Today we have a guest! It’s J.A. Konrath (Joe), author of soon-to-be-released horror novel Afraid and of the Lt. Jack Daniels mystery series (Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, etc.). Joe is on a blog book tour to promote Afraid, which I’m looking forward to reading. Here’s a blurb from Joe’s newsletter: Welcome to Safe Haven, Wisconsin. [...]
books
I usually stay away from blog gimmicks that are designed to increase traffic. I don’t do those 25-things-type memes (which have been around for several years; I used to have a text widget on my blog stating “I don’t do memes”). I’m not interested in blog carnivals — I barely understand them anyway. But I [...]
I’m still reading The Mindful Way Through Depression. I’ve finally realized that I don’t have to work through the various exercises while I’m reading, which is what I’ve been doing. There’s actually a program outline to follow at the end of the book, which takes you through a therapeutic progression of the different mindfulness techniques [...]
Tags: depression, mindfulness
It’s a gray, damp, cloudy sort of Sunday afternoon, so of course we went to the library. Yes, in Portland, the library is open on Sunday. The Gresham, Hollywood, Hillsdale, and Midland branches are open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Why? Because we’re readers in Portland. There are statistics about it, which I’m not [...]
Oscar the Pig: Mommy Goes to Work, by Megan Calhoun, is a picture book for younger children intended to help them deal with separation anxiety. The book opens with Oscar contemplating his mother’s impending departure for work, which is a new experience for him. “Who will take care of him? Will she come home? Does [...]
It’s really not surprising that I’d be depressed right now. I’ve showed signs of depression since I was a teenager. Having children intensified it to the point that I began taking medication regularly and seeking counseling periodically (according to the National Institutes of Health, postpartum depression affects 10-15% of women who give birth, while 50-80% [...]
I’ve usually got at least two books going at once — a novel for bedtime and fun, and some sort of non-fiction book. This week, I finished one of each, and in each I found a quotable quote that I really wanted to share. The first is from The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon. [...]
