We’re excited to announce the 2022 Living Now medalists! These outstanding books represent the best in lifestyle publishing, helping readers lead healthier, more fulfilling, and sustainable lives.
From wellness and fitness to cooking and personal growth, this year’s medalists showcase the innovation of creators dedicated to books for better living. Congratulations to all the 2022 medalists for their inspiring work!
BOOKS OF THE YEAR
GENERAL CATEGORIES:
1. Cookbooks – General | 2. Cookbooks – Holiday/Specialty | 3. Gift/Keepsake/Coffee Table | 4. Journal/Coloring Book | 5. Animals/Pets | 6. Green Living | 7. Family/Parenting | 8. Social Activism/Charity | 9. Personal Growth – Self-Help | 10. Motivation – Improvement | 11. Sexuality/Femininity | 12. Relationships/Marriage | 13. Memoir – Male | 14. Memoir – Female | 15. Enlightenment/Spirituality | 16. Metaphysical/Exploring Consciousness | 17. Exercise/Fitness/Yoga | 18. Health/Wellness | 19. Relaxation/Mindfulness | 20. Mature Living/Caregiving | 21. Aging/Death & Dying | 22. How-To (Relationships/Self) | 23. General Fiction | 24. Romance Fiction | 25. Children’s Inspirational Picture Book | 26. Digital Media
EVERGREEN CATEGORIES:
World Peace | Health & Wellness | Personal Growth | Spiritual Leadership | Nature Conservation
BOOKS OF THE YEAR
MIND
The Year Time Stopped: The Global Pandemic in Photos curated by Christina Hawatmeh & Nour Chamoun (HarperOne)
COVID-19 has ravaged the lives and health of millions of people for over two years. The Year Time Stopped really struck our judges though for how it documented the psychological effect it has had, especially during lockdown. The visual documentation from all over the world resonated with them—the images of loneliness, community, getting back to nature, returning to “normal” but distanced. We continue to learn about the long term effects of the virus, but we are only starting to collectively look at the ways it has changed us mentally.
BODY
My Pain-Body Solution by Michael J. Murray (River Grove Books)
My Pain-Body Solution makes clear the inextricable yet oft-neglected link between physical and mental health. Murray tells stories of his chronic pain and the psychological and medical steps he takes to recover and regain a sense of wellness for body and mind.
SPIRIT
Needle & Thread by David Pinckney, illustrated by Ennun Ana Iurov, lettered by Micah Myers (Maverick)
Navigating the space between childhood and becoming an adult, Needle & Thread chronicles the heart, determination, and spirit one must hold closely to as we move through one of life’s greatest adventures—becoming who we are meant to be. With engaging graphics and endearing characters, David Pinckney, Ennun Ana Iurov, and Micah Myers bring to life the beauty of staying true to oneself and in doing so has captured the spirit of the human experience.
GENERAL CATEGORIES
1. Cookbooks - General
GOLD
The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles by Rinku Bhattacharya (Hippocrene Books)
2. Cookbooks - Holiday/Specialty
GOLD
Free The Pizza! by Blaine Parker (Slow Burn Marketing LLC)
3. gift/keepsake/coffee table
GOLD
Guard Your Heart & Home by Victoria Duerstock (End Game Press)
Silver
Animal Prints on My Soul by Candace Gish (Absolute Love Publishing)
Bronze
Rabbit at the Sliding Door: Chloe's Story by Denise Lee Branco (Strolling Hills Publishing, LLC)
4. journal/coloring book
GOLD
Just Rest by Melanie Redd (End Game Press)
Silver
The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day by Lisa Tener (Prosperity House Media)
Bronze
Relax & Puzzle Romance Puzzle Book, Volume 1 by Mina Faraway (Potential Press, LLC)
5. animals/pets
GOLD
What the Pet Food Industry is Not Telling You, Developing Good Practices for a Healthier Dog by Dr. Stephanie Krol (Riley Publishing)
Silver
Terriers in the Jungle: A Novel by Georja Umano (Atmosphere Press)
Bronze
Everyone Needs a Little Hope by Karen Nicksich (Palmetto Publishing)
6. green living
GOLD
Freeing Energy: How innovators are using local-scale solar and batteries to disrupt the global energy industry from the outside in by Bill Nussey (Mountain Ambler Publishing)
