The Self-Care Book Club
A free online reading community to:
Make time for reading as a self-care practice
Read books about self-care
Connect and learn together
All are welcome. Sign up for free here:

CURRENT BOOK:
Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D.
From Amazon.com:
How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.
Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative – and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Sacred Rest combines the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of our respect.
By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.
Book Club Info:
How the Self-Care Book Club Works
1. Sign Up + Get the Info
- Enter your name and email on this site to sign up
- Check your email and confirm your subscription (you can unsubscribe anytime)
- You’ll receive via email:
+ A link to access the Self-Care Book Club members only discussion group
+ The current reading and discussion schedule
2. Read:
- Purchase your book if you don’t have it already (or get it from your local library)
- Start reading!
3. Connect and discuss
- Visit the discussion group whenever it’s convenient for you
- Share your thoughts and connect with others
- We’ll spend about 3 months on each book and you can read at your own pace during this time
FAQ
Can I listen to the audiobook instead of reading?
Yes!
What kind of commitment does this require?
No commitment, you can leave at any time and re-join at any time.
How long do I have to read a book?
We’ll spend about 3 months on each book. You can read at your own pace during this time.
How many books will we read?
We’ll aim for reading 4 books together per year.
Will there be any in-person or live meetings at attend?
No, this book club is virtual and all discussion are online. You can visit the discussions at your own convenience and you’ll receive updates via email.
Do you provide the books?
No, you are responsible for purchasing books on your own.
How do I get access to the discussion group?
Sign up for the Self-Care Book Club using the form on this page and the link to join the group will be emailed to you.
I’m having a technical issue/question!
Use the contact form at the bottom of this page with any questions.
Do I have to participate in every discussion? What am I supposed to share?
You are not required to participate in the discussions. Share what you are comfortable sharing. In the discussions you may also ask questions, respond to comments, start a conversation, ask for support, or give support.
What if I don’t like it, can I leave the book club at any time?
You may leave the book club at any time simply by leaving the group. There’s no pressure to stay and no hard feelings if you leave. If for some reason you really don’t like a particular book, just stop reading it if you’re not interested. Life is too short to force yourself to read something you don’t want to.
My mom/sister/friend/partner/colleague would love this book! Can I invite them to join?
Yes! Just share this link with them https://www.selfcareinstitute.com/resources/bookclub/ so they can sign up and join us.
Book Club and Community Guidelines
1. Respect all members and respect yourself.
2 No promotions (free or paid) or solicitations of products or services in the discussion group.
3. When discussing self-care topics, remember that self-care is a personal and individualized experience and varies by culture, personality, and preference. What might be self-care for you might not be self-care for someone else.
4. This community is not a replacement for medical advice, therapy, or professional support. Please seek professional help when needed.
5. Honor reading as a sacred practice and honor the book club as a sacred space. Let’s appreciate the experience of receiving knowledge through books and sharing the learning experience with others.

The Self-Care Book Club is hosted by Ami Kunimura, MA, MT-BC, founder of the Self-Care Institute.
A Note From Ami
Hi, I’m Ami, your host for the Self-Care Book Club.
Here’s why I started this book club, and see if you can relate to this.
I love reading, but it’s hard to keep reading as a priority in my daily life. I usually save my reading time for the end of the day but too often it just doesn’t happen because there’s always something to do. And sometimes I find myself reading a great book, and then hearing about another good one so I order it on Amazon and start reading that one, and then before I know it I have a pile of five partially read books on my nightstand. Then it takes a really long time to get through each one, if I do finish it. And then there are other times when I’ve read an amazing book, but then a month later someone asks me about it and I can’t really remember what I read.
These issues go can away when reading with other people. When reading in community, momentum and motivation are easier to maintain, and the information we are taking the time to ingest becomes more solidified into our memories when we talk about what we’re learning.
Being connected to others is powerful, especially when it comes to self-care.
My goal with this book club is to provide that sense of connection and to keep this process simple for all of us.
And so, in the past ten years I’ve read A LOT of self-care books. Much of this was research for writing and speaking on self-care, but it was for myself too. Although most of us know we need to take care of ourselves, it’s easy not to. Self-care might seem like a basic life skill, but it’s often something we need to re-learn as adults, and continually reshape as we move through life. We know that self-care can prevent burnout and help us deal with stress, but let’s also remember that self-care supports our ability to truly enjoy living life.
I’ll do my best to select books we can all benefit from and provide a safe space for enriching human conversations.
So make yourself a cup of tea, and join us. Looking forward to connecting with you 🙂
All are welcome. Sign up for free here: