July 11, 2026 - Books I've Read in Chronological Order in Healing

Loveable — Amber Rae

3/10; too hopeful, too easy. a novel about a woman who leaves her husband for her true love. can I possibly be the true love? would she ever leave him? probably not.

The Course of Love — Alain de Botton

6/10; marriage is fucking hard, they will make it work. you're just the blip. she won't choose you, they never do. let her read this too — she'll see.

Polysecure — Jessica Fern

6/10; intergenerational trauma, cultural trauma. am I polyamorous? — or teaching myself to want the leftover, so it would stop feeling like less.

我在精神病院种蘑菇 — 郁闷闷

8/10; a psych ward nurse tending to the unwell, so people might understand. for a weekend, i thought we could be unwell and heal together. it turns out you don't think you're unwell at all.

The State of Affairs — Esther Perel

1/10; the other woman gets pages 233–251. chapter 13. that's it. that's all of us, in a book about affairs. the rest is his desire, his wandering, his soul. i counted twice. fuck off. cancelled.

What Makes Love Last — John M. Gottman & Nan Silver

5/10; this relationship is fucked. i finally realized it was unsafe.

Loving You Is Hurting Me — Laura Copley

6/10; therapy in a book. a book-shaped version of the room.

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath — ed. Karen V. Kukil

9/10; she's so unwell, i'm so unwell. i thought a lot about Anthony Bourdain during this period.

What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo

6/10; this book stressed me out, why is she running-healing? i flinched, but not in a good way.

Letters to My Therapist — Louisa Merryn

10/10; "Don't share." What is this? This is a portal. Absolute comfort, disbelief, shock, and complete dissolution of self.

Internal Family Systems — Dr. Richard C. Schwartz

6/10; this is safety and where my current personal safety comes from. i hugged it in the airport.

Letters to My Therapist — Louisa Merryn

7/10; i think loving you is hurting me or it feels like it. attachment is terrifying. i wrote a whole poem about it. (Chiasmus, May 27.)

Letters to My Therapist — Louisa Merryn

12/10; i travelled through the portal and reached the other end. it's wonderful here. i was never alone, you will always be with me. secure attachment is wonderful. thank you.

The Moon That Turns You Back — Hala Alyan

9/10; poets are witches.

Mindsight — Daniel J. Siegel

10/10; made it make sense.

The Gift of Therapy — Irvin D. Yalom

The Whole Brain Child — Daniel J. Siegel