Spirituality and Mindfulness books

The Art of Living Well Year-Round

An abundant sourcebook of ideas, inspirational quotes, recipes, and activities, Simple Pleasures shows you how to appreciate the simple things that make up your daily life.

Secrets to happiness. Happiness in today’s frantic world is to learn how to enjoy less than we can afford. Rediscover the pleasures our grandparents knew when life was quieter and slower. When children without TVs knew how to amuse themselves. When pleasures were made not bought and enjoyed all the more because of it. From the recipe for a homemade herbal bath to quick and easy recommendations for an instant room makeover, the suggestions collected in this book offer a new appreciation for the everyday activities that nurture and comfort you.

Self-care made easy. Organized seasonally and full of touching stories, practical tips, and dozens of satisfying crafts, Simple Pleasures is both a guide to and a celebration of the art of living well. Inside, find self-care tips and learn how to:

• Make your own perfume and body lotion
• Create old fashioned sachets
• Bake the world’s best cookies

If you enjoyed other books in the Simple Pleasures series by Susannah Seton such as 365 Simple Pleasures, Simple Pleasures of the Home, and Simple Pleasures for the Holidays or books like The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, The Self Care Prescription, or The Spirit Almanac, you’ll love 365 Simple Pleasures.

365 Days of Self-Care Strategies

Aim to be the best version of yourself year round with daily arts and crafts, recipes, and pampering ideas.

Seasonal self-care. 365 Simple Pleasures makes it easier than ever to take care of yourself throughout the year. As the seasons change, so do these self-care ideas. Whether installing a low maintenance cactus garden in the summer or crafting scented candles for the holidays, these self-care activities take good care of the mind, body, and soul.

Self-care made easy. Along with easy, daily activities, author Susannah Seton explains why we enjoy each of these simple pleasures and why simple joys really do go a long way. Inside, find self-care tips and learn how to:

• Release stress with lavender and rosemary crafts
• Pamper yourself with a DIY spa day
• Bake comfort foods like bread and maple candy

If you enjoyed books like The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, The Self Care Prescription, or The Spirit Almanac, you’ll love 365 Simple Pleasures.  

According to the Trends Research Institute, simplicity will be the social movement of the next ten years. Sure to benefit from this is the holiday season, which is more stressful than satisfying for many people. In her fourth Simple Pleasures book, author Susannah Seton shows how to find true satisfaction in the holidays by making them less expensive, less frantic, and more meaningful. Simple Pleasures for the Holidays takes an expansive approach, covering Halloween, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and Irish and Islamic holidays. The premise is that shared experience is what people value most, and the book itself a collage of inspirational stories from people around the world along with recipes, crafts, and suggestions for communal fun embodies this.

Simple Pleasures of the Garden is a treasure chest of tips, how-to's, stories, and trade secrets gathered together in one beautiful book. Organized by season, the hundreds of suggestions and recipes present a profusion of ways to celebrate the bounty of the Earth all year round.

Projects include handcrafted lotions and oils, baskets and wreaths, potpourris and floral waters, along with dozens of simple, inexpensive home decorations and easy-to-prepare recipes that utilize all of your garden's harvest. From compost tea to confetti corn chowder, Simple Pleasures of the Garden will inspire you to bestow the comforts and charms of your garden on family and friends.

Lately, troubled teens have been dominating the headlines. But there are other stories that deserve the spotlight, stories about the many teenagers who have dedicated themselves to important, socially useful volunteer work and who will lead their generation toward a more hopeful tomorrow. The fourth in Conari Press' "Call to Action" series, Teens with the Courage to Give profiles thirty amazing young people throughout the United States and Canada who overcame great personal odds to reach out and help others while healing themselves in the process. Each has founded or is linked to a nonprofit organization that is also profiled in the book, to encourage other teens to embrace volunteerism.

In these inspiring pages, to name just a few of these heroic teenagers, you'll meet an amputee who runs in the Paralympics and spurs others on with his inner resolve; the son of a cancer patient who created support groups around the country for kids with sick parents; a girl who helped her mother and younger sister as they died of aids and who is now an aids awareness and prevention volunteer; and one of the students from the Littleton, Colorado, shooting who has gone on to create a teen drop-in center.

Through their courageous first person stories, these teens show that they are part of the solution to what ails today's society. Includes an extensive resource guide of volunteer opportunities and a classroom/group discussion guide.

