Over and over, the answer is the same, isn‘t it? Love, love, love. The salve and the cure. In order to become a better person, I had to do something utterly unintuitive. I had to reject the idea that punishing myself would solve the problem. I had to find the love.

I can see myself coming back to this one again and again. As soon as I finished, I started it again to highlight and take notes. I'm evaluating my beliefs, and realized neither myself or my spouse were instructed or even understood how to love. This emphasizes self-love and being at home and at peace within your own body and mind. Something I've made progress towards, but realize there is much still to do!

Brief and yet so impactful! Listening to the audio version twice has given me so much to think about in regards to love, anger, and kindness to myself.

"There is a gap between the values they claim to hold and their willingness to do the work of connecting thought and action, theory and practice to realize these values and thus create a more just society."

Listened on audio during my commute, and I was engaged with this story of the gods in our modern world. Lore is a fierce, resilient heroine with relatable struggles and trauma. She gets caught up in the 7 year battle and finds herself immersed and in a pivotal role. Trust, deceit, vulnerability, honor, and bravery are all woven beautifully in the story. "Not even the Spartans were Spartans."

"They were planning your downfall from the very start."

I'm halfway through the audiobook and have audibly yelled in my car. This is step by step my experience with my ex. I may need to start this over to fully absorb the lessons.

The parallels to my own life in the noughties from dating disasters, fashions, and working in a soul crushing call center snapped me back to that time in my life. The character sees her growth and owns up to her own failings. The relationships are genuine and feel like real characters in my own orbit. The audio version was transportive into Rachel's world.

Not sure exactly how this one got on my radar, but I'm so glad it did!

Couldn't find my copy, so bought another and I'm delighted to find it's signed!

"That's the really radical part of the Ecoside law, offering up the tools to allow those who have made decisions which cause harm to face that harm in a healing space. Yes, accountability is essential - but it's no use locking people up, or perpetuating a culture of blame. It's about finding ways of healing, and so changing things - and people - in a more meaningful and enduring way." Polly Higgins

"Alan found himself cuffed to a side car of a motorcycle being driven by Pit Bull, one of the gnarly dudes. They were being escorted by a handful of other gnarly dudes on gnarly vehicles down a gnarly, rutted road."

"With the future of travel, I'm not waiting for the other shoe to drop as much as I'm waiting for entire hubs to drop."
This guy gets it. ?

Thank you Mr. Campbell for getting me back to reading.

I have had a very short attention span and have really struggled to read during the pandemic. This gave me actual laughs and cheered me up this evening. For another Goodwill find, I'm extremely pleased! The pull out poster was also still included. Score!

I enjoyed the puns AND found it had some great variations to the classic recipes.

A Waco Goodwill find I was able to remove from my Amazon wishlist.

Looking forward to June's treasures! #botm

Patton Oswald

David Lynch and his gigantic billboard.

Brene Brown has excellent advice.

Be well and stay safe.

Scifi fun with a heroine I can relate with!

I won an advanced copy of Private Lessons from the Y'all Stay Home conference. @StellarDoc had told me about it, but I was slow to act. Now that I have a Net Galley account, I have a wealth of new books! I can't wait to read these.
#netgalley

https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/literary-clinic
Thank you to @squirrelbrain for the suggestion!

Are you suffering from ennui, bile, choler, melancholy, or an excess of daytime TV?
Never fear – Dr Sandie Byrne is here to help. Tell her your ills!
Prescriptions will be in the form of freely available online resources: books, poems, spoken voice, plays and more.
Simply fill out the form, describing the symptoms that need treating.

All you need to know has been given to you.

All this comfort shouldn't feel so uncomfortable.

#NTTBF20

"A book is an interpretation," she says. "You want a place to be like it was in the book but it's not a place in a book it's just words. The place in your imagination is where you want to go and that place is imaginary. This is real."

I really enjoyed this. The perspectives switch between characters, and all of the females are smart, honest, and cunning. What a lovely fairytale experience. I can't wait to read more by Naomi Novik.

These pair well together, with tea, Girl Scout cookies, and puppies too.

