Welcome to the Library

 A couple of weeks ago I saw Shakespeare's play As You Like It. The first time I saw this play was in the town of Stratford, Canada - a town famous for it's Shakespeare festivals and productions. This time I saw the play in my local library. 

That's right, I got to see a classic English play at my local library and it was good. 

It was also free to attend and they kept the dirty jokes in.

This isn't unusual for the library near me. They put on a play every few months that's completely free for anyone to attend. Yes, they ask that you preregister and it's implied that you should be a member of our library system, but if there's still seats in the room, they'll let you in.

I love going to the library. I have since I was a kid. They have always had great programing and a quiet space to spend time. 

However, my love of libraries was likely cultivated by the children's program creators at PBS. Several of my favorite shows (Wishbone, Reading Rainbow, and Arthur to name a few) often told me to check out a book at my local library. It was part of Wishbone's ending catchphrase (seriously we need a new version of Wishbone, maybe one where Joe is grown up with his kids and their loyal literary loving pooch introducing kids to new literary classics).

I loved this show.

Not only does my library have books, they have board games (and space to play said board games), DVDs, magazines, and sometimes CDs (these are becoming less and less available). I can access my library's digital archives using the Libby app. 

If there's a book I'm interested in, but don't feel like purchasing (or I didn't win the GoodReads free giveaway), I get it at the library. Hilariously, my library likes to let me know how much I've saved with the dollar amount clearly labeled on my check-out receipts.

My art club usually meets in one of the libraries in the county and, the first club I joined when I moved to Maryland, was based out of our library. I didn't go to the libraries in New Jersey as much as I have in Maryland or Virginia, but I still had a card and had my taxes done...for free. 

That's right, you can get your taxes done at the local library FOR FREE. It might be sponsored by AARP. but they won't turn you away just because you're under the age of 50. 

True, there are a few extras you have to pay for. If I need to print something, I have to pay 10 cents a page. This isn't a hardship at all. I can also use the scanner, too. We also have a 3D printer, but I've never asked about using it.

The library offers a lot of community benefits, but it is at risk. Between book banners, funding cuts, and political pressure, libraries in parts of the United States are struggling. Rural communities are the most at risk of losing access to libraries and their programing. 

There have been suggestions that the solution is to privatize libraries - think an Amazon version. However, this wouldn't solve the problem and might even exasperate it. People would lose out on their free access to information, a safe place to spend time, and necessary community programing (did I mention I got my taxes done FOR FREE). Privatization also puts profits over accessibility, meaning that rural areas would still lose out due to their lower volume of foot traffic. 

Also, libraries aren't supposed to make a profit (neither are post offices, firefighters, and other public services). Libraries are supposed to serve their communities - which my library does.

The libraries I've had the privilege to be a member of have all been spectacular. They've had great programing and space for community events. The librarians have always done a fantastic job. 

The best way you can support your local library is to get a library card. The number of people who have library cards can impact the budget they receive. You can also volunteer to help with programing or host a club at the library. 

Currently, my library is doing a post-holiday food drive. When I went to drop off my due books, I also included some of the requested food items for donation. 

So I'd like to end this post on an Arthur quote: "having fun isn't hard when you have a library card".

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to a House of Improbabilities

"This is not for you." 

- House of Leaves by Zampano, or Johnny Truant, or mayebe Mark Z. Danielewski

Some have called it the most horrifying book ever written; others have called it the most boring. My sibling called it weird. These are all words that describe Danielewski's House of Leaves - a book I decided to challenge myself to read last year. 

My book's cover is ripped.

I began reading it at the end of October and finished just before ringing in 2026. I read in spurts. Sometimes the book read like one of the dryer college papers my professors wanted me to tear apart and analyze. At other times, the book sucked me in to the point I lost track of time. The story isn't linear and neither is the book's layout. I was constantly flipping back and forth from the "main" story to different appendixes, exhibits that aren't actually there, and footnotes upon footnotes upon footnotes. I would have to turn the book sideways and upside-down to read the text. Sometimes the text took up a square inch of a page, or there would be one sentence, or a dot, or music notes, or brail. Foreign languages were sometimes not even translated.

The story follows the Navidson family, or maybe it follows Johnny Truant as he tries to decipher the dissertation a dead guy named Zampano, left scattered around his apartment. Really, I think the Editors are the real protagonists. They jump in when things become really confusing, confirming for the reader that things really are that confusing. 

Honestly, if you ignore the footnotes, the story is about the Navidson family moving into a house that starts to grow on the inside while remaining the same size on the outside. The patriarch, called Navy throughout the story, is a photojournalist haunted by a photo he took in Africa. This photo is based on the real photo The Vulture and the Little Girl taken by Kevin Carter. Navy decides he needs to document the move and sets up cameras everywhere.

It almost sounds like the start of a found footage movie. Oh, that's because in the universe of the text, it is a found footage movie - one that the Zampano guy is writing this dissertation is obsessed with. This obsession is then transferred to Johnny Truant who is telling us his life story and mental breakdown. However, the found footage film may not even exist in the world Truant inhabits. It definitely doesn't exist in ours.

The Navidsons quickly discover that the house is growing, but only on the inside. Random hallways, pitch black hallways, appear and stretch reality. Navy begins to explore these hallways with his twin brother and a professor friend from the University of Virginia (the house is near Williamsburg, VA) - all with a trusty camera. 

A few more people join the exploration and what follows is pandemonium. There's a Minotaur monster walking the growing hallways and madness turns to quickly turns to murder. The chapters that provide a scientific explanation were mysteriously destroyed by a bottle of ink spilt by Truant. The Editors apologize for this loss of text. There's also a huge chunk of philosophy that was destroyed by the original writer Zampano.

The book is immersive from page one to the back of the book's summary. Even the copyright page is full of metacommentary and fourth wall breaks and a note on the edition I read. House is always in blue and Minotaur is always red. There is one place where the color purple is used.

I didn't really like Johnny Truant...or any part where he randomly jumped in. I didn't like any of his interjections, except for one. I enjoyed reading his mother's letters while she was locked in an asylum. I didn't need to read his parts of the story, but I did. 

I also didn't find House of Leaves horrifying in the slightest. There was some dread and paranoia, but nothing horrifying. I agree with my sibling, it was weird.

I bought my first house this year and have been slowly unpacking and settling in. My cat passed away in the summer and I just lost an aunt that I am was very close to. I'm trying not to lose myself in all the news being reported on - especially in Minnesota. None of this is relevant to the above. However, it is an example of the writing style in House of Leaves. 

I haven't found any parts of my house that are growing, no dark hallways I can't explain, and no monsters growling in my walls. I can occasionally hear my neighbors and my pipes rattle. There's no where for someone to easily hide in my house.

Why would anyone need to hide in my house?

I can think of a few reasons. I've read a lot of books and seen enough movies to wish I had a hidden room. House of Leaves was not one of those books.

