Recommendations based on "Whiskey Words and a Shovel I"

Happiness was always about being kind to yourself; it was always about embracing the person you were becoming.One day, you will understand that happiness was always about learning how to live with yourself, that your happiness was never in the hands of others. It was always about you. It was always about you.I think it’s brave that you get up in the morning when your heart aches and life is messy and you do not feel like being soft for the world.I think it is brave that you fight, I think it is brave that you choose, every single day, to move forward – because that is what makes you strong. That is what makes you strong.The Strength In Our Scars is Bianca Sparacino’s reminder to you: No matter what you’re going through, no matter where you are on your healing journey—you are strong. Through poetry, prose, and compassionate encouragement you would expect from someone who knows exactly what you’re working through, Sparacino is here with the words you need. The Strength In Our Scars tackles the gut-wrenching but relatable experiences of moving on, self-love, and ultimately learning to heal. In this book you will find peace, you will find a rock, you will find understanding, and you will find hope.

**The Sunday Times Bestseller**Instagram superstar and poet Nikita Gill returns to her roots with her most personal collection yet, including more than twenty poems exclusive to the US edition.I took my worries outand laid them carefully on the kitchen table.Then began the slow but rewarding taskof fixing everything that needed more love.Nikita Gill shares a collection of poems crafted as the world went into lockdown, tackles themes such as mental health and loneliness, and the precarity of hope. Through the life cycle of a star, she invites the reader to feel connected to the universe, taking us on a journey through the five stages of grief to the five stages of hope.This collection includes the phenomenal “Love in the Time of Coronavirus,” which was shared across social media over 20,000 times, as well as Gill's poems of strength and hope, “How to Be Strong” and “Silver Linings.” Where Hope Comes From is fully illustrated with beautiful line drawings by the author.All because everything is forbidden now,I want to go up to the top of the Eiffel Towerand sing at the top of my lungs.

Best friendship blossoms into something more in this gorgeously written queer literary romance."The heartache and longing of witnessing a beloved character pine hopelessly over her best friend has never brought me this much unadulterated joy." –National Book Award Finalist Sonora Reyes, author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic SchoolOver the past five years, Mitra Esfahani has known two constants: her best friend Bea Ortega and The Book—a dogeared moleskin she and Bea have been filling with the stanzas of an epic, never-ending poem since they were 13.For introverted Mitra, The Book is one of the few places she can open herself completely and where she gets to see all sides of brilliant and ebullient Bea. There, they can share everything—Mitra’s complicated feelings about her absent mother, Bea’s heartache over her most recent breakup—nothing too messy or complicated for The Book.Nothing except the one thing with the power to change their entire friendship: the fact that Mitra is helplessly in love with Bea.Told in lyrical, confessional prose and snippets of poetry Just Another Epic Love Poem takes readers on a journey that is equal parts joyful, heartbreaking, and funny as Mitra and Bea navigate the changing nature of I love you.

Contemplating universal issues of love, loss, forgiveness, transformation, and belief, Inquire Within shines a light on our lives and brings peace and inspiration in these uncertain times. Rhythmic. Original. Authentic. Inspiring. A journey to the center of the soul, Inquire Within is a provocative and entertaining debut from an award-winning poet. You'll never look at poetry the same way again.

This little book holds the message of dignity that every child on this earth needs to hear: You are loved. You matter. You make me smile. You make me the happiest person in the world, just by being you. “Have I ever told you that, for me, there is no one more special than you? That for me, you are the most special child in the world, and that I love you now and will love you forever? Have I ever told you that?”   Shani King wrote Have I Ever Told You? as a note to his children, to remind them that they are amazing in their individuality and that they have the power to choose who they want to be in this world. The illustrations create a masterful visual narrative: warm, witty, simple, profound, and as ferociously empowering as a children’s book can be.

My late teenage years were an emotional train wreck, and lucky for me, they're all fully documented.Graffiti (and other poems) is my debut poetry anthology written between ages sixteen and nineteen. When I need to tell people what it's about, I say it's a personal account of adolescence and maturation - which it is - but mostly, it's about life and death and love and change, because that's all I could think about during that time. It's also about moles.

Sometimes it's difficult to take that first step into your future and embrace the unknown. This illustrated collection of poetry and essays empowers you to embrace your next adventure with confidence and grace, drawing on invaluable lessons from nature.Popular Instagram poet and bestselling author Morgan Harper Nichols reimagines the classic heroine's journey—from the very first call to adventure, through trials, hardships, and new relationships, all the way back home—and offers key lessons and affirmations to encourage and equip you every step of the way. As you travel your own journey of self-discovery, you're invited to: Cultivate the courage you need to follow your passions Develop curiosity about the natural world around you Find comfort and inspiration for the inevitable trials on your journey Reflect on how your past has prepared you Step out in wonder and faith, knowing there is more for youMorgan's signature art fills every page of this book, making it a gorgeous addition to your bedside or coffee table. This is a lovely gift to give yourself or others for birthdays, holidays, graduations and New Year's—any time there’s a new beginning ahead.Follow Morgan on Instagram @morganharpernicols (along with her millions of followers), and look for more beautiful, thought-provoking poetry in her other collections: All Along You Were Blooming How Far You Have Come

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Intimate poems that explore feminine shame and violence and imagine what liberation from these threats might look like, from the award-winning author of The January Children “Incredibly moving . . . Every single poem is stellar.”—Roxane Gay, author of Difficult Women and HungerIn Girls That Never Die, award-winning poet Safia Elhillo reinvents the epic to explore Muslim girlhood and shame, the dangers of being a woman, and the myriad violences enacted and imagined against women’s bodies. Drawing from her own life and family histories, as well as cultural myths and news stories about honor killings and genital mutilation, she interlaces the everyday traumas of growing up a girl under patriarchy with magical realist imaginings of rebellion, autonomy, and power. Elhillo writes a new world: women escape their stonings by birds that carry the rocks away; slain girls grow into two, like the hydra of lore, sprouting too numerous to ever be eradicated; circles of women are deemed holy, protected. Ultimately, Girls That Never Die is about wrestling ourselves from the threats of violence that constrain our lives, and instead looking to freedom and questioning: [what if i will not die] [what   will govern me then]

Donna Freitas's YA novel The Survival Kit offers a romantic and heartfelt celebration of both memories and new beginnings.When Rose's mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose's Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go.As Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family's gardener, the school hockey star, and the only person who really understands what she's going through. Can loss lead to love?

The more I give you, the emptier I feel. I think I'll be okay again when I ask you to leave. Dear reader, I wrote this book for the ones who feel everything too deeply. The rare souls who still listen to their hearts and believe in love. The ones who don't hurt others just because they're in pain. The ones who wear their hearts on their sleeves and carry kindness within. The ones who overthink, over-invest in people and over-love, always. This book is an ocean full of feelings, so if at any point, you feel like you're drowning, take a moment to remind yourself that it's a privilege to feel emotions as intensely as you do. Some people are so disconnected from their hearts that they don't allow themselves to feel anything at all. That being said, I wish you a happy reading. This book will make you cry. Love, Rithvik