Inspirational Stories of Everyday Kindness

A simple message with profound meaning. Small kindnesses can make a great impact. The stories in this book, collected by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, emphasize just how meaningful and powerful kind acts can be. They can be seemingly small gestures, but often their influence on those who are the recipients of the kindness go deeper than we ever see.

Heartwarming stories. This Christian book contains numerous, beautiful stories of Christ-like, selfless love. They are examples of ways that each and every one of us can take the challenge to spread kindness intentionally and apply it to our everyday lives. Even an act as simple as shoveling a driveway can go a long way in making a difference in someone’s life.

Living out Christ’s teachings. Love and kindness are at the heart of Christianity. We are called to live a life devoted to compassion, one that fulfills the Christian credo to love your neighbour as yourself. This means looking outside ourselves each day to see how we can demonstrate that love for others, just as the people in this inspirational book have done.

Read Christian Acts of Kindness and discover…

• A lesson in love from people living out kindness
• Stories sure to motivate and inspire you to find ways to spread kindness in your daily life
• Proof of the power that a small act of compassion can bring

Readers of books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul; Radical Kindness; and Everybody, Always will love Christian Acts of Kindness.

Women's Intuition is real, says Paula Reeves. Encoded in a woman's DNA, this subtle yet potent source of knowledge has been doubted and dismissed as an old wives' tale. Because social conditioning and maledominated culture have caused women to feel disconnected from their own bodies, Dr. Reeves believes that most women are unaware of what their intuition is trying to tell them.

In Women's Intuition, Dr. Reeves guides readers to remove the blocks preventing this channel of knowledge from informing and enriching their daily lives. By evoking bodybased intuition, readers can reestablish their bodymind bond and access their intuitive power for healing and insight.

Essays that Remind Us How We are All Connected

This powerful collection of words from award-winning journalist Richard Louv examines the interconnections among people—with each chapter revealing the delicate strands of life that weave us all together.

Touching on the simple truths. It’s often the little things that remind us how connected we all are to one another. Through his insightful reflections, Louv reveals the many places we can find the strands that bind us to one another, and he explores where we can find these strands in our lives—from family and friendship to community and nature. Most importantly, his words remind us of the importance of seeking out these strands in our own lives.

The great web of life. In this collection of inspirational stories, discussion, and quotations, Louv paints a picture for us of the great web of life. With warmth and wisdom, he weaves for us a tale of unity, composed of numerous stories and heartfelt life lessons. As we discover how we are all connected, we also learn how it is our responsibility to care for each other and the world around us. As Louv shares, “In our society, it is easy to lose sight of the web. To mend our hoop, our protective gauze, we must envision the whole ecology and not only the parts.”

Open up this book of inspirational messages and discover:

• Stories that will open your eyes to the web of life
• A joyous celebration of the simple things that unite us
• A philosophy in life that you’ll want to live out!

Readers of books like Braiding Sweetgrass, Wilderness Essays, or The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, will love Web of Life by Richard Louv.

A Guide to Deeper Spirituality

A follow-up to the classic, Notes to Myself. As an author, minister, and counselor, Hugh Prather had extensive experience sharing wisdom on worldly (and other-worldly) topics. His book, Notes to Myself, offers a treasury of thoughtful and eye-opening insights and reminders. And this spiritual-themed follow-up book masterfully accomplishes the same goal of guiding readers to greater awareness.

A modern Book of Proverbs. Throughout the book, Prather offers countless tidbits of wisdom. Each line is packed with powerful insight and inspiration that is sure to leave a lasting impact on readers. Though his words are written as “notes-to-self,” Prather’s gaze looks to and reflects on the outside world, and so he draws us all into his thoughts. Through this inner dialogue, we see the world more clearly.

Essential guide for your spiritual journey. Journeys are made easier when we have a guide. This book fills that role for readers on their own journey toward spirituality. Spiritual growth can be a slow but rewarding process if we devote the time to it. Prather’s words throughout this spiritual book remind us that we are not alone on our journey, and that it is through realizing our oneness with all living things that we find our way.

Check out Spiritual Notes to Myself, one of Hugh Prather’s classics, and find…

• A simple, easy-to-read guide for greater spiritual and self-awareness
• Powerful words of wisdom on each page
• A resource to return to again and again in your spiritual journey

Readers of books such as A Path with Heart, Life of the Beloved, Beholding and Becoming, and Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Realitywill enjoy Hugh Prather’s Spiritual Notes to Myself.