Cattitude

This is Bug. But is a black polydactyl cat who is very LOUD. If you look in the picture you can see her thumbs which are her extra toes. I laugh at how tiny she is but her paws look giant.

She also had no problem climbing on whatever she pleases. She owns the space and the humans are only borrowing it from her. She loves to climb but hates to be held and will yell at you. She also is very particular and likes to have the curtains and blinds opened up for her in the morning or she will let you know exactly what she thinks of the type of service she is receiving. She likes structure and has a schedule. She wants her breakfast in the morning around 6-7am and will let you know when you are late.

She lately has discovered cat treats and now begs for them and has conned us out of many. She is also particular about where she eats them. She has a specific box with all her toys and some soft bedding that she eats them out of or her little cat house. Not from the floor.

Bug is eccentric and a bit of an oddball and very loud but I love her.

Judging a Book by Its Cover

I will admit that I do judge books by their cover. People try to tell you not to and that it is the story that matters but I disagree and so does Jenna Moreci, and since she is a published author and done her own marketing I assume she knows what she is talking about. She talks about cover art in her video Tips for a Successful Book Cover. She talks about it specifically from a marketing perspective. I am going to talk about cover are from a consumer perspective.

Typically I use the cover to give me an idea of the genre. I assume this is part of marketing that I have come to recognize certain elements are in the covers of mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. Some books are blends of genre's and their cover are reflects that and again I use the cover art to decide if it is something I would be interested in reading.

I will admit that if a book looks like it has some dramatic and sappy romance I typically don't pick it up. Not because I hate romance. I actually quite in enjoy romance but not as the sole plot of a book. I enjoy romance as an addition. Now I have a picture example in my post. People were recommending this book A Great and Terrible Beauty but the cover kept putting me off. To be frank the cover reminds me of a bodice ripper romance. I ended up actually enjoying the book and while I would say there is some kind of romance starting possibly it was unclear actually.

All this is to say that book covers are actually really important to me and while I generally try to not judge books by their cover I do. When a cover is beautiful and the art well-done to represent the story it is incredibly satisfying.

Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo

If you had told me that this book was written by Rick Riordan and set in the Percy Jackson universe I would have believed you. It felt like a Percy Jackson book and that is probably what I loved most about. Personally, I like to pretend that Wonder Woman is in the same universe as Percy Jackson.

The story is fast paced and moves quickly and told from two perspectives. I think I might have preferred the story to be told entirely from Diana's perspective but I understand why the author chose to tell it from not just hers. We get an outside perspective on Diana and how others see her and that does add some character depth and in the end, did help me to have a better picture of her.

The plot twist was unexpected and there were several unexpected plot twists. I think as far as a feminists perspective there is a diversity of characters and representation. I am not sure there were any particularly strong feminist themes in the novel but I do think it deserves to be on a list of feminist books because there are several female main characters and they are all well written and not just two dimensional.

I honestly wish there was a sequel to this book with another story from Wonder Woman. I want to know if Diana's home struggles are resolved.

Enjoying a Moment With a Book

Reading is part of my self-care but sometimes I want a little extra to take a moment and just exists. Not just to veg on a book but to really savor it. Sometimes I do this by making a cup of my favorite tea and finding a nice cozy place to curl up with the book other times I buy nice chocolates from a candy shop at the mall and enjoy them with my tea and book. I wish these moments happened more often but I am often too busy with work and now grad school that it is all I can do to get in a few chapters of reading. Sometimes my self-care is just reading a chapter or two before I fall asleep.

I think I sometimes feel guilty as a read that I don't read as many books as other readers do. That I am much slower at reading and so cannot read half a book in an hour. I am dyslexic and I have learned how to adapt well but I need to take my time. I have learned to accept that I am not a speed reader but I know I retain the plot and information I read well so perhaps it is not so bad. I am also learning to be okay with the fact that my life is just in a place where sitting for hours reading a book isn't practical. I have work and school now on top of other life obligations. I struggle with comparing myself to other readers and I need to learn to not compare. I am me and I read the way I read and it doesn't make me any less of a reader or bookish person.

