On Wednesday, I said you’d be getting a double dose of ramblings this week to make up for no rambling post last Sunday. So, welcome to the seventh instalment of Ramblings from my pages… This post was inspired by It’s Book Talk’s “5 on Friday: Things I’m Loving Lately” – it differs slightly, similar in that it will feature bookish and non-bookish topics, but different in that I will ramble about things I’m loving, hating, wishing for, links I’ve enjoyed, life updates – you name it, I may just ramble about it. The only staple feature of this post will be concluding it with a cool link I found around the web.
Today’s ramblings topics: Worry Dolls (an anxiety tool), Nonfiction November, How Long ’til Black Future Month? and Jussie Smollett. Whether you read the entire post or jump to the section(s) you’re interested in, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Note: if it’s green, it’s a link, click it!
WORRY DOLLS (AN ANXIETY TOOL)
I recently won a giveaway on Instagram, and it led to me discovering worry dolls – these little dolls are a great tool in helping to manage anxiety, I just had to tell you about them. But first, the giveaway was hosted by Jenna, @book_club_mumma, she created the hashtag #metimemovement – the ‘Me Time’ Movement is aimed at promoting better awareness of self care and making time everyday, no matter how little, for yourself – to unwind, relax, reflect and most importantly look after yourself better. The giveaway was hosted in this theme. The prize was The Lido by Libby Page, and the Guatemalan Worry People.
How it works
These dolls were originally created, in Guatemalan culture, to alleviate children’s nightmares, but overtime they have become a useful tool for adults too. They usually come in packs of six, so you have one for six days on the week, this allows for the dolls to have one day’s rest (because everyone needs rest at some point). You may find that when you go to bed, instead of sleeping peacefully, you’re thinking about stresses and worries; the idea is, you tell the doll one thing you want them to take away, place the doll under your pillow (or in a special box). And while you sleep the doll will make that worry disappear. For adults, the physical act of transferring/speaking your worry out loud to the doll can be very empowering – a great tool to manage your anxiety. People also use the worry dolls as dreamcatchers, or just keep them near their bedside while they sleep to promote healthy sleep – calm your mind of your preoccupations so you can sleep peacefully.
When used with children, the idea is the same, some parents remove the doll at night, while the child is asleep, so in the morning the child can physically see that their worry has gone.
These particular worry dolls I have can be purchased from Shared Earth, you get 6 in a bag and they’re handmade in Guatemala. If you Google worry dolls, you’ll find they are available from quite a few different retailers.
NONFICTION NOVEMBER
Last month was spooky reads, now it’s time to move onto nonfiction. I’m not fully back in the swing of things yet, or maybe I am, and reading less books per month is ‘the new me’. I didn’t manage to read all the spooky books that I wanted to, there were three books, in particular, that I didn’t get to. I may pick them up soon, if not, all three are books I purchased, so I can read them whenever I’m ready. But onto this month, and the nonfiction hopefuls. I’ll be kicking my nonfiction reads off with I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell, the lovely Beth @bibliobeth recommended this book to me, she loved it so much, she bought me a copy, if that isn’t a sign I need to read it asap, then I don’t know what is! You can read Beth’s review here. I’ve chosen an ambitious six books in total, ambitious because I still have fiction books to review, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to read them all. If not, there’s always December, because I sure as hell won’t be reading a month of Christmas books!
HOW LONG ‘TIL BLACK FUTURE MONTH?
Huge shoutout to Marija @ Inside My Library Mind for bringing this book to my attention, I saw it in her recent post, Judging Books By Their Covers: November 2018 Releases Edition, and as soon as I saw the cover, before I’d even read the blurb, I knew I needed this book in life. Take a look at this stunning cover, and then I’ll tell you why.
