On this episode of Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness, I’m sharing all the details on my personal book apothecary for May 2026. Each month, I choose a one-word theme to guide my intentions and create a book apothecary to help me breathe that word into existence through reading, writing and learning. This month, my chosen one word theme is: HOPE. It was sparked by an email from Omega with an invitation inside: This month, we encourage you to reflect on what hope means in your life right now and how that understanding shapes the way you move forward. What are you willing to believe in? What feels ready to emerge? And how might hope guide your next step? That invitation seemed to be written just for me and has sparked an exploration into HOPE ever since then. It’s the perfect word to follow my own-word theme of RELEASE from last month. Now that I’ve released some things that no longer serve me, I can make space for the hope that does. As you likely already know, the best way to welcome a new way of thinking, feeling and being into my life is through reading and writing, paying careful attention to the books I surround myself with and the prompts I write from so I can take inspired action in my life. Here’s my current book apothecary to explore what HOPE means to me this month. Scroll to see the contents below and press play on the podcast episode talking all about it. Restorative Reading: I’ve chosen a mix of books to explore themes of HOPE and to bring more of it into my life. I admit, I have built a pretty tall stack, but I am hopeful that I’ll read them all (yes, pun intended). Here are the books in my apothecary along with the publishers blurb for each of them: WAYS TO FIND YOURSELF by Angela Brown (Amazon / Bookshop) Technically, I’ve already read an advanced copy of the book, but it’s going to sit on my shoulders all month long. It will be one of my top books of 2026 (if not ever) and has the kind of quiet power to help you move forward with hope while better appreciating all previous versions of yourself. It’s breath-taking. Here’s the overview: Grace Whittaker’s life is coming apart. In the wake of her mother’s death, a stalled writing career, and a slow-motion separation from her husband, Grace is more directionless than ever. But when she returns to Sea Drift, the beach town where she and her mother summered for years, Grace’s life comes together in the most unexpected ways. Soon after arriving on the picturesque coastline that meant so much to her, Grace discovers more than she remembers, and for reasons she can’t possibly fathom. Amid the weathered surf shops, pastel motels, and sloping beaches, Grace begins to encounter younger versions of herself. Each one is vivid, alive, and breathtakingly real. As she navigates this most surreal week—reconnecting with old friends, trying to solve a quiet mystery about her mother, and revisiting a love she left behind—Grace is forced to remember who she used to be. It’s the only way she can figure out who she can still become. THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman (Amazon / Bookshop) Personally, I think all of Viola Shipman’s books have threads of hope on the pages and I cannot wait to find them in this book. Here’s what I’m looking forward to: The discovery of one woman’s heirloom hope chest unveils precious memories and helps three people who have each lost a part of themselves find joy once again.Ever since she was diagnosed with ALS, fiercely independent Mattie doesn’t feel like herself. She can’t navigate her beloved home, she can’t go for a boat ride, and she can barely even feed herself. Her devoted husband, Don, doesn’t want to imagine life without his wife of nearly fifty years, but Mattie isn’t likely to make it past their anniversary.But when Rose, Mattie’s new caretaker, and her young daughter, Jeri, enter the couple’s life, happiness and the possibility for new memories return. Together they form a family, and Mattie is finally able to pass on her memories from the hope chest she received from her mother.With each item—including a favorite doll, family dishes, an embroidered apron, and an antique Christmas ornament—the hope chest connects Mattie, Don and Rose to each other and helps them find hope again in the face of overwhelming life challenges. THE PRAYER BOX by Lisa Wingate (Amazon / Bookshop) Do you have a prayer box? I do, but I only have one that my daughter gifted to me. I’m enchanted with the idea of having one for each year of my life as a way to archive it and reflect on who I’ve become, kind of like my notebooks. Here’s the overview: When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola's rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola's walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola's youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper--the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi. A SPRINKLE OF SWEET SERENDIPITY by Rachel Linden (Amazon / Bookshop) I have had this book preordered for months and I absolutely cannot wait for the latest book from one of my favorite authors. Here’s the set-up: Paris trained chocolatier and single mother Emmie Wynne gave up her own dreams six years ago when she returned to her Pacific Northwest coastal tourist town to run her family’s struggling candy store. Now on her thirty-fourth birthday, Emmie has only one wish, to be granted the vision that every Wynne woman is given once in her lifetime—a shimmering glimpse of her true destiny. This year, when she blows out her candles, it finally comes true. Her vision is more delectable than she could’ve imagined—her very own artisanal chocolate shop filled with decadent truffles and caramels, and her celebrity crush, Henry Summers, down on one knee. And when Henry suddenly arrives in town for the summer, offering Emmie the opportunity of a lifetime, the future in her vision suddenly seems possible. But a rekindled connection with Jakob, her former high school best friend turned hunky, brooding tattooed baker, forces Emmie to grapple with the bittersweet realization that her destiny may not be what her heart truly longs for. As the culmination of her vision draws nearer, can Emmie find the courage to create a happiness of her own making? 29 GIFTS: HOW A MONTH OF GIVING CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Cami Walker (Amazon / Bookshop) If this book doesn’t scream HOPE, then I don’t know what does: At age thirty-five, Cami Walker was burdened by a battle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological condition that made it difficult for her to walk, work, or enjoy her life. Seeking a remedy for her depression after being hospitalized, she received an uncommon prescription from an African medicine man: Give to others for 29 days . 29 Gifts is the insightful story of the author’s life change as she embraces and reflects on the naturally reciprocal process of giving and receiving. Many of Walker’s gifts were simple —a phone call, spare change, a Kleenex. Yet the acts were transformative. By Day 29, not only had Walker’s health and happiness improved, but she had created a worldwide giving movement. The book also includes personal essays from others whose lives changed for the better by giving, plus pages for the reader to record their own journey. More than a memoir, 29 Gifts offers inspiring lessons on how a simple daily practice of altruism can dramatically alter your outlook on the world. These are the central texts that make up my apothecary this month, but I’m always open to new suggestions and adding along the way. If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments! Plus, if you’d like to get access to my bibliotherapy book calendar embracing this theme with a book recommendation for every day of the month, join my Restorative Reading & Writing Circle here on Substack! Restorative Writing: I’m focused on two kinds of restorative writing this month that I believe will boost my mood and explore what hope means to me: gratitude journaling and letter-writing. First, gratitude journaling. I’ve always been the kind of person who tries to plan everything and that means scanning for all that could go wrong so I can avoid it. The problem there is that, as much as I hate it, it’s harder for me to truly see and notice the good that is all around me. But when I do, everything changes. So this month, I plan to capture my gratitude in my 5 Year Journal (as always), but also in my weekly planner. I’ve changed what goes inside this planner more times than I’d like to admit, but for now, it’s going to capture gratitude. =) Second, letters to my younger self. Last month, I read Jennae Cecelia’ poetry book: healing for no one but me. You might know her from her viral ‘I met my younger self for coffee’ posts on Instagram inspired by one of her recent poems. Combine this with the plot of WAYS TO FIND YOURSELF and you’ve got the perfect alchemy to look back at all the past versions of ourselves through the lens of love and with a kind heart. I hope to spend time in my notebook writing letters to the earlier versions of me so I can continue to release the past and look forward to a future bursting with hope. Curiosities to Explore for Inspired Action: I’d like to take another stab at a vegetable garden this summer. Last year, I tried the garden bucket method and it worked pretty well, bu
