20 Ideas for Empty Notebooks, A Podcast That Made My Cheeks Hurt & Finding Your Foibles
Weekly Literate Love: September 6, 2024
Happy Friday!
As always, I’m here in your Inbox with a weekly dose of literate love where I share snippets of what I’m reading, writing, learning and loving in hopes that it inspires your own literate life, too.
This week, I’ve got four books to share, a hack to change the way you talk to yourself, a fun foible writing prompt and a list of things I love, too.
Plus, I’ve tackled the pile of empty notebooks in my home and share 20 ways YOU can do the same, share two KidLit Love conversations to celebrate ten years of The Princess in Black and ring in Halloween with a laugh, TOO.
The best part? I reveal my one-word theme for September and share 30 different books to help you embrace the theme alongside me.`
Keep reading for your weekly dose of literate love!
What I'm Reading:
This week, I’m continuing to read two non-fiction books on the power of writing:
Plus, I’ve finished two AMAZING middle grade novels.
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi Is a powerful coming-of-age novel-in-verse about a Syrian-American boy and his struggles, both big and small, as he navigates middle school. This book is all the things: powerful, emotional, lyrical, quintessential middle school, football and much, much more. Written against the backdrop of Executive Order 13769, also known as the Muslim ban, the format of the book invites readers to swim into the white space on the page and linger to explore the multitude of emotions they’re likely experiencing. Readers will likely relate to feeling invisible, trying to figure out who they are in an in-between world and ultimately realizing that the only validation they need comes from inside. This book imprinted its way onto my heart and is so needed in the world today.
Let’s Go, Coco! by Coco Fox is a powerful graphic novel about an eleven year old girl who will stop at nothing to make new friends on her basketball team…but shouldn’t true friends like you just the way you are? Coco’s best (and only!) friend just moved away and Coco isn’t sure how she fits in anymore. Filled with anxious thoughts and overthinking, Coco learns how to navigate school on her own and even joins the basketball team. But the stress of making and keeping friends is A LOT and Coco makes a few mistakes along the way, mistakes we can all relate to. As I read, I couldn’t help but reconnect with the eleven year old version of myself AND my adult self today. Created with a stunning color palette, Let’s Go, Coco! is filled with so many relatable themes: changing friendships, parent and sibling relationships, basketball and finding courage from within. I especially loved learning about a strategy that worked for her: taking a deep breath, counting to 5 and then doing the thing.
What I'm Writing:
My inner voice sucks. =)
All day, every day, we are constantly thinking and I’ve realized that much of what I say to MYSELF is not very loving: hurry up, you’re messing it up, you’re going to regret that, you’re too tired, why did you eat that, you’re never going to get it all done. I say these thoughts in my head AND in my notebook.
Ugh. Can you relate?
I’m making a more concerted effort to start talking to myself in a different way and found a hack that made it quite clear that my inner dialogue needs to change:
Grab two highlighters: one color you love and one color you dislike or have no attachment to.
Reread the last 5 entries in your notebook/journal/diary.
Highlight all of the positive things you write about yourself and your life in the color you love.
Highlight all of the negative things you write about yourself and your life in the color you love.
Compare colors. Reflect. Decide what it means.
I’m not sure how I thought of this idea, but I know it is pretty eye-opening. And the best part? Once you do it and you find yourself talking to yourself in your head, not just on paper, you might start to pretend to highlight your thoughts in a particular color and decide if that thought serves you well or not. That’s what I find myself doing!
Let me know if you try it!
What I'm Learning:
This week, I learned what a foible is from Gretchen Rubin. It’s a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character. And we all have them. But we can minimize them if we are honest about what they are, when they’re triggered and how we might diffuse them.
Wondering what my personal foibles are?
Well, they are being FAR TOO attached to my daily schedule, holding my breath when I get stressed and needing to eat the same breakfast every single morning or I’m cranky. If you’re wondering, that’s a bowl full of raspberries drizzled with Teddie natural peanut butter. Try it. =)
Knowing these things about me is one thing, but really thinking about how they impact me when things don’t go smoothly was a good exercise in personal development in my notebook. So…what are your foibles and how can knowing them help YOU?
What I'm Loving:
This is why we all need a one-sentence journal. This video has my heart.
My daughter and I cannot stop eating this pumpkin spice oat bars from Bobo’s.
Jillian Pransky released a lovely 4-minute practice to help you manage life’s transitions. It’s such a breathe of fresh air. Literally.
Have you seen these book boyfriend bookmarks? Adorable!
Keep scrolling for my latest podcast posts and updates!
Get Lit(erate). Podcast: 20 Ideas for Your Empty Notebooks
Do you have a stack of notebooks around your house that you haven’t yet cracked open or only wrote a single page in?
This episode is for you!
Today, I’m sharing 20 different notebook ideas to start filling the notebooks you currently have (and maybe buy a new one, too!) with a topic that works for YOU.
After you listen, I’d love to know what you think. Share YOUR notebook ideas in the comments!
KidLit Love:
Celebrating Ten Years of A Princess in Black with Shannon & Dean Hale
On this episode of the KidLit Love podcast, we’re celebrating a special occasion: The 10th Anniversary of The Princess in Black series!
Shannon and Dean Hale are here to talk about how The Princess in Black got started, where they get their inspiration from and why this series is so important in the reading lives of so many children.
Having Fun Reading: Zooloween with Alan Katz
In this episode of the KidLit Love podcast, I’m talking with Alan Katz, the hilarious author of more than 50 books for kids, including Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Stories, the Lieography and Society of Substitutes series and Really Stupid Stories for Really Smart Kids.
Listen as we talk about his newest book, Zooloween, and chat about his background as a writer, how and where he gets his ideas, what his hopes are for readers and much more.
Get your cheeks ready because you’ll laugh so much they’ll hurt. I know mine did!
Here's what's been happening in my Patreon community this week. It's only $5 a month and we have the best bookish experiences together. =)
September 2024 One-Word Theme Reveal
First Chapter Friday: The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection by Colby Sharp
This community is one of my favorite places to be online, so I hope you’ll check us out!
Get Lit(erate). Private Community:
Want more? Join my community and get TWO bonus episodes each week! You'll get book calendars, First Chapter Friday for adults, book lists, notebook prompts, book clubs, live events and much more to boost your reading and writing life. Join now for just $5 a month!
Grow a Restorative Reading Practice:
Want more? Join my Patreon community and get TWO bonus episodes each week! You'll get book calendars, First Chapter Friday for adults, book lists, notebook prompts, book clubs, live events and much more to boost your reading and writing life. Join now for just $5 a month!
Personalized Bookology Coaching:
Let's chat 1:1 about what you want out of your reading and/or writing life. You'll leave with a concrete (and fun!) plan, actionable steps and a personalized book and notebook apothecary!
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