Hello again.

From Joanna's patio:

I know it has been a while. Honestly, I have been rather unproductive of late, but I did finish a book last week! All hail the motivational powers of a library book due date. I know that many people out there don’t go to the library because of the due dates. The fees. The inconvenience of reading a book on someone else’s schedule. Personally, I love having the library on my phone. My local library has a lot of perks, one of which is access to an online selection of books I can read from my smartphone. The due date also forces me to actually set aside time to read.

In the past few months I managed to check out and read a few things. Yesterday I finished Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig. Is it weird to say it is a lovely memoir about Haig’s experiences with depression? He honestly discusses his personal experiences with a major depressive episode and his life after with humor and optimism. It never felt too heavy or difficult to read. Shifts in format change tone between sections. Haig includes lists, quotes, and bits of dialogue. He includes conversations between his current self and his past self that really highlight how your perspective changes over time. You are constantly reminded that there is hope and joy in life, even at the worst times. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and even the smallest moments of joy should be celebrated. I feel it would benefit from rereading when I can take a bit more time with it. I certainly recommend you read it.

On the knitting front, I’m sure I’ve finished things. My current projects include a sock and a baby knit. During the month of May I’m hoping to spin for at least 15 minutes a day, so keep an eye out for instagram posts of my progress.

Hopefully next week I’ll have another book to share. I’m a huge dork. It will show. Be prepared.
Joanna