We had our first major snow storm of the season and year. I don't own a proper snow shovel, but I was able to get a regular shovel from Ace Hardware (they were out of snow shovels and salt). With the regular shovel and a broom, I was able to clear the steps and sidewalk. Then more snow came and erased all my work - like how the growing hallways in the Navidson house suddenly vanished. 

I wonder if this book - that is slowly going insane and driving me insane along with it - punched trough its universe and ended up pulling the Navidson story from a third, separate universe. The first universe being the one we inhabit. Truant never found the house in his universe. I doubt it exists in this one. 

I still want to know how this book actually got published. There's no way it would be in our modern publishing climate. 

Do I recommend this book? Sure, if you want a challenge, but it is weird and tragic...and possibly boring in places. Johnny Truant is awful and his parts could be skipped. Maybe this book really wasn't for me, but I did find it compelling. 

There is a lot going on in my life. There's a lot of stress and sadness. Reading a book like House of Leaves took me out of this universe for a little while and let me occupy a different one.

I still don't like Johnny Truant.

Until the next post. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like to hear from me.

Welcome to Wayward Girls

Happy first day of fall! I’m looking forward to crisp weather, apple cider, and pumpkin spice everything! It’s also the oficial start to spooky season - August is too early corporate America!

Now that all my excitement and exclamation points are out of the way. I want to tell you about my first spooky book of the season. Well, I guess I really read it in August (it takes place in the summer so it’s fine), but it is a good creepy read for anytime of year. That book is Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. 

Let’s be real, I picked up this book because of the cool cover art.

Hendrix is primarily known for being a comedy horror writer. His first book (and the first one I read earlier this year), Horrorstör, is about a group of coworkers spending the night in a knock-off IKEA with ghosts and it volleys between horrifying and hilarious. I enjoyed it, though I felt the ending didn’t hit it out of the park (plus a case of too many characters).

An interesting fact about Hendrix’s books, many of them are written with the main point of view character being women. Hendrix is a guy. So when I saw he had written a horror story about pregnant girls in the South, pre Rowe v. Wade, practicing witchcraft, I was a little skeptical.

But Hendrix knocks it out of the park. He doesn’t shy away from the horrible ways these girls are mentally and physically mistreated. He graphically describes giving birth in the 1970s. And this is the none supernatural parts of the book.

In fact, witchcraft doesn't show up for the first 100 pages of the book. It’s a slow burn of real life historical horror that then gets ramped up by creepy witches.

Part of why I think Hendrix was able to pull off this story was because at least two of his relatives were put into these homes to have babies because they were “unwed” mothers. These babies were then spirited away to (most likely) never have contact with their birth mother ever again - regardless of what the mother wanted.

Sometimes, young children were just straight up kidnapped from their mothers under false promises of government help. Georgia Tann was a famous social worker who kidnapped over 5,000 children in Tennessee and sold them to adoption agencies for a fee. This practice still goes on, especially in poor communities around the world. Mothers will think that they are sending their child to a “school” or “government program” only to have their child disappear and end up with an adopted family. This is why it can be difficult and expensive to adopt children period. 

Side note: the American foster system is overflowing with kids who need loving families to look after them. Though many may not be up for adoption, they still need a safe place to call home. 

Hendrix makes sure to include some of his research at the end of the book. He includes stats (where they can be found) and notes that these places the girls were disappeared to largely disappeared after Rowe v. Wade was decided.

I do have to wonder if these homes will start to pop up again in the wake of the Dobbs decision. 

Hendrix captured the horror, heartache, and trauma that these girls were put through. All of the blame was put on these girls. They are stripped of their names, hometowns, and autonomy. Their stories include the fathers of their children, but the home won’t let them speak of their “real” lives, so only the girls are at fault. And as soon as they were no longer pregnant, things could “go back to normal.” 

Except for one girl, a 14 year old who became pregnant by an authority figure in her life. In the book, the 14 year old’s baby is going to be adopted by that authority figure and neither will ever escape him.

That’s why they turn to witchcraft.

The supernatural gives them power that they’d never had even before they were stripped of their identities. But this power comes at a cost. The cost is painful and must equal in proportion of the power being summoned. Once a spell is started, it must be finished or there will be dire consequences.

Earlier this year, I read Stepford Wives and The Movement. Like Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, Stepford Wives was written by a man and told from the perspective of a woman/girl. The Movement is a nonfiction “oral” history (transcripts of interviews) of ten years of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s and 1970s and provided cultural context for the other two fiction books. It is interesting how well the two men were able to portray horror that primarily affects women through research and empathy.

That doesn’t mean The Stepford Wives nor Witchcraft for Wayward Girls are perfect books. I may have given both five stars on GoodReads (yes, I use it to track my books and get tons of free ones), doesn’t mean I can’t see some flaws. However, don’t let that stop you from checking them out.

Who is a witchcraft for Wayward Girls for? Everyone.

Who maybe should skip this book? I’d say people who have had trauma around childbirth, pregnancy, and/or sexual assault.

What should you know before reading? It’s a slow burn with much more real world horror over the supernatural. It’s a creepy book with a bitter sweet ending. 

Do I recommend Witchcraft for Wayward Girls? Yes, it’s a good story about a time in history that is often swept under the rug in hopes that no one would notice the lumps.

Have you read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls? Let me know in the comments what you thought about it.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Book Social Media

2025 has barely started and already part of my country is on fire while another part -the part I’m in - is buried under a foot of snow. In my personal life, things have been crazier than ever - mostly good. I was also sick much of last week with a bad cold (thankfully it wasn’t COVID, I tested negative) and finding time to relax has been tough.

I’d say I need a vacation, but I just got back from my winter break (my work closes the last week of the year since so many people take off and not much can get done). So, no vacations for a while. How do I deal with the negativity in the world right now without being able to run off?

Reading.

Since roughly 2022, I have set aside time to read from a book (or two) everyday. I chose to mostly read physical books with the occasional digital or audiobook thrown in because then I have a physical item on my nightstand taunting me to not forget about it. I have a bad habit of forgetting about digital and audiobooks I’ve downloaded. I also am trying to keep up with my ability to actually read words (I struggled with reading for a long time) and analyze text. I also enjoy learning new things in nonfiction books.

To track my books, I joined GoodReads during the pandemic. In addition to helping me keep up with reading, it also provides me with a steady stream of free books in the form of their giveaways. Even though I keep winning these free books, I continue to occasionally hit up my local used/independent bookstore and Barnes and Noble. So now I have a huge TBR (to be read) pile next to my bed and lining one of my bookshelves. The other bookshelves showcase the books I’ve conquered finished. Some of the books I finish end up going to my sibling or mother (and my dad while he was still with us), some end up in one of the local little libraries (usually the advanced reader copies I wasn’t thrilled with), and some are traded in at my local used bookstore (in order to buy more books).

After completing a book, I like to go through what other readers have said. What they liked or didn’t like about the book and what they also recommend reading.

