Category: Self-Help

Sitting On A Rock by Gary L Brinderson

Oh poetry, thou fickle siren, luring thousands of writers into your gentle-seeming embrace only to let them flounder on the sharp rocks of skill that underpin you. So here’s the deal, dear readers. Poetry is about image and emotion. Back in the day, it also used to be about form and rhyme. For better or …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/10/30/sitting-on-a-rock-by-gary-l-brinderson/

Mindful With Me: Connecting With Your Child Through Daily Mindfulness by Sarah Dennehy

with charming illustrations throughout by Natalie Garber Martin. My middle child has a problem: sometimes when he gets frustrated, even over the most seemingly innocuous of things, he’ll have a crying, screaming, snot-filled emotional meltdown in absolutely no proportion to the triggering incident. This doesn’t happen to either of my other children, who tend to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/09/12/mindful-with-me-connecting-with-your-child-through-daily-mindfulness-by-sarah-dennehy/

The Little Witch’s Oracle Deck by Ariel Kusby & Olga Baumert

subtitled Symbols, Spells, and Rituals for the Young Witch. While I’ve tried to slow down in my acquisition of Tarot and Oracle decks (I mean, really, how many does a person actually need?)(and don’t ask me how many I have, I’ve stubbornly stopped counting,) I was so pleased when this oracle deck, aimed at young …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/09/04/the-little-witchs-oracle-deck-by-ariel-kusby-olga-baumert/

Let’s Hang Out by Chris Duffy

subtitled Making (and Keeping) Friends, Acquaintances, and Other Nonromantic Relationships. Jeez, who couldn’t use a guide like this? Alright, if I’m being perfectly honest: me, as I’ve never really had trouble making and keeping friends. Sure, I’ve had spectacular blow ups with best friends, but that was usually their faults, and I’m pretty good at …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/06/26/lets-hang-out-by-chris-duffy/

You’re Not The Only One F*cking Up by Lane Moore

subtitled Breaking the Endless Cycle of Dating Mistakes. When I picked up this book for review, I did not realize that it would become incredibly relevant to my personal life. Everything happens for a reason, and I was genuinely pleased to get a little guidance as I navigate a chaotic (and frankly exhausting!) new-again world. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/09/youre-not-the-only-one-fcking-up-by-lane-moore/

Pokémon Oracle by KJM

an Unofficial Trading Card Divination system. I was wandering around one of my local bookstores, People’s Book in downtown Takoma Park, browsing while I waited for a free Tarot reading when I spotted this zine nestled amidst other esoterica. People’s Book, btw, is the only local store I know with an entire zine section, so …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/11/17/pokemon-oracle-by-kjm/

Skip To The Fun Parts: Cartoons And Complaints About The Creative Process by Dana Jeri Maier

It’s fitting that there’s an entire section on relatability in this part-cartoon, part-essay treatise on struggling with the muse. Skip To The Fun Parts is so deeply relatable for any creative who’s ever suffered from self-doubt — so, every creative — that it feels like Dana Jeri Maier has been watching me try to work …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/05/11/skip-to-the-fun-parts-cartoons-and-complaints-about-the-creative-process-by-dana-jeri-maier/

Thinking Of You (but not like in a weird creepy way): A Comic Collection by Beth Evans

This is a sweet collection of affirmations featuring Beth Evans’ cute blobs telling you that someone is always in your corner, even if they don’t know you and you don’t know them. Because it’s true, innit? There are millions of people like Ms Evans who genuinely care about the well-being of others. We may not …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/05/02/thinking-of-you-but-not-like-in-a-weird-creepy-way-a-comic-collection-by-beth-evans/

Fitter. Stronger. Calmer.: A Mindful Approach To Exercise And Nutrition by Ellie Goulding

I’ll be honest, I and likely loads of others picked up this book because it has Ellie Goulding’s name on the cover. Lights is such a terrific album (I’m listening to it again as I type) and I always thought the media hubbub over her moving on from Ed Sheeran to Niall Horan was overblown. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/02/21/fitter-stronger-calmer-a-mindful-approach-to-exercise-and-nutrition-by-ellie-goulding/

How To Master Your SOCIAL POWER In Middle School: Kid Confident Book 1 by Bonnie Zucker & DeAndra Hodge

So my eldest child is now in middle school, and as someone who did not go through the American system for that span but who does have a husband who thinks it’s the most formative experience of a child’s life, it has been a bit nerve-wracking, to say the least, to watch my little fledgling …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/01/how-to-master-your-social-power-in-middle-school-kid-confident-book-1-by-bonnie-zucker-deandra-hodge/