Library Talks

Hi, loves! Happy Wednesday. It's so cold here today--tights, arm warmers, and scarf weather--and I'm busy in the school library where all the books are. "Library-ing," I think, is my new favorite hobby.

library-ing [verb]: to journey through the aisles of a library on a quest for interesting book titles, tragic romances, beautiful anthologies, and anything else that might suit your fancy

I know I've written about this before, but since coming to college, the library universe that is available to me has grown significantly.  The high school library was wonderful, but it didn't have the same old-book feeling that the college one does.  The sheer number of books is  somewhat overwhelming at first, but it's motivated me to learn the library's catalog system (still working on it!), and I highly recommend library-ing to anyone who's in the need of a cheer-up or a mental health break. Recent library-ing finds include The Awful Rowing Toward God by Anne Sexton, which includes some of the most magical and tortured poems I've ever read, and Women Saints of East and West by Swami Ghanananda and John Steward-Wallace, which covers saints like Brigid of Kildare.

Anne Sexton (image: Wikipedia)

\From The Awful Rowing Toward God:

“Maybe I am becoming a hermit,opening the door for onlya few special animals?Maybe my skull is too crowdedand it has no opening through whichto feed it soup?” 

St. Brigid of Kildare (image: Wikipedia)

One of the best things about library-ing is that it helps encourage writing.  When we read books and stories, we strengthen our ability to empathize with others and put ourselves in different mindsets, and this in turn helps us to write.  A creativity-boosting writing activity to try is free writing.  Just open a notebook and write whatever comes to mind--fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose--and try not to "edit" yourself as you go.  See where the words take you! 

What books have you discovered recently?  Stay warm today! 

<3 Frances

P.S. On a non-bibliophile note, I want to offer my sincerest prayers for anyone who is suffering today.  There was a mass shooting in California, and there was a major earthquake in Iran, and I'm thinking of everyone who is experiencing loss or tragedy. Know that my heart is with you. <3 <3 <3 <3

November Lately

A birthday, a change in seasons, an extra hour, a few midterms, unbelievable tragedies, and a few signs of hope . . . all these things have happened since I last posted anything, and now, a little over a week into being 19, I'm hoping to get out of my "write everything in my head and never on paper" phase.  Writing in your head is great, but it's even better sometimes to actually translate those thoughts into real words.  (That said, I'm studying for a history test right now, too, so many of my thoughts are currently ancient civilizations-related. Stay tuned for a post on Gilgamesh.)
Anyway, I suppose it goes without saying that it's November. (Yay, the month that connects Christmas to Halloween!)  Here are a few of the things we've been extra excited about this month:

• Stranger Things
• I've never binged a show before, but over the summer, after coming home from my nana's funeral, I may have binged this with my mum and brother.  Maybe.  (Okay, yes, definitely!) But how couldn't I have?  Winona Ryder's Joyce Byers is one of the best television mothers ever, and Steve and Dustin are #friendshipgoals.

• The Book Thief
• I'm kind of "behind" with this one, seeing as the book came out in 2005, but if you haven't read it, please do! It's narrated by Death, it's set in World War II, and it's interspersed with Wes Anderson-esque asides revealing things about characters that only Death would be able to tell you.
• Yoga and Pilates
• Once upon a [very recent] time, I was a cardio junkie. Intense HIIT-type exercises an lots of running can release edorphins and make you feel like you've "hit the wall," but that isn't always the best thing when you're long-term goal is to reduce anxiety and be a more relaxed person! For now, I'm moving on from these sorts of hardcore activities and embracing yoga and Pilates. I love dancing, and I'll admit to having played around during a dance video the other day, but, when I do feel like "movement," I think that yoga/Pilates movements are the most beneficial choices. Everyone is different.  Magazines and websites will always make it look like you need to "go hard or go home," with thinspo and fitspo preaching extreme fitness, but that's really not the case.  Just find a sustainable way to relax and feel happy!  If you're into yoga or Pilates, know that I'm excited about 1) being able to get my palms to the mat when reaching for my toes and 2) looking like a graceful ballerina while attempting plies.
• Patrick Watson
• This is my brother's new favorite musician, and he's brilliant.  His song "Big Bird in a Small Cage" is tragic and beautiful and perfect. 

 

 

Sending love and the Force for everyone!  Happy Veterans Day, too. Many of my family members have served, and we're all thinking of those who have made sacrifices. 

<3 Frances