Silver
Sincerely, Little Fox by Mr. Noun, illustrated by Ali Elzeiny, translated by Ghenwa Yehia (Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press)
Bronze
Youth Activism: Teens Against E-waste and Our Quest to Collect 1 Million Batteries to Save the Planet by Joshua E. Lou (Self-Published)
7. family/parenting
GOLD
How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes by Melinda Wenner Moyer (Putnam/Penguin Random House)
Silver
Raising Humans With Heart: Not a How-To Manual by Sarah MacLaughlin (Isabella Media Inc)
Bronze
Inside Fatherhood: A Guide for Becoming the Dad God Created You to Be by Dr. Roy Smith & Robert Amaya (LiveUp)
8. social activism/charity
GOLD
CALLED by Marlena Fiol & Ed O'Connor (JRS Books)
Silver
Truth is Indestructible by Stuart Nagero (Anaphora Literary Press)
Bronze
Unity In Crisis by Jerome Roth (Self-Published)
9. personal growth - self-help
GOLD
An Overachiever's Guide To Breaking The Rules: How To Let Go Of Perfect and Live Your Truth by Heather Whelpley (Wise Ink)
Silver
The Zen Executive: Gems of Wisdom for Enlightened Leadership by Jim Blake (Unity Books)
Bronze
Trauma's Labyrinth: Reflections of a Wounded Healer by Laura K. Kerr (LK Kerr Books)
10. motivation - improvement
GOLD
Don't Just Sit There, Do Nothing by Jessie Asya Kanzer (Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc)
Silver
World Class by Jay Sandlin, illustrated by Patrick Mulholland, colored by Rebecca Nalty, lettered by Justin Birch (Maverick)
Bronze
The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress, & Anger That Trigger Addictive Behaviors by Rebecca E. Williams, PhD & Julie S. Kraft, MA, LMFT (New Harbinger Publications)
11. sexuality/femininity
GOLD
Good Game, Well Played by Rachael Smith, illustrated by Katherine Lobo, lettered by Justin Birch (Maverick)
Silver
Sidelined: How Women Manage and Mismanage Their Health by Susan Salenger (She Writes Press)
Bronze
Sex Matters: How male-centric medicine endangers women's health and what we can do about it by Dr. Alyson J. McGregor (Quercus Editions Ltd)
12. relationships/marriage
GOLD
Fifty First Dates After Fifty: A Memoir by Carolyn Lee Arnold (She Writes Press)
Silver
Untangling You: How can I be grateful when I feel so resentful? By Dr Kerry Howells (Major Street Publishing)
Bronze
Emotional Magnetism - How to Communicate to Ignite Connection in Your Relationships by Sandy Gerber (Page Two)
13. memoir - male
GOLD
Alabama Grandson: A Black, Gay Minister’s Passage Out of Hiding by Cedrick D. Bridgeforth (Precocity Press)
Silver
A Fraction Stronger by Mark Berridge (Major Street Publishing)
Bronze
John Guillermin: The Man, The Myth, The Movies by Mary Guillermin (Precocity Press)
14. memoir - female
GOLD
Wisdom Keeper: My Extraordinary Journey to Unlock the Sacred Within by Chloe Kemp (Awaken Your Divine Path)
Silver
My Race for Life: finding new strength after tragedy by Alison J. Delgado, MD
Bronze
Daughter of Spies: Wartime Secrets, Family Lies by Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop (Regal House Publishing)
15. enlightenment/spirituality
GOLD (tie)
Practically Pagan - An Alternative Guide to Magical Living by Maria DeBlassie (Moon Books)
GOLD (tie)
Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred by Victoria Loorz (Broadleaf Books)
Silver
Be a Buddha: Humanistic Buddhism's Hsing Yun Theory and Practice by Venerable Man Yi (Buddha’s Light Publications)
Bronze
Artist by Jocelyn Jones (Goodspeed Press)
16. metaphysical/exploring consciousness
GOLD
Tarotpy — It's All in the Cards by Lauren Z. Schneider MFT (New Insights Press)
Silver
Drawn into the Dream: How Drawing Your Dreams Can Take You to the Land of Awes by Walter Berry (Precocity Press)
Bronze (tie)
Destination New Earth: A Blueprint to 5D Consciousness by Alex Marcoux (616 Editions)
Bronze (tie)
One with Life: Insights to Spiritual Enlightenment by George Tsiattalos (Austin Macauley Publishers)
17. exercise/fitness/yoga
GOLD
Martial Arts and Your Life by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder (Stickman Publications, Inc.)
