Bart Bewust Book Club: books about sustainability, self-development and self-care
While one person (hi Maartje!) likes juicy chick lit, the other likes non-fiction. And in the case of the undersigned, this is all kinds of non-fiction around sustainability, self-development, self-care, feminine power and spirituality. About Lucy Woesthoff womanhood to a plastic-free life. And from body positivity to how to really do nothing. We made a growing list for the Bart Bewust Book Club. Are you enjoying reading along?
The Finnish psychotherapist, relationship therapist and writer Maaret Kallio has written more than 10 books about the psyche. Her book Be kind to yourself became a bestseller and was translated into Dutch, among other things. The book is not a self-help book with a quick fix for a happy life. But a realistic book in which she indicates that life is sometimes not fun and that by feeling all the emotions that come with life - happiness, enthusiasm, disappointment, sadness... - you can build a stronger and happier you.
Someone says something, doesn't say something or you have done something clumsy and you can't get what was (not) said or done out of your head. Such a shame. The book The non-stick brain provides explanations and tips so that less sticking to you. Author and trainer Sanne van Arnhem asked a hundred people who were in difficult situations because of their work or private life - such as crisis doctors, police officers, people with depression or in a contested divorce - how they deal with 'that which sticks'. The book looks at where these worrying thoughts come from, how you can arm yourself against them and a step-by-step plan for dealing with them meh thoughts easier to let slide. The non-stick brain is an easy and fairly quick book to read.
Many people know Yung Pueblo from Instagram, where he shares reflections and lessons about mindfulness and self-development with his 2,4 million followers. After several collections of poetry - including the one translated into Dutch go inside en clear & connected – he now wrote the non-fiction book lighter that is about self-compassion, awareness and self-healing. And the more people go through the healing process, the more we can work towards a better world. Big steps that come closer by reading a small book.
On a witch tour with Susan Smit. 'The Witch of Limbricht' is a fact-based novel about a woman accused of witchcraft. It is a beautiful introduction to working with nature and the progress of women who were tamed in their strength. Susan's debut in 2001 was 'Witch' which is a personal quest for witchcraft. In 2022 also came 'The Wisdom of the Witch' out. In it she describes what she has learned from the ancient nature religion over the past twenty years. The book is about witchcraft with natural laws, self-development and how this can help you in dealing with emotions, life energy, sexuality and creativity. After all this information, if you could still use some guidance, there is 'Magic diary'. This book gives you information and exercises to discover the witch within yourself.
In 2013, Sarah Leers wrote the book 'Human Design, the blueprint of your life' together with Guido Wernink. Human Design is a system developed in the XNUMXs and assumes that everything is fixed the moment you are born. It is a combination of ancient teachings including astrology, Kaballah, I Ching, chakras and astronomy. In addition to the course of your life, Human Design also has an impact on your health. And that is what this second book is about; 'Human Design, the blueprint of your health'. Based on your date, time and place of birth, Human Design provides a manual for your body, energy type, digestion and senses. Discover what Human Design type you are and learn whether you are a meat eater or vegetarian by nature, it is better to end the day lying down, your body prefers proteins or fats, identify your qualities and vulnerabilities and more. Interesting, right? Oh yes, and the book also comes with an aesthetic design. The fact that we are sensitive to this probably fits our type.
At first glance, Angelus is an art book. A visual feast of colours, costumes and graphic elements. Only when reading will you see that the book is about chakras, healing and yoga. Angelus is a combination of stories, yoga sets and exercises. With the seven chakras as a common thread and visually brought to life with beautiful images and design. Angelus was created with the aim of inspiring and healing. So let's get started.
Read more about it here Angelus.
Just when the shame of flying started to become a thing, corona arrived. As a result, the serial travelers were grounded anyway. And traveling far away suddenly became a lot less attractive. The book by Professional Wildchild and Modern Hippie Zoë could not have come out at a better time. We want to enjoy the wonders that you can also reach by car or train. And Zoë shows that there is enough. The Sustainable Travel book is a combination of information on how to travel sustainably, what to take with you on a trip, and which means of transport is best to take. And inspiration for European “real travellers” places. What you can exchange your trip to South America or Asia for without any loss.
Sustainable Travel – the book also contains a chapter about the Spanish island of La Gomera. A contribution from Team Barts Boekje. You can of course find more inspiration for nearby trips in the books of Barts Boekje. Just scroll down.
