Why am I passionate about this?

As a writer and best-selling poet who addresses themes of mental health, addiction, grief, and hope, I have a deep understanding of the struggles that many face and what they are looking for when they are trying to heal, feel less alone, or come to terms with something. They are looking for honest, authentic writing from people who have made it out alive, free of platitudes and chronic optimism. For over 10 years, I have used my own writing to create connections and open conversations around sensitive topics, so of course, I would recommend other writers who do the same.


I wrote...

The Music Was Just Getting Good

By Alicia Cook,

Book cover of The Music Was Just Getting Good

What is my book about?

This book explores the bittersweet truth that some good things must end for new beginnings to emerge.

Spread across 184ā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth

Alicia Cook Why did I love this book?

This was the first modern book of poetry that ever made me cry. Warsan Shire crafts vivid, unflinching images in little words. I felt seen thanks to her ability to explore the intimate, isolating nature of personal trauma in such a universal, collective way.

This was my first modern poetry experience and helped me to better understand the healing and connective power of poetry. I wanted to read more from Shire immediately, and, as a poet myself, I wanted to learn from her.

By Warsan Shire,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What elevates 'teaching my mother how to give birth', what gives the poems their disturbing brilliance, is Warsan Shire's ability to give simple, beautiful eloquence to the veiled world where sensuality lives in the dominant narrative of Islam; reclaiming the more nuanced truths of earlier times - as in Tayeb Salih's work - and translating to the realm of lyric the work of the likes of Nawal El Saadawi. As Rumi said, "Love will find its way through all languages on its own"; in 'teaching my mother how to give birth', Warsan's debut pamphlet, we witness the unearthing of aā€¦


Book cover of Good Grief

Alicia Cook Why did I love this book?

Iā€™d grown frustrated with the way some modern poets romanticize mental health issues, often glossing over the real impacts of trauma to lean into some weird chronic optimism. When I read it, I felt like I had finally found something that explored highly triggering trauma in a very realistic way.

Pastor doesnā€™t shy away from the messy parts of change and self-discovery, and I find Pastorā€™s voice to be refreshingly authentic. I loved how the poems felt like entries in a journal: raw, real, and familiar. Pastor is an openly queer poet, and I recommended it immediately to friends who I knew were searching for a voice like Pastor's.

By Brianna Pastor,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Brianna Pastor is by far one of my favorite new writers. If you want to feel seen and deeply moved, read Good Grief. Let the power of her writing guide you to a better life."-Yung Pueblo, #1 New York Times bestselling author

An expanded edition with over forty brand-new poems of the bestselling poetry collection Good Grief by Brianna Pastor

When Brianna Pastor released her self-published poetry collection, Good Grief, she was blown away by the outpouring of support from people who reached out and said, "Yes. Me too." For anyone who has struggled with questions of identity or copedā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life

Adultish by Charlotte Markey,

Discover the ultimate guide to taking on adulthood with body confidence. In a world where body satisfaction plummets during adolescence, and a global pandemic and social media frenzy have created extra pressure, Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life is a survival kit for young adults. This all-inclusive book providesā€¦

Book cover of Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her

Alicia Cook Why did I love this book?

When I read this, I felt like I was being trusted with something delicate and personal. At times, it felt like I overhear something I shouldn'tā€”but not in a bad way! Let me explain. Coferā€™s poetry is what I prefer to read as it focuses on trauma, suicide, depression, and the often-unseen roads of relapse and recovery.

I appreciated how she also examined topics like racism, body dysmorphia, and self-harm. I walked away from this poetry book, having learned more about the human experience. Cofer's writing reminded me of the strength it takes just to survive another day, something too many of us take for granted.

By Ari B. Cofer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"I have never been anything but a paper girl. Something to tear into pieces. Something to burn."

We've all been paper before. We've all been fragile. Leaflike and gently blowing, enough to create stories or build fires. We go through life like that. We come across things that tear us into pieces, and we keep going. We keep fighting, because we must. We look for ways to be whole. To be the person we dream ourselves to be.

