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"Bathers by a River" by Henri Matisse, one of the artists featured in 'Last Light.' Photo: Classic Paintings/Alamy Stock Photo
> The Listicles
Life Inspired: 5 Reads for Your Body, Mind and Spirit Journey
The season's best self-help books include Michelle Obama on hope, Harold R. Johnson on creativity and Ann Douglas' honest guide for mid-life women / BY Dene Moore / November 11th, 2022
As we embrace a new year, there’s no better time to add a little inspiration to your TBR pile. Here, we round up titles that feed the body, mind and spirit, from renowned parenting author Ann Douglas’ guide to making the most out of middle age to Michelle Obama’s moving followup to Becoming.
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1Navigating the Messy Middle Popular Canadian parenting author Ann Douglas, best known for her 2015 autobiographical book, Parenting Through the Storm – a guide for parents of children with mental health, neurodevelopmental or behavioural challenges – takes on the myth of the mid-life woman. Through personal stories drawn from interviews with dozens of diverse women, she breaks down stereotypes and examines the economic, political and social power of mid-life women, with strategies to thrive.
Popular Canadian parenting author Ann Douglas, best known for her 2015 autobiographical book, Parenting Through the Storm – a guide for parents of children with mental health, neurodevelopmental or behavioural challenges – takes on the myth of the mid-life woman. Through personal stories drawn from interviews with dozens of diverse women, she breaks down stereotypes and examines the economic, political and social power of mid-life women, with strategies to thrive.
2The Power of StoryWhen the late Harold R. Johnson was asked by a multi-denominational ecumenical society to host a talk about the power of storytelling, this book resulted from the gathering at his home community, the Montreal Lake Cree Nation in northern Saskatchewan. Part memoir and part history lesson, it is a call for creativity and healing from the author of multiple fiction and non-fiction books, including Firewater: How Alcohol Is Killing My People (and Yours), a finalist for the 2016 Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction. “We are all story,” he writes. “We are the stories we are told and we are the stories we tell ourselves. To change our circumstances, we need to change our story.”
When the late Harold R. Johnson was asked by a multi-denominational ecumenical society to host a talk about the power of storytelling, this book resulted from the gathering at his home community, the Montreal Lake Cree Nation in northern Saskatchewan. Part memoir and part history lesson, it is a call for creativity and healing from the author of multiple fiction and non-fiction books, including Firewater: How Alcohol Is Killing My People (and Yours), a finalist for the 2016 Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction. “We are all story,” he writes. “We are the stories we are told and we are the stories we tell ourselves. To change our circumstances, we need to change our story.”
3Last Light: How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of TriumphThe former long-time art critic for Time magazine, Richard Lacayo profiles the later-in-life work of six renowned masters and shows how they produced some of their greatest masterpieces, changing the course of art history. Titian, Goya, Monet, Matisse, Edward Hopper and Louise Nevelson had the determination to go on creating. “Young artists may experiment because they have nothing to lose. More established ones can do the same because they have nothing to fear,” Lacayo writes.
The former long-time art critic for Time magazine, Richard Lacayo profiles the later-in-life work of six renowned masters and shows how they produced some of their greatest masterpieces, changing the course of art history. Titian, Goya, Monet, Matisse, Edward Hopper and Louise Nevelson had the determination to go on creating. “Young artists may experiment because they have nothing to lose. More established ones can do the same because they have nothing to fear,” Lacayo writes.
4Happiness: The Art of TogethernessFrench fashion designer Inès de la Fressange, the one-time model and muse for Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld, charmed readers with her bestselling 2011 book, Parisian Chic, and its literary offspring: Parisian Chic Look Book, The Parisian Field Guide to Men’s Style and Parisian Chic Encore. Known for her smiling, upbeat presence on the catwalk, de la Fressange is so iconically French that she was chosen in the ’90s as the likeness for “Marianne,” the face of the republic, joining the ranks of other Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. In her latest, co-written with fashion journalist Sophie Gachet and actress Olga Sekulic, the 65-year-old businesswoman – who started modelling in 1974 at 17 and continued to walk the runway well into her 50s – shares secrets for finding joy and personal growth in strong connections with family and friends.
French fashion designer Inès de la Fressange, the one-time model and muse for Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld, charmed readers with her bestselling 2011 book, Parisian Chic, and its literary offspring: Parisian Chic Look Book, The Parisian Field Guide to Men’s Style and Parisian Chic Encore. Known for her smiling, upbeat presence on the catwalk, de la Fressange is so iconically French that she was chosen in the ’90s as the likeness for “Marianne,” the face of the republic, joining the ranks of other Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. In her latest, co-written with fashion journalist Sophie Gachet and actress Olga Sekulic, the 65-year-old businesswoman – who started modelling in 1974 at 17 and continued to walk the runway well into her 50s – shares secrets for finding joy and personal growth in strong connections with family and friends.
5The Light We CarryThis follow-up to Becoming, Michelle Obama’s bestselling 2018 memoir, is a collection of practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in an uncertain world. In a message to her 50 million followers on Instagram, Obama says the global pandemic, political insurrection in the U.S. and a rising tide of hate and intolerance left her feeling vulnerable and, at times, afraid. “How do we overcome our fears? How can we channel our frustration into something positive?” she asks. The answers are found in the personal and inspirational stories culled from Obama’s conversations with loved ones.
This follow-up to Becoming, Michelle Obama’s bestselling 2018 memoir, is a collection of practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in an uncertain world. In a message to her 50 million followers on Instagram, Obama says the global pandemic, political insurrection in the U.S. and a rising tide of hate and intolerance left her feeling vulnerable and, at times, afraid. “How do we overcome our fears? How can we channel our frustration into something positive?” she asks. The answers are found in the personal and inspirational stories culled from Obama’s conversations with loved ones.