Wake Up Grateful is a thorough and deep exploration of grateful living, and how that differs from simple gratitude. Well organized, the book contains questions, exercises, and prompts to engage the reader and encourages them to go a step further, applying the ideas to their life.

I love the idea of grateful living. For me, this book was a little too long, dense, and repetitive. It’s not as approachable as I would have liked, as what I feel the subject needs. Still, I know many people will resonate with its potentially life-changing message.

My thanks to NetGalley, Storey Publishing and Kristi Nelson for the digital ARC in exchange for these honest thoughts.

Fascinating book that gave me great insight . Easy to read and very straightforward direction

I’ll be recommending to everyone that I know . If you haven’t seen this yet then add it to your shopping basket today .

This book is a great reminder to be grateful in our lives, even with misery, hate, and terrible news constantly swirling around us. I was hoping more for a daily "devotional" type of book, but I still felt that the concepts and suggestions were helpful and insightful.

Recently released in paperback, WAKE UP GRATEFUL by Kristi Nelson, currently the Executive Director of A Network for Grateful Living, explains "The Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted." Nelson who battled cancer in her thirties notes that "surviving cancer taught me to notice all that is available here and now." in the first part of the text, she focuses on Five Guiding Principles: Life Is a Gift, Everything Is Surprise, The Ordinary Is Extraordinary, Appreciation Is Generative, and Love Is Transformative. In Part II, she illustrates how to practice grateful living. The description of the text sounds delightful, but it seems very dense to read. I think more illustrations and colorful quotes would have helped to make this even more inspirational. Personally, I would probably tend to reach for Sister Jean’s Wake Up with Purpose! instead.

The author is such an inspiration and the way she writes about gratefulness is terrific. I can’t wait to implement her tips and ideas into my life.

Cultivating gratefulness is one of the most effective methods I am aware of for improving health, happiness, and overall wellbeing, but it can be difficult to accomplish when life is seemingly filled with chaos and pain. In Wake Up Grateful, Kristi Nelson acknowledges the obstacles we may experience to feeling grateful and provides techniques for how to overcome those challenges. She expands upon Brother David Steindl-Rast’s rule to Stop. Look. Go. She offers specific instruction on how to live more gratefully, including guiding principles, associated perspectives, and practical applications, along with frequent questions for reflection. I particularly liked her distinction between gratitude and gratefulness.

Nelson incorporates her own moving story of discovering grateful living while coping with stage IV cancer during her 30s. She also includes brief testimonials from others under the heading “Voices of Grateful Living,” relevant quotations, and occasional poems. The back matter includes recommended resources for further learning.

I have been practicing gratefulness and keeping a gratitude journal for 8 years, and I still learned new things from this book. I recommend it for those who are interested in spiritual growth and enjoy contemplation.

I received an unproofed ARC through NetGalley, and I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Practical advice that is at times too simplistic but a great starting point for people who are struggling to begin. If gratitude is new to you or extremely difficult then this book will help you begin a practice.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

I like books that help me to work on positivity and being grateful for all the wonderful things in my life
It's easier to automatically go for the negative. I really enjoyed the practice exercises and have incorporated a few in my morning reflection time.

This is just the book I needed at the right time. Having had a difficult time recently I really needed a reset and this was just the right book to do that. Need to buy the hardback version to fully facilitate.

Grateful thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I enjoyed this book but didn't give it 5 stars because I thought there was quite a lot of repetition which made it heavier going that I felt it needed to be. There was also more spirituality/religion than I expected which may put some people off. It was well written and some nice, if not new exercises in gratitude and mindfulness.

Really loved the concept and idea!
So basically this novel is a list of reminders to wake up grateful are never a bad idea. Just reading a couple pages a day will help avoid overwhelm, as this book can be quite information-heavy at times.
It can get a little repetitive in the second half. A highlighter could definitely be put to good use with a physical copy. It is a great book to annotate though.

