Happy New (You) Year!

Hot take: I (low key) love January! I’ve seen a lot of posts lately about how it’s the worst month, the “Monday” of the whole year, blah, blah. Me? Give me all the new books, new notebooks, unrealistic exercise goals - I love them all!

I think I embrace the new year so much because I subscribe to what author and podcast host Gretchen Rubin calls the “clean slate” approach (you can watch a video of her discussing it here). To me, a new year signals a brand-new chance to start over, be better, get it right.

If the clean slate theory speaks to you, then I’ve gathered up some new releases to help you on your new (you) year journey. Whether you want to be happier, more creative, or less stressed, here are some great new reads worth checking out!

Happy AF is your comprehensive roadmap for happiness. Drawing heavily from neuroscience, positive psychology, and behavioral science, the straightforward strategies and exercises in this how-to guide will teach you how to strengthen your happiness muscle and live up to your greatest potential. Happiness junky Beth Romero serves up a life-affirming parable laced with contextual how-tos—all backed by clinical research—in fresh, insightful, and accessible language you can relate to. Kinda like your best friend giving it to you straight (with love) over cocktails. You can read more and get your copy here.

What daily habits do happiness psychologists recommend to sprinkle our lives with joy? What does the latest research show about how we can live longer? How do the world’s top gastroenterologists tackle bloating and constipation? How can we amp up our charisma, make and keep quality friendships, and overcome the burn out sapping our energy every day? 100 Ways to Change Your Life offers real answers to each of these questions, and so many more. This is a new kind of personal growth book; here, veteran journalist Liz Moody translates her years of experience interviewing the world’s leading doctors, scientists, and thinkers into a smart, choose-your-own-adventure-style read that offers concrete solutions to some of life’s biggest hurdles—physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise. You can read more and get your copy here.

Here’s a promise that could not be more timely or needed: You can dial down your stress in just a few minutes, with no ponderous meditations, medications, or martinis required. Written by Dr. Jennifer L. Taitz, a clinical psychologist who specializes in teaching mindfulness-based behavioral skills to manage intense emotions and situations, Stress Resets  provides 75 scientifically proven ways to improve how you respond to stress, both in the moment and the long run. Through personal anecdotes, expert interviews, cutting-edge studies, and practical tips, Stress Resets will not only change how you view your stress but also give you the hope and confidence you need to reset and ultimately change how you feel. This book comes out on January 30th – you can read more and preorder your copy here.

For as long as she can remember, Kate Manne has wanted to be smaller. She can tell you what she weighed on any significant occasion: her wedding day, the day she became a professor, the day her daughter was born. She’s been bullied and belittled for her size, leading to extreme dieting. Blending intimate stories with the trenchant analysis that has become her signature, Manne shows why fatphobia has become a vital social justice issue. In this urgent call to action, Manne proposes a new politics of “body reflexivity”—a radical reevaluation of who our bodies exist in the world for: ourselves and no one else. When it comes to fatphobia, the solution is not to love our bodies more. Instead, we must dismantle the forces that control and constrain us and remake the world to accommodate people of every size. You can read more and get your copy here.

In her internationally bestselling book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron shared with her millions of readers the three main tools needed to unlock creativity. Now, in her revolutionary new book, Living the Artist’s Way, Cameron finally reveals the vital fourth Artist’s Way tool that she relies upon daily to find creative inspiration: writing for guidance. Over the course of six weeks, readers learn the radical new skill needed to take their creativity and their creative work to the next level: how to connect with the intuitive power within themselves and trust the answers they receive. For followers of the Artist’s Way program and newcomers alike, this exciting new guidebook will teach readers how to find greater happiness, productivity, and creative inspiration. You can read more and get your copy here.

Here are a few backlist reads from our Badass Women’s Book Club to recommend…

If this is the year you want to focus on friendships and community…

You'd love to have a "ride or die" posse like you see on social media, but instead you have a host of really good . . . acquaintances. After all, trying to find a soul friend in the midst of dirty dishes, deadlines, and, oh, a crazy busy life can be overwhelming. But what if developing great friendships was actually easier than we thought? In The Life Council, Laura Tremaine--the writer and podcaster behind 10 Things to Tell You--tells us what we've been hoping was true all along: making, keeping, and even releasing friends doesn't need to be as hard as we make it. This fun and practical guide gives you the help you need to think about friendships in a new way and find true connection, freedom, and joy in relationships. You can read more and get your copy here.

If this is the year you want to start saying NO…

Are you burnt out from taking on more than you can handle or accepting less than you deserve? Tired of giving in instead of sticking up for yourself? Sick of saying yes all the time? You're gonna love F*CK NO! No is an acceptable answer, and it's time to start using it. Whether you're a People-Pleaser, Overachiever, Pushover, or have serious FOMO, bestselling "anti-guru" Sarah Knight helps you say what you really mean without being really mean—or burning out for fear of missing out. F*ck No! delivers practical strategies that give you the power to decline, and concrete examples that put the words right into your mouth. You can read more and get your copy here.

Or if this is the year you want to start saying YES…

With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake up and a call to arms: You never say yes to anything. Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her. This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her. The book chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. You can read more and get your copy here.

This concept reminded me of the internship approach in our January book. Semesters for adults: How the academic school year can help with goal-setting, time management, and motivation - Vox

Do you have a word of the year? Happier in Hollywood podcast hosts Liz Craft and Sara Fain have their personal words of the year, plus a “team theme” for the year. And it rhymes with 2024! You can hear them all here.

Speaking of podcasts, did you know our January author has a podcast?  Check out Extra Shot Podcast here.

Stay tuned for information on my upcoming interview with Alisha Fernandez Miranda and the launch of my new Books to Badass series!