Mind, Body & Spirit

Where is your hearth? What do you return to over and over, to ground yourself, to center your community? What happens when your hearth is lost or is endangered? What can we carry with us? This inspiring anthology explores these questions through pieces by Terry Tempest Williams, Pico Iyer, Luís Alberto Urrea, Chigozie Obioma, Sebastião Salgado, and more—each bringing their own truths to the table, to warm at the fire. What is created is sacred, hopeful, and communal, at a time we need it most. - Melinda

Taken from the tweets of this excellent man of many talents, each page has a thought, pep talk, or sweet encouragement for your morning or evening. Illustrated by Jonny Sun, the man behind everyone’s a aliebn, this little book is just what I need to help me start and end each day. Truly lovely and the perfect little gift book for everyone. - Jax

This is a memoir of a faith experience gone too far, in which a teenage girl from a small Northern California town feels drawn to the charisma and community of a Pentecostal church but eventually finds herself isolated—from other church members, from her family, her friends, her own previous joys and even sometimes from God. Gelsinger gives an affecting insight into the experience of young people in strict evangelist communities. -a.c.

I loved this collection of essays. Sharp, political, intelligent, and witty, Havrilesky’s voice reminded me of a merge between Cheryl Strayed’s Dear Sugar and Rebecca Solnit. Havrilesky points out how our culture’s emphasis is tuned to a constant tirade of consuming and reaching—we are to seek out more technology, buy newer apps, climb the ladder, improve our minds, finesse our rooms, spruce ours cars, balance our diets, deepen our relationships…and the list just keeps going. Enough! With heart, humor and insight, Havrilesky helps show that if we stop seeking happily ever after, we might be surprised by just how connected and content we can actually feel. - S.M.C.

Drawing on a wealth of research and studies, Walker presents a compelling case that the power of sleep and dreams, properly utilized, can enhance the everyday lives of individuals and even society at large. Reap the benefits of consistent, quality sleep. Reading this book changed my approach to sleep and produced remarkably positive results! - Trey

This intersectional book about period-having people needs to be read by everyone. It removes the stigma of menstruation which has plagued us all, whether you have a period or not. There are essays from a transgender man, a homeless person, a disabled person as well as 9 other voices. It changed my life. No longer will I hide my tampons! Let's have conversations. Let's make it normal. - Karena

Legendary behaviorist Robert Sapolsky outlines so much of what we assume to be immutable behaviour as nothing more than a confluence of stimuli and their cascading responses. From genes to food to culture, Sapolsky starts small and continues to expound upon himself to illuminate the brain, the body, and the world in which we are all actors. - Ian

If you're socially anxious, this book is for you. It follows tried-and-true cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to offer concrete steps towards managing anxiety. Hendriksen is a gentle, witty mentor, and her stories of challenges and triumphs inspire. For a book about anxiety, the book was a breeze to read, and I've already been seeing results in my own life going through the exercises. - Natalie

Following a kaleidoscopic thread of psychedelics, shamanism, psychotherapy, Santa Cruz hippies, cultural revolution, and German New Age-ers, Pollan crafts the narrative on psychedelics in the contemporary moment. Extensively researched, and at points laugh-out-loud funny, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence is already in line for nonfiction book of the year. Quarter tab of acid not included with purchase. - Gabe

Meet Michael Pollan at our off-site book talk & signing event on June 5th. Check here for ticket availability.

Joan Halifax is a scholar, anthropologist, activist, and Buddhist teacher. She has works with neuroscientists, psychologists, politicians, caregivers, teachers, and activists and has named five psychological territories she calls Edge States—altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement—that epitomize strength of character and can also be the root of suffering. Halifax notes that if we can teeter on the edge of each state and observe our behaviors and impulses from there, we can travel the range of the human experience and do so with openness and courage. - S.M.C.