This was a nice, light reading. I didn't find it earth-shattering, but it could be helpful to give it a read if you're on your own mindfulness/gratitude journey.

Prompts, exercises and other information about how to wake up grateful. I feel this book is timely and sure to be a gift for those of us struggling to find perspective in our lives. Definitely a good choice for those wishing to be a bit more settled in what they have, while living in a world that encourages us to want more and more.

Totally needed at this time when everyone is struggling. I'm not a stranger to self-help books and this one was great. I would definitely share it with a friend and refer to it in the future!
Thank you for the ARC!

I really appreciated the author's statement that having cancer makes you feel appreciative for the life you are living in new ways. While I haven't had cancer, I did fracture my foot years ago and after sliding down steps on my bottom and hobbling around on crutches, it occurred to me that I never truly appreciated my feet before, but I certainly did after that!

Kristi Nelson acknowledges that some of what she has learned along the way is from the teachings of Brother David Steindl-Rast. (You can find his website online.) There is a good bit of useful information in this book, and I felt as if I was getting a nudge to appreciate life more. I'm writing this while going through the COVID 19 pandemic along with the added stress it has added to my life and the lives of many of the people I know. It often feels like a very difficult time to be grateful, so this is needed more than ever.

Wake up Grateful by author Kristi Nelson is a self help book that seeks to outstretch the concept of gratitude into a practice of grateful living.
The book starts with describing the author's battle with cancer and the journey from practicing gratitude to making it a lifestyle.
I have always been fascinated with the concept of gratitude and after reading several books on the topic, I felt there was hardly anything new to take away from this book.
Also. one of the reasons this did not work for me is because the approach in this book is rather preachy than practical. Adding a few practical exercises might help.

It’s always helpful to be reminded to not take life for granted and to give thanks for all things. This is not a book to sit and read cover to cover, but to take your time with and read with thought and concentration. There are many books on this subject and for me I have found others easier to connect with.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A great book on how to transform your life by adopting a grateful mindset. Kristi Nelson encourages the reader to question the every day things that are in your life and to really think about them and be grateful that they are there. There are prompts and exercises on how to train your mind to be grateful and I have noticed that I definitely feel more aware of the blessings in my life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I enjoy self-help books and in 2020 think everyone should have one on the go. This guide is a really valuable addition to the genre. Kristi generously shares the reason why she believes in the principle of waking up grateful and her personal story (sprinkled throughout) is incredibly thought provoking. She makes the important reminder about the difference between gratitude and gratefulness which i hadn't thought about before and will reframe how I approach each day (especially in these uncertain times). The guiding principles of this book are about how each and everyone of us have a reason to be grateful. That subtle shift in our outlook on life allows us to lead an enriching life. (There are some usual exercises too) Just lovely.

This book was received as an ARC from Storey Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I needed a book like this in our collection at our library. During this difficult time, we lose sight on the blessings and gifts that we have already been given and instead of using them to our benefit, we wish for more. Wake Up Grateful was a great tool in reminding us that we should acknowledge the blessings we already have to help us look on the bright side more often than dwell on the negative side. The exercises and passages written in this book were easy to follow, easy to understand and easy to complete. Everyone deserves to feel their best and little do they know they have just what they need right in front of them.

We will consider adding this title to our Self-Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Wake Up Grateful is a positive book that has the ability to help a lot of people! I think there is always room for gratitude in our lives, and being more grateful will improve the quality of our lives so much. Kristi Nelson presents us with the idea of truly embracing the good in our lives and how we can carry that with us during uncertain times. This year seems like the prime year for one to read such a book and find an extra bit of hope.
Grateful living has the ability to positively transform your life! Of course an attitude of gratefulness is not always easy to maintain, but with practice and understanding it can hopefully become more integrated into our lives. Kristi touches on uncertainty, body image, emotions, creating connections, self acceptance, healing the hurt around us, and more. Inspiring quotes are included, along with some exercises to do to help you get into the mindset of grateful living.

I was excited to receive an ARC of Wake Up Grateful, because as a counselor I am aware of the importance of a gratitude practice on well being and happiness. This is often an area where I fall off track, forgetting to be consciously grateful, and so this book was a welcome guide back into a gratitude practice. The principles outlined in the book are broadly Stop. Look. Go. The book expands on each of these, and also includes the story of the author and her personal illness and recovery which I found fascinating. If you're interested in developing a personal gratitude practice this book will be a great resource on your journey.

I really enjoyed this Author's view on life and how to re-center yourself to feel more grateful each day. I appreciate this point of view and think this is a wonderful reminder, especially in the middle of what we are all going through as 2020 has been an especially tough year!

