The Alphabet Post Challenge

I saw that Ashes Books and Bobs did this tag, so I thought I’d give it a try. Here we go!

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The Rules

1. The post was created by Stuart of Something to Stu Over.
2. Acknowledge the blogger that challenged you.
3. Display the challenge photo or create your own.
4. Link back to this post so I can read yours.
5. Create one post or multiple posts, using a word that starts with each letter of the alphabet and share your thoughts on the word you chose and how it can be applied to our lives.
6. Be creative and have fun!
7. Nominate 5 -7 bloggers to participate.

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Austen

Have you read Jane Austen? You should! I love Jane Austen. Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice are probably my favorite. I find Emma to be borderline irritating, Northanger Abbey is fun, Mansfield Park has its moments, and Sense and Sensibility is definitely a classic.

While these may be perceived as classic or old, I don’t think they’re out of touch or beyond our times. Everyone knows a Caroline Bingley. Everyone knows an Emma. And if you’re lucky enough, you either know or are an Elizabeth Bennet. (Maybe you even know a Mr. Darcy).

The novels cover social issues that are still around today. Although, thank god women don’t have to marry a rich dude in order to not die of poverty but financial independence is still certainly an issue.

Austen’s characters also gave women of that time power they didn’t necessarily have.  Turning down a rich dude and calling him an asshole (not in those words) was a pretty powerful statement in those days.

Blankets

What more do I need to say? Blankets are comfy and cozy and spectacular. What’s better than a lazy day with a blanket, a dog, and a good book? Nothing!

Crazy

I have so many mixed feelings about this word. I use it a lot because sometimes a situation is so weird or strange that there isn’t another word for it. But, I also understand the way it has been and is still used to demean and insult those with mental illness and just women in general. Crazy is an easy way to discount someone as an other or someone not to be listened to and it’s a word I am trying to use less.

Dogs

Dogs, dogs, dogs!! I love every kind of dog. I have a miniature dachshund name Gracie and she is the sweetest little anxiety-haver out there. Dogs are so loving and care so much for people as long as you care for them in return. Dogs have gotten me through so much.

Empathy

I like to describe myself as overempathetic because I have A LOT of feelings For example, my mom likes to tell this story about me when I was younger. I would come home from school really upset and my mom would ask me if someone had bullied me. I would say no but that I saw someone else get bullied and that’s why I was so upset.

I absorb other people’s emotions which is kind of awful when I’m around people being awful lol. But, luckily, I have learned to control it a bit (thanks therapy!). If only the world had more empathy…

Friends

This is not about the TV series. If anyone would like me to write a blog post about my hatred for Ross, I can do that another time. I am talking about my amazing friends. Ones I’ve met in person and ones I haven’t. They are all brilliant and lovely and sometimes make me cry with their support (or because I’m laughing so hard).

Gracie

Welp, I kind of gave this one away with the dog section but I could talk about my little Gracie every day. She is a rescue dog and when I saw the listing for her one of the first things it said was “has anxiety” and I knew she was the pup for me. Because…same. lol. I get kiss attacks every morning and she throws paws at me when we play and she is just such a loving little pupper. I love her so much. *weeps eternally*

Happiness

I like the idea that happiness can mean different things to different people. It can mean financial independence, a good book, kids or no kids, being in love, or just loving yourself. It can be almost anything. (Don’t murder anyone for your happiness! I only have so much bail money).

Ice Cream

Yes, it’s me! screaming about ice cream. Who doesn’t like ice cream? They even have gluten-free and vegan ice cream now so that everyone can enjoy! There is nothing better than ice cream after a long day. What’s your fave flavor? I like strawberry cheesecake, mint chocolate chip, and double chocolate almond, but, as you can tell, I’m not really picky.

Jewelry

Besides books, jewelry is another thing I like to collect. I used to have way more than I do now, but I still love it. I wear the same necklaces almost every single day and I prefer gold (fake gold is fine with me) over silver. Necklaces, rings, and bracelets, oh my! I don’t have pierced ears so earring aren’t really my thing, but I love anything shiny, sparkly, or covered in crystals.

Kittens

I used to not be a cat person but then I got over myself and understood that all animals are the cutest and the best (BESIDES SNAKES). What is better than a box of kittens falling all over each other? Or a cat video? Or a cat staring maniacally at their owner, slowly planning their death?? Nothing!!

Lemon cakes

This is not an ode to Game of Thrones or to Sansa even though she is one of my favorite characters. I just love lemon cake. It’s light, it’s delicious, it’s sweet, and it’s tart. IT. IS. THE. BEST. Yum. Now I want some.

Mother

Um…I love my mother!! She is the best! She is funny and watches TV shows with me and says “good stuff” when I send her an article I wrote. She is one of my favorite people.

No

Whether it’s saying no to requesting another ARC on NetGalley or saying no to a job that’s not right for you or a party that you just don’t want to go to, no is an important word for all of us to have in our vocabulary.

It’s also a word that people need to respect and understand when it is said to them. I believe no can be a nonverbal thing too. Body language can be saying no and it’s just as valid as a verbal command. It’s up to us to know when we are pushing someone too far and then stopping whatever we’re doing. This obviously applies to intimacy and sex but it can also apply to a lot of other things too.