This is how I first stumbled upon the remains of BookTube.

BookTube is the part of YouTube dedicated to, what else, books! Mostly comprised of readers (there are some writers and publishers mixed in) and their reading lists. Prior to watching BookTube and joining GoodReads, I wasn’t super interested in connecting with other readers (writers yes, reader shrug). I felt that my reading was more of a private activity and would only provide reviews and recommendations on books my writer friends had written (and I had read).

I still think of my reading as a private activity and I don’t feel like my reading choices say all that much about me. Sure I have preferences - romance is okay in small doses, cozy mysteries are always a delight - but the books I read and am interested in are all over the place. 

However, I have noticed that some people on social have made reading their entire personality.

Now, I’m sure most of the reading “aesthetic” floating around online comes from a genuine love of books and stories. There is no denying that, especially when some of the BookTubers are spreading information about book bans. The funny skits are entertaining and I enjoy getting good book recommendations.

What I’m not enjoying is the gamification, criticism, and superiority complexes the overall book community is currently tearing itself over.

Enter stage left BookTok.

BookTok is BookTube with shorter video times and a younger audience. One might say it’s cesspool of the battle of the generations with Gen Z leading the charge on TikTok and the older generations still preferring the longer videos of YouTube. BookTok is a natural evolution in the current ongoing social media shifts. It’s easy to go viral and take things wildly out of context with the limited amount of time per video - like Twitter before it became X or Vine. 

Pared with GoodReads and an unexpected pandemic keeping everyone home for over a year, BookTok has made “reading cool again”. There are tons of videos providing reviews, recommendations, analysis, book hauls, and character studies.

Wait…book hauls?

Yeah, I guess some BookTokers and BookTubers are getting famous for how many books they have gotten their hands on (usually bought) and how excited they are to read them. Similar to clothing hauls from thrift stores or cheap online retailers like Temu (ugh!), book hauls are somewhat seen as a status symbol for having extra cash and intelligence for how many books a person owns. I’m a little fuzzy on how many books these influencers actually read, but they are buying tens to hundreds of books at one time to show their audiences.

At least the authors get paid (as long as they aren’t used or second hand).

GoodReads has made it possible for readers to easily share with each other their read count. Every year, GoodReads allows readers to set a goal for how many books they hope to read. At my most ambitious, I went for 50 books in one year. This year I opted for 30 because my goal of 40 for last year was tough and I have a few really big reads (between 500-1000 pages) I want to try this year. The people putting over 50 books are impressive. I’m baffled by the people who want to read more than 100. Clearly they read a lot faster than me (I’m a notoriously slow reader).

This massive amount of reading is reflected in the posting schedule for BookTok.

To keep the algorithm happy, YouTubers and TikTok creators have to constantly be producing content. This massive workload is one of the many reasons I never want to be an online content creator (my online stuff is for me and I am uninterested in going viral). This has also led to people accusing BookTok creators of not actually reading the books they are reviewing and promoting or that these influencers are only picking “easy” books to read.

I don’t know what makes a book “easy”, but the biggest targets of these critiques are influencers promoting romance, fantasy, the combined genre of romansy (the words romance and fantasy squished together), historical fiction with an emphasis on romance, and cozies. As a reader of cozy mystery, I take umbridge to this. However, I also can’t help noticing that these genres (and combined genre) are geared towards young women.

Oh boy, do we have a new can of worms to open.

Now, I admit that I’m not a fan of a lot of the most criticized authors. Sarah J. Maas and Colleen Hoover book descriptions make me cringe. But I will not yuck someone else’s yum. They clearly have fans for a reason. Even if I think they aren’t great (and at times deeply disturbing), that doesn’t mean I should knock down someone who enjoys these stories. After all, I have my schlock that I like to read and would never consider “high art” (eyes my Uglies, Pretties, and Specials books from my teen years that have been getting some heat lately).

I won’t even knock the people going out of their way for “spicy” books. I will question the choice to make some of the cover art look like the book is appropriate for people under the age of 16, but I won’t knock the people reading these books. They help satisfy an escape fantasy for the readers. I do not enjoy sex or “spice” in my books - the use of the word spice instead of sex is due to censorship on YouTube and TikTok to create an advertiser friendly environment (someday soon, I hope linguist scholars come out with a series of studies about language shifts around this type of censorship and the effects on language overall). I tend to skip over those scenes if they pop up. Other people are into it. 

And that’s okay.

The amount of hate outside of valid criticism is obnoxious. I admit I enjoy listening to valid criticism with a good analysis of text, but I don’t enjoy listening to people saying that a book is simply “trash” because it’s not their preferred genre. 

No one is a superior reader because they only read the “classic”; those books are  mostly written by dead white guys anyway so the classification is relative. And no one is a “fake reader” because they only read “spice”. People are allowed to like what they like. People are allowed to provide criticism without name calling or judgement. 

Stop telling young women and teenage girls that the stuff they like is “bad”. Their taste is still growing and changing. For all you know, the next Austen or Brontë or Plath or Morrison is mixed in with Maas and Hoover.

I’m not even going to get in to it with some of the other big controversies going around. The book tracker Fantasy is having some interesting bugs with its AI interface and the woman who said that there were too many words on book pages are not topics I have enough information on to form an informed opinion. Also, GoodReads seems to have started a new badge system for when people read popular books in certain categories, further adding to the gamification of reading, which is a thing I guess.

It’s no one’s business what I am reading. If someone wants to share or vlog about their favorite books or current reads, more power to them. Healthy and valid criticism is fine. Unrelenting hate is not. Reading shouldn’t be treated as status symbol - though there are decent arguments as to why it inherently is - and “spicy” books aren’t necessarily bad (see the Bible for details).

I am a reader and by virtue of you reading this blog, so are you. Enjoy the “classics”, learn something new, be political, or try a new genre. You never know what gems you might find.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me. 

Until next week.

Welcome to an Unexpected Accomplishment in 2022

Over the past few years - at least since I joined GoodReads - I’ve included a blog post about my reading habits over the course of the previous year. Typically, I included a review of a few of the books and a bunch of recommendations. I would try to read one book or more than the previous year.

2022 started similar. I set a goal to read one more book than 2021 on January 1st, 2022. I was so excited, that I picked up my first book of the year (well downloaded it - it was a digital book) and started reading. The book was on self publishing by a friend in one of my writer’s groups (Hank Quense’s Self Publish a Book in 10 Steps). He had asked a few of us to read the recently released book and provide feedback - which I did.

I quickly finished the first book and dove right into the second, followed closely by a third and forth. Occasionally, I would be reading 2-3 books at a time (I do this to give myself a “break” from books I find emotionally draining or difficult to read).

Now I am not a fast reader. The stack of books in my “to read” pile continues to grow and outpace my reading ability. I envy the TikTok posters and YouTubers who can post a new book review a week. 

I just can’t do that.

