Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle by Emily Nagorski

July 4, 2021July 6, 2021 | piperreads

Rating: 2/5

“The moral of the story is: We thrive when we have a positive goal to move toward, not just a negative state we’re trying to move away from.”

I have mixed feelings about self-help books as I find that some of them can be a little preachy and while I did like the material covered in book, it did feel that way at times. I am finishing up my master’s degree and will be going into counseling field shortly after so I have been reading up on burnout quite a bit and I found this book while searching for self-help books. Since Emily Nagorski’s is well known in the counseling field, I thought that this book would be focused in that area and I was wrong. Seeing the title, I was anticipating that this book would be about burnout and how we can handle stress in our daily lives and what we can to combat it but I was wrong. While the book does provide information that can be useful and other parts were about feminism and patriarchy that I felt had no relevance. in the book. Look, I love reading about feminism and patriarchy but if the title of the book is about stress and burnout then that’s what I want. With that being said, I felt like this book was a little all over the place and I would’ve loved more of a focus on burnout and how we can as women fix that and do better with helping others do the same.

So, aside from that I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless you want to check it out on your own and see for yourself. I wish it was different because I was actually looking forward to it.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

July 3, 2021 | piperreads

TW: Abuse, Violence, Accidents, Loss of loved ones etc.

Rating: 4/5

“You can bargain with anybody, spirit or human. All you need to know is what do they want and what are they scared of. That’s all.”

Black Water Sister follows the story of Jessaymn, a young woman who is moving back to the Malaysia, her childhood home where the past that she left behind comes back in a way that she didn’t expect. When she arrives back, Jess begins to hear voices and at first she chalks it up to stress but then she comes to realize that the voices hears is that of her estranged grandmother, Ah-Ma. In life, she was a spirit medium, the avatar of mysterious deity Black Water Sister and now she’s decided that Jess is gonna help her settle the score with a gang leader who offended the god. On the journey, Jess is thrown into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, she finds that making deals with spirits is a dangerous game and she may not make it out alive.

What a compelling read! Not only did I enjoy the characters, the storyline, and the dynamics within the world that Cho created, but I really enjoyed learning about the culture. I laughed, cried, and didn’t want the book to end but sadly it did. This is the first book that I’ve read from Zen Cho and I will definitely be checking out more by her because of her writing and how she gives a beautiful backdrop into the south east asia culture. I learned quite a bit while following Jess on her journey and what witty, sassy, fun, and sarcastic protagonist. Jess was an absolute delight and I loved learning more about her and seeing her grow in this journey. One that is about self-discovery and not only figuring her place in the world but feeling secure with her identity and taking command of that narrative.

The supernatural elements were great, I really enjoyed Cho weaving that into the story and it really added more to the story. I don’t mind gore or horror but it can be a lot for others that something to think about as there are a few scenes that a bit graphic but for the most part, it was more haunting than anything.

This was such a fun, mysterious, haunting, and enthralling read so if you’re looking for an enjoyable urban fantasy with a witty, fun-loving, and relatable character while being spooked and entertained with Cho’s storytelling then this is it!

July TBR

July 1, 2021 | piperreads

Wow! How is it already July? I can’t believe it but alas here we are and I’m ready to get more reading done. This month will be a little busier than last month’s but it shouldn’t be too bad.But, I am excited to share my choices for this month with you!