Resources for Free Reading Material During Quarantine [Updated: 3/31]

Obviously, a global pandemic has always been a threat, but COVID-19 seems to have just caught everyone off-guard with how terrible it's been. It's scary, and people are struggling with being laid-off or losing their jobs, being quarantined, having to homeschool their children and deal with so many other stressful situations right now. One of…

An Example of What Bipolar Disorder is Like

At least as far back as high school, I've dealt with severe depression, anxiety, and mood changes, but it wasn't until this past year that I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The diagnosis didn't lead to a cure for the disorder since there isn't one, but it's allowed me to notice the symptoms and…

A Brief Guide to Mindfulness Meditation

Meditation is a relatively easy and completely free activity that has an incredible effect on your moods, anxiety, and stress levels. I discovered this about a decade ago, during a challenging summer when I was really depressed and randomly picked up a few books on Buddhism and meditation to read. A few years later, I…

Autumn Colored Books – #SixforSunday

This is the second time this month that I've discovered weekly prompts hosted by other book bloggers. I love that this is a thing and will take any chance I get to participate in the bookish community. This morning I was reading Sarah Withers Blogs and came across her list of autumn-colored books. The post…

10 Fantasy Series I Want to Read

Fantasy has been my favorite genre of literature since I was a child. I love whimsy, new worlds, magic, swords, and so many other classic elements of fantasy. It's the genre that I read most frequently, but there are so many fantasy series that I still need to read. Here are the ten that I'm most excited about!…

How Two Little Comments Destroyed Me

I've written before about how I have a speech impediment, specifically a lisp and rhotacism. I wanted to talk a little bit more about that today, and about how two little comments led to my becoming severely depressed. While I did experience some bullying about the way I talk in middle school, I didn't encounter…

Roadtrip Books to Satisfy Your Summer Wanderlust

It's July, which means that summer is in full swing here in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer is a time when most people start to feel at least a bit of wanderlust. Road trips, vacations, summer break - it's all about getting away, relaxing, and living your best life. Today, we're focusing on road trips. Road…

Why You Should Declutter Your Digital Life

In today's society, it feels like we're expected to be on top of everything - from the best new bands to current events to all the new book releases coming out. There's so much going on around us, however, that it's easy to get lost in all of the digital noise. The first time I…

The Five Best Adult Magical Realism Books

Magical realism is a genre that creates a bridge between reality and the slightly whimsical. It differs from genres such as fantasy and science fiction by being firmly planted in our world, our reality. In magical realism, we recognize the world in which the story takes place, but there's an element that is slightly unusual or magical.…

Is Your Anxiety Harming Your Relationships?

I read this amazing article on the blog Wit & Delight today, written by Jackie Saffert. It made me reflect on my past relationships and how I reacted to the failure of those relationships. Jackie Saffert writes about her own relationships and personal issues with anxiety, It wasn’t until a week later that I understood…

My Love/Hate Relationship with Audiobooks

Until recently, I only read physical books or ebooks. The few times I'd attempted to listen to audiobooks were disastrous, and within a few chapters I'd give up on it entirely. It baffled me a bit - after all, I love podcasts and audiobooks aren't that different. For whatever reason, however, I found that I…