This book wasn't for me, it predominantly centres around the themes of faith and acknowledging the gift of life from a "higher source". From the description I expected a comforting read that would provide practical insights on gratitude and appreciating life. While this perspective may strongly resonate with certain readers, I personally found it to be somewhat distant from what I was seeking in a book, making it a less fitting choice for my preferences as an atheist. There was nothing in the description to indicate that this book would be more religious, I think it would be beneficial if this was changed before publishing.

"Wake Up Grateful: The Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted" by Kristi Nelson is an invaluable guide for anyone seeking to infuse their life with the transformative power of gratitude. In today's unpredictable world, where challenges seem to be the norm, this book offers a beacon of light through its practical and heartwarming approach to cultivating gratitude.

Nelson's words resonate deeply, as she shares a thoughtful blend of personal experiences and insights garnered from her work with The Network for Grateful Living. The book is a treasure trove of tools, including reflections, exercises, and meditations that gently nudge you towards making gratitude a seamless part of your daily routine.

What truly stands out is the author's compassionate understanding of how tough times can cloud our ability to find joy. With grace and wisdom, Nelson navigates the complexities of uncertainty and suffering, offering a roadmap that feels like a warm embrace. Through her exploration of ten core areas, she gently encourages readers to uncover the hidden gems of presence and perspective, ultimately revealing the profound abundance that resides within each fleeting moment.

"Wake Up Grateful" doesn't just skim the surface; it dives deep into the essence of grateful living. The guiding principles laid out here have the potential to create a paradigm shift in how we perceive our lives. As you immerse yourself in the pages of this book, you'll find yourself nodding in agreement, engaging in introspection, and undoubtedly feeling a renewed sense of hope.

Kristi Nelson's own journey, including her battle with cancer, infuses the narrative with authenticity and a raw honesty that is both relatable and empowering. Her words gently remind us that even amidst the toughest storms, there are blessings waiting to be discovered.

In a world that often emphasizes what's lacking, "Wake Up Grateful" rekindles the flame of gratitude within us. It's a book that encourages us to embrace the simple yet profound act of counting our blessings, fostering a perspective that can transform how we navigate life's twists and turns.

If you're looking for a guide to steer you toward a richer, more fulfilling life—one centered around gratitude—then Kristi Nelson's book is a must-read. It's a gift that keeps on giving, reminding us that no matter the circumstances, there's always room for gratitude to flourish.

In a nutshell, "Wake Up Grateful" is a roadmap to weaving thankfulness into the fabric of our existence. Nelson's insights are a gentle reminder that cultivating gratitude isn't just a practice—it's a way of being that can uplift us even in the darkest of times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to you.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me an advanced copy of Waking up Grateful. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

As someone who has always tried to practice gratitude, I was interested to see what I might learn from this book and was pleasantly surprised by just how much I did!

Referring to teachings from many experts, the author shows us how easy but more importantly, how important it is to practice gratitude in our lives.

Wake Up Grateful: The Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted by Kristi Nelson is an inspiring book jam packed with practical, self-help suggestions. With the foreword provided by Brother David Steindl-Rast, the author refers to her mentor Steindl-Rast often. In addition to sharing personal accounts to demonstrate the accessibility of the actionable advice on grateful living, Nelson pulls from the wisdom of a multitude of mindfulness experts and gurus. In so, those familiar with meditative and gratitude practices will not be blown away by loads of staggeringly new insights. What makes Wake Up Grateful worthy of attention is the format of so much knowledge centralized for contemplation with correlated questions for personal consideration and application.
Though not a fan of reading via screen, I managed to get through the Kindle version because of the quality content. Wake Up Grateful is a great example of why hardcopies have my heart. When I get my physical copy, it will be dog eared in no time!
#WakeUpGrateful #NetGalley
My appreciation to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Wake Up Grateful.

"Wake Up Grateful: The Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted" is a profoundly spiritual tome that serves as a guiding light toward cultivating gratitude and embracing a more profound and meaningful existence. Penned by a resilient cancer survivor whose life experience underscores the preciousness of every moment, this book is a testament to her lifelong dedication to the cause of Grateful Living through her work with The Network for Grateful Living.

