. It is about how the brain processes grief. Launching Moms are not going through anything TRAGIC, but it is a huge Loss. The author explains the neuroscience in a readable, approachable, fascinating way. I found it to be almost comforting to read the way our brains work when faced with a loss. This phase of life seems to be throwing loss in my direction at every turn! Buy it HERE.
