From cannabis to collagen, ketogenics to cauliflower, clean eating to happy food, mindfulness to more sleep, new wellness books and cookbooks to better your life abounded at the 2018 BookExpo America (BEA), held in May at New York's Jacob Javits Center.
Last week, I shared upcoming novels and memoirs I discovered at BEA. This week, I'm focusing on new self-care titles. The following are some of the wellness themes trending at the exhibition. Note some of the titles are not available until later this year or early 2019.
Happy Titles That Will Make You Smile
If someone asked me if I'd rather be happy than sad, the answer would undoubtedly be "happy." I bet you would answer the same. Who doesn't want to be happy? For those who aren't, you can read these new happiness books:
- Short Cuts to Happiness: Life-Changing Lessons From My Barberby Tal Ben-Shahar (This title made me laugh. Maybe I should buy it for my boyfriend L.)
- 100 Days Happier and The Happiness Code and The Daily Promise: 100 Ways to Feel Happy About Your Life were all written by Domonique Bertolucci (I sure hope Domonique is happy.)
- Happy Food: Fast, Fresh, Simple Vegan by Bettina Campolucci Bordi
- Draw and Be Happy by Tim Shaw
- Spark Happiness(a box of prompts to cultivate joy)
Stop, Breathe and Be Mindful
As a yoga and meditation instructor, I practice mindful living. When I get stressed, I remind myself to "stop, breathe and be" in the moment. I studied mindfulness meditation about 10 years ago, and since then it has become more and more popular as the world gets more and more stressful. That's likely why there are so many books on the subject and related subjects like yoga and the previously mentioned topic of happiness:
- A Sloth's Guide to Mindfulness by Ton Mak
- Walk: The Path to a More Mindful Life by Sholto Radford
- A Little Book of Japanese Contentments by Erin Nimi Longhurst (Erin is a blogger at Erin Bell.)
- The Joy of Doing Just Enough by Jennifer McCartney
- Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life by Gisele Bündchen (Gisele is a famous model and wife of Tom Brady.)
- It's Okay to Feel Things Deeply by Carissa Potter
- Morning Altars: A 7-Step Practice to Nourish Your Spirit through Nature, Art, and Ritual by Day Schildkret
- Made Out of Stars: A Journal of Self-Realization by Meera Lee Patel
- The Accidental Yogini by Tracey L. Ulshafer (I can relate to how Tracey discovered her love of yoga.)
- Goat Yoga by Ashley Hylebart and Shenanigoats Yoga (Sorry, not a fan of goat yoga.)
- Let's Play Yoga by Marcia de Luca and Lucia Barros (Yes, am a fan of yoga for kids.)
Get Your Sleep and if All Else Fails Try Cannabis
This group of books is for all my postmenopausal friends who don't get enough sleep and who lie in bed night after night wide awake for hours on end. Sleep books are hot, hot, hot—everyone, including me, is searching for the magic answer on how to improve sleep. If the mindfulness books don't help, perhaps these books will:
- This Book Will Put You to Sleep from Chronicle Books
- Your Bed Loves You: The Healing Power of Sleep by Meredith Gaston
- A Woman's Guide To Cannabis by Nikki Furrer
- Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen by Stephanie Hua and Coreen Carroll
- The Dogist Puppies by Elias Weiss Friedman (Can't sleep?Instead of counting sheep take a look at these adorable puppies.)
- Sally's Cookie Addiction by Sally McKenney (Give up on sleep? Why not bake some cookies?)
Beauty Inside and Out
With the population aging, it seems like beauty is going deeper than what you put on the surface of the skin. These books show that a holistic way of living can make a difference to overall health and potentially prevent disease:
- The Collagen Glow – A Guide To Ingestible Skincare by Sally Kim
- Whole Beauty by Shiva Rose
- The Whole Body Microbiome by Brett Finlay, PhD, and Jennifer Finlay
- Clean Enoughby Katzie Guy-Hamilton
Healthy living is about the whole body.
- 500 Ketogenic Recipes by Dana Carpender (According to this cookbook, the ketogenic diet emphasizes high ratios of healthy fats, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate intake.)
- Foundations of Flavor: The Noma Guide to Fermentation by Réne Redzepi and David Zilber (This is all about keeping your digestion beautiful with ways to make homemade miso, kombucha, and more fermented condiments.)
- Sit Strong: Everyday Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen Your Posture by Harriet Griffey (I think good posture is so important as we get older. That's why I practice yoga, with postures like mountain pose.)
Cookbooks to Help You Eat Your Veggies
- Green Burgers: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for Burgers & Sliders by Martin Nordin
- Saladish by Lee Rosen
- The Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Book by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer
- Season by Nik Sharma (This is by the award-winning food blogger from A Brown Table. It is not a vegetarian cookbook but has veggie recipes. OMG, I just looked at his blog. It's amazing!)
- Cauliflower by Oz Telem ( A veggie that is hot, hot, hot.)
- Veggie Burger Atelier by Nina Olsson (Nina also includes recipes for buns, condiments and sweets to go along with your burgers.)
- Estela by Ignacio Mattos (This James Beard Chef's NYC restaurant Estela earned a spot as one of the World's 50 Best. OMG, I want to go to Ignacio's restaurant. The menu looks so good.)
- Cook Like a Pro by Ina Garten (I've never made one of Ina's recipes, but several of my friends rave about her cooking.)
Cheers to your health and well-being!
This post originally appeared on aboomerslifeafter50.com.
