February is a lovely month. There’s Valentine’s Day to celebrate with the ones you love. It’s typically a shorter month, but it does feel sweet.
This month, I want to enjoy everything that I can. I’ve already started it off by finishing futurama season 2. I’m excitedly going through my remaining story quests on Genshin Impact to prepare for the new update that’ll bring in lots of new and fun stuff and events. Version 1.3 is going to be amazing!
I also want to get back into a workout routine this month so I will be beginning a yoga workout program. Working on my flexibility and strength at the same time will be great for me.
The two books I’m hoping to finish reading this month are “The Unstoppable Wasp” by Sam Maggs and “Shadow and Bone” by Leigh Verdugo in preparation for when the new Netflix series comes out.
I’m getting back into taking my bookstagram pictures and I’m enjoying that so far. As, well as doing Duolingo Spanish more consistently.
Mostly, this month will be about feeling good and also getting back to many of the things that bring me joy.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
2020 was an awful year. I think all of us can agree on that. It’s also been a particularly strange year. There’s been some questionable things that have happened this year.
I’m happy to say good bye to 2020. I can’t say I’m not terrified of what’s to come. There’s certain things that I know have to come eventually and currently I’m not ready for it. Christmas Day my dad had to be taken to the hospital. He has been battling cancer for a long while now and we learned that the tumor has made his prostate the size of a small watermelon when it’s only supposed to be the size of a walnut. Which causes all kinds of complications in the body.
Also, the doctors never told us if his cancer has spread or not. Or if his bleeding was solely because his prostate is so large. Also, the fear of my mom taking my dad to the emergency room as Covid is out of control was some of the most terrifying anxiety I’ve ever experienced. The good news is he is home now and they are going to figure out if he is viable for surgery or not.
Fear. Fear for me is what drove 2020. Fear and hope and just doing my best to be happy and somehow having those wonderful happy moments I’ll cherish forever within this year.
This year has been exhausting and yet I’ve looked forward to each day because yes the world is terrible right now, but I can’t let myself seek in too despair constantly because what’s the point otherwise? I take comfort in the things I can do. The moments I can enjoy. Because those moments are what make life worth living.
This year I found a wonderful person I love and friends that have been amazing. People who have all made me laugh and feel a little lighter. People I’m proud to have by my side.
Covid has changed the world. Both slowed down and accelerated my life. Made me terrified and yet made me want to love those around me harder.
It’s a terrible year and yet it’s changed my life in good ways too. I have memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life from this year. Yet, moments that will forever be remembered by the anxiety and fear I felt while living them.
2020 has brought out a lot of the worst in many people. A lot of a ‘who cares’ attitude that puts families like mine at risk. That fear will carry into 2020, because the pandemic isn’t over and I know it won’t be for a long while.
I’m happy to have the people in my life I have in my corner. Together, we’ve survived 2020. That in and of itself is enough of an accomplishment.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
So mental health is something I’ve continually been dealing with. When I started this challenge I kept it up for three days and it was great. Stuff happens and I took some days off for my mental health. Now I’m starting again. I know I’m capable and that this could work really well.
On another note, this also meant I missed out on my blogs anniversary.
I’ve been doing this for four years. Incredible how fast time flies. What this blog has brought to me. The opportunities. The people. The friendships. Even the first significant other I’d had. Even if it didn’t last and everything’s changed now. It all sparked from here. Writing mostly whatever I wanted on The Book Raven. Plus, a whole ton of book stuff.
I feel like for the sake of all that I deserve to give this challenge a real go again. Read a ton of amazing books. Maybe read some slower then others and to be gentle with myself. The highlight of the challenge was reading Wilder Girls in a day. God it was an amazing book. I’m going to review it tomorrow.
Every new day is an opportunity to do what you want to do. To try again. The past three days I’ve spent hardcore playing Genshin Imapact which has been AMAZING and I’ll continue playing it until I find this games ending and honestly I have no idea if it does have an ending as it stands. It’s just so much fun. It has a wonderful story and it’s so creative with doing things so your never bored. I love it!
So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give myself a restart and do my best. I know I’ll read plenty of amazing books in the process!
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
I have written this post more times then I could count in the past. When my life changes I continually feel the need to step inward and quietly come to understand and grow on my own. Yet, I always have found great value in being open online. Sharing my experiences and thoughts on stories, films, current issues, and my life. I’ve missed being on here. So, yes I am returning and this time I imagine I’m here to stay for a good long time.
