I’m excited to share our next Healthy Readers Book Club pick for January–February 2026. This book offers a gentle, mindful way to begin the new year — inviting compassion, reflection, and a slower pace as we read Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach together.
Our Next Read: Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
Each year, I intentionally choose a book that supports self-care, mindfulness, and a gentler pace. For the past several years, this practice has helped us start the year grounded rather than rushed—learning something meaningful that we can carry forward.
About the Book
At the heart of Radical Acceptance is a powerful idea: much of our suffering comes from believing that something is wrong with us. Tara Brach explores how this belief shows up as harsh self-judgment, relationship struggles, addiction, perfectionism, loneliness, and overwork, patterns that keep our lives feeling constricted and unfulfilled.
Through practical, day-to-day guidance developed over more than 20 years of clinical and Buddhist teaching experience, Dr. Brach offers a compassionate path toward freedom. Writing with warmth and clarity, she weaves together personal stories, case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist teachings, and guided meditations.
Step by step, Radical Acceptance shows us how to stop being at war with ourselves and begin living fully in each precious moment.
Reading Pace & Timeline
This book is 328 pages, which works out to about six pages per day, roughly six to eight minutes of daily reading. This should be a very approachable pace.
You’re welcome to read ahead, move more slowly, or catch up as needed. Our shared goal is to complete the book over two months.
We’ll gather for discussion on the last Monday of February to reflect on what resonated, what challenged us, and what we’re taking forward.
Why I Chose This Book
While researching our next read, the table of contents immediately stood out. The book opens with the idea of a trance of unworthiness, something many of us experience through imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and persistent inner criticism. What if we could begin the year by gently loosening that grip?
As the book unfolds, it guides us toward awakening compassion for ourselves and then widening the circles of compassion to include others. Given how intense and uncertain the world can feel, this approach offers a grounded, supportive way to begin the year.
I also appreciate that the book includes meaningful stories that bring the teachings to life, along with guided meditations that invite us to embody what we’re learning.
I’m very much looking forward to reading Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha with you.
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