Life + Reading

[vintagewitch]

 I realize that I never updated y'all about how my Father-in-Law is doing.

He's home from the hospital. Official diagnosis is schizophrenia flare-up and diabetic crash. Which ... is what will happen when you stop taking your diabetes medication cold turkey. Elder care is gonna be so difficult with him, man. We decided against going out there last week just because it would have been too much. We don't have the money and we don't want to ask A's uncle for help with this trip because it isn't an emergency.

We also decided against trying to move out there sooner than 2023. It would be too much financially, and I don't think we're actually ready to go quite yet. 

I think we're both pretty emotionally burned out at the moment, and it seems like our wires keep getting crossed. I'm trying not to stress out about it too badly. 

As is my usual with stressful times, I'm retreating into fanfic and books. So why not post an update on my reading progress here?

Fiction: 

Anatomy: A love story by Dana Schwartz

So far I'm enjoying this one! I love the Noble Blood podcast, but the writing of this novel is a little too YA for my tastes. Not that there's anything with YA! I just tend to avoid it.

Non-fiction: 

All About Love b bell hooks

I've been reading this one for forever. I don't know why it's taking me so long to finish. Might sit down and sit with this one tonight. bell hooks usually isn't a struggle for me to get through - she's not purposefully obscure like other theorists. 

The Way of the Rose b Clark Strand and Perdita Finn

This one is a bit unusual - it's a discussion of how to use the rosary as a way of connecting with the goddess (any goddess, not just Mary). I'm enjoying this one, but it's taking me a while to get through. I think I struggle with focus for this one.

Non-fiction: Witchy and pagan

Under the Witching Tree by Corinne Boyer

I actually have an excuse for how long this is taking me! I'm reading it by "season." It starts in the fall, then goes to winter, and now we're in spring. Though I might just read through summer. This is a really delightful look at the folklore and healing properties of trees - and not just in a Celtic way, as most tree magic books I've found have been.

New World Witchery by Corey Thomas Hutcheson

This one is great! It's a fast read once I pick it up. Unfortunately, because I'm experiencing quite a bit of burn-out, I haven't been wanting to read much occult stuff. It's a whole thing - basically because witchcraft is my job, I've been reaching for these titles less. 

Loki and Sigyn: Lessons on Chaos, Laughter, and Loyalty from the Norse Gods

This one is a suuuuper fast read! I read half of it in one sitting on Saturday. The author has a very playful, snarky voice, which makes sense as this is about Loki. He's one of those gods in the Norse pantheon that I'm like "weeeeell ... I probably should be working with him" but haven't been. So we'll see what practical things I walk away with.

Fanfic:

Now, of course, when I'm SUPER burned out I tend to lose myself a bit in fandom. And if I'm being perfectly honest, this is where most of my reading has been lately. Here's what I finished that I loved: 

Title: and springþ þe wde nu
Author: escherzo
Fandom: the Magnus Archives
Rating: Explicit
Wordcount: 76,414
Summary: Martin helps him tip his head back, his back to Martin's front. The two of them look up to the sky in frozen silence, not even breathing, the sound of the wind whistling through the trees the only sound in the clearing. The stars are wrong. Jon knows the stars, Knows the shape and age of each one, and there is not a single constellation above him that he recognizes.

“Oh, god,” Jon says, his eyes gone wide. The weight of everything crushing down upon him at once. They are in another universe, and they have brought hell with them. Jonah Magnus is dead, and will never find them again. Everyone they have ever known is gone, and will never find them again.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30334737/chapters/74776185

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That'll have to be it for now; gotta get back to work.