Fierce Joy

Prayers for Calm is a collection of quotes, meditations, prayers, and affirmations from a variety of sources to provide a sense of calm in tough times. In today’s world, anxiety and its causes are all around us. According to Medical News Today (2018), over 6.8 million people in the United States suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. They also note that anxiety disorders are now the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting roughly 1 in 4 people. Whether anxiety disorders are on the rise or if we are just more aware of what they are is up for debate, but the undeniable truth is that many people either suffer from or closely know someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder. So what do we do? In the face of something so overwhelming and frightening that lives within our own minds, how do we fight to regain our calm and control? There are a variety of ways in which people cope with anxiety, but no one cure that works the same way for everyone. A well-proven and helpful course of action is drawing information and tranquility from the wisdom of others, be it from prayers, meditations, affirmations, music, or otherwise. As humans, we like to know that we are supported, and what better way to do this than to reassure ourselves that others have been where we stand and have survived? Prayers for Calm is a collection of small quips to help the reader feel a sense of reassurance and support from all around the world within the comfort of their own home. Ideally, readers can open the book anywhere, flip to a page, and find some words that speak to their situation. This book will help carry readers through a time where chaos reigns, and give them the clarity they need to find their way back to calm.

Adjust Your Attitude with Daily Affirmations

Master the art of thinking happy: You know what they say about happiness—it’s an “inside job”—which is 100 percent true. Use the affirmations, quotes, and ideas in this book as a set of tools for your own self-development. They are for “inner work.” Much has to do with adjusting your attitude. Depending on the day, it might be a slight adjustment or a major overhaul, but the more you practice daily affirmations, the fewer adjustments you’ll need. One day you will realize you have mastered the art of “thinking happy” and are looking at the bright side of life, every day. Incorporating positive thoughts as a daily practice will build mental muscle and help you achieve the all-important optimistic way of thinking.

Becoming a better you:  Author Becca Anderson is a champion of undertaking the inner journey of working toward a better you. She is also a strong advocate for believing in yourself and loving yourself more each and every day. These are habits that can be reinforced by practices such as journaling, creating your own affirmations, and talking to yourself positively.

Build your inner optimism: Like an engine driving you toward greater things, self-belief brings you closer to your life’s purpose, your personal mission, and will absolutely make you a happier camper. Daily affirmations help build an optimistic mindset. So, give it a try! It’s as easy as pie and just as sweet.

In You Are An Awesome Woman you will learn:

• How the habit of daily affirmations can lead to thinking happy
• What it takes to build a more confident and better you
• The art of positive attitude adjustment

Readers of other Becca Anderson favorites such as Prayers for Hard Times, Badass Women Give the Best Advice, The Book of Awesome Women, and Badass Affirmations will love You Are An Awesome Woman.

 

They can be your neighbor. They can be your friend. They can even be your spouse.

Serial killers. Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer are often the first names that spring to mind. Many people assume serial killers are primarily an American phenomenon that came about in the latter part of the twentieth century. But such assumptions are far from the truth. Serial killers have been around for a very long time and can be found in every corner of the globe—and they’re not just limited to the male gender either. Some of them have been caught and brought to justice whereas others have never been found, let alone identified. These individuals can be anywhere. And scarier still, they can be anyone.

Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers features the very best all-new accounts of serial killers from the contemporary to the historic. The international list of contributors includes award-winning crime writers, true-crime podcasters, journalists, and experts in the field such as Martin Edwards, Lee Mellor, Danuta Kot, Craig Pittman , Richard O. Jones, Rachel Franks, Mike Browne and Vicki Hendricks.

The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers will leave you wondering if it’s ever really possible to know who’s behind the mask you’re allowed to see.

A Lesson in Self-Acceptance from Affirming Animals

From the author of the bestselling book, You Can Do All Things

Step into a state of mindfulness: Depression and anxiety are topics that can be uncomfortable to talk about, but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided. If anything, it means we need to be more aware and have more conversations about them. With the help of her adorable illustrations, art blogger Kate Allan (known through her remarkably popular Tumblr blog as “The Latest Kate”) urges us to be mindful of our mentality.

Work through anxiety and depression with the help of enlightening words: Allan, who suffers from anxiety and depression herself, understands what it’s like to deal with feelings that are difficult to fight through. In this book, she provides the personal kind of encouragement that she herself needs to hear. These encouraging words, along with writing prompts, can help readers sort through and express their feelings.

Practice self-love through self-care: Kate Allan’s creative journal meets us where we are—in the midst of the feelings that say we’re not enough, we can’t handle this life, we won’t make it. Her whimsical art and simple words lift trampled spirits and combat thoughts that lead us to believe our weirdness makes us weak. Young and old, we are encouraged to love ourselves exactly as we are.

In this collection of affirming illustrations, It’s Your Weirdness That Makes You Wonderful, you will find:

• A source of colorful and creative validation and affirmations for the struggles you face and the feelings of depression that may accompany them
• Anxiety-reducing visual art and journaling prompts to better understand and process your mental health
• Support animals in book-form that come along with you wherever you need them!

Readers of Made Out of Stars, My Friend Fear, Start Where You Are, and You’re Weird will find further comfort and healing in Kate Allan’s It’s Your Weirdness That Makes You Wonderful.

This one-of-a-kind tome takes a tour with Sylvia Beach and other booksellers as well as librarians, editors, writers, bibliophiles, and celebrated book clubs. Join women’s studies scholar Anders as she takes you on a ribald ride through the pages of history. Chapter titles include "Prolific Pens" (including Joyce Carol Oates, author of over 100 books), "Mystics, Memoirists and Madwomen", "Salons and Neosalons", "Ink in Their Veins" (literary dynasties), and the titillating "Banned, Blacklisted, and Arrested."

James Scheibli is one of the head writers BayArea.com, the newspaper conglomerate that included the Oakland Tribune, now East Bay Times, and is the editor of their popular entertainment newsletter Pop culture maven and author.