Saint Xenia

Saint Xenia of Petersberg lived in Russian in the 18th century. She was widowed at a young age of 26. In her grief, she distributed all her possessions to the poor and took up the holy life. After her husband's death, she centered her life around God and turned to him for all protection and comfort. She placed the kingdom of heaven before all earthly things. Many people sought to receive blessings from her and mothers always wanted her to kiss their children. She is also said to have had the gift of clairvoyance. She departed this life at the age of 71.

Many people pray to Saint Xenia for things related to marriage, work, homelessness, missing children, and a spouse.

I have given credit to Saint Xenia's prayers for many of the work and job opportunities I have had in my life. Whenever I have been struggling with finding a job or trying to decide if I should take a position or not I pray to her and ask for her intercessions.

Saint Xenia is commemorated on September 11th.

Blood, Water, Paint by Joy McCullough

Have you ever read a book that made you feel so much that you want to cry? You feel so passionately about the story and characters that you cannot express? You want to share with others but don't know how? That is what Blood, Water, Paint is for me.

I knew Artemesia's story as I had listened to several podcasts about her life. One from The History Chicks podcast and the other is a podcast from Art Curious that focuses on Artemesia's most famous painting, Judith Slaying Holofernes. I knew the basic plot since the book is told from Artemesia's perspective. I was not prepared for how unapologetically feminist this book was. It took my breath away.

 This book is told primarily through poetry. The sections in poetry are from Artemesia's perspective but there are sections that are in prose. I believe the prose sections are flashes to the past of Artemesia's mother retelling the stories of Suzana and Judith from the Bible. These are not retellings that follow the exact Biblical text but rather a feminist retelling of them. I find it interesting how Suzana and Judith are both stories from the old testament Apocrypha or rather Apocryphal for Protestants. These books are in the Orthodox and Catholic Bibles. 

I want to talk about Suzana and Judith and Artemesia relates to them. For Susana she feels little control over her situation and is taken advantage of by the men around her and her life is controlled by them. Judith takes control of her life she doesn't let men control and destroy her and I don't really feel that Suzana does either but to me the two figures seem to contrast. They are characters through which Artemesia processes what happened to her and understands her life.

Overall I don't think I could ever express my depth of love for this book. I originally checked it out from the library but I will be purchasing a copy to keep forever.

A Year in Books

This year in books summary from Good Reads is pretty cool. I like seeing how many total pages I read which were the shortest and longest books I read and also which were most popular. I will admit that I am not surprised that Middle March is the longest. It was a 35-hour long audiobook on Audible. I which Goodreads had a way that you could say you were listening to audiobooks on your currently reading.

I am also not surprised that 101 Careers in Social Work is the least popular book I read. I read it on a plane ride while I was applying to grad school so that I could have a better idea of what kind of social work I wanted to go into. I am surprised that The Night Circus is the most popular. I read many popular books last year and would have expected Six of Crows to be on the most popular.

Have any of you checked out your year in books from Goodreads? Anything interesting that you found out?

In Reflection & Resolutions

2018 was a long year with many ups and downs. I have had 3 different jobs in the past year. I got accepted to grad school and came to a head with my own mental health and anxiety. I also completed my first quarter of grad school. However, all that being said I think I am the stronger for it. I feel more confident as an individual and stronger in who I am.

I am not one to make New Year's resolutions. I find that they tend to make me feel guilty and that is more counterproductive. I think the closest to a New Year's resolution I get is my good reads reading goal. However, I think making goals for a new year is productive. Such as my goal to buy a car this year, complete my first year of grad school, read more daily devotionals, and pray more. I prefer goals to resolutions. Goals sound more attainable and flexible while resolutions sound stiff and ridged. I also find that in a year so much can change that a resolution you made may be completely impractical halfway through the year. I can make goals that are short term and long term and also be flexible with the dates for them.

Which do you prefer? Goals or resolutions? If you make resolutions or goals what are some of yours?