Category Archives: Blog Hops

June 8, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved that Made Me Want More Books Like Them

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Close-up photo of typhography and typecases I feel like I talk about the same books every time a topic like this one comes up.

Did any of you have the same reaction to this prompt?

I’m going to do my best to only mention books I haven’t gushed about a dozen times before, so this will be a pretty eclectic list that doesn’t mention science fiction and fantasy (my favourite genres) at all.

Let’s dig into it.

 

Exercised- Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding by Dan Lieberman book cover. Image on cover is a cave painting of someone running on a treadmill

1. Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding by Dan Lieberman

Why: There is so much conflicting information out there about diet, exercise, and living a healthy lifestyle. I relish the opportunity to read the latest scientific theories on this topics, especially as it pertains to how humans lived back when all of our ancestors were hunter-gatherers.

 

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine book cover. Image on cover is a photograph of both Doctor Blackwells.

2. The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura

Why: There’s something to be said for reading about trailblazers and the obstacles they faced. I was saddened by the crushing sexism they faced and amazed by how much their persistence permanently changed not only the face of medicine but what people expected from their doctors.

 

The Toronto Book of Love by Adam Bunch book cover. Image on coer is a drawing of two birds sitting in a pink field of flowers.

3. The Toronto Book of Love by Adam Bunch

Why: It’s fascinating to see how so many things related to love, marriage, infidelity, and courtship are influenced by one’s culture and historical era. These are also topics that generally aren’t discussed in history books.

 

American Baby- A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser book cover. Image on cover is of ink impressions of a baby's footprints

4. American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser

Why: The subject of this book was teenager who was forced to  place her baby for adoption in the 1960s because she was young and unmarried. It was a traumatic event for both her and her baby. Many non-fiction books about this topic are unflappably cheerful and positive. I think it’s important to also read about how unethical adoptions have happened so that adoption agencies and society will hopefully never make the same mistakes again in the future.

 

A Funny Kind of Paradise by Jo Owens book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of an elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair

5. A Funny Kind of Paradise by Jo Owens

Why: There are so few books out there written from the perspective of a character who is living in a nursing home or other institutional setting. We need more of them if you ask me!

 

The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of large earthworms crawling through the soil in a peaceful rural setting near trees and fields.

6. The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard

Why: I love reading about the latest scientific discoveries about mundane things like earthworms. It’s neat to think that we still have a lot to learn about what’s happening right below our own feet.

 

7. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Why: Intergenerational friendships are beautiful things. While most of my friends are roughly the same age that I am, it’s delightful to occasionally meet someone much older or younger than you are and immediately click with them. I believe we can all learn a lot from being open to befriending folks in completely different stages of life when the opportunity arises. Some friendships were simply meant to be in my opinion. Reading about them is almost as wonderful as experiencing them in real life.

 

That’s as many books as I was able to come up with! I look forward to reading your responses to this week’s prompt.

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June 2, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Favourite Book and How I’d Cast It for a Movie

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

This is one of those topics I could write an entire book about. There are so many amazing stories out there that have either never been made into films or were made into such terrible ones that I’ll never stop hoping for a remake. (*cough* Clan of the Cave Bear).

TRed, closed cinema curtains.herefore, I narrowed this week’s topic down a little to a recent book that I’m dying to see turned into a film but has not yet been optioned so far as I know.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon was a science fiction novella written about the descendants of pregnant African slaves who were thrown overboard into the ocean as the slave ships sailed to the Americas. (My review of it is here).

The main character, Yetu, lived in a mermaid-like society that chose one member to carry all of their ancestral memories of those events and how the survivors built a new life for themselves on the ocean floor. Being assigned this role was an honour but also a burden.

While there were definitely heavy scenes to read given the references in it to slavery, murder, and the impacts of intergenerational trauma, I loved what this novella had to say about making peace with the past and finding hope in your current circumstances. It also did a wonderful job showing why it’s important to seek out supportive, kind people wherever you may find them who are willing to listen and help during tough times.

This story would be the perfect show to watch in today’s social climate for teens and adults.

An ocean wave curling in on itselfThere weren’t a ton of characters in this novella in general because of how short it was and how much time was spent on flashbacks of the past.

