Why am I passionate about this?

One of the most important lessons I learned from my grandma is that children have no fear or self-doubt unless they are taught to have these feelings, and then it's a choice to continue to believe in self-doubt. However, I was paralyzed by it after her death. I stopped being a carefree kid and started living through emotional survival. I lived a life of physical, mental, and emotional turmoil, and by a miracle, I was spared and given a chance to change it all. I am a dancer, writer, performer, and speaker, following every dream I've had. 


I wrote

Running from Yesterday: A True Story of Hope, Courage and Love

By Margarette Allyn,

Book cover of Running from Yesterday: A True Story of Hope, Courage and Love

What is my book about?

The unexpected, warm, and sometimes funny way a young girl overcomes the fear of loss and the yearning for love…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Margarette Allyn Why did I love this book?

I heard of this book before I got sober. I felt it was too “Western trying to be Eastern Healers” and for people who had personal dysfunctions that I couldn't relate to. 

I came across it again after sobriety and realized that I was running from my past and making up a future based on my fears of the past, never really being present, which was a wack in the gut for the better. The road to healing was way more understandable when I accepted the present, knowing that I also had the power to change anything I wanted. 

By Eckhart Tolle,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked The Power of Now as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**CHOSEN BY OPRAH AS ONE OF HER 'BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH'**

The international bestselling spiritual book, now with a new look for its 20th anniversary. Eckhart Tolle demonstrates how to live a healthier, happier, mindful life by living in the present moment.

************

'I keep Eckhart's book at my bedside. I think it's essential spiritual teaching. It's one of the most valuable books I've ever read.' Oprah Winfrey

To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart…


Book cover of The Magician's Nephew

Margarette Allyn Why did I love this book?

My mentor and now dear friend recommended this book to me when I told him I didn't read much anymore. I didn't want to admit that I loved reading and stopped due to self-pity and my anger at failure in life.

He didn't realize when I started reading the books because I didn't want him to think I was a dud. I loved this book and couldn't wait to finish the series, yet I wanted to delay it when I reached the last book. 

I cried lights and surprisingly developed my understanding of God and faith. 

Unbeknownst to me, I still had years of inner work, but this series was an excellent start to spiritual healing, all with fairy tales, talking animals, and a secret wardrobe. 

By C. S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Magician's Nephew as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

A beautiful paperback edition of The Magician's Nephew, book one in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition is complete with cover and interior art by the original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.

On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible.

The Magician's Nephew is the first book in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy…


Book cover of Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

Margarette Allyn Why did I love this book?

For starters, the title caught my attention; I was in a lot of emotional pain and doubted many of my decisions. I didn't realize I was seeking outward contentment and happiness for many years.

This book was written after I read The Secret. So, it was in the same genre of books I had started to read. I listened to Wayne Dyer on YouTube and loved his talks, and when I heard of the book, I felt it wouldn't hurt to read it.

I was drawn in with his simple way of pointing out that maybe we are the reason for our misery, and we, along with faith, can turn our lives in a different direction. Start by loving ourselves enough to know that we don't deserve misery. And no matter what someone else did to us in the past, forgiveness is possible, and healing starts right then and there.

By Wayne W. Dyer,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a God-realized being named Lao-tzu in ancient China dictated 81 verses, which are regarded by many as the ultimate commentary on the nature of our existence. The classic text of these 81 verses, called the Tao Te Ching or the Great Way, offers advice and guidance that is balanced, moral, spiritual, and always concerned with working for the good. In this book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has reviewed hundreds of translations of the Tao Te Ching and has written 81 distinct essays on how to apply the ancient wisdom of Lao-tzu to…


Book cover of Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book

Margarette Allyn Why did I love this book?

I sat on a twin bed in rehab, turned to the back of the book, one of the personal stories published in the book, and felt like the narrator came out of the book, sat across from me, and told me her story.

