The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life
by Suleika Jaouad (2025, 305 pages)

This is a wonderful book, and one I am thrilled to have completed—earning a satisfying checkmark on my bingo card, where I had set a goal to write for 100 days.

The book is a collection of 100 essays broken into 10 chapters, with each chapter featuring 10 short stories that are both inspiring and thought-provoking. Every story is accompanied by an engaging reflection (I despise the word prompt). Suleika brings along a wonderful group of creatives to share their stories of how writing and journaling can open up a whole new world for all of us.

The key to this collection—and to the reflections found at the end of each story—is to journal your own story.

The Book of Alchemy will transform the way you think into a creative process for moving through life. However, the real magic doesn’t come from someone else’s essay or guidance—it comes from your own metacognitive process. There is no overnight cure except to do the work, examine how you view the world, and creatively step outside your comfort zone. This is an outstanding guide packed with powerful inspiration to help you coach yourself through life using your own creative practices.

Whether you already love to journal or have always wanted to try it, pick up a copy. It will challenge you, open your heart, and help you connect to your intuition. Even if you don’t consider yourself a journaler or a writer, you will still thoroughly enjoy the stories. They are packed with rich imagery and metaphors that are an absolute joy to read—and they just might inspire you to pick up a pen anyway. As Eric Kahn writes in his essay, “First Lines”:

“Choose a line from a book—you can grab the nearest one and flip it open to a random page… whatever grabs your attention, whatever intrigues you. Use it as the opening sentence for todays journal prompt (30)”