Tag: fantasy

New Directions, Graduating Therapy!

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I know I said this before, but I’m going in a new direction on this blog.

I have learned a lot and graduated from therapy, and I (maybe paradoxically) no longer feel like I have the expertise to advise anyone in mental health. While I had a lot of KNOWLEDGE about mental health (and especially dissociation), it wasn’t the same as wisdom. Obviously, graduating from therapy doesn’t mean that I am perfect, but I am definitely capable of putting into practice what I have learned– which is mainly that we need to feel our repressed feelings. Mine is generally anger. Even if I struggle, I usually have a much better sense of what exactly I’m upset about, which used to be a big hurdle for me. I would often feel nebulously Upset and be unable to figure out why or what to do about it. Even just figuring out the truth about my emotions and their roots can be powerful, and often neutralizes the emotional problem.

I said before that I wanted to write about masculinity, from the perspective of a trans guy. (Not necessarily the same as writing about being trans.) However, I am not the expert on that either.

So what direction AM I taking?

I’m going to write about whatever I’m thinking about. As someone who used to be a professional writer, I always think that I have to be monetize-able and professional on my blog. Fuck that. That doesn’t mean, however, that I am going to use this as a public diary. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but I am more interested in sharing my thoughts than my feelings. I do a lot of reading and research and I’m interested in sharing that.

Lately, most of what I’ve been thinking about is witchcraft and paganism. If that is something you’d like to read about, stick around!

I’m also going to grad school in January 2024 so I’m sure I’ll have lots of thoughts to share then. My major will be Library Science. I’ve been working in libraries for a total of like 7 years, so I feel pretty qualified to move up; I just need the degree.

Currently Reading: Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (a re-read of a favorite!)

“What We Harvest” Book Review

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Title: What We Harvest

Author: Ann Fraistat

Publication Year: 2022

Summary: Wren is a teenage girl in an idyllic town, which has become a disaster zone because of a mysterious Blight that has spread among its supernaturally unique farms. The Blight behaves curiously like quicksilver, but turns its victims into vicious, rotting creatures. She’s desperately trying to save everything and everyone she’s ever known and loved, but how?

What I Liked:

  • This book had nothing extraneous in it. Every single detail came back around into importance, and all the loose ends were tied up by the conclusion. Not a single word was out of place. It was expertly plotted and I am very impressed.
  • The central romance! It was straight, but it was really sweet. It didn’t feel like other romances that are contrived or fundamentally incompatible. You can tell that the characters really care about each other because they prove it through their actions. Side note: there IS another, gayer relationship in the book that I also really liked.
  • It dealt with the themes of climate change and white supremacy without ever explicitly mentioning either of those things AND without creating an allegory that was too heavy-handed. I felt the handling of the themes was masterfully done!
  • It was definitely YA horror, but it was not nihilistic and therefore a very enjoyable read. The romance and Wren’s ceaseless work towards ending the Blight both provided a much-needed measure of hope amid the horror.
  • It’s not a series! I love speculative fiction but I am so over waiting for the next book to come out and forgetting all the details in the process. This title wraps up completely at the end, which was refreshing!
  • The exposition was handled deftly. Because the book starts in the middle of the action, readers have to rely on flashbacks to understand the plot and also the central romance. However, these flashbacks were sprinkled in delicately and with discernment.
  • Claudette! I don’t want to spoil anything, but she was my favorite character.
  • The cover is absolutely gorgeous.

What I Didn’t Like:

  • The pacing made sense, as the book takes place in a disaster zone within two days, but it was really ceaseless in its intensity. This is not a good choice for bedtime reading. If you don’t mind that, then you should definitely pick up this book.
  • I found the ending to be a little rushed and confusing, but maybe I was just so on-the-edge-of-my-seat that I was the one rushing.

Star Rating: 4/5 STARS