Reads That Rattled Me

Not the prettiest reads but the necessary ones. The ones that shook something loose.

This is a quiet little list of the books, tools, and gentle reads I’ve loved, some will be mentioned in my writings, others just sitting on my shelf and digital app helping me breathe.

I’ve added affiliate links where I could. If you choose to buy through them, it sends a small thank you back to this space, no pressure, just appreciation.

1. The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock

   This one found me when the usual stories of becoming didn’t feel like mine. It’s not a book you rush through. It’s a mirror held gently, one that doesn’t ask you to fix yourself, just to see the whole arc of your return.

   If you’ve ever felt like your healing didn’t look like a straight line, this might sit well with you.

2. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

   This is not a book to be read quickly. It’s meant to be savored, returned to, and lived through. It invites women to dig into their soul soil, unearth buried bones, and sing their way back to life. The ultimate message: You are already whole. You only need to remember who you are.

3. The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma

   I picked this up at the deepest stage of my life. I couldn’t even finish it at the time, it was too raw, too real.

   Now, I see why.

   Sometimes, a book knows before you do. And when you’re finally ready, it reads like a mirror.

4. The Alchemist

   I first read this when I was around 22 or 23. I was discussing it with a friend, page by page, like it was a sacred text.

   That line, “Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure” has stayed with me. It walked with me through my career, my pivots, my quiet knowing.

   13 years later, life cracked open again and I bought the book a second time. I scribbled through it like a wild thing. It felt like the enabler of a decision I was about to leap into. I remember laughing and crying and yelling at the pages like it was a friend who knew too much.

I don’t recommend books lightly. These found me when I needed them, and if you’re here, maybe one of them is meant for you too.

If any of them stirred something in you, feel free to let me know but no pressure.

I’ll be adding more to this list as we go, different genres, different moods, whatever hits the soul.

So follow along if this kind of thing resonates. No fluff. Just the real stuff.

HAVE FUN READING