How Long ’til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin
The cover is strong, bold, fierce, powerful, and I fell in love with it instantly, like I want this art on my wall. So I had to find out how this beautiful cover came to be – the image is by CreativeSoul Photography and design by Lauren Panapinto. Will I read this book, frame this book (and listen to the audio)? I’m not sure yet, but I pre-ordered it from Waterstones. It’s publishing in the UK on 29th November, and the 27th November in the US. You will see this book again in my November Book Haul post because you can never see this cover too many times! I got caught up in my excitement, here’s the blurb (and thankfully, I love the sound of this book too!):
Hugo award-winning and New York Times bestselling author N. K. Jemisin sharply examines modern society in her first short story collection.
N. K. Jemisin is one of the most powerful and acclaimed speculative fiction authors of our time. In the first collection of her evocative short fiction, Jemisin equally challenges and delights readers with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption.
In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow South must save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story “The City Born Great,” a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis’s soul.
MAMA (STRIPPED DOWN VERSION) BY JUSSIE SMOLLETT
After that intense cover love, I wasn’t really sure where to take this post, and then it hit me, we go to the voice of an angel! Have you watched Empire, it’s a hip hop TV drama, which I love, the show features Taraji P. Henson – and she is Queen! If you haven’t seen the show, some of the lyrics won’t make a lot of sense, but Jamal (played by Jussie Smollet) is Cookie’s son (Cookie is played by Queen Taraji P. Henson), and he’s singing this song for his mama. The only thing you really need to hear is Jussie’s voice, man that boy can sing, his voice is like a scented candle!
YouTube link, incase embedded video doesn’t work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYOtW11fUVo
LINK AROUND THE WEB
49 Books That Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime
According to BookBub, if you’re looking for a master list of the books that everyone should read in their lifetime, their list is a great place to start. Featuring iconic classics, timeless bestsellers, and life-changing nonfiction – see the list, and let me know how many you’ve read.
I’ve read a grand total of 8! I own a further 7, leaving a further 34 unread and unowned. That’s actually really good for me, usually I’ve only read one book on these lists, and that one book is usually To Kill a Mockingbird, because it seems to appear on every single list!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it, and you’ll join me next Sunday for some more ramblings.
If you missed my last rambling you can find it here – topics: Sweatcoin, I reviewed it wrong, book swaps on Instagram, and the five stars of October
Keeper of Pages 
I love the idea of the worry dolls, my 5 year old granddaughter is a worrier. This is something that might help her to get off to sleep easier, especially if my daughter removes the doll while she’s asleep. Kids are great believers in magic 😊
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You should definitely get her some worry dolls, I agree that children’s belief in magic will really help the effectiveness of these dolls 😊
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I’ve read 8 of the books on that list and I own 3 that I haven’t read yet.
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You’ve read the same amount as me, which is impressive by my standards 😂
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I had never heard of the worry doll, that is very interesting!
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I think, for some people, they could be a great tool in managing anxiety. 😊
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I agree, she discusses mindfulness in the book which has been very helpful to me in general
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Enjoyed your ramblings! I love book lists, so I clicked over to see which books made it. I’ve read 31 and own another 9.
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Wow, 31, that is really impressive! Have you heard of this website – https://www.listchallenges.com/ – they have all the book lists you could dream of, and more, you can even make your own list. I’m currently working my way through one of their lists ‘Amazon UKs 100 Crime Books and Thrillers to Read in a Lifetime’
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I have used List Challenges before. I’m working my way through a couple of lists right now. So much fun!
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That’s an interesting book list, I haven’t come across many that have a mix of older and newer titles. I’ve read 15 and DNFed 3, with a few more on my TBR
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You make a good point, most lists do tend to include only older books! I’m curious, which books did you DNF? (if you can remember, sorry for my delayed reply)
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1984, Beloved and The Kite Runner. The first two I just couldn’t get into and The Kite Runner was really triggering
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I really enjoyed 1984 when I read it years ago, it’s actually on my reread list, lol. I haven’t read the other two, wouldn’t say never, but they’re not at the forefront of my reading mind. 😊
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I was sent some of the worry dolls by Avon Books with a copy of Perfect Silence by Helen Fields. I must admit I’ve never actually tried using them but perhaps I will.
