Ali's Picks

Ali is a writer, Positive Psychology & Creativity Coach, and educator, whose poetry and prose have been published in various literary journals around the country. While she's especially fond of short and long fiction, prose poetry, Zen, and self-development, she refuses to read nearly anything but middle grade fantasy at bedtime. Ali grew up on Reading Rainbow and loves getting to use her lifelong preoccupation with creative reading and writing, the power of the mind, and the magic of the imagination to help people discover new ideas--and great books! Her reading choices are all motivated by a deep sense of wonder and affection for the world and an endless curiosity about how we choose to live in it.

Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness

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Ali
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Over the Top: My Story By Jonathan Van Ness Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062906380
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: HarperOne - September 29th, 2020

I don't know if I loved Over the Top, by Jonathan Van Ness, or Naturally Tan, by Tan France, more. They may be tied for my favorite audiobook of all time. These two tell the incredible stories that eventually led them to Queer Eye with so much humor, candor, sass, and heart - and in JVN's case his signature theatrics and the wild, barely-controlled enthusiasm of a triple axel; in Tan's, his usual cheekiness and killer sense of attitude and style. Read and see for yourself, or try Libro.fm to listen and still support Phoenix Books!  -Ali, Burlington


Naturally Tan by Tan France

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Ali
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Naturally Tan: A Memoir By Tan France Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250210531
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: St. Martin's Griffin - September 22nd, 2020

I don't know if I loved Over the Top, by Jonathan Van Ness, or Naturally Tan, by Tan France, more. They may be tied for my favorite audiobook of all time. These two tell the incredible stories that eventually led them to Queer Eye with so much humor, candor, sass, and heart - and in JVN's case his signature theatrics and the wild, barely-controlled enthusiasm of a triple axel; in Tan's, his usual cheekiness and killer sense of attitude and style. Read and see for yourself, or try Libro.fm to listen and still support Phoenix Books! -Ali, Burlington


Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

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Ali
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Healing with Whole Foods, Third Edition: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition--Your holistic guide to healing body and mind through food and nutrition By Paul Pitchford Cover Image
$35.00
ISBN: 9781556434303
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: North Atlantic Books - November 5th, 2002

I’ve been using this book forever! Paul Pitchford’s Healing With Whole Foods is a classic of holistic health, long considered the best word on nutritional healing and wellness, and it has a ton of reliably clean, simple, and delicious recipes, to boot! I’ve been making the baked tofu with lemon sauce for almost 20 years. I am, in fact, having it again for dinner tonight! 


Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

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Ali
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Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear By Elizabeth Gilbert Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9781594634710
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Riverhead Books - September 22nd, 2015

This book is so inspiring! As soon as I finished reading Liz Gilbert's Big Magic, I wanted to start it again. A starburst, lighthouse, magic lantern, and salve for any creative soul. Beautiful writing, too! If you're a creative-living-leaning person, and definitely if you also liked her vibe in her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, you'll love this one. It's a dazzler.


You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero

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Ali
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You Are a Badass®: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life By Jen Sincero Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780762447695
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Running Press Adult - April 23rd, 2013

You Are A Badass, by Jen Sincero, is a refreshing, encouraging, funny, and effective kick-in-the-pants. The format is great--easy and fun to read and apply to whatever in your life needs some inspired cheerleading.


The Art of Memoir, by Mary Karr

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Ali
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The Art of Memoir By Mary Karr Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062223074
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Harper Perennial - September 6th, 2016

"At unexpected points in life," Marry Karr begins in The Art of Memoir, "everyone gets waylaid by the colossal force of recollection...but there are also memories that you dig for: you start with a clear fix on a tiny instant, and pick at every knot until a thin thread comes undone that you can follow back through the mind's labyrinth to other places..."
Anyone interested in the nature of memory and storytelling, or curious about the art of reading or writing memoir will delight in this book. Karr's voice is terrifically alive with humor, wit and wisdom. A true pioneer and apostle of her genre!


Mindfulness A to Z, by Arnie Kozak, PhD

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Ali
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Mindfulness A to Z: 108 Insights for Awakening Now By Arnie Kozak Cover Image
$16.95
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ISBN: 9781614290575
Published: Wisdom Publications - September 22nd, 2015

Arnie Kozak's Mindfulness A to Z is a creative and friendly invitation to explore the principles and practices of mindfulness. Nicely organized and puzzled together--insightful and accessible at once. Some wonderful entries you might not expect, like "Flourishing", "Landscape", and "Joy'. Enjoy!


This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, by Ann Patchett

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Ali
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This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage: A Reese's Book Club Pick By Ann Patchett Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780062236685
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Harper Perennial - October 7th, 2014

This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage isn't about marriage! It's a "sparkling" (The New Yorker) collection of writings about all sorts of things, from dogs to opera to reading to the nature of truth and invention. Ann Patchett is beloved for her fiction mostly, but she's such a thoughtful and inspired writer that she can make any (every) thing interesting, relevant, and meaningful just by spinning words around it.

A great choice for fans of Patchett's fiction, for readers interested in the narrative and/or autobiographical essay, and for quiet but curious thinkers on ordinary and extraordinary things.


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