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Blog

Books the Word > Blog

Still Learning: A Reflective Playlist on Self-Love & Resilience

September 26, 2025 Rachael Carver

I’ve been thinking a lot about self-love recently. Not the kind of self-love that is easy to hashtag: bubble baths, […]

  • Playlists, Reflective / Self-Love
  • mindfulness playlist, music for healing, Playlist, reflection playlist, self care soundtrack, self discovery, self love, slow living soundtrack, still learning

Why I Keep Houseplants Even Though I Kill Them

September 25, 2025 Rachael Carver

I’ve never been known for my green thumb (talking is what I’m known for). Some years ago, in desperation for […]

  • Articles, Growing Things
  • commonplace journal, growing things, houseplants, mindful living, nature, plant care, plants, slow living

In Fathest Seas by Lalla Romano – A Memoir

September 23, 2025 Rachael Carver

⭐ Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5) A cultural portrait of grief and memory that fascinates, if sometimes frustrates. A Memoir, Not Fiction […]

  • Book Review, Memoir, Non-Fiction
  • Book Blogger UK, ELegy and Memory, In Farthest Seas, Italian Literature in Translation, Lalla ROmano, Love and Loss, Memoir Review, Pushkin Press Classics, Translated Fiction 2025, Translated Memoir

Sunday Reset: Cosy Rituals, Plant Care, Baking & Self-Care

September 21, 2025 Rachael Carver

Whether it’s because I hit 40 or simply because life sped up too much, I’ve been learning to slow down. […]

  • Reset Sunday, Slow Living
  • cosy lifestyle, Home Reset, plant care, Reset Day, Reset Sunday, Self-care rituals, slow living, Sunday Reset, wellness

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata Review

September 16, 2025 Rachael Carver

⭐ Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5) A vulnerable manga memoir of mental health, sexuality, and survival. Brave, raw and imperfectly human. Why […]

  • Book Review, Japanese, Manga, Translated Manga
  • Book Review, Contemporary, Kabi Nagata, Manga, Mental Health, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, Non-Fiction, Translated Non-Fiction, Wattpad

Three New Books: Mindfulness & Time – Thich Nhat Hanh

September 9, 2025 Rachael Carver

Exploring mindfulness, impermanence, and presence through two works by Thich Nhat Hanh and a novel by Ruth Ozeki. The Blue […]

  • Mindfulness, Slow Living
  • Books, Mindfulness, Self-help, slow living, Thich Nhat Hanh

The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros – Reflective Post-Apocalyptic Fiction in Translation

September 5, 2025 Rachael Carver

⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) A tender, haunting Welsh novel told through a mother and son’s journal. Survival, identity, and the […]

  • Book Review, Fiction, Science Fiction, Translated Fiction, Welsh
  • Book Review, Manon Steffan Ros, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Science Fiction, The Blue Book of Nebo, Translated Fiction, Welsh Fiction

Hobonichi: Designing My 2026 Ecosystem

September 1, 2025 Rachael Carver

Hobonichi Launch Day Joy It’s Hobonichi 2026 launch day! I discovered Hobonichi after many years trying and failing with bullet […]

  • Journaling
  • Hobonichi, Hobonichi 2026, Hobonichi Cousin, Hobonichi Launch Day, Hobonichi Weeks, Journaling, Journals, Planners, Traveler's Notebooks

A Girl Abandoned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio – A Raw Story About Abandonment & Identity

August 27, 2025 Rachael Carver

A Girl Returned is a devastating and raw exploration of abandonment, identity, and the fragile bonds that both wound and […]

  • Book Review, Fiction, Italian, Literary, Translated Fiction
  • August 2025 TBR, Book Review, Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction, WiT Month, Women in Translation
Healing Hippo and Library Book

Book Review: The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama: A Cosy Tale of Identity, Healing, and Hope

August 20, 2025 Rachael Carver

The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park is less a novel and more a giant, cosy hug — five parable-like stories […]

  • Contemporary, Fiction, Japanese, Translated Fiction
  • Book Review, Contemporary Fiction, Japanese Fiction, Takami Nieda, The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park, Translated Fiction

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