Someone important in my life told me all I need to do is start and this is me doing just that starting. I have abandoned many things I love in recent times out of a fear. A fear that I’m not good enough. That I don’t deserve to try and be the person I want to be and do the things I want to do. A fear that I’m going to get things wrong. But the truth is I am going to get things wrong at time and I am going to mess up, but my passion for writing. My passion for telling stories that will never leave me.
Life is but a tiny spec of dust in the grand scheme of the universe. I want to make the most use of my tiny spec. There’s life and beauty in even the smallest of creatures in existence. I want to live life as fully as I can. With as much joy as I can.
This is a part of that joy. Discussing books. Promoting authors. Talking about writing and the journey of it. It’s a wonderful thing. So here I am again. Just me, my phone, and many many thoughts. I’m back and it feels so good to be.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
This has been a month of learning. A month of listening and gathering and it is something I will continue to be doing throughout the rest of my life.
It’s now becoming common knowledge that J.K. Rowling is transphobic. Her words have caused immense harm for the trans community. Her works both under J.K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith further her ideals against Trans people. It’s disgusting and I cannot support her.
Trans rights are a human rights issue. They matter. They are beautiful, valid, and incredible human beings. And not only does narratives that Jk Rowling/Robert Galbraith promotes hurt trans lives, but non-binary lives too.
The narrative of trans people being predatory is despicable and plane out false. It is that fear that makes people think it’s ok to kill and commit violence against trans people and it needs to be stopped. I also feel the need to say that as in the terms of young people being tricked into being trans. Which again is a disgusting narrative that is not ok.
I ask every single person reading this to educated yourselves. Listen, learn, and amplify trans voices. Take the money you’d use to buy one of Rowling’s/Galbraith’s books and put it towards supporting the trans community. Buy books by trans authors. Donate to the Trevor Project.
Trans people deserve to be loved. To be accepted as the men and women that they are. Non-Binary people deserve to be loved and accepted for the wonderful human beings that they are.
Check your twitter. Do you follow Jk Rowling and/or Robert Galbraith… unfollow them and follow instead trans authors like Akwaeke Emezi, Aiden Thomas, and non-binary author Anna-Marie McLemore. Support the voices of those who have been targeted by hate. Lift them up. Show them support. Show them that your space is a safe space for them.
This isn’t the time for silence. It is the time for change. To stand up for human rights and equality for all.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
I have learned so much in the past few days about myself, about racism, about what it means to be Anti-racist and what it means to be white and have that kind of privilege in America. Black lives matter. That’s a truth that no one can argue. They matter. They deserve so much more then this country has ever been able to give them and justice needs to be served.
I had made a statement on a twitter thread that received backlash. I was discussing wanting peace and did not understand the privilege I had in saying that. Didn’t understand the negative impact I had saying that under a thread full of hurting and oppressed Black people that are tired of people like me saying they should be peaceful. Getting back lash of that kind is something I’ve never experienced. Yet, thinking on it I realized I was wrong and started to look around and understand the reasons why and what I should be doing and who I should be telling to be peaceful. To tell white people to stop inciting violence by killing Black people for being Black. To tell police officers to stop using excessive force. To tell our government that the way this whole system is built is a knee on Black people’s necks every single day.
Realizing that I have biases and ideals that are part of the problem were eye opening to me. At the end of the day I believe in equality. I believe everyone should have equal opportunity. Seeing the protests and the actions of police and hearing the presidents awful rhetoric opened my eyes to see that this system isn’t going to get better by being complacent. There needs to be change and to start I needed to face a hard truth. That as much as I desire and want to be good and to have everyone have the right to live good and joyful lives with equal opportunity that I needed to take a closer look at my biases and the places where I am part of the problem. To continue to look and learn and educate myself, because my complacency that has helped no one. I need to do the work. To be uncomfortable. To embrace the discomfort and change.
In the past few days I’ve consumed so much information from Black people on twitter and looking at resources to start my journey to help dismantle racism. Starting with me. Starting with the miscro-transgressions I commit without even realizing it. I am ok with being uncomfortable. This is something I could easily turn away from and forget all about and nothing would change, but it’s damn time for change. Black people deserve better. They deserve better from our government. They deserve better from police. They deserve better from white people whose whole society was built on Black peoples backs. They deserve better from me.
I am angry. I am angry at the police who are using mace on children and kicking pregnant women’s bellies and purposefully inciting violence and not listening to the cries for peace. I am angry that every single day there’s another Black man killed by police officer when they’re compliant and unarmed and even if they weren’t completely compliant cause god damn having an officer in your face is terrifying.
