Hello, and welcome to my 2023 reading diary. This year, I wanted to reconnect with reading in a private and intuitive setting while still taking note of what I read. This meant stepping off tracking platforms, and not engaging in overly formal critique like public reviews. I wanted to answer the question: when it is just me and the books, why do I read?

I quit all my absurd rules around books this year and reading came easy and plentiful. Crawled up to 70 books this month. I allowed myself to read just for pleasure and didn’t commit to a book just because I started one - it made all the difference. This was all made possible by the Berlin Public Library and yay for that! Here are some of the best books I read.

The full title of this gem is “My body, my home: A radical guide to resilience and belonging”. It is written by Victoria Emanuela and Caitlin Metz, the two people behind “On being in your body” project. Their collaborative work focuses on embodiment, on connection with oneself and one’s body and finding one’s unique ways to exist in our complex world. I’d really like to tell you about their little magic workbook.

Good children's picture books are pure magic. Having a little one of my own is the perfect excuse to spend time researching them for hours. Here are some that we love right now.