Why am I passionate about this?

I have such a passion for people that share powerful stories. Growing up was particularly rough for me due to the depression, anxiety, and isolation that I endured. When I wasn’t throwing myself into books to escape my reality, I wrote poetry. My love for mental health and cathartic stories didn’t start until about 2017 when I was trying to figure out the next chapter of my life. I had exited survival mode and entered into a thriving part of my life where my old habits and way of thinking did not serve me. I hope this list of book recommendations touches your soul as they have mine. 


I wrote

Book cover of Lyra

What is my book about?

Lyra is a work of literary fiction that represents a fraction of the very-real culture around and challenges of living…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Emily Franchini Why did I love this book?

Do you need a good cathartic cry? This book serves as a pillar to remind the world of the atrocities that happened in December of 1937. I remember having to stop after reading certain chapters and engage in self-care, as to take a break from the pain and suffering that it retells. I paused to reflect that I had been glad that the Nazis were occupying certain parts of the city which in-turn provided relief to the Chinese. I can’t fathom the amount of destruction this Capitol endured between contests to see who can be the first to kill 100 people with a sword before the capture of the city to the systematic rape and mutilation of women and young girls. 

By Iris Chang,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Rape of Nanking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered,a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written the definitive history of this horrifying episode.


Book cover of Notes on a Silencing

Emily Franchini Why did I love this book?

When I think of cathartic books, this book’s story always rolls around in my memories. The memoir is about a young woman’s struggle to regain her sense of self after trauma. And by trauma, I mean rape. This book angers me just as much as it saddens me with how Crawford had been treated by the school, her friends, and people she thought she could trust. The sheer amount of virtue signaling and victim blaming makes me sick with rage. But ultimately Crawford’s story gave me the power to voice about my own sexual trauma. I hope this book changes the world in the same way it changed mine. 

By Lacy Crawford,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Notes on a Silencing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A "powerful and scary and important and true" memoir of a young woman's struggle to regain her sense of self after trauma, and the efforts by a powerful New England boarding school to silence her—at any cost (Sally Mann, author of Hold Still).

Shortlisted for the 2022 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing

When Notes on a Silencing hit bookstores in the summer of 2020, even amidst a global pandemic, it sent shockwaves through the country. Not only did this intimate investigative memoir usher in a media storm of coverage, but it also prompted the elite St. Paul's School to…


Book cover of A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Emily Franchini Why did I love this book?

This book is about a non-binary tea monk traveling with a robot that is on a mission to collect feedback on how the humans are doing since the robot uprising. I know what you’re thinking…how the heck is this considered cathartic. It’s filled with philosophical gems like: “We don’t have to fall into the same category to be of equal value.” Or, “You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to just exist in this world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.” I literally can’t stop relating to this book and getting swept in the absolute full range of emotions it takes you through. Do me a favor, please read this book. 

By Becky Chambers,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked A Psalm for the Wild-Built as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honour the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of 'what do people need?' is answered.

But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it a lot.


Book cover of Bad Feminist: Essays

Emily Franchini Why did I love this book?

This book gave me permission to be human. In a world that demands perfection and largely being a perfectionist because of this culture. This book reminded me that I can be a feminist and I can like songs that “a real feminist” (however a real feminist is defined) would rage against. If I’m a bad feminist or bad at being a feminist…that still makes me a feminist and I can still be a part of the movement and culture. I’m not looking to be the top feminist. Roxane is a gorgeous soul, and this book is cathartic in the way that it gave me peace to be myself. I’m very thankful that she chose to write this book. It really challenged me to be kinder to myself. 

By Roxane Gay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bad Feminist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Pink is my favourite colour. I used to say my favourite colour was black to be cool, but it is pink - all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.'

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of colour (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains)…


Book cover of Finding Me

Emily Franchini Why did I love this book?

This book inspired me so many times. I sat down with my therapist and re-told, very poorly, about Viola’s story of sitting down with Will Smith and him asking her “Who are you?” I must admit, I was with Viola…that seemed like a weird question. But Will explained he will always be that 15-year-old heartbroken boy. I sat with that…who am I? I’m still convinced that I am the boy-crazed girl that didn’t allow myself to laugh or smile. Viola’s book is cathartic in the way that it gave me a strong feeling of hope. I had to pause a few times to engage in self-care when her story was particularly heavy on my heart. Take care of yourself and please read this amazing book!

By Viola Davis,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Finding Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'A breathtaking memoir...I was so moved by this book.' Oprah

'It is startlingly honest and, at times, a jaw-dropping read, charting her rise from poverty and abuse to becoming the first African-American to win the triple crown of an Oscar, Emmy and Tony for acting.' BBC News

THE DEEPLY PERSONAL, BRUTALLY HONEST ACCOUNT OF VIOLA'S INSPIRING LIFE

In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life changing decision to stop running forever.
This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls,…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Lyra

What is my book about?

Lyra is a work of literary fiction that represents a fraction of the very-real culture around and challenges of living in an area where mental health is downplayed or misunderstood and mental health services are typically underfunded and catered to the religious communities. In this book, we follow about two weeks of Lyra’s everyday life and see how an ok day can become a death spiral with the wrong mix of voices and internal dialogue. While it is a story of panic attacks, break downs, and grief, it is also a story of persistence, resilience, and hope.

Book cover of The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II
Book cover of Notes on a Silencing
Book cover of A Psalm for the Wild-Built

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Liberty Bell and the Last American

By James Stoddard,

Book cover of Liberty Bell and the Last American

James Stoddard Author Of The High House: The Evenmere Chronicles

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Audio engineer Musician Fantasy fan

James' 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Americans love their Constitution. In seventeen-year-old Liberty Bell’s era it has become a myth. Centuries after the Great Blackout obliterates the world's digitized information, America's history is forgotten. Only confused legends remain, written in "The Americana," a book depicting a golden age where famous Americans from different eras existed together.

Raised on stories from The Americana, Liberty Bell joins secret agent Antonio Ice on a quest for her country. But in the Old Forest, forgotten technologies are reawakening. Figures such as Albert Einstein, Harriet Tubman, and Thomas Jefferson are coming to life. Will the American continent return to the freedom…

Liberty Bell and the Last American

By James Stoddard,


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