Never give up, especially on yourself.

In L.L. Kirchner’s Pushcart-nominated memoir of “resistance and surrender… [the author’s] voice is humble and self-aware” (Kirkus Reviews) as she undertakes a desperate post-divorce search for nirvana, leaving behind university halls in the Persian Gulf for the streets of Manhattan and, ultimately, a sex cult in India.

Between the gym her family owned and the years she’d spent in substance abuse recovery, Kirchner believed she was grounded in all things wellness. But after a tumultuous year in Qatar, which included the discovery that she'd never have children, her husband demanded a divorce. Over the telephone.

Fearing a return to her substance use disorder, she tries to regain trust in the universe through yoga, meditation, chanting, boyfriends, more yoga… Each brings some relief, but her painful family dynamics remain unresolved. Until illness forces her to reckon with the gift her mother had always given her—hope.

In a memoir that’s both rapturous and page-turning, Kirchner captures the terrors and joys of searching for radical honesty — and a second date.

What people are saying about Blissful Thinking:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brings awareness & normalcy to taboo questions about mental health, sex, our life's purpose. -Goodreads Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book felt like a friend cozying up to me and telling her stories of exploration and loss with humor and vulnerability. -Goodreads Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you like humorous tales of spirituality seeking, addiction, cults, psychology, and relationship drama of all kinds, you'll love this witty, engaging memoir. -Goodreads Review

LILA BOOKS

Published audiobooks