“What they will lose are concrete things: a place in college, maybe a future job. What I have lost can’t be seen. I’ve lost my courage, my confidence, my belief that I can have a good life.”
I finished reading Take It Back by Kia Abdullah this past weekend, and have been trying to gather my thoughts on the story. This book destroyed me though, and I’m still not sure what to do with myself!
“Welcome to the sugar bowl.”
While this might sound like a sweet-tooth’s dream, it’s actually something quite different. In Robyn Harding’s newest domestic thriller, The Arrangement, readers meet Natalie and Gabe, a couple involved in a sugar-baby/sugar-daddy relationship.
In this edition of Books with Friends, I chatted with Natasha from Natasha Devine Photography about Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty. I’d seen a couple photos of this book before, but never really gave it much thought. After hearing Natasha talk about it though, I’m hoping I find time to read it for myself one day!
Death has always been a scary topic for me, and I’ve been trying to come to terms with it more because, well, it’s inevitable. One of my uncles is also a funeral director, and my Dad works part-time with him now too, so the funerary business isn’t exactly foreign to me. However, I still found some of these topics to be new and weirdly interesting, and hope you do too.
In this installment of Books With Friends, I sat down with Caitlin from My Tech Wardrobe! Caitlin works in Kitchener-Waterloo’s growing tech industry (as do I!) and has a wonderful Instagram account where she helps people navigate open, casual dress codes in the workplace. If you need some fashion inspiration, be sure to check her out. If you want to know her thoughts on Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, keep reading!
I’ve had a couple people recently ask me about borrowing books. First, whether or not they can borrow a book from me. Secondly, how I let others borrow my beloved books without losing my mind over it. While I haven’t always been keen on lending out my books, I’ve recently turned a new page and opened up my personal library to friends. How do I do it without having a panic attack, you ask? I guess it’s time to let you all know.
I try to be fairly open about my mental health, and I’ve written posts on here before about certain books that have helped me. While reading Bellevue Square I cried in public quite a bit, and then sobbed uncontrollably when my book club discussed it. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine also tore my heart into pieces because I related to the main character so much. I even have a bookish tattoo that helps me stay grounded during panic attacks.
So when I had the opportunity to read and review a copy of Matt Haig’s Notes on a Nervous Planet, I was both excited and nervous. I knew that this author had written on mental health before, and was looking forward to a fresh, new perspective, but was also worried about what exactly this book would say.
Friends, I’ve had a serious book hangover ever since I finished In An Absent Dream back in January. This book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2019, and is the fourth installment in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series.