What I did end up doing through 2022, was read from one book (print, digital, graph, comic, poetry, and short story collection) every day. Sometimes I was only able to read a page or two. A couple of days I could breeze through an entire poetry collection in one sitting (it helped that I was on a plane and had nothing better to do).

I didn’t even do this on purpose at first. I only noticed at some point in April that I had read every day in 2022. I thought to myself that it was an unusual thing for me to do. Which lead me to wanting to see how long I could keep up reading every single day. By September, I was determined to keep up the pace to December 31st.

New Years Eve came. I didn’t go out, staying home with my cat and finishing my annual reread of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. As I closed the 41st book of 2022, I felt a huge wave of accomplishment. I’d read every single day in 2022.

This was big for me. I was never a big reader as a kid - it was a difficult activity for me to do. I think I actually read more as an adult than I did as a child. Maybe it’s because I’m reading for my own pleasure than for some boring assignment for school. However, 2022 was the first year that I had actively dedicate so much time to reading.

Though I may have occasionally stayed up reading a little too late, I think this unexpected accomplishment was really good for me. I learned a lot, enjoyed some new adventures, and bonded with friends over what we were currently reading. The ritual (usually right before bed) was calming and may have given me some interesting dreams.

Overall, I recommend fitting in 10-15 minutes a day to read a little. It doesn’t matter what kind of book you’re reading (you saw my eclectic list) or if it’s in print or a digital download. What matters is that you enjoy yourself.

I am currently still taking the time to read a little each day, though I don’t know if I’ll do another year of reading each day. I don’t want to commit and put pressure on myself that could add stress. Instead I want this to become a part of my nightly routine to help me get ready for bed. I could always use better quality sleep.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Cozy Mystery

For the longest time, I only read mystery books. 

Nancy Drew books were some of the first - their eye catching art motivating me to learn how to read. The logic was easy to follow and occasionally, I could solve the mystery before the big reveal. After Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, I jumped right into Agatha Christi. 

Agatha Christi is the Queen of mystery series. She wrote Hercule Poirot, "And Then There Were None", and of course, the little granny knitting away and catching murderers, Miss. Marple. My grandparents had a ton of Agatha Christi books for me to pick from. And when I went through all of those books, I started going through the other mystery series they had stacked up in the many different bookshelves scattered throughout their house. 

Eventually I found my way to "The Cat Who..." series by Lillian Jackson Braun. I loved how easy to read the books were and enjoyed the narration of the main character Jim Qwilleran and hearing about the antics of his two Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. 

It was this series that formerly introduced me to the Cozy Mystery genre and its many wonderful tropes. Since my family seems to be drawn to these types of stories, they are the books I most commonly read outside of school (even to this day). 

My latest venture into this genre was "A Margin for Murder" the 8th book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery by Lauren Elliott. I'd say the book was fairly standard as far as Cozy Mystery Tropes are concerned, though not all of the big tropes were present. 

An alliteration for the title keeps it in the reader's memory better.

I most associate Cozy Mysteries with the following: 

• Amateur sleuth. Bonus points if this sleuth is a woman in her mid-30s (it seems to be the most popular main character right now in this genre)
• Romantic ties to law enforcement (either a new boyfriend/girlfriend or an ex). Could be a police officer, a government agent, or a lawyer. 
• A hobby that links the sleuth to the mystery. Bonus points for ties to writing, books, knitting, cooking, fashion, or home remodeling (can also be an occupation).
• The sleuth owns their own business or is a writer. I'm lumping these two together because this occupation allows for the main character to go off on adventures without risking their livelihood (at least too much). Typically these jobs are seen as quaint like tea room operators, fashion reporters, columnists, bookstore owners, or wedding planners. Home remodeling can be a hobby or an occupation. Bonus points for coffeeshop owners.
• An animal side kick. Typically this is a dog or a cat, but there was one book I read that included a bird as the cute animal companion. 
• Something to do with the paranormal or psychics. I've read series with witches, tarot readers, and psychics. Even "The Cat Who..." series had a cat that might have had some psychic abilities. Extra bonus points for ghosts and poltergeist activity.
• Small towns or cities - it wouldn't be a Cozy Mystery if everyone didn't know everyone else. That way there are plenty of local suspects as well as shifty out-of-towners to be vary of. Think Cabot Cove in "Murder She Wrote". The majority of "The Cat Who..." books take place in Mouse County which is "300 miles North of everywhere".

There are other tropes that I've noticed over the years. Cozy Mystery titles usually have some kind of pun that centers on the main character's occupation or hobby and the mystery at large. At some point the sleuth becomes a suspect. Or (my current least favorite) the too many boyfriends problem - and it's always boyfriends for a mid-30s super-sleuth. 

However many predictable tropes these series have or how complicated it can be solve the mystery (sometimes its really obvious and other times the author pulls one of Christi's famous last minute clues), I enjoy returning to the genre every so often. When I go into a Cozy Mystery, I expect all of those things (yes, even the too many boyfriend).

What keeps me coming back to the many series in this genre are the characters and how they interact with each other. 

Sometimes its a fun aunt/niece duo, other times its a pet causing all kinds of trouble, or it could be a bored retiree looking for a little excitement. The characters typically have a ton of friends with big personalities. The suspects are all distinct and memorable. And the murder victims sometimes deserve what's coming to them. 

With the Cozy Mystery market so saturated, it takes a lot to stand out in the crowd. I've noticed that more Cozy Mysteries are branching out into other subgenres. I've already mentioned the witches and paranormal angles, but historical fiction is equally becoming a popular subgenre to host a Cozy. 

Personally, I'd like to see more mixing genres for Cozies. Science Fiction Cozies could take place on a space station with plenty of locked room scenarios (there are actually a few Star Trek books that might count as Cozies in this example). Western Cozies could offer a new perspective on law enforcement in the wild west. Fantasy Cozies apparently already exist, but could you imagine the potential for Urban Fantasy Cozies like the "Dresden Files" meets Miss Marple? 

I'm not sure how horror might work as a Cozy subgenre, as a Cozy Mystery is supposed to be relaxing and not high-stakes, but I'm sure some ambitious author (not me) could make it work.

Have you guys read Cozy Mysteries and if so, what were some of your favorite series? Did your Cozies mix genres at all? What are some of your favorite tropes in the genre. Leave a comment and let me know.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Banned Books

The past two weeks have been... a lot. Work has kept me busy and prevented me from doom scrolling as much as I normally would. I am keeping informed of the many, many situations going on around the world right now. However, there's very little I can do to directly impact things as they stand. Spending all my time online reading every new news bulletin that pops up is detrimental to my mental health. 

So, instead, I spend my time reading books.

Some of these books are digital, most are paperbacks won in GoodReads competitions. 

I've spent so much time reading early this year, that I'm (currently) four books ahead of my reading goal for the year. (Let's see if this momentum continues through the rest of 2022). I'm not super picky about genre - I'll even read romance under the right circumstances (sadly I just don't like most romance tropes). Cozy mysteries have long been my go to genre and my family likes to pass them around like candy on Halloween. I'm also fond of poetry, episodic fantasy, and horror. 

