Tonic Reads: 4 Books Recommendations from January

One of the wonderful things that has come out of my new found alcohol free-ness is I now have TIME. So much more time. To do yoga, to meditate, to do nothing, to see friends for tea and to read.

I often post what I’m reading on Instagram as I LOVE talking about books, and it seems like lots of other people do too.

I’ve been working on a 13 books that changed my life post for ages, but it is so long and keeps spiralling around and around the page that it is still a work in progress. (It’s now written!)

If you follow me on any sort of social platform, you may have picked up on that I am going through something of a shift at the moment. From party girl who survived on wine & carrot sticks, to girl who no longer runs away from her feelings (but still tends towards carrots and houmous for dinner – but I’m working on it).

With January over, here’s a roundup of what I read last month (all books I would highly recommend):

1. Light is the New Black, Rebecca Campbell

Rebecca’s first book, Light is the New Black shook me right up. It felt like the call to action I’d been waiting for to truly start being myself. It is full of stories, annecdotes, mantras and actions that will help you embrace your light and yourself. I can’t recommend it enough, in fact I loved it so much that I ordered and read her next one straight away …

2.Rise Sister Rise, Rebecca Campbell

The follow up to Light is the New Black, but a different entity all together. It is a ‘call to arms for women to rise up, tell their truth and lead.’ I read this at the ideal time for me, funny how that always happens,as it focusses on the return of the mother and the rise of the scared feminine, on moving away from trying to ‘make it’ in a man’s world and shifting to a more sustainable way of being. Sounds woo woo but it is life changing, read it – trust me! Rise Sister Rise is, like Light is the New Black, full of tools, questions, mantras and exercises but also includes ritual to get you more in touch with yourself.

3.You are a Badass, Jen Sincero

I first read this at the beginning of 2016. I had yet to go through a lot of the shifts that happened last year and then my goals centred around getting promoted and losing two stone (that is a story for another day). Inspired by an interview I listened to with Jen Sincero, I downloaded the book on Audible & it was the best thing I could have done! It got me in the third week of January when I was feeling the very typical January blues and like the things I wanted weren’t going to happen. Jen get’s it, and she sets up a very practical guide to making shit happen for you and embracing the crazy life and world we live in in all it’s wonder.

4.LoveWarrior, Glennon Doyle Melton

Now I haven’t read Carry on Warrior yet, it’s next on my list. But a friend lent Love Warrior to me and I haven’t been able to put it down since! Although my life is on paper very different to Glennon’s, her words seem to write a lot of my story and I have been totally engrossed. It is a memoir and so much more, I’m not sure I can write much more that will do it justice but if you have ever struggled with self worth and self love  you will find something of yourself in her story.

I’d love to know what you’ve been reading & any recommendations! Instagram or email me.

All my love, L xx