I have many book recommendations for women approaching or in mid-life, however, I will share two with you today.

The first book I recommend is The Queen of Myself: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife by Donna Henes (who just passed away last month). I purchased a used copy online, as it’s an out-of-print book, although you can purchase the Kindle version here.

You may or may not have heard of the Triple Goddess or the supposed three phases of womanhood: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. As Henes writes in this book, this concept was invented by a man in the 1970s, so it’s a relatively modern idea. And she brings up the point that many women don’t reach midlife and suddenly turn into a crone. There is a missing phase.

Just as there are four seasons, we are missing “Autumn”, and what Henes has titled “the Queen phase” of life. This is an apt description of midlife. For one thing, Autumn weather is a season of fluctuation and change, which is what women experience at mid-life. We may not be in our prime, instead we are beginning to reap an abundant harvest of all we’ve planted and tended to in our earlier years.

I bought this as a gift for myself for my forty-eighth birthday and have only read through chapter three. However, I have felt so validated and comforted by her words; seen and heard. This isn’t a part of life to pretend doesn’t happen, to be ashamed of or to hide, and I’m so glad she addressed it in this book. It’s a natural phase of life and we can choose to celebrate it.

The second book is Jennifer Louden’s The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful Year. I waited to start this book until my birthday at the beginning of September. I thought it would be interesting to start a yearlong book and see where it takes me by the time another birthday comes around.

It’s not a “whip yourself into shape and get it together” type of book. Instead of barking at us like we are in boot camp, she comes alongside with very deep questions that lead to insights about ourselves that we wouldn’t otherwise have addressed. It’s a gentle and unexpected delight that I am thankful to have as a companion for this year.

It’s one that you’ll return to again and again. I also like the small size. I expected a huge book but it’s one that fits well in my hands (6×7.5 inches and only. .5 inches thick).

At various times in life, you may feel like the path has become uncertain, hard to define, or that you are lost and are not sure what to do next. This is such a helpful tool to guide you with questions so that you can pick up the threads of your own life and begin weaving again. In other words, you can live in a way that is more you and less the person you think you should be. You can allow yourself to explore, to rest, to learn, to discover, to grow, to just be you. Also if the word “mindful” in the title bothers you (because it is overused these days), when you see it, simply substitute it for the word “intentional”.

I am reading a string of excellent books these days. If you’d like to find get some more recommendations, read my latest bookish Substack post: September Reading. (And become a paid subcriber to my Substack–it helps me fund this blog so I can keep it an ad-free space of quietness, beauty, and reflection for all of us!)

Have a lovely weekend, all!