I've even made a point to read more non-fiction (usually business or science related) books.

Occasionally, I mix in a "classic" book. Last year I had a lot of fun reading "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" along with my annual reread of "Alice in Wonderland". Sometimes I agree with the book's status as a classic (like "Treasure Island" or "A Christmas Carol"), other times I wonder why they are considered classics (sorry "Great Gatsby"). 

This year, I think I'll try to include some "banned" books as well.

Why would I want to include "banned" or "challenged" books? Mostly to see for myself what the fuss is about. 

I've actually read quite a few books that have been "banned" - usually at school. In fact one of those books I read in twelfth grade English class has been cycling in the news again because my newly elected state's governor ran on a campaign to ban it.

 "Beloved" was one of those books that I was either not mature enough to understand or the literary prowess went completely over my head. That doesn't mean that I disliked the book or felt uncomfortable by it (no, this book was very uncomfortable for MANY reasons). I mean that I didn't fully get or appreciate it. I maintain that if I had been introduced to "Beloved" as a horror novel, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more (it's still uncomfortable and at times disturbing, but a seventeen/eighteen year old can handle the material just fine).

This call to ban "Beloved" and a few other titles I was familiar with, got me curious as to how many banned books I'd actually read. 

Unfortunately, I haven't found a reliable list of banned books. The lists usually include books that have been banned throughout different years or decades for one reason or another. Sometimes the books are only banned in one state or county, but easily obtained in book stores. 

So I picked the list Business Insider shared from The American Library Association (ALA) which list the top 21 books challenged in 2021. On this list of 21 books, I'd read 4.5 (as long as we count the one series of books listed as "one" book, otherwise its 10.5). 

That half book I read was "A Handmaid's Tale" which I tried reading the summer between Freshmen and Sophomore year for summer homework because it was an iconic feminist work, but was so disturbed by it that I just couldn't finish it. That doesn't mean it should be banned, just that I couldn't finish it. Instead, I ended up reading "The Bluest Eye" which is also on the list for 2021. It's also disturbing in some places.

However, the fact that a book is disturbing shouldn't mean that it ends up on a banned list. Sometimes we need to read disturbing material to learn empathy, understand history, and change the future. I didn't like "A Handmaid's Tale", but I did like "The Bluest Eye". I (for the life of me) didn't understand "Beloved" at age seventeen. Maybe if I read it over a decade later, I finally will. 

In recent years, a lot of banned or challenged books have focused on issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation. This seems to reflect what's going on politically in certain states whom I'm most disappointed in. The books I'm not seeing on these lists are the ones that actually advocate for harming others (none of those books will be listed in this blog post).

If you're wondering whether or not I believe in banning books, you've come to the wrong blog post. Yes, there are some books that I find hateful and would not recommend reading. There are also books that are just poorly written and probably shouldn't have gotten passed the editor.

It's not my place to say whether or not these books should be banned.

Because I sometimes find that once you "ban" something or restrict access to it, people (particularly kids who love defying authority figures) will find some way to get their hands on it any way. I'm definitely more interested in "Captain Underpants" now that I know it's been challenged so many times than when it first saw copies of it.

How many "banned" books have you guys read? Any on the 2021 list? Are you interested in reading any of these "banned" books? I know there are other lists out there that have different books on them (and some of those books I've also read), so don't feel limited by the list I've used for this post. 

I think I'm most interested in reading "George" by Alex Gino, "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas (it's been on my to read list for a while), and "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo" by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller which was commissioned by Jon Oliver.

If you enjoyed this blog post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week. 

Welcome to the Books of 2021

 I had a conversation last night with a friend of mine. She asked me what my favorite books were. That's a tough answer as it varies from moment to moment and genre to genre. We ended up talking a lot about books in the fantasy and science fiction genres with a heavy lean towards queer and LGBTQ+ narratives - likely helped by the fact that I'm currently reading Stina Leicht's science fiction and very queer Persephone Station.

The cover art is amazing for this book!

Growing up my book list tended to be comprised of cozy mysteries and most things written by Agatha Christie. There were a few fantasy books here and there (naturally I was big into Harry Potter - though I am currently greatly displeased with the author). My family also seemed to favor mysteries and I ended up with a whole collection of Nancy Drew books and the "Cat Who" series. 

With few exceptions, it wasn't until high school and college that I began to branch out and read other genres. While in Japan at 11, I read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series since they were a few of the only English books in my aunt and uncle's home. In high school, I received my first science fiction books with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series (I did not read Extras) and branched out to the fantasy series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (the first few books are great - I don't know what happened in books five and six, but I was too invested by that point not to finish them) by Michael Scott. I even picked up the mid-grade Disney series The Kingdome Keepers by Ridley Pearson.

The only genre I can't seem to get into is Romance. 

I'm fairly certain it's because Romance as a genre relies on trope (all genres have them stop groaning) that I don't enjoy. Lack of communication skills, sappy situations, and important information from people isn't how I like my drama to unroll. 

That's not to say I don't like romance or pairings in my stories. When done well, I love a nice sweet romance. I just want other outside factors to play a roll - like a dragon, scary ghost, or social issues that need to be confronted (*cough* LGBTQ+ *cough*). 

This is just a sampling of the books I like to read and doesn't include my (extensive) manga, graphic novel, or poetry collection. I've collected Astrix comics since I was a little kid and my collection continues to grow.  Yu Yu Hakusho and Fruits Basket (see I do read some Romance) were my jam in high school. In college is was Black Cat and Ronin Kenshin. Now, I've included the works of Junji Ito to my shelf, right next My Brother's Husband and Another. 

My poetry collection is a monster unto itself and I find that I like modern and traditionally studied poets.

The books I read in 2021 reflected my eclectic taste in literature. Some how, in the stressful 12 months that are currently a blur in my mind, I found the time to read 34 books - surpassing my goal of 32. This is 3 more books than 2020.

The books I read consisted of several Goodreads giveaways (mostly non-fiction, but there was a very long horror novel in there somewhere), a poetry collection that featured one of my poems (it needed editing), several graphic novels I found at used books stores, a lot of poetry, a novella that I beta-read for a friend (and I plan on rereading this year), a short novel about ghosts at one of my favorite railroad museums, a couple of classics, and one book about birds with lots of swear words (this one was a lot of fun to read before going hiking in the Shenandoah).

