Welcome to my little corner of the internet.
Have you ever wondered what John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath would be like from a woman’s perspective? Then you would love @kristinhannahauthor’s The Four Winds. I am about halfway through and I am very engaged and feel very connected to the main character and her family.
May is Mental Health Month and so I thought it might be time for an awareness post.
Have you ever noticed that when a friend suddenly reappears after they have been depressed that they seem to have a lot to apologize for? They were distant, or didn’t reply to texts or were unavailable for getting together, or any number of other things personal to them?
We call this the Recovering From A Depressive Episode Apology Tour. (I promise, I did not make this up.) It’s when we are coming out of a depressive episode and we realize, with a lot of guilt and shame, that we have not been showing up for our loved ones in the way that we would have liked to.
We need to apologize for not replying to those texts, or not joining you for a girl’s night out, or for generally being distant, whiny, and/or self-indulgent.
I know for myself, coming out of an episode that has lasted for much of the winter, I feel the need to start my own apology tour. I think it’s important to apologize for my behaviour because while having mental illness is a reason for said behaviour, it is not an excuse. People are not obliged to put up with me just because I have Bipolar Disorder II, so when they do, I never want to take their affection for granted.
A non-exhaustive selection of books that I read in April!
@sarahjmaas
@sloane_crosley
@kristinhannahauthor
@cat.bohannon
@erikxlarson
@jamiattenberg
@edward_humes
Have you read any of these selections?
This week’s audiobook is #Caraval. So far, I’m about 30% of the way through and I am curious to keep going, but I’m not madly in love with it yet. Fingers crossed that it lives up to the hype!
4 years ago I wrote a book. It was my COVID project while we were all stuck at home. I compiled and edited many of my blog posts from years past, and titled it How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post At A Time.
I am still proud to say I have published a book, and that it is out in the world for people to read. Right now it is even discounted on Amazon, to less than $14. Or if you have Kindle Unlimited, it is available to download as an ebook.
Happy birthday, mom ❤️
I love and appreciate you so much. I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating you! And I really hope the Canucks bring you home a win tonight, because we both know that would make your day complete.
I love you so much ❤️
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I feel like I am on a roll with great books lately. The Women is a fantastic story about the women who served as nurses during the Vietnam War, and the things they went through, both overseas and once they returned home to the USA.
Covering the events of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in the United States, including the protests, equal rights battles, and of course, the war in Vietnam, The Women is a historical fiction. Following nurse Frankie McGrath, we see how what she went through in Vietnam affects all parts of her life, especially her mental health.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, or of Kristin Hannah, or are interested in this time period, The Women is for you. Hannah crafted a beautiful, heart wrenching, sometimes maddening story that is definitely worth reading.
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Are you looking for a weirdly, wonderfully, quirky read? If so, How To Be Eaten is just for you. Imagine a support group for adult fairytale women, famous for their misadventures with wolves, and witches, and psychopaths. They are brought together to share their stories in their own voices, rather than the tabloid stories that were written about them.
While not a fantasy, there is definitely an element of magical realism. For example, Ruby (aka Li’l Red) was eaten by a wolf who murdered her grandmother. She now wears the wolf’s pelt as a coat.
I cannot compare it to any other books, as is it unlike anything I have read before, but I loved it. I finished it remarkably quickly. I think it was in 2 sittings, and at 291 pages, it is an enjoyable length.
If you like magical realism or are interested in what could have happened once Snow White grew up, and had to enter a support group, then I highly recommend How To Be Eaten.
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Read this book. If you can manage it, read it all at once. If you enjoyed Joan Didion’s A Year Of Magical Thinking, you will love Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley.
Juxtaposing a burglary she endured, and the violent, sudden death of her best friend, Crosley tries to make sense of both events and the feelings of loss that pervaded the following year. She is also mourning her friend during the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic, while living in NYC.
The book serves as a memoir of her relationship with her beloved friend, while also begging the question – can we ever truly get back what we have lost?
This book is beautifully written, sad, witty, and completely worth the read. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Coming in at 191 pages, it is easily devoured. I started reading it yesterday and finished it today, because it was so good.
(191 pgs)
istening to a book about writing, hoping for inspiration on this beautiful sunny Sunday. ❤️
*the book is 1000 Words A Day: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused and Productive All Year Round by @jamiattenberg
Kali J Desautels 