Self Help
A self-help guide for copywriters : a resource for writing headlines and building creative confidence
Dan Nelken
659.132 /Nelken
Nonfiction, Self Help
"From aspiring to expiring copywriters, this book will help you become a more efficient, more confident creative. In other words, you'll make more money. And friends. It's a little about the creative process and a lot about the craft of writing headlines, with over two hundred example ads. If you’re looking for “killer headline formulas that can’t fail,” “data-driven headline conversion hacks,” “SEO secrets (Google doesn’t want you to know),” or “can’t-miss clickbait headlines,” you can find everything you need in a search bar. If you want to learn how to come up with a crap ton of ideas and turn them into headlines that bring personality to your writing, click add to cart. Oh, and as much as the title of this book, A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters, was meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek, it takes the subject of creative self-doubt as seriously as takes creativity. It will help you whack-a-mole self-doubting thoughts before they can even get a word in. Note: This is also a great resource for people who dislike copywriters. Read this book and soon you’ll be able to casually point out flaws in their work, making the fragile copywriter in your life feel even more insecure.--
The contemplative tarot : a Christian guide to the cards
Muller, Brittany, author.
133.32424/Muller
Religion, Self Help, Paranormal
"To use tarot in a contemplative way is to marry prayer with art," contends Blessed Vigil blogger Muller in her delightfully unusual debut. She posits that tarot cards can be used as a "tool to facilitate inner knowledge, inner growth, and inner transformation" by prompting prayerlike reflection, and to that end she draws spiritual lessons from each card by putting them in conversation with the Bible. Examining the death card, she quotes from Corinthians and posits that the card reminds Christians of the hope promised by life after death, and that the river illustrated on the card evokes rebirth through baptism. The boy depicted on the sun card, Muller proposes, is reminiscent of God's choice to incarnate himself as the "innocent babe" Jesus, rather than "a warrior or a king," with the sun reflecting the warmth of God's love. Muller also tackles the minor arcana, suggesting that the ace of pentacles calls for appreciating creation, while the five of cups brings to mind the inevitability of sin and largesse of God's mercy. The blend of Christianity and the esoteric results in a refreshingly unconventional outing, and the research into tarot's origins as a card game influenced by Christian and ancient pagan traditions, as well as its eventual evolution into a divinatory device under Napoleon Bonaparte, adds enlightening historical context. This pensive and unexpected volume will resonate with New Age fans and open-minded Christians alike. (Sept.) Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly.
While admittedly not a regular participant of either of these belief systems, I am intrigued by the blending of them and curious to see how they might flow into one another. -Candice
Queer : the ultimate LGBTQ guide for teens
Belge, Kathy, author.
306.766 /Belge
LGBTQ+, Nonfiction, Young Adult, Self Help
Belge and Bieschke give LGBTQ teenagers everything they need to know about dating, coming out, safe sex, dealing with queerphobia, and standing up for their rights. This revised edition is a must-have for all teens who think they might be queer, or know someone who is. -- adapted from back cover.
Added by Candice
The queer advantage : conversations with LGBTQ+ leaders on the power of identity
Gelwicks, Andrew, author.
306.76 /Gelwicks
LGBTQ+, Nonfiction, Memoir, Self Help
"Collecting incisive, deeply personal conversations with LGBTQ+ trailblazers about how they leveraged the challenges and insights they had as relative outsiders to succeed in the worlds of business, tech, politics, Hollywood, sports and beyond, The Queer Advantage celebrates the unique, supercharged power of queerness"--
Added by Candice
Why Buddhism is true : the science and philosophy of meditation and enlightenment
Robert Wright
294.342 /Wright
Nonfiction, Self Help, Health, Science, Philosophy
Author Robert Wright shows how Buddhist meditative practice can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and deepen your appreciation of beauty and other people. -- Adapted from book jacket.
A fantastic look at the scientific aspects of Buddhism, specifically mindfulness meditation. -Mykle
Big feelings : how to be okay when things are not okay
Liz Fosslien
152.4 /Fosslien
Nonfiction, Health, Self Help
We all experience unwieldy feelings. But between our emotion-phobic society and the debilitating uncertainty of modern times, we usually don't know how to talk about what we're going through, much less handle it. Over the past year, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy’s online community has laughed and cried about productivity guilt, pandemic anxiety, and Zoom fatigue. Now, Big Feelings addresses anyone intimidated by oversized feelings they can't predict or control, offering the tools to understand what's really going on, find comfort, and face the future with a sense of newfound agency. Weaving surprising science with personal stories and original illustrations, each chapter examines one uncomfortable feeling—like envy, burnout, and anxiety—and lays out strategies for turning big emotions into manageable ones. You’ll learn: • How to end the cycle of intrusive thoughts brought on by regret, and instead use this feeling as a compass for making decisions • How to identify what’s behind your anger and communicate it productively, without putting people on the defensive • Why we might be suffering from perfectionism even if we feel far from perfect, and how to detach your self-worth from what you do Big Feelings helps us understand that difficult emotions are not abnormal, and that we can emerge from them with a deeper sense of meaning. We can’t stop emotions from bubbling up, but we can learn how to make peace with them.