Some standouts from last year include: 

• Harpyness is Only Skin Deep, Hazelhearth Hires Heroes, and Love, Death, or Mermaid all by my friend D. H. Willison. His books and series, Tales of Arvia, are a lot of fun. They're episodic D'n'D style adventures that are engaging and funny. And guess what! He now has a merch store. Go check it out.
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - probably my favorite read of 2021 this book is queer, Hispanic, and takes place around El Día De Los Muertos. It has ghosts, murder, mystery, fantasy, and (gasp) a great teenage romance. I highly recommend it.
• Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall - a YA novel that takes place on Jamaica and deals with the struggles of poverty, racism, and gangs. 
• Living in Data: A Citizen's Guide to a Better Information Future by Jer Thorp - a mixed back of Thorp's incredible career, how to visualize data, and understanding how data shapes our world. I really liked it.
• Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans which was robbed of it's Goodreads award for best poetry of 2021.
• I am The Rage: A Black Poetry Collection by Martina McGowan.
• Doggolescence: Poems by Kyra The Staffy by Kyra The Staffy and her mama Rachel Oates - I bought this one because I like the YouTuber Rachel Oats and she ran into some trouble when another YouTuber couldn't handle the (very valid) criticism Rachel gave them. I wasn't expecting much, but found that I really liked reading poetry from a dog's point of view. 
• Some Things I Still Can't Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins - actor Misha Collins released a poetry collect? Why yes, I will be adding it to my collection. Fans of the actor will enjoy his poetry - that I can guarantee.

The above list is only a sample of the books I read. 

One of my goals for 2022 is to read 35 books (one more than 2021). I've already mentioned that I'm knee deep in Persephone Station, but I've also started Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps by Hank Quense who is a member of my writer's group in New Jersey. I received a copy in exchange for a review (which I'm happy to provide). 

I have a huge stack of books that need to be read next to my bed - not including all of the books recommended to me by my friend last night. Some are carry over books from last year I haven't gotten to. Some are books that have been in my "to read" pile for multiple years. 

Maybe this year, I can make a decent dent in the stake (before obtaining more books) and surpass my 35 book goal.

Happy 2022 everyone! May you find peace and joy in the new year.

Welcome to 2021 Pride Month

I realize that this is the last weekend of Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community. To be honest, I thought June was going to last longer than it did - I'm not sure how I came to fall under this assumption as June has always had 30 days in the total of my existence, so...

It felt like June flew by in a blink.

My way of celebrating Pride Month has typically consisted of me watching Angles in America  and picking up a poetry book by one of my favorite LGBTQ+ poets. I'd also watch a bunch of YouTube videos about the history of LGBTQ+ people.

This year I didn't change my habits all that much with one exception. I went to my first Pride Festival.

I honestly never felt a strong desire to go to a Pride Festival or celebration. Between trying to understand my identity, avoidance of large crowds, and having to travel a long distance to even attend, I didn't feel like I was missing out on much.

I probably wouldn't have gone to the Festival this year, except that I stumbled upon the Pride Festival by accident. I didn't even know it was going on until the morning of. And as luck would have it, I was free that day to celebrate. 

The experience started by me going to my local Farmer's Market. As I was about to turn into the parking lot, I saw someone putting up a little sign advertising the event. My curiosity peaked, I checked out the area that was being set up before buying my weekly groceries. In the span of about 10 seconds, I had made up my mind that I was going to return in an hour or so. 

The festival was small compared to what I'd seen on TV for the ones in New York or DC. There was a stage area for a band and music, several dozen booths selling pins and T-shirts, face painting, and free giveaways. There was a huge "LOVE" pop-up with the "O" painted as a rainbow for photo-ops. Restaurants with outdoor seating were packed and had rainbow streamers everywhere. Snacks were available and the brewery was selling white t-shirts for a tie-dye experience along with their usual selection of beer, kombucha, and hops tea.

Free tiny flags were given to anyone who asked. I got one and it now lives on my balcony in the banana pepper plant's pot. 

I arrived in time to catch part of the drag queen show. It was a lot of fun and everyone was dancing. Groups of teenagers wearing Pride flag capes hung out on the edges of the crowd, talking and laughing. Families with kids wove between booths. Dads wore rainbow tutus to match their kids and there were a few people in kilts.

I was quickly drawn to the booth selling books. It had an array of LGBTQ+ books: romances, fantasies, essays, and poems. Some of the books had been on my wish list and I quickly grabbed them. I also grabbed a book of essays about being LGBTQ+ while growing up in the deep south. I haven't started any of them yet and my "too read" pile is ever growing, but I know I'll get to them sooner rather than later.

Afterwards, I mostly sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was supposed to storm in the afternoon (and did start raining on my walk home), so I didn't stay too long.

Overall my first experience was great. Most people still had masks, but since I've been vaccinated, I've felt a lot safer going out in crowds. I loved how natural it all felt - no one needed to put on an act, we could all be ourselves. 

I'll likely try to attend other Pride festivals in the coming years - though I don't know if I can handle some of the bigger ones. 

The ability to openly celebrate being LGBTQ+ is a special privilege. Not even a decade ago, gay marriage wasn't legal. It wasn't until 1962 that gay sex began to be decriminalized in the United States. It took until 2009 to have anti-discrimination laws in place for the LGBTQ+ community.

The history of LGBTQ+ people is also constantly being overlooked or erased. LGBTQ+ people didn't just show up out of now where in the mid-20th century. We've always been a part of the human condition. 

Things still aren't ideal and are very far from perfect. There's a lot of open hostility against the transgender community - especially for Black transgender women. There are still plenty of countries that will jail or even execute someone for being LGBTQ+. Being open in America is still a risk, but at least many of us can be open.

But I'm hopeful.

The two generations of LGBTQ+ people before mine were devastated by the AIDs epidemic, but they built the stage that my generation was allowed to dance on. I believe that the next generation will make it go viral.

Happy Pride Month. 

Now, I'm going to finish watching Angles in America.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to National Poetry Month 2021

 April is National Poetry Month. I might have written about this last year (or the year before...things are all starting to blend together) or you might have seen me on social media (if you follow me on one of those) post a poem a day. 

I'll admit that the poems I'm currently posting everyday aren't necessarily my best. So, why do I post them?

April 11th 2021

The honest answer is as a challenge to myself. Writing and posting a poem a day forces me to actually write something everyday. Some of these poems might turn into something else entirely. I've already started taking a couple of the poems I've posted and started to expand them. 

If you're interested in reading some of my better poems, I do have a poetry chapbook available for purchase (*cough shameless plug *cough *cough) by clicking this link. It's a Gothic collection - because if I'm going to write and publish poetry, it will have a horror theme. 

But enough about me and my non-existent writing career.

Let's celebrate poetry. 

Poetry is as fluid and adaptable as water melting off a mountain. Or maybe I should say that good poets can make a poem flow and form from a tiny spring into a mighty rivers. Bad poets just create a landslide with their words. 

Like the many different paths water can take, poetry can be so many things. I've made arguments that song lyrics are a type of poetry and worth being studied in the same way that Shakespeare is. The best example of this might be Queen's famous "Bohemian Rhapsody". There are so many layers to the lyrics of that song. Then there are the poetry collections that make me question my place in the universe. I get that T.S. Eliot's book about Practical Cats inspired a trippy Broadway production, but dear universe did it take me a long time to get through this very short book. It needs to be placed on the shelf "things that exist, but are no longer relevant."