Some of my favourite characters who showed up later on in the plot are too wrapped up in spoilers for me to include here.

I will share actress ideas for two of the main characters who I think would be great for those roles below.

 

Yetu was the main character. She was an intelligent young woman who was roughly in her teens when the events of this tale took place. She was quite nervous about taking on such a huge responsibility and honestly didn’t want it.

I think Coco Jones would be a fantastic Yetu.

 

Amaba was Yetu’s mother. She was a well-respected woman in her community who cared deeply what others thought of her. Her daughter’s success (or failure) would have enormous repercussions on Amaba’s social standing for many years to come.

I’d love to see Danai Gurira play Amaba.

 

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June 1, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Gifs

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

My creative muscles weren’t as strong as usual for this freebie post. I decided to go with something lighthearted and fun: bookish gifs.

 

Captain Picard sitting in a lounge chair in the sun. He says "All I require is the sit in the sune and read my book. Alone."

Honestly, I can’t blame Captain Picard for this one bit. I’d do the same thing in the Holodeck!

 

Homer Simpson holding his head and screaming. Caption says "that moment when you drop your book in the bath."

 

It’s been years since I did this, but I still shudder at the memory. I hope all of you have kept your books safe, too.

 

Animated character reading a book that says "pretending to be normal"

I have no idea where this one is from, but I love it.

 

Donald Duck reading a book. As he looks away, black claws emerge from the book to grab him.

I loved Donald Duck as a kid, but this scene would have scared me if I’d seen this particular episode.

 

Kitten pouncing when person tries to turn page. Caption says "Stop! I Haven't Finished Reading Yet!"

Ignore the typo in this gif and listen to a funny story. I once tried reading a book with a friend when we were in middle school. We read at different speeds, so I’d get bored and she’d get frustrated. It was a short-lived experiment.

 

Man saying "I'm going to be a big-time blogger."

May we all get there someday.

 

Gif of baby crying when the last page of a book is closed.

This poor baby doesn’t want story time to end. Can you blame him?

 

Woman smiling as she puts a book down

There’s nothing like finishing an immensely satisfying story.

 

I can’t stop giggling at this. I am more forgiving of the occasional typo than Bert apparently is, though.

What are your favourite bookish gifs or memes? 

 

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May 26, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Fantasy Vacation

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

A large mountain next to a sandy beach. there is a rainbow in the dark sky above and seagulls looking for food where the tide has gone outThe photo I included in today’s post is of a fantasy world. If only it were real!

My perfect vacation would include plenty of time out in nature, especially if it involved beaches and mountains. It would be marvellous to be somewhere that made it possible for both of these things to happen in the same day.

Nature is incredibly soothing to me. I love hearing the tide lap up against the shore or leaves rustle in the wind.

There’s nothing like seeing the majesty of sharp mountain peaks reaching up to the sky after hiking for an hour or two.

Ideally, I’d convince my parents, siblings, sister-in-law, and nephews to join my spouse and I on this trip. I’m quite lucky to have a family that all gets along with each other well. We could rent a couple of houses next door to each other so everyone could find the perfect balance of alone time and family time since many of us are introverts!

What would I do during this trip?

  • Build sand castles with my nephews and whomever else wants to join in
  • Swim
  • Hike
  • Create Land Art from leaves, rocks, shells, and other natural materials
  • Eat whatever delicious meals my sister-in-law made because she loves to cook and is wonderful at it
  • Splurge on a professional massage one day
  • Sing or share stories around a bonfire at night
  • Laugh at old funny family stories
  • Nap (Vacation naps are the best ones ever!)
  • Visit nearby historical sites or museums with likeminded relatives
  • Have an alcoholic beverage or two. I virtually never drink, but sometimes the family will recommend or make something sweet that I enjoy a little bit of

In my experience, the best vacations are the simple ones that you allow to unfold as they will. There’s no need to spend a ton of money on specific excursions or events every day to make me happy.

 

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May 25, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: LGBT+ Book Quotes

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Pride month is just around the corner. Since all in-person events for Toronto’s Pride events have been cancelled again this year thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, I decided to start the celebration a little early here instead. May it be safe for us to celebrate in person next year!

