Let's escape into a world of books!
Given the distressing news in our lives and around the world right now, let’s embrace escapism!
So, this morning I sprayed perfume into my face instead of on my neck, then decided to use black spray paint to freshen up a metal plant stand while wearing a white shirt, light blue jeans, and white slides. I’m sure you can guess the result…
Sigh, eyeroll. But I quickly recalibrated.
I will laugh about my minor goofs soon enough. What’s not funny is all the devastation and disruption from the recent hurricanes. For survivors, dealing with the loss of everything — from cars and homes to the photos and heirlooms we all treasure — can be a crippling life setback that is hard for anyone who hasn’t experienced it to even begin to comprehend.
It’s doubly sad that these tragedies are being misrepresented and politicized, with rampant misinformation stoking fears and frustrations. Human suffering should bring us together, not drive us apart. Hopefully that will be what ultimately happens as victims continue to recover and rebuild.
If you’d like to help hurricane survivors, many local and national nonprofits groups like the www.redcross.org and internationalmedicalcorps.org are on-the-ground and reputable, if you are unsure where to start.
Given all the scary, distressing, and otherwise bad news in our lives and around the world right now, I’ve decided this week to lean into escapism! Specifically, escaping into a book…
Did you know that October is National Book Month? The National Book Foundation established the first National Book Month in 2023 as a way to promote the importance of reading, writing, and literature. If you’re looking to join a community of fellow readers, they currently offer an array of reading programs for all ages and interests.
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake,
And it rips my life away but it's a great escape
— Blind Melon, No Rain
📚Click HERE to get your copy of It’s Okay Not to Be Fabulous Every Day!
Part of what inspired me to become an author was the role books played in my life. Fantasy, reality, history, psychology, and more... my tastes are, and always have been, eclectic. I enjoy the comfort of a good book, whether to escape or learn, or feel a different way. Books have been a light in the dark, information in a void, a crutch when I’m weak.
So, to embrace a little healthy escapism as a way to cope with these high stress times, I offer…
Today’s Tip: IMPROVE YOUR LIFE BY READING!📚
Research has shown that reading, especially for kids but also as adults, improves vocabulary and language skills, increases general comprehension and the ability to think critically, fosters creativity and imagination, enables us to better focus and concentrate, and reduces stress and anxiety while increasing our empathy and compassion. Reading is literally its own form of therapy!
Isn’t that amazing?!
While it’s easy to overindulge in harmful escapist tendencies in distressing times, escaping by reading can have a lifelong POSITIVE impact! That’s why, for you, my friend and reader, I wish you health and wellness for your body AND mind.
📚Click HERE to get your copy of It’s Okay Not to Be Fabulous Every Day
Action Corner: READ A GREAT BOOK💥
That’s right… Put down the phone, turn off the TV, and settle into a comfy chair with a pile of books. All it takes? Deciding. Which, as I write about in the “Just Do It” chapter of FABULOUS, isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here are some tips to help you take that first step on your own lifelong and personally-fulfilling reading journey:
Like all good habits, it takes is a little determination and a good strategy to include it in your daily routine.
Find a topic that interests you (bonus points if it’s outside your comfort zone!) and educate yourself in a safe, enriching way.
Dig into a genre or subject you know nothing about, and see where this new information takes you.
Extra tip: Read a book that's been made into a movie or TV show to fill in all those storyline gaps they can’t fit in on screen.
Visit Your Local Library or Bookstore
Find the novel, the biography, the historical account you didn’t even know you were looking for, and invite it home with you! Remember - audio books count!
If books, articles, poems, plays and screenplays seem a bit too much, try journaling. Writing in a journal returns multiple benefits!
BONUS TIP: There’s tons of fun stuff to read online too!
Of course it’s healthier to step away from your devices, but sometimes we just need something to skim while we’re waiting for the paint to dry on our plant stand… :)
I hope you take some of these actionable steps to enhance your reading *habits* and find the *great read* you never knew you needed. If you do, don’t forget to send me the title so I can recommend it to the other 3,000 people on this mailing list!
I have a FAVOR to ask: Please send me your top Halloween Book Recommendation for the next edition! I’ll pick whichever has the most recommendations or, if there’s aren’t any duplicates, I’ll pick randomly. Winner gets a shout out and the thanks of our wonderful Book Nook community!
Author Update
The revised version of It’s Okay Not to Be Fabulous comes out next month. I hope you’ll get it when it comes out, then curl into your fave chair or reading space, and dive right in!
I will host my launch on social media, but have something special in store for you, my newsletter readers! Check out my Instagram @Ally.Dalsimer and follow along to watch It’s Okay Not to be Fabulous Every Day turn its next page!
Ally’s Fabulous Book Nook
To keep things light, rather than recommend an actual book (side note: THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO SENDS ME RECOMMENDATIONS!! PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING!), I offer the light-hearted, wisdom-filled 24 Iroh Quotes (Avatar) recommended by Chromium Q:
Happy reading!
Ally
PS: Yes, I get the irony of not offering a good book to read in a newsletter touting the benefits of reading a good book. 🙂 I wish you all the best on your journey to find YOUR next fabulous book nook read!
