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How Can Rewriting Your Narrative Help You Gain Closure?

Posted by Bijal Shah on

How Can Rewriting Your Narrative Help You Gain Closure?

  Sometimes it's only in hindsight that we get a sense of what our story is - a sense of closure. Through reflection, through journaling and re-writing our narrative. This is why reflection and writing our story is so important - it brings closure and even hope as we are able to move forward again. If you are in the middle of a difficult story right now, know that this too will pass and soon you will be able to make sense of it all.  In the book Discourse, Dialogue and Diversity in Biographical Research: An Ecology of Life and...

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20 Books on Understanding Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Posted by Bijal Shah on

20 Books on Understanding Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

I've recently had several requests from clients on reading recommendations on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to better understand what is happening there. So, I have curated a selection of non-fiction book recommendations and fiction recommendations. Hope you find it useful in the context of what is currently taking place.  Non-fiction Book Recommendations  1. The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine (Non-fiction) by Serhii Plokhy, Professor of History at Harvard University & Director of the Harvard Ukraine Institute.  Best for gaining an understanding of one of the least known large European countries. Takes you back all the way to the 9th century to what...

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Simon Alexander Ong on Energizing His Readers

Posted by Bijal Shah on

Simon Alexander Ong on Energizing His Readers

Today I'm super excited to share my Q&A with Simon Alexander Ong, the author of Energize: Find Your Spark, Achieve More and Live Better, his debut book published by Penguin Books UK, which is due to be published on 21 April 2022 and is available for pre-order.  Simon Alexander Ong is an award-winning coach and motivational speaker, he has been interviewed on Sky News, BBC and Forbes. In 2018, Barclays UK featured him in a nationwide campaign asking him questions on how families could embrace better lifestyle habits. His insights have seen him featured in HuffPost, Forbes, Virgin and the Guardian. Simon regularly speaks at organisations and keynote public events and conferences....

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40 Books from 2021 You Need to Read in 2022

Posted by Bijal Shah on

40 Books from 2021 You Need to Read in 2022

Hello! Every year Book Therapy curates a list of our best books of the year spanning both fiction and non-fiction, ranging from literary fiction, young adult, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and thrillers, LGBTQIA+ as well as best political and business books, memoirs and biographies and travel and cookbooks. We hope these offer literary inspiration for the year to come and we'd love to hear your thoughts on these. If you feel there's any we've missed, please reach out and let us know too! Also to help you get the most out of your reading life don't forget to sign up to our...

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Therapeutic Fiction on Prescription — A Haitian Bibliotherapy Collection on Love, Loss and Grief

Posted by Bijal Shah on

Therapeutic Fiction on Prescription — A Haitian Bibliotherapy Collection on Love, Loss and Grief

Growing up in Kenya, East Africa in the 1980s, was like growing up in a caged paradise — beautiful outdoor landscapes and nature visits — in a backdrop of staggering crime levels and targeted attacks on the Asian community, which meant that there wasn’t always lots to do for budding teenagers. I often spent hours on end at the community library totally absorbed in fiction — and I’d often use literature as the antidote to teenage angst. I lived in an Orthodox Jain community and mental health and well-being were unheard of. We didn’t talk about many of the issues...

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