Jessie and Nicky from The Zero Waste Project have been writing about living under waste since 2014. A book and a shop were opened in Amersfoort. And this year their second book Doe Het Zero was published. In this book they share their favorite recipes for a life with less plastic. From bathroom goodies to cleaning supplies. From homemade energy bars to beeswax cloths. You can find it in Do It Zero. Very fun activity if you spend a lot of time indoors this corona winter.
“Because men are fantastic and a great part of our lives but women, sorry gentlemen, are magical”. Now we suspect that many men even agree with that. Lucy Woesthoff writes in her first book 'Woman' about love, death, growing older and the power of sisterhood. Using her own story, she talks about how connecting has helped her and her family. 'Woman' is an ode to all women. A book that moves and inspires, they say. We can't wait to read it.
Empower yourself by doing nothing. We like it. In an increasingly busy life - with continuous accessibility and many deadlines - we have to do something to relax. Now there are methods such as yoga and mindfulness, but they do not work for everyone. What works for everyone is just doing nothing. And then really do nothing. Not ten times every five minutes, just this or that. With more nothing you become more creative, more relaxed and healthier. And then you can keep going better. How? You can read that in 'Niksen' by Olga Mecking.
Beautiful woman, mother, model and advocate for body positivity. We say 'hell yeah' to that. And this beautiful – funny too – lady wrote her first book in 2019. With her book 'Written on your body' she teaches us about the outdated beauty ideal. So that we become more satisfied with what we have been given in terms of body and we shaming can completely leave us behind. She is now writing her second book about self-love, self-care and resilience. It will be in stores in 2021.
For self care – as far as we are concerned – small or large escapes to a nice place are a must. Ons'Maartje – we as Brabanders may say – previously wrote a book with 'Little Escapes' in the Netherlands and Belgium. Followed by 'Little Escapes just across the border'. Then came 'Cool Cape Town' with the best tips for Cape Town and the surrounding area plus the later Cool Cape Town Kids. And she continues. 'Los little escapos' takes you to undiscovered places in Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, Madrid, Marbella, Mallorca and Valencia! The most recent book from Maartje's typewriter is 'Suitcases and Koters', for trips in Europe with little ones. And we can tell you, Maartje will continue writing for a while.
You buy Bart's Books BartsBoekje.com.
Mainly known as Eveline editor-in-chief of Happinez. This cheerful woman wrote a book about the days when things go wrong. Because no one is always happy and some days are just plain stupid. It is precisely on those days that you can learn the most about yourself and make personal growth. Eveline's 'Handbook for bad days' tells us that these days are certainly worth it and how you can get through these moments in an educational way. The manual became such a hit in the Netherlands that it has now been translated into several languages. Because everywhere there are bad days.
We think crystals are beautiful and our whole house is full of them. But what can you actually do with it? We dare to call Hanneke the crystal queen of the Netherlands. With her company Rock Your World she provides us with crystal sprays and crystals. In her first book 'Rock Your Crystals' she teaches us that crystals are not only beautiful, but also which stone you can use to change or strengthen something. A bit of Mother Nature, a bit of magic and a bit of wisdom from Hanneke.
Holistic, Ayurveda, mindful en connected. All very nice, but not always easy to maintain in your busy, daily life. Karlijn and Evelyn from Holistik have been helping us for several years through their online platform about a holistic life. So it was time for a book. A book that, with practical tips, beautiful stories, interesting facts and striking images, helps you live more in touch with yourself, the people and nature around you. Not dusty cool or tough chunks of text. But a picture of a cover and a book that you can open on any page you want and immediately read what appeals to you.
Sure, the smell of a fresh book can't be beat and yes, we love leafing through, making folds, curved spines, stripes and highlights and a cupboard full of read copies. But. BUT. We also love our backs. Moreover, the solution is always simple: the ereader. And when it comes to ereader (we asked around and found out and it's true) there is really only 1 good answer: KOBO.
And then we also have something new: the Kobo Clara E2. You must have that. It is waterproof and made of 85% recycled plastic, of which 10% is ocean-bound plastic - thank you very much.
Can it be even better? Yes! Thanks to the new Bluetooth® support on the Kobo Clara you can now also listen to your favorite audiobooks wirelessly!