 

“The single best thing about coming out of the closet is that nobody can insult you by telling you what you’ve just told them.”
― Rachel Maddow

 

“Race, gender, religion, sexuality, we are all people and that’s it. We’re all people. We’re all equal.”
― Connor Franta

 

“But this is your life, and it will stretch out before you, and you are the only person who can make it whatever you want it to be.”
― Christina Lauren, Autoboyography

 

“Rainbows are gay space lasers. That’s why they’re not straight.”
― Oliver Markus Malloy, Introvert Comics: Inside The Mind of an Introvert

 

“Being different is what makes us fun, remember?”
― Maulik Pancholy, The Best at It

White piece of cloth that has a rainbow and the phrase "love is love" painted on it.

 

“But you can have more than one family. You can choose your family.”
― Phil Stamper, As Far As You’ll Take Me

 

“She’s happy with who she is. Maybe it’s not the heteronormative dream that she grew up wishing for, but… knowing who you are and loving yourself is so much better than that, I think.”
― Alice Oseman, Loveless

 

“We all have our own unique place in the infinite gender universe.”
― Ashley Mardell, The ABC’s of LGBT+

 

“The joy of discovery is one of the biggest pleasures you’ll ever know.”
― Samra Habib, We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir

 

“In conversation with one of his friends, the openly gay Dr. William Hirsch, Fred Rogers himself concluded that if sexuality was measured on a scale of one to ten: ‘Well, you know, I must be right smack in the middle. Because I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive.”
― Maxwell King, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

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May 19, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Recent Topics I’ve Googled

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Cartoon character holding a magnifying glass and peering through itI love this topic! Here are some things I’ve recently googled and why I looked them up online.

Do pigeons recognize individual humans? 

As you all know, I like to say good morning or good evening to the pigeons who live in my neighbourhood when I pass by them.

I sometimes wonder if they recognize the friendly human who greets them so often.

Yes, it turns out they can recognize individuals.

Isn’t that neat?

 

Signs of a migraine attack

Best ice pack for migraine 

I’ve had occasional but horrid headaches for years. It was during a conversation with a relative who has the same issue recently that I realized my headaches might actually be migraines.

This is something I plan to discuss in detail with my family doctor the next time I have a checkup. In the meantime, I’ve been researching steps I can take to help reduce their frequency, predict when they’re about to happen, and numb the pain without opioids.

(This is in no way a judgement of people who need them, by the way. I’m simply cautious about taking any new medications for a laundry list of reasons that would derail the purpose of this post).

 

How did Victorians make ice cream?

On a more cheerful note, I recently watched a long video called How the Victorians Made Their Exquisite Ice Cream and was curious to learn more about the process as well as what flavours were popular in the 1800s. Imagine spending 5 hours making cucumber ice cream! I think I’ll stick to mint chocolate chip, but kudos to previous generations for trying everything under the sun.

 

Is Harry Potter cheugy? 

I learned about this teen/Generation Z slang term from a recent comedic music video.

Cheugy refers to things that are off-trend and out of date. Some sites say that owning Harry Potter merchandise and/or being too into the franchise in general is cheugy now because that’s only for “old” folks. I can’t stop giggling at that idea.

 

 

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May 18, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Smartphone near an empty notebook and pen. All items are sitting on a white and grey striped blanket. What a creative topic for this week! I’d never thought about book titles that also happen to be complete sentences before.

How easy did you find this prompt? Once I got into the groove of it, I compiled this list pretty easily.

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

3. All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy

4. Please Don’t Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr

5. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menéndez

6. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

7. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

8. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

9. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

10. Please Look After Mom  by Shin Kyung-sook

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May 12, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Favourite Indulgence

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Shar pei dog getting a face massage. This entire post could be summed up into one word: massages.

There is nothing I enjoy more than getting a gentle massage from someone who has a lot of experience giving them.

It’s one of the most relaxing things I can possibly imagine. I carry tension in my back and shoulders that sometimes translates into pain, so it’s glorious to have all of those knots gently loosened and sorted out.

Years ago, there was a massage studio somewhat close to my house that offered back massages at a pretty reasonable rate.

They’ve since closed, but I will be keeping an eye out for future massage opportunities once this pandemic has ended and it’s safe to get them again.

(And, no, that isn’t my dog in the photo in today’s post. I simply wanted to share a photo related to massage that was G-rated for anyone who reads this at work. Some of the massage photos on stock photo sites can be a little risqué!)

