The kind of home environment that Victoria grew up in is not really conducive to stability, safety, or love. Of course, there are close relationships, and I don’t doubt that Victoria doesn’t love her mother – but the relationship is also extremely toxic. Victoria is the child, yet she is always expected to be the parent and caregiver for her mother. Treating children like they are adults (in this particular way) is a form of trauma that doesn’t go away easily. Continue reading
Tag Archives: mental health
A Review of Brené Brown’s “The Gifts of Imperfection”: being imperfect is actually perfect
As I write this review, International Women’s Day is approaching – March 8th – and I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a woman today. There is so much happening in the world that I don’t even have the full capacity to comprehend it all without feeling like I am … Continue reading
5 Great Books About Mental Health – because therapy isn’t cheap!
We are in the third year of a pandemic. Everyone is going through something right now. Some people are doing better than others, and how well someone is doing right now can be affected by a lot of things. Money, job and housing security, intimate relationships, friendships and support safety nets differ from person to person. Continue reading
Some Lockdown Thoughts
I am not really sure where this post will end up taking me, but I felt like sharing some of my thoughts about being in lock down in Melbourne. I haven’t been to my office since March this year. I am fairly good at adapting and working from home definitely has its perks, but it … Continue reading
Making Sense of Loneliness: a review of Olivia Laing’s “The Lonely City”
After living in Switzerland for six years, I have been thinking a lot about loneliness and what it means for us humans. I have been thinking about whether loneliness is ever good for us? Are their ways that we could harness our lonely moments to learn more about ourselves? I have wondered about the difference … Continue reading
“Anxiety: the missing stage of Grief”: a review and personal exploration of Claire Bidwell-Smith’s grief self-help book
When my father died in 2011, my whole world was flipped on its head. I have spent most of my 20s coming to terms with death, loss, and grief, and this is also evidenced in the types of books I have read throughout this time. This can be seen in my reviews of fiction works … Continue reading
“Running with Scissors”: a review of Augusten Burroughs’ memoir
Running with Scissors is one of those books that I have wanted to read for such a long time, but somehow never managed to find the book at the right moment. When I found a second-hand copy of the memoir at a second-hand book fair in Geneva, I decided to pick it up. The book … Continue reading
“This Is Going To Hurt”: a review of Adam Kay’s hilarious medical memoir
Bound2Books is no stranger to medical memoirs. I love reading books about the living and the dead and everything in between. If I can combine medicine with comedy, then we have a real winner on our hands which is the case for Adam Kay’s memoir/diary This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior … Continue reading
(Re)-defining survivor/victim stories: a review of amanda lovelace’s new poetry collection
Her third collection aligns with her previous works and centres on themes of self (re-)discovery, how to find your own voice again, and the struggle with remembering and letting go of the past. Continue reading
“Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?”: a review of Holly Bourne’s novel
Writing about mental health and getting it right is tough. Writers need to understand and articulate what mentally ill people are feeling and it cannot read like a cliche. Readers, whether they have mental health issues or not, are going to see through platitudes, flat characterisations, and overly dramatic writing. And just like mental health … Continue reading
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