Once Upon a Time

Oh, it’s just MY FAVORITE SHOW EVER!! Who doesn’t wish that fairytales were real and that they could be friends with all their favorite characters? I know I do. Once Upon a Time is that wish come true.

Perfect

Don’t try to be perfect. It’s fake. It’s impossible. Take it from someone whose therapist made them read at least 4 books with titles like Too Perfect and Your Perfect Right.

Perfect doesn’t work for anyone. It is unachievable. Just try to be you and do what will make you the happiest. Perfect is more about what other people expect from you or what you “think” you should be and not what you actually want. (oh god I sound like one of those books!!) Just be you and fuck what other people try to make you into.

Quiet

I was called quiet or asked why I didn’t talk that much for most of my childhood and into high school. It is possibly one of the most annoying questions on the planet. Oh if they only met me now…*cackles maniacally*

I have definitely been able to find more of my voice over the years and have been able to figure out when to speak and when to listen. It’s a difficult balance and I still do shut down or “clam up” in certain circumstances but certainly not as much as I used to.

Rest

Ok, I know a lot of you think you can live on a couple of hours of sleep each night but you can’t. And I am not just saying you can’t, you actually CAN NOT! Your body will end up shutting down or your brain will. Especially those of us with mental illnesses! A panic attack when you’ve had at least 6 hours of sleep is much different than a panic attack on 2 hours.

Just going to sleep has fixed many a problem for me and I wish we didn’t live in a culture where lack of sleep was valued in some strange (capitalistic) way. Don’t let THE MAN make you believe sleep equals laziness or lack of commitment. That’s a lie.

Socks

Another thing I collect besides books is socks! Every time I go to Target, I look at their cheap socks and more often than not, buy a pair or two. One time I went and they had socks for 75 cents!! There was no chance I wasn’t buying a pair.

I also have gotten sock advent calendars for Hanukkah the past two years (I celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah and my mom gives me the advent calendars for Hanukkah. It’s doesn’t make sense; it’s just how it is lol).

I have all kinds of socks: Disney, marvel, cute animals, little cartoons, animal print, patterns, etc. My sock drawer is chaos.

Thrift store

If you are not buying at least some of your books at a thrift/used book store, what are you doing??? Do you know about thriftbooks.com??? Go there and lose your mind (and your money) for a couple hours.

Pretty, clean-looking books are great, but sometimes, you want to read a book that someone told you to read 5 years ago and you just need an ok-looking copy. And most of the books on Thriftbooks are actually very good quality.

At least 1/4 of the books I own are from ThriftBooks. They do come with a little sticker on the spine but from my experience, it is usually easy to peel off.

This goes for clothes too! Check out your local thrift stores. You never know what you’ll find.

Unboxing

I could watch unboxing videos all day! I love them and I have no idea why. It’s what got me started in the book community. I was watching tons of unboxing videos on Instagram, decided to start a blog, and then started a bookstagram account too. I just love watching people open their book mail too see what they got.

It’s like Christmas except I don’t have to peel off the shipping label after (wtf, some of those refuse to come off! I am trying to not get my identity stolen here!). It’s probably been a few months short of a year since I started my bookstagram and I still watch unboxings (and film my own occassionally). Ugh, they’re so fun.

Villains

Who doesn’t love a villain? In a book, in a movie, or in a TV show. They usually have the best outfits and the best one-liners. Whether you genuinely love them or just love to hate them, a story wouldn’t be the same without the bad guy. (A few less in reality would be great tho.)

Women

WOMEN!! Women are the best. Trans women, black women, Asian women, black trans women, ALL WOMEN! Y’all are a bunch of badasses! What’s not to love??

moXie

Have y’all read Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu?? You should! OMG this book. I started off wanting to shove a backbone into the main character but once she finds her strength. lord help us, nothing can stop her and her friends and most of the girls in her school.

If you haven’t read Moxie, I highly recommend that you do. The scene at the end where all the girls gather (no spoilers), oh my god, I cried. I listened to the audiobook and was doing yoga at the same time and got so teary eyed. It was not a good look.

And there is a movie adaptation coming out too!! And Amy Poehler is directing it! AND it’s going to be on Netflix! *faints*

(did I just link to my own article about the movie? Yes, I did. You must promote yourself!)

Yoga

Speaking of yoga, it is another one of those things that has saved me. I started doing it because sports are not my thing (aka I am a non-coordinated lady) but I needed a gym credit in order to transfer to the university I would eventually graduate from. So I looked down the list of options and yoga seemed like the least scary one.

Fast forward at least 5 years and I am still doing it. When I finish a session, it almost feels like there is magic running through my veins. Who knew exercise could be good for you?!

Zillion

Zillion aka the amount of money I would need (and I suspect most of you would need) to afford all the books I would like to buy.

And journals and stationary and pens and shoes and clothes and jewelry and vacations and bookshelves and Funko Pops…. You get it.

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I am not tagging anyone to do this because lord knows it took me a long time but if you’d like try this challenge, feel free. I’d love to see what you come up with!