-Read 24 books for the Mount TBR 2021 challenge.
I read two:
“Dear Scarlet: The Story of my Postpartum Depression” by Teresa Wong
and
“Der Erste Tag Vom Rest Meines Lebens” by Lorenzo Marone
Click here to read about them.
-Read 12 nature related books to enhance my horticultural therapy study.
I finally finished my first course, and with it my textbook written by Mitchell Hewson.
-Read 12 books that are either memoir, poetry, or soul books.
I read three.
“the lost spells” by Robert Macfarlane; illustrated by Jackie Morris
This, a companion book to “The Lost Words”, is meant to be spoken aloud. The pictures are as gorgeous as the words. This is one book that I will buy as gifts for people.
Click here for a taste.
“If I Knew Then: Finding wisdom in failure and power in aging” by Jann Arden
I love this memoir. Arden writes like she is talking to you as a best friend, which makes it a pleasurable read. A lot of the book is about embracing your cronehood—something I wholeheartedly agree with—but also about Arden’s past as the daughter of an alcoholic father and an alcoholic herself.
Favourite quotes:
On her dad:
“I am starting to forgive him for being absent, even for being mad all the time. I realize now that he wasn’t mad at us kids or at Mom; he was mad at his own life. “
and
“Sometimes the devil you don’t know isn’t as bad as the devil you do know, and I will never let anybody tell me any different.”
“The Reason I Jump” by Naoki Higashida
A fascinating, much needed, and rather poetically written look into the mind of an autistic teenager, written by a 13 year old autistic boy.
As someone studying horticultural therapy, I appreciated the following passages:
“… our fondness for nature is, I think, a little bit different from everyone else’s. I’m guessing that what touches you in nature is the beauty of the trees and the flowers and things. But to us people with special needs, nature is as important as our own lives. The reason is that when we look at nature, we receive a sort of permission to be alive in this world, and our entire bodies get recharged. However often we’re ignored and pushed away by other people, nature will always give us a good big hug, here inside our hearts.
“…nature is always there at hand to wrap us up, gently: glowing, swaying, bubbling, rustling…You might think that it’s not possible that nature could be a friend, not really. But human beings are part of the animal kingdom too, and perhaps us people with autism still have some leftover awareness of this, buried somewhere deep down.”
Higashida also writes his own stories, and I really love his story called “The Black Crow and the White Dove”.
I had no idea that the book had been turned into a movie!
-Work on my writing 15 minutes a day.
Done!
-Read 3 creative nonfiction essays a week.
Done!
Here are my favourites:
“We all have privilege to some degree. What we do with it matters.” by Taslim Jaffer
Favourite quote:
“As a brown Muslim woman, I have been the butt of jokes, the target of overtly racist comments and on the receiving end of microaggressions that prick like tiny needles but nonetheless leave scars.
But I also go unseen in other situations. Like when I am fair enough to escape colourism or when my Muslim identity isn’t obvious because I don’t wear a hijab. Or, like in the case with the clerk casually referring to the “China virus,” I am not the racial group being targeted.
In those circumstances, I am privileged enough to decide to say something or not.”
“I lost my mother. This is how I know when she’s with me” by Kandace Chapple
Do you have a sign from a departed loved one? When I see a feather, I associate it with my mom.
“The Covid-19 pandemic may be an opportunity to transform the way we live” by
David Suzuki
Favourite quote:
“In this moment of crisis, we should be asking what an economy is for, whether there are limits, how much is enough and whether we are happier with all this stuff.
Can we relearn what humanity has known since our very beginnings — that we live in a complex web of relationships in which our very survival and well-being depend upon clean air, water and soil, sunlight (photosynthesis) and the diversity of species of plants and animals that we share this planet with?
Can we establish a far more modest agenda for ourselves filled with reverence for the rest of creation?
Or will we celebrate the passing of the pandemic with an orgy of consumption and a drive to get back to the way things were before the crisis?”
“How Not to Get Kidnapped: a Suggestive Guide” by Meredith Town
I really enjoyed this hilarious essay.
“Gliding Toward the Sun, an Essay on Cross-Country Skiing” by Kandace Chapple
Favourite part:
“I skated two full strides and figured I was above water over my head. Few swam in these waters even in the hottest days of July because it would mean bringing out a souvenir leech between the toes. It was just as well. Lake Dubonnet is a lake’s lake—all business, no play. The shores housed a thick racket of brush and trees for birds and deer and coyote. The water bred mosquitoes and bluegill and bass. I loved the lake for its solitude. Not once had I come here to find I couldn’t hear the silence on the other side of the lake.”
-Read 5 picture books per month
Done!
My favourites:
“A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart” by Zetta Elliot; illustrated by Noa Denmon
A Black child explores his emotions over the year, and the emotions include joy, fear, anger, pride, and peace.
“Ten Ways to Hear Snow” by Cathy Camper; illustrated by Kenard Pak
On the way to her grandmother’s house to help make a meal, Lina discovers several different ways to listen to snow.
-Submit one story to a contest per season.
I am still working on my synopsis for the CANSCAIP contest.
-Attend one writing webinar per month.
“Fresh Stories for a New World: Finding Your Stories Through a Practice of Side Writing” with Karen Krossing (SCBWI)
Natalie Goldberg on her new haiku book (Geneen Roth)
-Work on one lesson of a writing course per month.
Alas, I did not do this.
-Attend a writing group session per week.
I attended at least one per week, usually two.
-Blog at least twice a month.
I didn’t blog twice last month, but I have already blogged three times this month.
-Weekly treasure:
Challenges:
100 days
I have done it! I have completed reading my German book! Yay me.
Since the 100 days challenge is not over, I have started a new book written in German, but even after the challenge is done, I’m going to keep reading one book I really want to read but find intimidating using the just two pages a day method.
HaikuForTwo
I wrote two, one from “the lost spells” and the other from “The Reason I Jump”.
Shoe’s Seeds & Stories
@Copyright 2021 Linda Schueler
Shoe's Seeds & Stories 