Hot flashes, fatigue, and brain fog (and more)? It’s a lot to deal with on your own and you shouldn’t have to. We’ve shared resources on how to host your own Couch Conversation and invited you to join our Facebook community, but there’s nothing quite like the power of the written word. Here’s a roundup of the best 16 books for midlife to help provide education, comfort, advice, and even some comic relief no matter where you are on your menopause journey. Let’s get reading.
1. Mokita: How to Navigate Perimenopause With Confidence & Ease by Shirley Weir
Women’s health advocate Shirley Weir teams up with 13 women’s health professionals to provide evidence-based practical advice, dispelling the myths and contradicting information out there so you can be in control of your midlife health.
2. In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
While this particular book is not pertaining to menopause or midlife specifically, what better way to get inspired and empowered than a celebration of women and their stories?
3. What Fresh Hell Is This? Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You by Heather Corinna
Author Heather Corinna introduces her book: "I'm going to do what I've done for millions of people of all ages with sex and relationships: to simplify and share solid, explicit information, to provide support and be sensitive, and to help make everyone feel less alone and get us all through hard, thorny, touchy stuff so we can make it to the other side.”
4. A Tired Woman’s Guide to Passionate Sex by Dr. Laurie Mintz
Dr. Laurie Mintz, psychologist and sex expert shares her practical no non-sense guide to bring passionate sex back into your life. A perfect pairing for this book? Try our Daily Vaginal Lotion for natural effective hydration. After four weeks of regular application, 73% of vaginal lotion users report "no symptoms" of vaginal dryness—a crucial step toward feeling like your old self in the bedroom.
The Daily Vaginal Lotion
5. The Hot Flash Club: A Novel by Nancy Thayer
One of the only fiction novels on this list, Nancy Thayer celebrates the power of female friendships and brings us a story of four women on their menopause journey learning that not only is life not over, but that “they can have it all, perhaps for the first time in their lives.”
6. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia
According to the world’s long-living people, residents of a Japanese village called Okinawa, the key to a happier and longer life is ikigai - a reason for living. This book delves into this Japanese concept of the happiness of keeping busy and provides practical advice to help you on your journey to find your own ikigai.
7. No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History by Gail Collins
New York Times columnist Gail Collins “inspires women to embrace aging and look at it with a new sense of hope” in this lively, fascinating, eye-opening look at women and aging in America (Parade Magazine).
8. The Slow Moon Climbs: The Science, History, and Meaning of Menopause by Susan Mattern
Susan Mattern examines the historical and cultural perceptions of menopause in her fascinating novel. Her conclusion? Menopause is “an essential juncture and key factor in human flourishing.”
9. Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life by Darcey Steinke
Darcey Steinke tells her own personal menopause experience along with historical, philosophical, and scientific accents which provides a powerful and honest read.
10. Food Story: Rewrite the Way You Eat, Think and Live by Elise Museles
Included on this list because menopause is inherently a transitional period but also a time for opportunity. As your body is changing, it’s a time for making empowering and healthy shifts to your daily routine. Food Story embraces finding a balance with food and making healthy changes in practical and manageable ways. Plus, it even sorts recipes by “mood”! Looking to make changes to your daily routine? Add self-care in the form of our Core Supplement which can help you manage stress and ease other frustrations, like hot flashes or brain fog, for a happier you.
The Core Supplement
11. The Perimenopause Solution by Dr Shahzadi Harper, Emma Barwell
Led by a doctor specializing in women’s health and a registered nutrition, The Perimenopause Solution combines practical advice on what to expect, how to find a new balance in this phase of life, as well as information on what you eat during perimenopause can have dramatic effects on the experience.
12. Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Emily Nagoski sets out to demystify female sexuality so that all women can create a sex life that is satisfying, full of confidence, empowering, and joyful.
13. Menopacolypse: How I learned to Thrive During Menopause and You Can Too by Amanda Thebe
Fitness trainer Amanda Thebe shares her personal account of menopause including how she lost weight, improved sleep, and changed her diet to thrive during menopause. Also includes a workout routine including strength workouts for women over 40!
14. M Boldened: Menopause Conversations We All Need to Have by Caroline Harris
Caroline Harris is determined to shed light on historically hushed conversations surrounding menopause in her newly released book. She shares the stories and perspectives of women all around the world.
15. Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids by Zibby Owens
Too tired to think? No time to read books? Zibby Owens gets it. Award-winning podcaster of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books and mother of four (ages six to fourteen) compiled fifty-three essays by forty-nine authors to help the rest of us feel understood, inspired, and less alone.
& Jenn Curtis, M.S.W.
Bragging rights and bumper stickers are some of the social forces fueling today’s parenting behavior—and, as a result, even well-intentioned parents are behaving badly. Many parents don’t know how best to support their teens, especially when everyone around them seems to be frantically tutoring, managing, and helicoptering. The Parent Compass provides guidance on what parents’ roles should be in supporting their teens’ mental health as they traverse the maze of the adolescent years.
