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Is reading a form of self-care? In today’s episode, I’m joined by author Ciara Blume for a cozy and thought-provoking chat about how books can bring comfort, healing, and inspiration. We talk about reading as self-care, writing as a path to emotional wellness, and how fiction helps us better understand ourselves and others. Along the way, Ciara shares her reading journey, favorite authors, and her latest book project. If you love book talk, Jane Austen, writing inspiration, or mental wellness through stories, this episode is for you.

📚 Topics include:

• How reading and writing can support emotional and mental health
• The power of stories to heal and inspire
• Favorite books that bring comfort and joy

✨ Subscribe for more cozy conversations about reading, writing, and living a well-read life.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Pet Talk

05:24 Getting to Know Ciara – Reading Recs and More

06:15 Jane Austen chat!

10:00 Book Talk

11:20 Ciara's Writing Journey (and that teacher who said happy endings weren’t “cool enough”)

31:49 Fiction as Self-Care – How Reading and Writing Can Bring Healing

42:56 Her New Book

53:30 Concluding Thoughts

Books Mentioned:

Natural Magic Series

The Mudpuddle Manual of Natural Magic

The Witches Catalogue of Wanderlust Essentials

The Magpie Oracle of Sense and Serendipity

Jane Austen

Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith

Tirzah Price’s mystery novels

The Marriage of Opposites and The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

#BookTube #podcast #authortube #Reading #SelfCare #BookPodcast #AuthorInterview #CiaraBlume #MentalHealth #Fiction #WritingCommunity #BookLovers

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