Lucy Turns Pages: Non-Fiction Book Recommendations

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Do you like reading about other people's lives and experiences? Check out these non-fiction books by self-published/small press authors!

Gut Feelings: Coping With Cancer and Living With Lynch Syndrome

"Lynch syndrome is a genetic condition that makes it more likely for a person to get cancer. In other words, it’s the world’s worst loyalty programme." Colon cancer, uterine cancer, duodenal cancer. Colostomy bags, infertility, genetic testing. But also, joy. Also adventure. Also grit. GUT FEELINGS spans ten years from the author's first cancer diagnosis to the life-changing surgeries for her second and third. Racking up a collection of medical experiences - and losing countless organs along the way - Sam Rose has stories for anyone facing the uncertainty of cancer or Lynch syndrome, to help patients and survivors feel less alone.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Learning Empathy: The Memoirs of An Autistic Savant

The first part of being smart is knowing you're not.

Most people assume that I'm slow. Some people are shocked that I'm smart enough to talk. I was emotionally delayed by 15 years. That diagnosis was based on a lack of empathy. For some reason I stopped maturing at 7. Luckily, I started again around 22 years old. Now that I'm 50, I have the mental age of a 35-year-old. It's no big deal now. But when I was 20, I had the mental age of a 7-year-old. It was a problem then.

In my book, Learning Empathy: The Memoirs of an Autistic Savant, these are my stories of how I learned empathy despite a life of institutional abuse. They say that Hard Lives Build Great Hearts and I am evidence that that is true.

Click the link to purchase your copy of my book Learning Empathy:

The Memoirs of an Autistic Savant. All profits from this book go to a 12-step group founded in Illinois. The purpose of this 12-step group is to help people recover after being in a psychiatric hospital or other traumatic situation. By purchasing my book, you not only learn about what I went through, but can be a part in helping others like me.

The Truth About Change and Awakening: A Memoir

With wisdom and humor, Rachael DK invites us into her world as a writer and survivor, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, fear and courage, hope and change. The emotional and physical pains she journaled throughout her life are ultimately revealed to the reader. Her memoir offers a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human. So many of the author's struggles as a two time suicide attempt survivor, breast cancer survivor, chronic illness sufferer—though rare when combined, are a reflection that helps readers see things in a new light, and rediscover simple pleasures and everyday joy. It is the story of how any of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our heartbreak, and unleash our truest dreams so that we finally look at ourselves and say: There I am, the real me.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Sad, Black, and Fat: Musings From The Intersection

This book delves into the experiences of a young woman trying to navigate life’s twists and turns. She often finds herself standing on the corner between one identity and the other trying to decide which road to take. This collection of poems and essays are a reflection of the joys and sorrows of traversing through the intersections of life.

Another Day in Paradise (Tails from Paradise)

A warm-hearted, autobiographical story told by an author who really knows her subject, the location and the lifestyle in a small village in the Algarve, as seen through the eyes of a British couple, who made the move seeking a quieter, more serene way of life. What lurks in the shadows of paradise, however, is a life-changing illness she has struggled with in the past and now comes to the fore. They have made Portugal their home.

Will they be able to navigate the health system and succeed in getting her the urgent operation needed, to prevent her from spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair? This adds tension to an otherwise gentle, amusing, highly descriptive story, filled with wonderful observations, funny clashes of culture and an entertaining learning curve for all concerned. The dialogue is so authentic, you can hear their voices. The characters appear real and 3-dimensional and the supporting cast of cats and dogs at times threaten to steal the show. This is a fulfilling and satisfying read, uplifting, positive and makes you long for a sequel.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Our Little Piece of Paradise: 2 (Tails from Paradise)

When a young British couple, Karen and Nick first took a holiday in the Algarve in Portugal, little did they know that 35 years on they would find themselves permanent residents and much-loved members of the local community, well-known for rescuing and housing stray animals, working alongside the local vet and even helping the local fire brigade!

This eagerly awaited sequel to Karen’s acclaimed and hugely popular first book “Another Day in Paradise” continues the story of life in the Algarve, its miracles and challenges as Karen lives with the aftermath of a spinal operation, gets herself through a gruelling language test hoping to gain citizenship and pursues her passion for rescuing cats and dogs, all of them characters in their own right.

Another heart-warming slice of life from an author with a brilliant eye for both the absurd and the humane as she shares the reality of living their dream.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

A B.R.A.V.E Year: 52 WEEKS BEING MINDFUL

Like the rest of the body, it’s good to exercise the mind. Daily exercise, and meditation, has been shown to increase health, by decreasing stress, which allows the body (and mind) to naturally release endorphins, relax and heighten awareness. In this helpful book, Gabriel Constans leads the reader through fifty-two gentle and encouraging sessions planned to reconnect the body and soul. It takes courage and bravery, to honestly witness what we discover, inside and out, without turning away or getting caught in the content. It is a brave act to allow oneself to be still, if even for a moment, to look at one’s present experience, face the world and grow stronger.

Free on Kindle Unlimited

Please let me know if you pick up any of these!

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

A. K. Faulkner- check out their queer dark urban fantasy series!

Jack of Thorns - Knight of Flames - Lord of Ravens - Reeve of Veils - Page of Tricks - Rites of Winter - Sigils of Spring - Spells of Summer