Life and Things
It’s been a quiet week, for the most part. Sunday (April 1st) is my birthday, and I’ve been rather broody through the week. I’m reaching the midpoint of my life, theoretically, and fast approaching the tipping point where I will have been one-eyed longer than full-sighted. Silly things often affect me deeply…
My health has been so-so. There are good days and bad. Sunday, I will be attempting the Devil’s Slide Trail one way. I’m feeling fairly confident, but I did make sure I was off work in case I crash and go into shutdown mode. That’s not happened in awhile, thankfully.
I’ve been doing the slow blog post updates, making my earliest posts more attractive 😆
Updated Posts
Rivers, Oceans, and Seas by Mack van Gageldonk https://wp.me/p6C2DX-Hd
Jurassic Park/World Book Tag https://wp.me/p6C2DX-1er
Books read, reviewed, and posted/scheduled this past week
The Emperor’s Seal by Amanda Roberts, 3*
Bloom by Beau Taplin, 4*
The Bokkaners of the North by Paul Horsman, 4*
Clowders by Vanessa Morgan, 4*
Stars & Planets by Mack van Gageldonk, 4*
Make a List by Marilyn McEntyre, 4*
Erik the Lone Wolf by Sarah Finan, 5*
Favourite Read(s) of the Week
Clowders by Vanessa Morgan
‘Clervaux, Luxembourg. This secluded, picturesque town in the middle of Europe is home to more cats than people. For years, tourists have flocked to this place – also known as “cat haven” – to meet the cats and buy cat-related souvenirs.
When Aidan, Jess and their five-year-old daughter, Eleonore, move from America to Clervaux, it seems as if they’ve arrived in paradise. It soon becomes evident, though, that the inhabitants’ adoration of their cats is unhealthy. According to a local legend, each time a cat dies, nine human lives are taken as a punishment. To tourists, these tales are supernatural folklore, created to frighten children on cold winter nights. But for the inhabitants of Clervaux, the danger is horrifyingly real.
Initially, Aidan and Jess regard this as local superstition, but when Jess runs over a cat after a night on the town, people start dying, one by one, and each time it happens, a clowder of cats can be seen roaming the premises.
Are they falling victim to the collective paranoia infecting the entire town? Or is something unspeakably evil waiting for them?
Their move to Europe may just have been the worst decision they ever made.’
Current Read
Moribund by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
‘Dark Fae. Romance. Evil Plots. High school. Our heroines could be in for the greatest adventure ever. If only they could decide whether to kill or kiss each other.
High school sophomore Syl Skye is an ordinary girl. At least, she’s trying to be. School photographer and all-around geek, she introverts hard and keeps her crush on sexy-hot glam-Goth alt-rock star Euphoria on the down-low. But when a freak accident Awakens her slumbering power, Syl is forced to accept a destiny she never wanted—as the last sleeper-princess of the fair Fae.
Suddenly hunted by the dark Fae, Syl’s pretty sure things can’t get any worse. Until she discovers her secret crush, Euphoria, is really a dark Circuit Fae able to harness the killing magic in technology. Even worse, she’s been sent to destroy Syl.
With mean girls and magic and dark Fae trying to kill her, it’ll take more than just “clap if you believe in fairies” to save Syl’s bacon—not to mention, her heart.’
Next Up (maybe)
Building a Trade Empire by Paul E Horsman
High Merchant by Paul E Horsman
Ouroboros by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Murder in Thistlecross by Amy M Reade
ISAN by Mary Ting
Book Haul
Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson
‘A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear about him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy, and one final scavenger hunt.
When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books—now as its owner—she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden—and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.
Bighearted and trenchantly observant, The Bookshop of Yesterdays is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It’s a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.’
Cleansing Rites of Curandismo by Erika Buenaflor
‘A tutorial on the ancient practice of limpias to heal the mind, body, and soul
• Offers step-by-step instructions for the practice of limpias, shamanic cleansing rituals to heal, purify, and revitalize people as well as physical spaces
• Examines different types of limpia ceremonies, such as fire rites for transformation, water rites for cleansing and influencing, and sweeping rites for divination
• Explores the sacred stories behind limpia rituals and traces these curanderismo practices to their indigenous roots
Exploring the essential tools and practices of Mesoamerican shamans and curanderos, specifically the ancient Yukatek Maya and Mexica (Aztec), Erika Buenaflor, M.A., J.D., provides a step-by-step guide for conducting the most common practice within curanderismo: limpias. These practical and incredibly effective shamanic cleanses heal, purify, and revitalize people and spaces with herbs, flowers, eggs, feathers, fire, and water. They are also powerful tools for self-empowerment, spiritual growth, soul retrieval, rebirth, and gracefully opening up pathways for new beginnings.
Drawing on her 20 years’ experience as a curandera and her graduate studies focused on Mesoamerican shamanism, the author traces modern curanderismo practices to their indigenous roots. She explores the sacred stories behind limpia rituals and examines different types of limpia ceremonies in depth, such as fire rites for transformation, water rites for cleansing and influencing, and sweeping rites for divination. She outlines how limpias work holistically to enable one to let go and cleanse the body, mind, and spirit of limiting beliefs, traumas, and broken stories; heal acute and chronic illnesses such as depression, insomnia, and anxiety; and revitalize and activate sacred spaces by renewing their essence and clearing negative energies. She explains the healing properties of the plants used in limpia rites and how to perform the medicinal chants used by the curanderos. In addition, the author details how the practice of platicas, heart-straightening talks, supports limpia rites by encouraging one to vocalize their needs as they eject traumas and unwanted energies from the body, setting the stage for self-awareness and healing.
Sharing the story of her own complete healing from a catastrophic injury with limpias as well as inspirational testimonies from others who have experienced limpias, the author provides a personal and thoroughly practical guide to the ancient shamanic method of limpias to promote healing and personal transformation in our times.’