Currently, there's a big movement on Instagram, Tumblr, and other social media sites for people to post inspirational words and call it poetry... oh and there are some awesome and legit poets posting awesome poems there as well. I am one of them (I'll leave it up to you if I'm the former or the latter). I personally like the blackout poetry writers and have had a ton of fun turning my public domain books into blackout poems. My attempts at it and showing them to my friends inspired one of those friends to tell their daughter, who then had her class of students write blackout poems of their own. I wish I could share some of those poems, but they really aren't mine to share.

This is an older one of mine.

However, there are a lot of other types of poetry to follow on social media. Some of them have their collections published on an annual or bi-annual basis like Amanda Lovelace (who's work speaks to some people, but doesn't do much for me) and Rupi Kaur (who I enjoy reading). Most recently I read light filters in poems by Caroline Kaufman who was a teenager when she published this collection. I thought it was fine, very pretty.

Now, Nikita Gill is a master poet as far as I'm concerned and recently wrote an entire novel in the form of a collection of poems called The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom. I loved it. I love pretty much all of her work. And she's also a social media poet.

So, if you want to try reading more modern poetry, but don't feel like shelling out a ton of cash up front I recommend checking out the social media poets and supporting them with likes and shares.

But poetry isn't always about inspiring phrases and bad breakups. Sometimes poetry is in response to the troubled times we are living through. Since the start of the pandemic, a lot of my poems were about the feelings of isolation, fear of COVID, and my other anxieties. As politics began to heat up and a lot of terrible things continued to happen, my writing reflected those moments in time.

Poetry can be used to help people process trauma, either by writing or reading. It can give people an insight into experiences they will (likely) never experience for themselves. Some collections I read and felt a connection to included Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith (which focuses a lot on being a black man in America), War Torn by Hasan Namir (which is a reflection on being a gay man growing up in Iraq - consequently the Namir liked my review of his collection and I am very flattered by this), American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassins by Terrance Hayes (which is a collection of poems written in the first year of Mr. Trump's presidency), and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange (which is actually a poetry collection that is meant to be seen performed on stage and one day I will see it).

Currently, I'm reading i am the rage by Dr. Martina McGowan (who is a gynecologist - that's really cool) and focuses on social and racial justice. Many of her poems are based on the events (such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's murders) of 2020. 

These poets aren't your Emily Dickens or Walt Whitman writers. They're not traditional, rarely rhyme, but are incredibly lyrical, soulful, and tell stories. 

Poetry is what you take out of it. Not all of it is going to connect with you personally. Some of your favorite poems might be song lyrics or an inspirational phrase broken up and sprinkled across a page. A few poems might give you flashbacks to High School English class and having to analyze each word into an inch of it's existence - it wasn't fun then and reading these poems now only make me want to cry more. There will be poetry that speaks to you even if you have no context for the subject other than what you see on the news. 

You might not think that you can write a poem to save your life. I'm not going to tell you you're wrong. I'm going to tell you to try writing poetry anyway. You never know what flow of water turns into a mountain stream, then grows to a raging river, only to flow out to an endless sea for everyone to read.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week. 

Welcome to the Reading Over a Year

 Last year I joined Goodreads to help me keep track of the books I've been reading. I really like the platform and am enjoying writing reviews for everything I've been reading. 

Now, I'm normally a slow reader. When I saw that there was a challenge to read a certain number of books, I opted to give myself an arbitrary number that seemed reasonable for me to achieve. That number was 20.

As time progressed, I found that I was reading a lot more than I thought I would (thanks to the pandemic and all). I kept upping the number of books I pledged to read until I settled on 30. As the end of the year approached, I wasn't sure I'd accomplish my reading goal (especially when the counter kept reminding me how many books I was behind). Good thing audiobooks count!

I managed to hit my 30 book goal plus one.

The books I read over 2020 were varied and didn't have any common themes what so ever. The majority of the books I read were poetry and manga - quick reads that I can finish in about a week. However, there were a few books that took me months to get through.

I'd like to share with you guys some of my favorite books that I read last year. I promise there won't be too many spoilers. 

1) Finding Your Harpy Place by D.H. Willison - This was the final book I finished in 2020 and put me at 31 books read. It's a fun fantasy adventure with Darin, the poor modern guy who ended up in a fantasy world where everything wants to kill him, and Rinloh, a harpy who really doesn't want to kill and eat a human to become a full fledged member of her flock. It's an unlikely friendship and an even more fun adventure.

2) The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom by Nikita Gill - I have so far loved everything Nikita Gill has written and this is by far my favorite of her work. This poetry collection is unique in that it tells a full narrative about a young girl growing up in India and then studying in the UK. I highly recommend it if you're a fan of mythology and poetry.

3) The Daphne and Velma books by Josephine Ruby and by Morgan Baden - This is the start of a not so average Scooby Doo series that heavily focuses on Daphne and Velma. Shaggy and Scooby do show up in both books (and have a somewhat larger role in the 2nd), but poor Fred gets barely any attention. That's okay because the books aren't just about the mysteries the girls are solving, but their relationships and personal growth. Both The Vanished Girl and The Dark Deception are worth a read if you're a fan of any version of the Scooby gang (and there are tons of references in the books). I can't wait for the third book to come out in February.

4) Princess Holy Aura by Ryk E. Spoor - I've been meaning to read this book for a while and 2020 was the perfect year to do so. If you loved Sailor Moon or any other magical girl manga or anime than this book is for you. All of the tropes are there, pointed out, and subverted all to save the world from Lovecraftian monsters. There's also a lot of reflection on identity (particularly gender as the main character was originally male and then became female), ethics, and what it means to be a hero.

5) Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise by Oscar Hijuelos - I was gifted this book from a friend. It was the longest to read (both in page number and time). It is historical fiction based on the actual friendship between two of the most famous people from the turn of the 20th century, Mark Twain and Henry Stanley. It was a fascinating take on speculated events. It prompted me to learn more about the two men and the events that shaped them. I have a lot of mixed feelings on Henry Stanley. He was a deeply flawed person and this book doesn't shy away from that.

6) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - My sister gifted me this book last Christmas and it was one of the first I read in 2020. Evidently she read it in school, though I never did. It's delightful and fun mystery to figure out. I can't wait to pass this book along to my younger cousin (when he's just a little bit older).

7) War / Torn by Hasan Namir - this is a tough poetry collection about a man facing homophobia in his home country. It's raw, depressing in place, and beautifully written. If you enjoy poetry on tough subjects (especially for the LGBTQ+ community) I recommend picking up this collection.

For 2021 I'd like to read at least one more book than 2020. I've already started my challenge with a poetry book and a longer Young Adult novel set in Jamaica. 