Amy Hempel

Husband is currently reading this and stopped to share this page. He keeps trying to suppress his laughter, so this is going on my tbr list. #readinginbed

Bought a used book online. A monster has written all over it, there is visible water damage along the bottom, and it smells awful. Disappointed is an understatement however Amazon is providing a full refund!

... her darkness was her comfort zone.
She considered those words compliments.

Erin complimented my hair while I explained buying a hardcover of the Night Circus at the museum.

"Bees insisted on being in the book." With @StellarDoc
???

Jan 11: when winter settles in, animals hibernate, away from the cold. The night's are longer and a chill sets in. Cover yourself with blankets and burrow in, like a rabbit in its hole. You are warm and protected from the cold. Send out gratitude to your bed, your home, and you'r safety. Underneath the covers, feel yourself drifting into a state of contented slumber.

Jan 10: sunset paints the sky with soft colors, becoming darker and darker until the stars showcase their brightness. In the absence of light, it is apparent how vast the universe is. Stars shoot across the heavens, leaving stardust behind them, continuing to shine up until the moment they leave they leave the sky. We can emulate stars and decide to give off brilliance throughout life.

Jan 9: In the void, dreams can take place. In the silence, ideas take shape. Quiet you'r mind by breathing in the silence and breathing out ther noise. Listen to your breath as it goes in and out. Allow ther breath to cover you in peace and quiet.

Received this book with my January Introverted Chick subscription box. Lots of cute boredom busters you can do when staying in. Many I've tried, and a few new suggestions I'm looking forward to enjoying at home soon. Would make a fun gift for ther introvert in your life.

Jan 8: Allow your dreams to take place; trust the universe with them. As you fall asleep, set an intention, release it to ther universe, and be patient. Forces beyond your control are taking care of you and working to help you manifest your desires. Surrender and let go. Breathe in peace; breathe out control.

Jan 7: Sleep is a time for dreams to propagate. The seed of a dream is the beginning of creation. When or mind rests, our subconscious has room to create, manifest, and deliver. Let go of the outcome and allow yourself to rest.

Jan 6: The ocean is calm beneath the waves and life moves forward in natural rhythm. To access it, close your eyes and see a deep blue light covering you from your head all the way down to your toes. Release any tension and breathe into the release. The goal is complete relaxation and access to your inner calm.

"The stars conspired and separated the two. For a while they breathed easier in the heavens. Time continued to flow as it always had, or perhaps imperceptibly slower. Fate wove together the paths that were meant to intertwine, though perhaps a string was missed here or there. But eventually, Fate and Time found each other again."

Working on shadow integration and finding balance. I'm much more comfortable in the shadow than the light and have been resistant in ther past. This is a timely and impactful reminder of the work I still need to accomplish.

"Once, very long ago, Time fell in love with Fate. This, as you might imagine, proved problematic. Their romance disrupted the flow of time. It tangled the strings of fortune into knots. The stars watched from the heavens nervously, worrying what might occur. What might happen to the days and nights were Time to suffer a broken heart? What catastrophes might result if the same fate awaited Fate itself?"

January 4th: "Regardless of what you're going through, look for the light. When the light seems to dim, find ways to fuel it. Think positive thoughts and offer gratitude. Allow the air and space to breathe so that the light can grow. Remember that the stars still shine on ther darkest nights. Whatever you're growing through, you can still choose to shine."

January 3rd: "Be like the ocean, fluid and forgiving. Wash away whatever is holding you back. Forgive others and let go of the pain. Release all bitterness. Breathe in forgiveness; breathe out bitterness."

Picked up on a whim and smitten! I'll share especially poignant passages and my thoughts as I work through this year.

I can't wait to feast on this book. Happy Thanksgiving Littens!

A fast and satisfying read, however I mourn the unfinished plots.

I miss her so much! This was a perfect vacation read, and another blank cover from Skyview 8.

One day at the office, books mysteriously arrived on our shelves without covers. I recognized a title of a book I own and realized my personal library had just expanded! Picked this one up today to read on break and I'm hooked. My TBR list continues to grow...