Alright, so I'm only through the introduction, but what drew me to this book is the title itself: Big Feelings. I've heard this term used within the mental health field as well as with children trying to learn what their emotions are telling them. I am already finding it useful. Seeing a mood chart anyone can draw on their own, and reading that one cannot deal with big feelings until they unpack them, makes me look forward to delving in to the triggers they discuss. The simple and relatable illustrations also describe what words cant. Looking forward to digging in. -Melody
Courage is calling : fortune favors the brave
Ryan Holiday
179.6 /Holiday
Classics, Self Help
"From Ryan Holiday, the New York Times bestselling author of Stillness Is the Key, The Obstacle Is the Way, and Ego Is the Enemy, comes the first book in a four-book series about Stoic virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. As Ryan Holiday wrote in his previous books, Stoicism is a philosophy for the people. Stoicism isn't fraught with complexities, contradictions, or circular arguments about the meaning of life. Rather, Stoicism offers practical, rich guidance about how to achieve imperturbability, strength, perspective, and goodness. At the heart of Stoicism are four simple virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. The whole philosophy can be condensed into those four bullet points. Everything else, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and countless other Stoics believed, flows from these virtues. In Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday breaks down the most foundational virtue of all -- courage. Through engaging stories about historic and contemporary leaders, including Winston Churchill, Barack Obama, and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as some lesser known but equally as remarkable people, Holiday shows you how to practice courage in your daily life."
A very accessible and quick read that really covers the subject of courage from the Stoic viewpoint quite well. A good prescription to help navigate and conduct one's self in these more than "interesting times." -Paul
Fans : how watching sports makes us happier, healthier, and more understanding
Larry Olmsted
796 /Olmsted
Sports, Health, Self Help
"Research into sports fandom makes the sometimes counterintuitive case for why being a fan is good for us individually and is a force for positive change in our society"--
This book is for the fan devastated by loss, the skeptic who sees no value in sports fandom, and the fan making the case to that skeptic. -Tom
Permission to feel : unlocking the power of emotions to help our kids, ourselves, and our society thrive
Marc A. Brackett
152.4 /Brackett
Self Help
"Marc Brackett is a professor in Yale University's Child Study Center and founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In his 25 years as an emotion scientist, he has developed a remarkably effective plan to improve the lives of children and adults -- a blueprint for understanding our emotions and using them wisely so that they help, rather than hinder, our success and well-being. The core of his approach is a legacy from his childhood, from an astute uncle who gave him permission to feel. He was the first adult who managed to see Marc, listen to him, and recognize the suffering, bullying, and abuse he'd endured. And that was the beginning of Marc's awareness that what he was going through was temporary. He wasn't alone, he wasn't stuck on a timeline, and he wasn't "wrong" to feel scared, isolated, and angry. Now, best of all, he could do something about it."--Amazon.
Added by Beth
You are your best thing : vulnerability, shame resilience, and the Black experience -- an anthology
152.44 /You
Black Lives Matter, Self Help
This stark, potent collection of essays on Black shame and healing present a space to be vulnerable and affirm the fullness of Black love and Black life. They allow readers to recognize and process the trauma of sexual assault, and white supremacy and sexual assault, in order to work toward healing. Through lived experiences, we can work to dismantle oppressive systems-- of all types-- in this country. -- adapted from jacket and Introduction.
I've read much of Brené Brown's work, but I think this one is my favorites so far because it builds on her framework in a different way. These essays lay out what vulnerability, shame resilience and determination can look like in BIPOC places and spaces. By cracking open who can authentically feel and more importantly learn to thrive by being vulnerable and succeeding despite what has happened to them in the past, her contributing authors offer insight and solace for the reader. The reader can feel more resonance with the authenticity of her work in a way they may never have been able to before. As we begin to see each other on a spectrum of cultural experiences, backgrounds, social statuses, mental health and gender, we have a greater capacity to learn, empathize, communicate and share in each other's vulnerabilities. I loved this book! -Victoria
I stumbled upon this book while browsing the New Nonfiction shelves. And while I haven't done much copywriting in some time now, I still appreciate writers who treat it like an art or a fun game. Cracking the book open in the aisles, I found myself chortling along as Nelken constructively critiqued the sample ads in his book. These are ad writing gems. Anyone in or out of the marketing field will get a kick out of this book. -Melody