There are a lot of things I'd like to achieve in 2021. Many of those things depend on the pandemic going away or at least the risk of COVID greatly diminishing. Other goals require a lot more creativity to achieve. Reading 32 books feels doable in the current crazy climate. 

If y'all are on Goodreads let me know and I'll be happy to see about adding you as a friend. If you've got goals you'd like to meet in 2021, feel free to leave a comment on those as well. We may all be separated by necessity, but little things can bring us together without physically being close.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Journaling

Recently, I started taking a MasterClass class on short story writing and one piece of advice was to keep a journal. I really like this idea. Journaling has helped me to privately express myself for years, while also gushing about the different kinds of food I enjoy while traveling. Occasionally I get a kick out of going back and reading these journals.

I have kept a journal on and off since I was a child. When I was in elementary school, my interest in journaling came about because of the Dear America and My America books which were written as a series of diary or journal entries by kids living during a particularly important part of American history. Eventually I started working my way through the Royal Diaries collections (which is where I learned about Lady of Ch’iao Kuo also known as Lady Red Bird and the amazing Angolan princess Nzingha).

As a little kid, I tried to emulate the way the dairies were set up - with recorded conversations, notes from newspapers and letters, and more details than a normal journal writer really records. Needless to say, trying to copy this style was exhausting.

Then I went to Japan.

Prior to that trip I was given this really cool journal to write about my time while traveling. My aunt and father also told me about how my grandmother always kept a travel journal and kept  one on what happened every day. Wanting to be like my grandmother, I made my first attempt at keeping a travel journal.

This turned into a bit of a chore when my aunt realized my penmanship was awful and made me sit at the dining table every opening, in Japan, to practice my writing. It wasn’t the most fun activity for an 11 year old. Years later, while reading one of my grandmother’s journals, I discovered that my aunt also had bad penmanship at my age (it was her only “bad” grade in that report card) and I felt a little better about myself.

However, that first travel journal got me into the habit of keeping a journal anytime I feel like I go on an adventure. Last year, before I went on my second trip to Japan, I reread the journal and noticed two things. One, I really liked sparkly gel pens. Two, I was seriously obsessed with the food. I grew out of the first habit and haven’t lost my love of the second habit at all. Every travel journal I keep has a lengthy passage everyday about what I ate that day.

My college journal had been given to my by one of my aunts as a graduation gift. My roommate could often find me recording my thoughts every night before going to bed and it became a major part of my nightly sleep prep ritual.

Compare this to my high school journal which is filled with stories, bad poetry, some even worse drawings, and the occasional spell (clearly I knew I was a witch in high school). Honestly going through that journal is painful and some days I wish I would burn it off the face of the world, but I can’t seem to let it go.

My journal keeping habits since graduating college has varied greatly and I could go years before writing down my thoughts again. However, given the recent pandemic and quarantine, I’ve found myself writing in my journal more and more. It helps with my anxiety about COVID-19 and social distancing. It allows me to organize my thoughts around events and even record some of my weirder dreams (and boy do I have some weird dreams).

Keeping a journal might be a good idea for some people during these trying times. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I once kept an agenda beside my bed to simply write my general mood for the day. A simple spiral notebook works well or even keeping a digital journal in the notes section on your phone.

If you have kids, helping them to start a journal might help them with their writing skills and allow them a bit of privacy to express themselves while we’re all living out of each other’s pockets (just don’t read your kid’s journal - it’s a deep violation of trust - unless invited to).

In some ways this blog post is like a journal. It’s a place where I write down my thoughts and give my opinion and record what’s going on in the world. I just know that anyone on the internet can read it.

If you’re looking for something to help you through these times, try journaling. I can’t say if it’s for everyone, but I do know it’s helped me. And sometimes I laugh at what my younger self thought was important.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Too Much Screen Time

Every week Apple decides to give me an update on how much my weekly screen time I’ve had and whether or not it’s changed from the previous week. It’s a cheerful little ping that sounds every Sunday morning. Sometimes I want to chuck my phone against a wall.

Between my time spent working, using Zoom or FaceTime to talk to my friends, writing, and reading (Lord this list keeps going on and on), I’m getting a headache from how much time I spend staring at a screen. I can't seem to escape the blue glow of electronic screens.

Most days, I roll over and have to pick up my phone to either hit the large snooze button or fumble my way to the alarm "off" button. Once my phone is in my hands, it's all too easy to start scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I might check my email and see if there's been an update to one of the serial stories I'm following. There might be a YouTube video I want to watch.

My day ends in bed again scrolling through my phone. Partially I do this to make certain that my alarm is actually set, but then it turns into me fighting going to sleep. I scroll and jump apps until I can't see straight. A lot of times I'm answering texts and waiting for the replies.

I am well aware that this is not healthy and I've been trying to fix this problem, but it's easy to fall into bad habits when my only connection to my friends and family is a super computer that fits in my hand.

Too much screen time and lack of actual physical human contact has definitely affected my mood. I feel more tired, I'm having trouble sleeping, and I'm having trouble doing things that I enjoy (like writing).

One would think that as a writer, I might enjoy having a greater ability to sit down and write my novel, short stories, and poetry. One would be wrong. As soon as I get into the mood to write after a day at work, I feel too tired to even open my personal laptop. If I do managed to open my personal laptop, I have a hard time concentrating on creating the story I want to. I think I was more creative when I was working in the office then when I'm working at home.

Also, cutting off my screen time right now (for a weekend, I still have to work) probably isn't the best option for me. It's my only way to contact my friends and family. Dropping off the face of the Earth isn't the best idea for right now (even as a joke).

Today, instead of scrolling through my phone, I picked up a new book I'm reading (The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley - a Robin Hood story) and then later started a puzzle. The puzzle is still taking up room on my dining room table. I probably won't finish it for a couple of days.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful I live in a world with Internet access and a cell phone to be able to see and speak with my friends and family over great distances and especially in this time of social distancing.

I'm just very excited for the day when I can go over to my friend's house and play a board game (hopefully Betrayal at House on the Hill). I want to go to Sweet Frog without worry. Heck, I want to take a trip to the mountains and write for a weekend. Anything to get me out of this strange blending of days.

We will get through this. I need to remember to take care of myself and take breaks away from my screens. I need to go outside and get some sunshine. I need to remember to call my family and answer my friends' texts.

Honestly, is it any wonder that so many people have turned to Animal Crossing during these times. It gives the illusion of going out and talking to people - sure you're basically an indentured servant to Tom Nook, but at least he doesn't charge interest.

And no, my younger self wouldn't enjoy being stuck inside all the time. Younger me probably would have enjoyed it for about a week before playing through all of my GameCube games (by then I should have reached the bottom of both the mines in Harvest Moon).

I did still have some screen time today. I'm writing this blog post and I have a food blog waiting to be written as well. However, I do feel a little better having taken some time away from my computer and phone.

I hope everyone is doing okay and taking time to look after themselves. A lot is going on and can affect each of us in different ways.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.