Tag Archives: Isabella L Bird

In which linkity celebrates the installation of new windows

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Reading Update
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L Bird. Very good tale, written in a series of letters to her sister in England, of Isabella Lucy Bird’s extensive (and mostly solitary) travels in the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the late summer and fall of 1873. I am in complete awe of her – I’m pretty sure I would’ve curled up into a little ball and refused to continue once the temperature plummeted! And I enjoyed her compulsively readable style enough that I will definitely read more of her travels, some of which you can find at Project Gutenberg.
A Year in the Life: Journaling for Self-Discovery by Sheila Bender. Meh. Disappointing book about the benefits of journaling, complete with a year of rather contrived journaling prompts. As I first read, then skimmed, I kept muttering to the author, “Do your own work. Do your own work.” I’m not sure there was a single page on which the author didn’t quote from or refer to another writer and it quickly became very, very annoying.
Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo. DNF. I made it about 35% (into Part Two) before I put it down and decided I didn’t want to bother reading more. I found Part One weirdly off-putting as the author repeated over and over, in slightly different and not-so-different ways, what the Exact Specific Only Type Of Writing That Is Therapeutic was.
Creative Journal Writing: The Art and Heart of Reflection by Stephanie Dowrick. The title sums it up well. 🙂 This is a book that I’ll have close by when I’m feeling stuck and need some inspiration – there are thoughtful, thought-provoking exercises throughout and a list of 125 helpful prompts at the end.
Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Samara O’Shea. Only made it to page 32 before I gave up. It just felt obnoxiously self-absorbed to me, in a way I couldn’t relate to at all. It has been donated to the nearest Little Free Library.
Learn Watercolour Quickly by Hazel Soan. Perhaps a bit too quickly…


“I’m blaming you for how scary and disruptive getting the new windows installed was!!” -Mayhem