This book is a profound exercise in thoughtfulness and contemplation, deserving to be approached with deliberate slowness, allowing its wisdom to be fully savored. The act of reading it alone has the potential to elevate your life significantly. Its prose is beautifully crafted, and within its pages lies the potential to help individuals of all walks of life discover the love and abundance inherent in each and every moment we are granted.

3.5 stars! Reminders to wake up grateful are never a bad idea. Just reading a couple pages a day will help avoid overwhelm, as this book can be quite information-heavy at times and gets a little repetitive in the second half. A highlighter could definitely be put to good use with a physical copy. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Wake Up Grateful is a guide to living live in a way where you stop taking things for granted. This is a big problem for most people. We all do it! Nelson makes a big distinction between gratitude (which is the buzzword of the century, right?), and gratefulness.

This book is full of ways to live more gratefully. I think for people who don't believe in a higher power, this will be less useful. Being grateful implies that you are grateful to someone or something (God or the universe, for example), and this might limit the impact of this book for some people.

Overall though, I think this book can be useful for most people looking to live a more grateful life!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

This is a quiet book filled with so much that it's almost hard to take it in. I think that this book would be best suited to those who can take it slowly, digesting the suggestions. It would definitely complement those who are pursuing a mindfulness practice. The author sees gratitude / gratefulness as a way to approach life and find joy in every moment.

She is a student of Brother David Steindl-Rast (a Catholic monk), quotes him frequently, and uses much of his work in her own. Foremost among them are the Five Guiding Principles - basically a way to approach life with gratitude:
✶ Life is a gift: approach everything - the good and the bad - with appreciation for life.
✶ Everything is surprise: embrace uncertainty and be open to wonder
✶ The ordinary is extraordinary: don't let life pass you by, be open to abundance
✶ Appreciation is generative: align actions with values, act with integrity
✶ Love is transformative: what you nurture and value is love in action, embrace life

Steindl-Rast distills the principles even further into a short 3-word way to approach gratefulness: Stop. Look. Go. ✶Stop - become present with the moment. ✶Look - seek the meaning in the moment. ✶Go - engage actively with the moment.

She also speaks with candor about her journey through serious illness (stage 4 cancer) and how she used gratefulness to approach her illness. She speaks of a common thread in some corners - that you are control what happens by controlling and directing your thoughts and that your thoughts are both cause and cure for what ails you. As she confronts her illness, and sees others confront theirs, she comes to a more complex resolution and determines to set her own course using both traditional medicine and trusting in her daily experience. As the mother of a cancer angel, I feel strongly that my daughter did not bring it upon herself and she did not fail because her thoughts were not directed to wellness. She talks about surviving her diagnosis - and getting the news that she is "never out of the woods." I remember that conversation with my daughter's oncologist ("when can we stop worrying about a relapse?" "We will always worry about Catie.") - it does shift your perspective.

Nelson discusses gratefulness with respect to specific aspects like nature and grief / loss. She gives specific aspects to consider as well as prompts for meditations and poetry. I have included a few of them (and other quotes) below.

This is a book that invites you to dip into it and return again and again to quench your soul. It allows you to open yourself to the infinite gifts of life that gratefulness can provider.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this ARC.

Quotes to remember:

Look for those who are easily moved, and you will likely find the most grateful people. Moved by grief. Moved by beauty. Moved by hope.

It is amazing how long it takes to complete something you are not working on.

Time is your medium. You are the artist.

When we look back on our lives, we see that it is often our most challenging emotional experiences that burnished us into brighter shining.

Nothing can dim the light that shines from within. - Maya Angelou

For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love. - Carl Sagan

I will not take your life or loss for granted. Your legacy will live on in me. In your honor, I will acknowledge and celebrate the gift of every moment with a grateful heart.

Grief is only awakened by the loss of something we have cherished.

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. - Winnie the Pooh

Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So, go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in the darkness for the light that is you. - LR Knost

I think this may have been me hoping it was something it wasn't. I was hoping for a cosy read and tips about how to be grateful and notice the small things in life, however it was mostly based on faith and gratitude for the life we were given by a higher power. This may be great for some, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.