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May 11, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Mountains on Their Covers

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A mountain half bathed in evening sunlight. It is reflected in a perfectly-still lake at the foot of the mountain. Mountains are one of my favourite natural settings to find on book covers. They’re so majestic and breathtaking!

I spent part of my childhood living right next to a large mountain range, so they also bring up happy memories from those years.

There’s nothing like being nestled right next to the mountains.  You get so much snow in the winter, and the summers are nice and mild as well.

Here are ten beautiful covers that include mountains on them.

This list turned out to have more North American mountains on it than I was originally intending to include. If you know of beautiful book covers about mountain ranges in other parts of the world, I’d love to hear about them.

The Mountains That Remade America- How Sierra Nevada Geology Impacts Modern Life by Craig H Jones book cover. Image on cover shows a mountain in Nevada that's right next to a highway

1. The Mountains That Remade America: How Sierra Nevada Geology Impacts Modern Life
by Craig H Jones

The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti book cover. Image on cover is a photo of snow-covered mountains.

2. The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti

Everest- Mountain without Mercy by Broughton Coburn book cover. Image on cover shows sun setting on Mount Everest.

3. Everest: Mountain without Mercy by Broughton Coburn

Annapurna- The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak by Maurice Herzog book cover. Image on cover shows sun setting on Annapurna mountain peak.

4. Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak by Maurice Herzog

Uluru- Australia's Aboriginal Heart by Caroline Arnold book cover. Image on cover shows Mount Uluru in all of it's red, dusty glory.

5. Uluru: Australia’s Aboriginal Heart by Caroline Arnold

Walking in the Caucasus - Georgia by Peter Nasmyth book cover. Image on cover shows mountain covered in clouds and snow peeking above a thick forest of pine trees.

6. Walking in the Caucasus – Georgia by Peter Nasmyth

Adirondacks- Views of An American Wilderness by Carl E. Heilman II book cover. Image on cover is panoramic shot from a mountaintop to the lush forest and lake below.

7. Adirondacks: Views of An American Wilderness by Carl E. Heilman II

If Mountains Die- A New Mexico Memoir by John Nichols book cover. Image on cover shows stormy clouds passing over mountains bathed in red evening light.

8. If Mountains Die: A New Mexico Memoir by John Nichols\

Hannibal's March- Alps and Elephants by Gavin de Beer book cover. Image on cover is a painting of the Alps in spring when some snow still remains on them.

9. Hannibal’s March: Alps and Elephants by Gavin de Beer

The Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner book cover. Image on cover is of a mountain stream filled with water rushing over the many rocks in it.

10. The Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner

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May 5, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Fictional Characters I’d Love to Meet and Why

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Two people hugging sideways as they stand on the side of a cliff at sunset and look at the peaceful forest below them.This was one of those topics I could discuss for hours. If any of us ever meet in person, ask me this question if you want to see me poke my head out of my shell! (I’m often a little quiet and shy at first with new people).

Character: Anne Shirley from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series

Why: I adore it when talkative, extroverted people make the first gesture of friendship, especially when they’re as personable as Anne. Our personalities couldn’t be more different from each other, but our shared love of books and baked goods would give us all sorts of things to discuss.

 

Character: Sankofa­­ from Nnedi Okorafor’s Remote Control. (My review is here).

Why: She’s the sort of character who needs friends who move slowly and are highly respectful of her boundaries. I’m excellent at both of those things. It would be cool to have a chance to ask her about how her powers work and what she plans to do next in her life.

 

Character: Yetu from Rivers Solomon’s The Deep (My review is here).

Why: Our personalities are so similar! We’re both quiet, easygoing folks who enjoy learning new things and exploring. There’s definitely something to be said for companionable silence sometimes. Maybe she could teach me some new swimming strokes, too.

 

Character: The hobbits and the Entwives from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.

Why: Honestly, who wouldn’t want to have a dinner party with hobbits? They’re peace-loving, jolly, and kind folks who are also fantastic cooks. I’d want to meet the Entwives because I’ve wondered what really happened to them ever since I read this series. In my opinion, they survived and eventually reunited with their husbands, sons, brothers, and other male relatives.

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