I am demanding better from myself. Demanding that I stop pretending that I am free from racist ideals. I am not. But, I will make damn sure that I do better. Because the injustice is too much. The injustice can never be righted, but I want to be part of that amazing group of people that works to make it better for future generations.
That means that I am going to do the wrong thing sometimes and I have to face that. I have to listen when someone from the Black person tells me that there’s something wrong with the way I’m expressing my advocacy and ideas. Enough is enough.
Fuck racism!
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
It’s time for change. Injustice has been perpetuated for far too long.
Today has been a particularly rough day today. I don’t really care to discuss it, but I’d love if you guys could share either a positive story or video you like or links to some cute animal pics I’d very much appreciate.
If you don’t mind let me know and I’ll put a post together of all the messages, videos, stories, and pictures as a pick me up post for anyone who needs it.
That’s all I got for today. I’m pretty exhausted.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! I hope you are having a wonderful and joyous day.
It’s rare for me to get a picture with my mom so this is a special treat from her birthday in February. She is a strong woman in mind and in spirit. I see a lot of that willfulness in myself being raised by her. I love when she laughs and complains about something in a childlike voice. Or when she picks on me when I go to hug her till I laugh.
She always makes sure that me and my sister are taken care of and I appreciate that about her very much. She has a beautiful soul. I love her very much.
I hope everyone is enjoying Mother’s Day in whatever way you all enjoy it within your families. Weather with it’s with your actual mother or just an important woman in your life that you know deserves to be celebrated.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
One thing I took from Y’all West is something George M Johnson said about instead of coming out you are choosing to invite others in. Sharing a special something about yourself that matters. It’s a beautiful way to think about it.
I’ve thought about doing this for a while. It’s taken time for me to figure out innerly who I am. I spent most of my life pretending to myself that I was straight and well spoilers, but I’m definitely not.
The easier part that I have mentioned slightly is that I’m Demi-sexual which means I need an emotional connection with someone before I’m attracted to them. I blame that part for me taking so long to realize this second part, but I’m also pan-sexual. Feels strange to write it out. Yet, oddly I don’t feel the need to tear up the way I did when I was talking about it with one of my friends.
I’ve called myself straight for so long that I hid my truth to the point where I couldn’t see it despite it staring me dead in the face. I can be attracted to anyone regardless of gender and yes I do love masculinity and I’m a little more attracted to masculine presenting people, but I do find femininity to be attractive as well.
I have considered myself to be an ally for a long time. Just really supportive of the community and knowing that everyone deserves to love and express themselves in a way that aligns with the truth of who they are. It took me time to discover my truth and that’s ok.
So.. I guess all this is to say “Hi! My name is Tiana Wolfe and I’m Demi/pan sexual.” It feels good to say it to read the words and know them to be true. It feels like me.
Thank you all so much for being here. For being a part of my life’s journey. For supporting me. I feel so happy to be on a community where I feel comfortable enough to be open about my truth. You all are truly something special.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
It’s only been four months into 2020 and so much in my life has changed. Things I thought were real turned out to be lies. I’ve found myself growing more friendships then I have in my entire life. Found someone really special that I care about very much. Learned so much about myself and healed so much that I didn’t realize was still hurting me.
Then, this weekend Y’all West happened and I realized just how much I’ve missed books. I hadn’t felt that passion for books and the community and reading and writing in ages. I felt freed once more. Last year was one where I was in deep pain and I felt like nothing mattered at all and I was desperate to just take care of myself. Now, now I feel like I’m ready to move forward again. To be myself again to the full extent that I was always meant to.
It’s been so crazy because I’ve had to face my fears so head on with all that’s come to pass with Quarantine and my dad being at risk with his cancer and just that fear when I went to the store no longer having a car only able to carry what we had in our hands and seeing almost nothing we could use for food on the shelves. I panic messaged my partner in crime and he helped me stay sane in the face of such insanity.
I’ve realized that this year has been all about reclaiming the heart of who I am again. Realizing that I am capable and that I can deal with the difficulties and not make them define who I am. That I can let things go and find ways to be authentic to who I am and my wants and not feel guilty for wanting them.
I couldn’t read or write for so long cause it was such a deep reminder of pain and I couldn’t deal with it. The end of last year I reclaimed my happiness. Now it’s time to reclaim my passion and my authenticity. I know myself very well. Taking a year of just thinking and wondering and you end up learning more about yourself then you ever knew.
My day to day path forward is now so clear to me. I feel so much better and so much more capable then I’ve ever felt. I feel like I can be myself. That I can do what I need to to be happy. To tell stories again. My heart is literally soaring right now. I feel so amazed to be here. I’m just happy to be alive.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
The Book Raven 