Christian's corner
Christian was my firstborn. spunky and mischievous, fiercely protective, and possessed an imagination that never quite grew up - which is exactly what made her so full of life. She was precious and beautiful, and she left this world sixteen days before her twentieth birthday, taking a piece of our family with her that we will never get back.
She loved books from the day she was born. She loved tagging along with me to yard sales so she could add to her collection of vintage books. All different colors, and she arranged them into rainbows on her shelf. At one point she dreamed of owning a bookstore. Of living inside stories.
When she found a series she loved, I bought two copies of every book so I could read alongside her. We would settle into our recliners - her curled up with a blanket in one, me in the other - and she would call out across the room: "Mom, are you to page 132? Oh my gosh, just wait!".
I am still waiting for a lot of things. But I have also learned to keep moving. Right after she passed, I made the decision to honor her memory by releasing a small amount her of ashes in places she would have loved to go. To date her ashes have soared from the cliffs in Iceland, mountaintops and waterfalls. While snorkeling off Puerto Rico while manta rays swam beneath me, skydiving, paragliding over Traverse Bay Michigan, the list goes on. She has taught us more about living than anyone still here ever has.
This corner of The Whole Cafe is hers. The books here are ones that have genuinely helped me - through loss, through illness, through starting over more times than I planned. I offer them the way she would have - with a recommendation you can trust, from someone who has actually lived what these pages are about.
She would have loved this for me. I know that as surely as I know anything.
- Meada, Christian's mom
For the girl in the recliner who couldn't wait for me to get to page 132
A note: Some of the books on this page contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend books I have personally read and would hand to a client or a friend.
Grief & Loss
The Year of Magical Thinking
It's OK That You're Not OK
A candid and deeply moving exploration of the sudden nature of loss and the mourning process.
A breath of fresh air in a culture that rushes grief. This book gives you permission to grieve on your own terms and at your own pace.
Notes on Grief
A meditative and intimate work capturing the personal dimensions of sorrow after losing a loved one.
Healing After Loss
This book offers short daily readings that meet you exactly where you are. I have returned to it more than once.
life changes & starting over
Tiny Beautiful Things
Wild
Atlas of the Heart
This is Me Letting you Go
Honest, raw, and unexpectedly funny. Cheryl Strayed's advice column letters cut straight to the heart of what it means to be human and keep going anyway.
One woman, one trail, and the decision to start over from the ground up. A book about what it actually looks like to rebuild yourself one hard step at a time.
A map of the emotions we don't have words for. This book helped me understand what I was feeling when I couldn't name it - and that is no small thing.
Short, piercing, and surprisingly gentle. For anyone in the middle of releasing something - a relationship, a version of themselves, a life they thought they were going to have.
reiki, Life Purpose & Spirituality
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
The Book of Awakening
Inner Engineering
Essential Reiki
A gentle Japanese philosophy about finding the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning. Less about achievement and more about meaning. A favorite.
A daily companion for the soul. Short, beautiful readings that have a way of saying exactly what you needed to hear on exactly the right day. I keep this one close.
A practical and profound guide to understanding yourself from the inside out. Challenges the way you think about joy, suffering, and what it means to be truly well.
A foundational guide to understanding Reiki - what it is, how it works, and why it matters. A good starting place for anyone curious about energy healing before or after a session.
Health & Chronic Illness
The Invisible Kingdom
The Book of Awakening
When the Body Says No
Full Catastrophe Living
For anyone who has spent years being dismissed, misdiagnosed, or simply not believed. This book sees you and that alone is worth something.
A landmark book about the undeniable connection between what we carry emotionally and what shows up in our bodies. It changed the way I understand healing.
Explores what happens when we swallow our stress, our grief, and our needs for too long. Validating, honest, and impossible to put down.
Not about fixing or curing but about finding steadiness inside a body that is struggling. A quiet and practical companion for the long haul of living with illness.