Silver
The Esoteric Science of Restorative Yoga: Lost Technology of Consciousness by Paul Archer (Self-Published)
Bronze
Stroke Recovery, Regaining Arm Movement by Tracy L. Markley (Self-Published)
18. health/wellness
GOLD (tie)
Type One Determination; Transforming type 1 diabetes through scientific evidence, personal experience, and a dash of disobedience by Lauren Plunkett (Wise Ink)
GOLD (tie)
Off Our Chests: A Candid Tour Through the World of Cancer by John Marshall & Liza Marshall (Ideapress Publishing)
Silver
Resilience Recipes – Making Space for Wellbeing that Works by Fleur Heazlewood (Major Street Publishing)
Bronze
The Healer's Path to Post-COVID Recovery: A Restorative Journey for Healthcare Workers by Katherine T. Kelly, PhD, M.S.P.H. (Soul Health Press)
19. relaxation/mindfulness
GOLD
Cracking the Stress Secret by Amir A Rashidian (Greenleaf Book Group)
Silver
Moonlight Serenade: Embracing Aging Mindfully by Gordon Wallace, Ph.D (FriesenPress)
Bronze
Joy Of Being Daily Moments Of Becoming Present by Kristin Larsen (Gatekeeper Press)
20. mature living/caregiving
GOLD
American Dementia: Brain Health in an Unhealthy Society by Daniel R. George, PhD, MSc, and Peter J. Whitehouse, MD, PhD (Johns Hopkins)
Silver
Mother Lode: Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver by Gretchen Staebler (She Writes Press)
Bronze
Navigating the Caregiver River: A Journey to Sustainable Caregiving by Theresa Wilbanks (Self-Published)
21. aging/death & dying
GOLD
Feeling Fate by Joni Sensel (She Writes Press)
Silver
On the Other Side of Terminal: Take Back Your Life from Cancer Now by Allen Chankowsky (Self-Published)
Bronze
Find a Place for Me by Deirdre Fagan (Pact Press)
Bronze
Living Grieving by Karen V. Johnson (Hay House)
22. how-to (relationships/self)
GOLD
The Call of the Triple Spiral by Lisa Saffron (Self-Published)
Silver
The Adventures of Women in Tech Workbook by Alana Karen (Ideapress Publishing)
Bronze
Unmuted - How to Show Up, Speak Up and Inspire Action by Heather Hansen (Bloomsbury)
23. general fiction
GOLD
Waterbury Winter by Linda Stewart Henley (She Writes Press)
Silver
Swish’s Mobile Dilemma by Matthias Krug, illustrated by Nikos Yanopulos (Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press)
Bronze
Dr. Altman and the Concubines by Jacqueline Shortell-McSweeney (Archway Publishing)
24. romance fiction
GOLD
Hey Jude by Kathleen Stone (Self-Published)
Silver
Secrets in the Palazzo by Kathleen Reid (Koehler Books)
Bronze
Constellations by Patricia Leavy (Brill Sense)
25. children’s inspirational picture book
GOLD
The Great Inventor of the Stars by Avery Davis, illustrated by Luo Xi (Self-Published)
Silver
Dachshund Through the Snow by Michelle Medlock Adams, illustrated by Ana Sebastián (End Game Press)
Bronze
What If There Was No School! by Andalous Ibrahim, illustrated by Zahra Amini, translated by Ghenwa Yehia (Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press)
26. digital media
GOLD
A Given Grace: An Anthology of Christian Poems edited by Desmond Francis Xavier Kon (Zhicheng-Mingdé) & Eric Francis Tinsay Valles (Squircle Line Press)
Silver
Far Right Media Is Making The World Chaotic by David Jeremiah (Self-Published)
Bronze
No Regrets Parenting, Updated and Expanded Edition by Harley Rotbart (Andrews McMeel Publishing)
EVERGREEN CATEGORIES
To commemorate world-changing books published in this new millennium, we launched the Living Now Evergreen Book Medals. The medals are presented in five categories, recognizing books published since the year 2000 for their contributions to positive global change.
World Peace
GOLD
The Upshift: Wiser Living on Planet Earth by Ervin Laszlo (Waterside Productions)
Silver
Maximum Impact Potential by Alok Appadurai (WorldChangers Media)
Bronze
Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter by Amy W. Daughters (She Writes Press)
Health & Wellness
GOLD
Boundaries for Women Physicians: Love Your Life and Career in Medicine by Tammie Chang, MD (Visionary Women Publishing)
Silver
Butter Side Up: How I Survived My Most Terrible Year & Created My Super Awesome Life by Jane Enright (She Writes Press)
Bronze
Beware False Tigers by Frank Forencich (Exuberant Animal)
Personal Growth
GOLD
Always Eat Left Handed: 15 Surprising Secrets For Killing It At Work And In Real Life by Rohit Bhargava (Ideapress Publishing)
Silver
Find The Seeker!: The pathless path to fulfillment and happiness by Genro Xuan Lou Laoshi and Clifford Stevens (Gatekeeper Press)
Bronze
You-phoria: The Art of Authenticity by Gina Haines (Self-Published)
Spiritual Leadership
GOLD
Beyond Diversity: 12 Non-Obvious Ways To Build A More Inclusive World by Jennifer Brown and Rohit Bhargava (Ideapress Publishing)
Silver
Clarity to Make Your Mark - 12 steps to discovering your vision, being your best self and leaving a legacy by Jessica Ritchie (Transformational Brand Lab)
Bronze (tie)
First Serve Yourself by Vik Kapoor (New Degree Press)
Bronze (tie)
The Noble Edge by Christopher Gilbert, PhD (Morgan James Publishing)
Nature Conservation
GOLD
A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans (Mariner Books)
Silver
Live in a Home that Pays You Back, A Complete Guide to Net Zero and Energy-Efficient Homes by Anna DeSimone (FriesenPress)
Bronze
One Green Deed Spawns Another: Tales of Inspiration on the Quest for Sustainability by David C. Mahood (Self-Published)