Fragile by nature but tough by circumstance, paper girls are shaped by their love and loss. This collection of poetry and proseā€¦


Book cover of My Father's Eyes, My Mother's Rage

Alicia Cook Why did I love this book?

This book made me reflect deeply on how my connection with my own parents has changed as Iā€™ve gotten older. I highlighted so many lines, especially ones centered on the complicated evolution of a parent-child relationship and the pain, love, and resentment that can coexist in these relationships.

Brik might be one of my favorite modern poets at this point. I even recommended this book to my therapist. 

By Rose Brik,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Father's Eyes, My Mother's Rage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"My Father's Eyes, My Mother's Rage" is the raw and emotionally charged debut poetry collection by Rose Brik. Rose delves into the intricate layers of the human experience with profound insight. Through her poetry she fearlessly navigates themes of the mother and father wound, childhood trauma, domestic violence, grief, mental health struggles, love, motherhood and ultimately, the process of healing. Her words possess the power to unearth buried emotions and memories, evoking a deep sense of empathy and reflection in her readers.

"I have my mother's rage,
and my father's ability to walk away.
this, I've learned, is a veryā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Currently Away: How Two Disenchanted People Traveled the Great Loop for Nine Months and Returned to the Start, Energized and Optimistic

Currently Away by Bruce A. Tate,

The plan was insane. The trap seemed to snap shut on Bruce and Maggie Tate, an isolation forced on them by the pandemic and America's growing political factionalism. Something had to change.

Maggie's surprising answer: buy a boat, learn to pilot it, and embark on the Great Loop. With noā€¦

Book cover of All of My Bullshit Truths: Collected Poems

Alicia Cook Why did I love this book?

Anytime anyone asks me to recommend a modern poet to them, J.R. Rogue enters the chat. With this book, sheā€™s compiled some of her best work into one collection, so everything I love about her is now under one cover. I often describe her as a modern-day Sylvia Plath; sheā€™s one of the few modern poets Iā€™ve read who is able to weave traditional poetic devices and language into the struggles and mediums of today.

This makes her writing feel timeless to me but also jarringly current. Iā€™ve recommended this book countless times to friends dangling from their last thread, looking for poetry that addresses mental health issues but still feels like the poetry of yesterday.

By J. R. Rogue,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All of My Bullshit Truths as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For the first time, five of J.R. Rogue's poetry chapbooks, including Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist La Douleur Exquise, can be purchased in one volume. Coming in at over 300 pages, this collection contains poetry written between 2014 and 2016. Included works: La Douleur Exquise An Open Suitcase & New Blue Tears Rouge Le Chant Des SirĆØnes Apus


Explore my book šŸ˜€

The Music Was Just Getting Good

By Alicia Cook,

Book cover of The Music Was Just Getting Good

What is my book about?

This book explores the bittersweet truth that some good things must end for new beginnings to emerge.

Spread across 184 tracksā€”92 poems and 92 blackout poems, each paired with a songā€”Cook delves into themes of mental health, hope, recovery, and the many forms of grief. She poignantly reminds readers that grief isnā€™t limited to death; it extends to lost moments, former selves, cherished places, and people weā€™ve had to let go. Through lifeā€™s ebbs and flows, Cook inspires hope for better days ahead.

Book cover of Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth
Book cover of Good Grief
Book cover of Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,892

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of So Not My Type

So Not My Type by Dana Hawkins,

Sophie Black has clawed her way up from coffee runs to project manager at a top Seattle ad agency. Sheā€™s laser-focused on her careerā€”until the CEOā€™s daughter, Ella Northwood, joins the team. Forced to work together on a high-stakes campaign, sparks fly as Sophieā€™s scrappy determination clashes with Ellaā€™s polishedā€¦

Book cover of The Switch

The Switch by April McCloud,

A hundred years in the future, in a world where technologically enhanced bodies are valued above organic ones, Complete Life Management (CLM) is selling perfection in the form of the latest and greatest bionic model, the Apogee. As an elite runner and inadvertent spokesperson for the humanism movement, NYPD Detectiveā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in grief, mental health, and mourning?

Grief 91 books
Mental Health 202 books
Mourning 156 books