I’m not sure what to write about this morning, so I am using a prompt from Beckie’s Mental Mess, a blog written by an amazing advocate for mental illnesses. She is also very supportive of other bloggers who want to share their stories about mental illness. When you first found out that you had a …
The Casual Vacancy — J.K. Rowling
2 out of 5 stars This book was disappointing. It was disappointing from a literature perspective, not because “it isn’t anything like Harry Potter,” which is a common complaint about this book. It isn't anything like Harry Potter; a lot of things aren’t like Harry Potter, but they still have substance and believable characters. The Casual Vacancy …
Hope
Depression is darkness. An absence of all things good. Nothing looks, sounds, or feels right. There is no relief; there is only pain. When someone asks what hurts, the only accurate answer is, “Everything.” It’s impossible to articulate the hole depression leaves in your soul. You do not feel whole or worthy. There is no …
The Reason You Are Alive — Matthew Quick
5 out of 5 stars I loved this story. I have most of Matthew Quick’s other books, and this one is my favorite. David Granger, the main character, is a Vietnam War veteran, and he’s a crotchety old man. The book is set during the Obama administration, and there is a fair amount of Obama …
A Man Called Ove — Fredrik Backman
3 out of 5 stars Unfortunately, this book was not worth its salt. It’s actually a great story, and the writing is okay, but the author overuses similes. I’ve never read a book with so many similes and metaphors. There were often two or three on EVERY page. Like anything, similes are fine in moderation, …
A story of fear and discovery
Fear is a multi-faceted emotion. Being afraid of something that threatens your safety or livelihood is just one vein of fear. Sometimes those sources of anxiety are irrational, as Daniel Gardner argues in his book The Science of Fear. There is also the fear of failure, which I wrote about earlier this week. Here, too, …
Regrets
I have quite a few regrets from my life, but one in particular still causes me angst because of the tragedy I brought on myself. It happened in February of 2017. It was a Monday. I exercised and showered like I did every morning. This fateful day would soon be marred by horrors difficult to …
Perfectionism (aka the fear of failure)
I’ve always been a perfectionist. Some of my perfectionistic qualities when I was younger were probably indicators of some mild obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I’ve gotten better, but my desire for perfection is still alive and well. I remember doing an assignment in first grade, and when we graded our own work, I got one wrong. I …
Number affinities and aversions
I have a weird thing about numbers. I love odd numbers, especially prime numbers. I do not like even numbers (except 2 because it is prime). 24 is my least favorite number because it is a factor whore. Everything goes into 24 (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24). I also dislike most multiples …
Just a book idea
I want to write a book someday, and I think I’ve landed on a title and some of the chapters. The Ultimate Guide to Not Sucking at Human Interactions: An introvert's obscure advice for succeeding socially Introduction and disclaimer Go ahead and lower all of your expectations for this book. I am a painfully shy …
Between Two Poles 