Readers thread: what or who are you reading right now?

[Ronin]

Discwooorld :D

Need to lighten up, big deal. And sit derealization down. A world with ellies as a major pillar of it does both every time.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

Just started listening to an interesting and helpful audio book, Neurosculpting for Anxiety: Brain Changing Practices for Release for Fear, Panic, and Worry by Lisa Wimberger.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I started listening to A Wrinkle In Time audio book by Madeleine L'Engle yesterday. It's been a fun substitute for the tutorial neurosculpting selection I previously listened to. It felt like a day I needed to sculpt my neural pathways by smiling and laughing more, and it was a good move.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

Listening to the Tao Te Ching audio book by Lao Tzu. It's a selection I listen to often, but apparently not often enough based on my typical cell-ph perceptions. One of these days I hope to achieve total self-acceptance. Meanwhile, may my sense of humor sufficiently cushion how I spend my energetic current-see.

 

[ChildofGod]

self help book

 

[Mee]

I just finished ‘unfollow’ by Megan Phelps Roper. What an excellent grip on life this woman has. Very courageous. It’s also really interesting to see how language about a cult / religious ideology is translatable to other situations. I have been reasonably interested in this since the police compared trauma environmentS like mine to ‘like a cult’ and I see it totally. I see it in many groups forming around passionately held positions- media, mental health even. Tackling our thought patterns seems to be the same difficulty whatever the ‘thing’ yet some we don’t recognise as ‘ unsavoury’.

 

[Sideways]

Eugene O'Neill's classic, Long Day's Journey Into Night.

There was an inspired reason why I put this utterly depressing play on my reading list. But I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

The Southern Exposure Seed Exchange catalog. ?

It reminds me of the initial excitement I used to feel as a kid when the big thick Sears catalog would arrive right before the hellidaze.

Sometimes, we'd get to pick a little something within a certain budget and would later be told that old santa dude brought it, but only if we were good enough, after being told he sees/watches us when we're sleeping and knows when we're awake, which creeped me out, big time.

All that excitement was shattered when I found the stash one year and realized we'd been lied to our entire childhood. Boo. Hiss. Yet another old white man I was taught to fear based on BS.

Gardening season, however, is the chance to plant all kinds of gifts that keep on giving, with many chances to play in the dirt, view some actual growth, and share the harvests. ? Excitement successfully restored.

 

[whiteraven]

Staring at the Sun. It's about death anxiety.
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Just finished Reverence for Life

 

[Mee]

I listened ‘after the fall’ by Emma Newman and was so deeply, calmly impacted by its ending I have moved straight on to its sequel.

Emotionally intelligent sci fi? Incredible. The second book has gender neutral using character, a straight, male victim of sexual crime - but it’s just something in the background. The characters mostly seem to be multi faceted.

It’s no surprise to learn the author suffers from anxiety- she’s aware.

 

[Mee]

The scentKeeper.

I only just started this earlier today but the sensory experiencing of the world feels very ‘reassuring’ to me Even though it’s desperately sad so far.

 

[Sideways]

Room, by Emma Donoghue.

Not an easy read, partly because it's written from the perspective of a 5 year old. Mostly, though, because it's a (fictional) story of a young woman who is held captive by a guy for 7 years. So, it was uncomfortable in a lot of ways.

While it didn't really achieve much with that narrative, and the woman's trauma isn't dealt with even remotely well, the child's narrative was pretty amazing. Donoghue nailed the language and thought processes of a young child.

If you can get used to his frustrating inability to focus on any one thing for more than 5 seconds, and you need some help empathising with your own inner child and why they made the choices they made? It's worth persevering.

Don't read it if you need a stimulating analysis of how we adults deal with trauma. But if you want to understand how 5 year olds handle trauma? I thought it was extraordinary, finding a pretty phenomenal balance between the vulnerability and dependency of young children, and their paradoxical resilience-by-default.