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Kelly’s Year In Books

Kelly’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Kelly’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Kelly Flanagan’s Followers (77)

Kelly’s Bookshelves

to-read (17)
currently-reading (2)
read (236)

Kelly’s Friends (8)

Mark

299 books | 86 friends

Shannon Symonds

359 books | 194 friends

Kelly S

718 books | 2 friends

Caitlin Flanagan

87 books | 2 friends

Paula Rowe

248 books | 44 friends

Annie Downing

47 books | 6 friends

Jessica

361 books | 29 friends

Brandon

102 books | 3,963 friends

2025 Reading Challenge

2025

READING

CHALLENGE

Kelly Flanagan has read 17 of 36 books.

47%

Kelly Flanagan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Dixon, IL , The United States

Website

https://drkellyflanagan.com

Twitter

DrKellyFlanagan

Genre

Self Help, Psychology, Spirituality

Member Since

December 2016

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Dr. Kelly Flanagan is an award-winning author, international speaker, concierge coach, and clinical psychologist with two decades of expertise in interpersonal relationships. His thought leadership has been featured in THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES, the TODAY Show, and Success Magazine. His first two books, LOVEABLE and TRUE COMPANIONS were #1 New Releases in Interpersonal Relations on Amazon, and his debut novel, THE UNHIDING OF ELIJAH CAMPBELL, won multiple literary awards. The proprietary frameworks in his book THE ROAD LESS TRIGGERED will take your relationships to a level that traditional communication strategies can’t touch. He is married to another clinical psychologist named Kelly, and they have three children—one adulting, and two at home i ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Kelly Flanagan I have writer’s block every day.

Almost every time I sit down to write, I get scared the magic won’t happen, so I delay it. I check email. Reply to a …moreI have writer’s block every day.

Almost every time I sit down to write, I get scared the magic won’t happen, so I delay it. I check email. Reply to a few. Check the news. Click. Click. Click. Suddenly, I’m reading online tabloids. Ridiculous. So I do something a little less meaningless—I check Facebook. Everyone else is still doing things that make my life look ordinary and unsuccessful. I imagine my next book will change all of that, which causes my anxiety to tick up a notch. I consider getting up to do yardwork.

And THAT’S the moment—the moment I consider getting up from the computer and ignoring the blank page. THAT’S the moment my everyday writer’s block either wins or doesn’t.

My oldest son used to take classical guitar lessons. We were broke and the lessons were expensive and we wanted him to get the most out of them, but he refused to practice. We asked his instructor for some tips. His answer was, “Don’t make him practice. Just make him sit in front of the guitar with no distractions. Eventually he’ll pick it up and start playing, because it’s better than being bored.”

So, I force myself to sit in front of the “guitar,” so to speak. The computer. The empty document. I close my email app. I close my web browser. I close the blinds so I can’t see the weeds growing in the flowerbeds outside. I rid myself of distractions. And I sit there, until the discomfort of just sitting there becomes more uncomfortable than the fear of failure. Then, I start. I always start.

And what comes out is almost never great, at first. But it is also never writer’s block.

Good enough.(less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Kelly Flanagan The best thing about being a writer is how confident it makes you, how you never again have to question if what inside of you is worth exposing for ev…moreThe best thing about being a writer is how confident it makes you, how you never again have to question if what inside of you is worth exposing for everyone to consider and criticize. Also, the easy attention—people stopping you in restaurants and begging for a selfie. And the riches, of course—bestseller lists and big advances. Not to mention the unwavering sense of purpose—the feeling of changing the world for the better in one fell swoop.

Actually.

I’m never more insecure than when I’m writing and wondering if I have anything useful to say at all. Most of us writers toil in relative anonymity forever. We work for minimum wage. We work for a year, two, three, maybe more, exposing ourselves to the world, then we release it and more often than not, a few people get excited for a few weeks, and you have to wonder if what you’re doing with your life matters at all.

No, the best thing about being a writer isn’t anything momentous; rather it’s a moment. It’s the moment you travel into yourself, discover an inward dimension you didn’t know existed—like Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy walking into an ordinary wardrobe and finding themselves in Narnia—and then return to the rest of the world with a word or two you discovered there. Something you had no idea existed within you and, perhaps, doesn’t really exist within you, given that it felt like it came from another place beyond space and another time beyond time. It’s the moment your character does something you didn’t plan and you discover you are as much an audience to the unfolding story as your readers are—even if those readers are just a few good friends.

The best thing about being a writer is that it’s a spiritual experience. And like any spiritual experience, it’s mostly a lot of discipline and tedium. Until. Until the moment you realize YOU are the wardrobe, and there are worlds within you that only you can explore. You’ll discover terrible witches there, and long, long winters, but also breathtaking lions, and springtimes that feel like a resurrection.(less)

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Kelly Flanagan’s books

Average rating: 4.16 · 957 ratings · 195 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life 4.20 avg rating — 610 ratings — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell 4.10 avg rating — 230 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	True Companions: A Book for Everyone About the Relationships That See Us Through 4.09 avg rating — 115 ratings — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Inside Look at True Companions: An Author's Reflections from Writing Through Publication it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Road Less Triggered: Turning Conflict into Connection with a Single Choice 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Kelly Flanagan's Blog

A Dad’s Letter to His Son (About the Only Good Reason to Get Married)

Dear Son,

It seems like yesterday you were blowing poop out of your diaper onto your mother’s lap. Yet here we are, on the verge of the birds-and-the-bees conversation. The poop was way easier.

Before we talk about sex, though, I want to talk about marriage. Not because I’ll shun you or shame you if you don’t put them in that order—although I hope you will—but because I believe the only good reason

Kelly is Currently Reading

Kelly Flanagan is currently reading

The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany

by Frederick Buechner

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 02, 2024 10:11AM

Kelly Flanagan is currently reading

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

by Julia Cameron

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Jan 20, 2024 06:51AM

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Kelly’s Recent Updates

Kelly Flanagan made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Adding my new book to my author account topic " Hello! I published my previous three books as Kelly Flanagan, and they are all listed in my author account. For my upcoming release, my author name is ...more "
Nov 18, 2025 03:35AM
Kelly Flanagan rated a book it was amazing The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 26, 2025 06:42AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kelly Flanagan joined the group Goodreads Librarians Group
Sep 04, 2025 05:10AM · like
Kelly Flanagan rated a book it was amazing The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 17, 2025 06:33PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kelly Flanagan wants to read Sage: A Man's Guide Into His Second Passage by Chris Bruno (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 10, 2025 06:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sage by Chris Bruno. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sage by Chris Bruno <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kelly Flanagan is currently reading The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 10, 2025 06:18AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kelly Flanagan rated a book it was amazing Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing by Anita Moorjani	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Kelly Flanagan rated a book it was amazing The Dog Stars by Peter Heller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 07, 2025 02:44PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Dog Stars by Peter Heller <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kelly Flanagan rated a book it was amazing These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Kelly Flanagan rated a book it was amazing Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 20, 2025 08:45PM · like

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Quotes by Kelly Flanagan (?)

“The problem is, somewhere along the way, we stopped listening to this voice of grace. Or rather, we began listening, instead, to the voice of shame.”
― Kelly Flanagan, Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life

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“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
― Kelly Flanagan, Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life

1 likes

“The art of pleasing is the art of deception.”
― Kelly Flanagan, Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life

1 likes

See all Kelly Flanagan's quotes »