Kali J Desautels

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

recent posts

about

Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity. I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books. A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids. My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!) I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is. My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit. I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually. Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!

Category: Uncategorized

  • Do The Work Challenge – Day 2

    Day 2 of Rachel Cargle’s 30 Day #DoTheWork Challenge. It is not her job as a WOC to teach me how to be a good person; how to care about the foundations of white supremacy; how to face the advantages that people like me – people who present as white – enjoy simply because people…

  • Back In Self-Isolation

    Back in self-isolation tools: 1) Hamilton on Disney+ 2) Anti-Racist reading (with a shameless plug for Indigenous Peoples for BlackLivesMatter) 3) A sparkly bin of Shopkins that my girl thought I would enjoy 4) Fresh air and my plants 5) the complete lack of desire to tidy up #hamilton #hamiltonmusical #hamilfilm #indigenouscanada #indigenouspeoples #policingblacklives #peaceandgoodorder…

  • Do The Work – The Unlearn 30 Day Challenge

    #dothework – I am gratefully participating in Rachel Cargle’s Great Unlearn. I can only recommend that if you see yourself as, or wish to become a Ally that you take yourself over to her page and begin to do the work. Just so you are aware – it will make you uncomfortable. Please try to…

  • Irène Némirovsky, The Refugee and Holocaust Victim

    Originally posted on Kali J Desautels: This is quoted from Irène Némirovsky’s novella Storm In June, the first Act in her WWII saga Suite Francaise. Némirovsky was a Ukrainian Jewish Refugee, who ultimately died in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. She knew all too well about which she was writing.?Please remember that refugees do not flee their…

  • Thank You, Lin-Manuel Miranda And Disney, For #HamilFilm

    My girl has been singing the lyrics to Hamilton for years, though she has never seen the show. We have been listening and singing along to the soundtrack on every car ride over 15 minutes long, and so when it was announced that, firstly there would be a film in the theatres in October, and…

  • iPhone Made Me Slideshow… it’s weird…

    Is it weird that my phone spontaneously created a video about my cat all by itself?? #cats #cat #blackcats #catsofinstagram #iphone #weird #technology #fourleggedfriends #myraggedyman #myboy #disneycats #disney #catstagram #handsomeboy #furbaby #kalidesautelsreads

  • Canada Day 2020

    Today is Canada Day. I have found the day increasingly harder to celebrate with blind patriotism the more that I have focussed on uncovering the atrocities meted upon my Indigenous ancestors and brethren. As a Métis Canadian woman, I find the day to be rife with paradox. I am grateful to live in a nation…

  • Reblog – Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada

    Hello happy would-be travellers, I’d like to introduce Kali. She and I were talking about this amazing small town in Canada. This town is full of … Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada

  • Is it even possible?

    I released my first book this month. I was a contributing author in a book that is now a #1 bestseller on Amazon. I completed a long-running task at work. My blog was nominated for an award. Traffic has more than doubled to the site. My kids are home. My husband is working again and…

  • #FBF – Trying to keep my flu to myself

    Originally posted on Kali J Desautels: #FBF — to Sunday Dinner where I tried to keep my flu to myself – I made my best effort, but Dave and our boy caught it anyway! …. #quotes #quote #quoteoftheday #quotestags #quotestagram #quotestoliveby #life #mylife #work #keepgoing #words #wordsofwisdom #love #family #blogger #blog #books #bookstagram #reading #ready…