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I keep mine on my bedside table, I would love to find a way to connect them like a dream catcher, but as a standing ornament (if that makes sense)
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I think you’ll love I’ll Be Gone in the Dark Janel! It’ll be on my top 10 of 2018 list this year, it’s terrifying!!
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I feel like the only person in the world who hasn’t read it 🙈 hopefully I can start it next week 🙂
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I had those little worry dolls as a kid, I haven’t thought of those in so long! I’m so glad you shared the story behind them because whoever gave them to me (I’m sure they were a gift) didn’t explain that part, lolol. I knew they were called worry dolls but had no idea why. Too funny!
Such a great Nonfiction November booklist! Excited to see what you get to. I remember a few of them from some of your previous posts, and I’ve been curious about The Wicked Boy for awhile so looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it.
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That’s interesting that they didn’t share the story, that’s the whole point of them, you need to know the story behind them 😂 did you just play with them as normal dolls then?
I’m so busy this month, I haven’t read anything yet 🙈 I think I’ll carry my nonfiction into December 😅
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I know, right? I didn’t do anything with them, put them in a desk drawer and just looked at them once in awhile when I came across them! I remember being fascinated that some of them had stitched-on mouths and some didn’t. Really helped alleviate my worries, you see 😂
I know what you mean, any plans I make for reading tend to always get away from me. You’ll get to them when you get to them 😉
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You’re very welcome for the Maggie O’Farrell! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts. I have some little worry dolls my Mum got me, might have to seek them out, forgot how cute they are! Good luck with your non fiction November reading list, intrigued to hear what you’ll make of I’ll Be Gone In The Dark too. 😊
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I cannot believe I haven’t heard of the worry dolls before, such a brilliant concept. I haven’t read any nonfiction yet, I’ve been swamped, but hopefully next week ☺️
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Never heard about the worry dolls before. Only the dream catchers. Interesting! Sounds like kind of the same concept my therapist is telling me as well. That i need to recognize my worries and realize they are just thoughts, etc.
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I think they’re a great tool, I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of them before now 🙂
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Nonfiction November is going to be great – I can’t wait to see what you think of I Am I Am I Am! I loved bibliobeth’s review, and I’m really looking forward to reading it myself too 😍 And thank you for sharing the worry dolls! I vaguely remember having something similar myself as a child, but that’s been lost in the archives of a faulty memory… at the moment, the self-care that’s really working for me is stupidly simple: I’ve become one of Those People that makes my bed every day 😱 It’s such a little thing, but I’ve been doing it for a couple of months now and it really helps me feel “together”. Keep caring for yourself, and happy reading!
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I’m one of ‘those people’ too, I have to make my bed every morning, I even fold back a little bit of the cover to make it look pretty 🙈😂 ….I cannot believe I hadn’t heard of the worry dolls before now, I think they’re a great tool, I love the concept!
I’m looking forward to diving into nonfiction, I’m so busy this month so I’m thinking about a nonfiction December too 😊
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The Worry Dolls are such a cool idea! It’s kind of based on a logical idea that a shared problem is half the problem but as people we still tend to bottle up for various reasons. Perhaps we’re ashamed to voice our worries, or don’t want to burden our loved ones, etc, so a Worry Doll will nail that particular problem… How wonderful!
As for the BookBub list- I’ve only read 10 of those… and some I have on my TBR pile.. but I did come across a few that caught my eye immediately so… TBR here I come, clicky-clicky! 😀
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I cannot believe I hadn’t heard of the worry dolls before, I love the concept – you’re right, I think it’s the relief/weight lifted once you’ve voiced your worry out loud!
10 – impressive! Haha, same, I added a few of the titles to my wishlist too!
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