Bill W. and Dr. Bob started a miracle fellowship that led millions like me to recover. However, every chapter in the book can be anyone’s story. Unfortunately, many people feel that if they don't have a drug or alcohol problem, then they have “no problems.” 

I read every story; I wanted to believe I had a chance if these people had straightened out their lives and were happy about it. In the beginning, the chapters were tough-hitting in defining how we honestly forget humility, gratitude, and simple service that leads to fulfilling lives.

I can read this book over and over again, and I do. 

By Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Alcoholics Anonymous (also known as the Big Book in recovery circles) sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease.

The fourth edition includes twenty-four new stories that provide contemporary sharing for newcomers seeking recovery from alcoholism in A.A. during the early years of the 21st century. Sixteen stories are retained from the third edition, including the "Pioneers of A.A." section, which helps the reader remain linked to A.A.'s historic roots, and shows how early members applied this simple but profound program that helps alcoholics get sober today.…


Book cover of The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Margarette Allyn Why did I love this book?

I had not witnessed a healthy grownup relationship when I was younger. My introduction to intimacy was horrid at best, not to mention the lack of role models available to me for feminine sexual guidance. 

I spent years looking for love from other people and by means of sexual behavior that left me feeling ashamed. I lived my life based on many harmful beliefs that were self-destructive; I didn't feel I deserved to have a fully healthy relationship. 

My therapist suggested this book, and it took me on a journey of returning to where and how I learned my habitual behavior, removing the adverse judgment and allowing me to start again, especially with my current husband. Our marriage is in a lovely place, partly due to this book. 

By Wendy Maltz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sexual Healing Journey as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Considered a classic in its field, this comprehensive guide will help survivors of sexual abuse improve their relationships and discover the joys of sexual intimacy. Wendy Maltz takes survivors step-by-step through the recovery process using groundbreaking exercises and techniques. Based on the author's clinical work, interviews, survey results, and workshops, this book is filled with first-person accounts of women and men at every stage of sexual healing. This compassionate resource helps survivors to: identify the sexual effects of sexual abuse; create a positive meaning for sex and develop a healthy sexual self-concept; gain control over upsetting automatic reactions to touch…


Explore my book 😀

Running from Yesterday: A True Story of Hope, Courage and Love

By Margarette Allyn,

Book cover of Running from Yesterday: A True Story of Hope, Courage and Love

What is my book about?

The unexpected, warm, and sometimes funny way a young girl overcomes the fear of loss and the yearning for love from her mother.

If you were a kid again, what would you do for yourself? Would you keep things as they were or change anything? No matter what, you can always start right where you are now, reconnecting to what you wanted in the past. A different way to look at how we treat ourselves, what forgiveness means, and how we can reconnect to that inner child and spread what we wish to see in the world. 

Book cover of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Book cover of The Magician's Nephew
Book cover of Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

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Valerie Nieman Author Of In the Lonely Backwater

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Curiosity Traveler Nemophilist Perseverance

Valerie's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Lourana and Darrick took down the dreaded coal barons in To the Bones, but it seems that the Kavanaghs aren’t done yet. The college-age son of Eamon Kavanagh has unexpectedly inherited not only the family’s business empire but the family itself: generations of Kavanagh men whose spirits persist and who have now taken up residence in Rory’s mind and body.

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Dead Hand

By Valerie Nieman,

What is this book about?

In this sequel to To the Bones, Lourana and Darrick have taken down Eamon Kavanagh, patriarch of the dreaded coal barons of Redbird, WV, but it seems that the family isn’t done yet. The college-age son Rory has unexpectedly inherited not only the family’s empire but the family itself: generations of Kavanagh men whose spirits persist and who have now taken up residence in Rory’s mind and body.
As Lourana and Darrick try to shape a life together, they are attacked by Eamon through Rory, and flee the life-sucking Kavanaghs across Appalachia and then, in desperation and hope, to Ireland.…


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