2 unsatisfying stars

Waking Up Grateful is well organized. Part I covers Five Guiding Principles: Life is a Gift, Everything is Surprise, The Ordinary is Extraordinary, Appreciation is Generative, and Love is Transformative. Part II focuses on bringing the grateful practice into areas we need support, such as emotions, relationships, loss, and our world, and ‘legacy.’

Nelson’s book Wake Up Grateful states that it is offered as a guidebook – plus much more. A book you can pick up any time, open, and find a nugget of wisdom, a quote, a poem, a practice or a question to reflect on. And it shares a personal story of hope. What more could one want, I ask, starting to read with an open mind.

As a practicing Christian, I am already grateful Every day. For some reason, I expected the book to mention God, giver of life, Creator of all I am grateful for. What I got was a repetitious new age ‘mumbo-jumbo’ of affirmations, sprinkled with poems and questions. She speaks of reframing thoughts from I must to I get to. This is not a new or profound insight.

I’m not supposed to quote from the unpublished version, but here is a typical sample of the writing. “It is our full aliveness that wakes up the presence of joy. It is in learning to embrace and appreciate the fullness of your life as it is that joy emerges.” Living gratefully makes our hearts overflow into generosity and kindness. My opinion – this is wishful thinking, not grateful thinking, but God is with us in the hard times as well as the joyful ones. Nelson writes that Nature, Love, Light, and Poetry (her caps) are sacred to her. I ask, what about God?! God (by whatever name you use) is so much more than this vague, floating around spirit within us that new agers allude to.

Nelson writes that life has been given to you. I would add, by our abiding, loving God. She writes that we all want to feel wanted, to belong. I argue, that as Believers, we Do belong. If we read scriptures, we learn that we Belong. Anyone wanting to develop a practice of gratitude in a lasting way would be wise to read the Psalms, especially in the modern vernacular by Eugene Peterson. The practice of gratitude has been around for thousands of years. Study the Source.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has had a lot take place in my life, but who is lucky to still be waking every day, I am a firm believer in waking up knowing you are lucky and have a great opportunity. I loved this book’s message and the way the author talked to us about waking up grateful. In a world where people often take the small things in life for granted, this book is a staple, as it shows you how lucky you are to have the life you do and how to never take things you do have or opportunities/lessons you are given for granted.

This was a really uplifting read that came along at just the right time. It was encouraging in the best of ways. I think the title says it all and in this book the author really encourages and shows you how to do that.

There is a difference between Gratefulness and Gratitude. I appreciate Kristi Nelson’s stark distinction between the two in WAKE UP GRATEFUL because this is far too often overlooked.

The activities in the book are actionable, and there are lovely passages interspersed throughout the book. While its positive message goes a long way (especially this year), there are many redundancies that made reading through less enjoyable for me. Driving the point home is necessary, especially when developing a new mindset and incorporating daily habits, but at times, it was a little much.

I appreciate Nelson’s heartfelt approach to this subject, and it’s clear that so much love was put into creating this book. It’s a guide, not a product for casual consumption!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC and the opportunity to share my reading experience

I think this is a lovely book that has mindfulness and meditations ideas on helping you wake up grateful and appreciate what you have as you get going each morning. As a person who struggles with depression I really try to do morning meditations and concentrate on the things I am grateful for so I found this book enlightening and helpful.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

The focus of Wake Up Grateful is on taking a proactive approach to gratitude and mindfulness. I like the way that Nelson phrased it:

“Gratefulness is a way of being that helps us focus our attention and navigate our lives with gratitude as our compass.”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3518241530

Nelson's book is divided into two sections. The first discusses five guiding principles and then five perspectives for cultivating a gratitude mindset. One of the five principles, for example, was about finding ways to value and appreciate the ordinary. The second part of the book focuses on the practice as applied to specific commonalities such as loss and relationships and legacies.

This is a book that would be helpful to anyone interested in mindfulness and practicing gratitude. Questions such as:

“In what areas of life do you find that expectations or assumptions diminish your capacity to appreciate what actually unfolds in your life?”

Similar questions are scattered throughout the book and make great gratitude journal prompts.

I found this book to be helpful. Being grateful and mindful are trending right now with the stress of the current pandemic and the unknowns of the future.

"Wake Up Grateful"
5/5 Stars!

Wow! I am honestly speechless at how good this book is - and that never happens! I laughed, I cried, I pondered life and what's important - I did it all while reading this book.

This is an easy 5 star read for me as it is one that I will totally recommend to all, no matter what stage of life they're in and will also be one that I purchase for those within my family/friends who read.

What an inspiring and tactile read for those who are looking to achieve greater happiness and contentment within their life. Written by someone who was diagnosed stage 4 cancer in her early thirties, I think all who read will think about their own life and learn to not take anything for granted. I'm in true awe of this book and am now the biggest Kristi Nelson fan!

Everyone, PLEASE do yourself a favor and buy this book as soon as it hits the shelves, which is: 11/24/2020.

A