As a romance reader and contributor to the library's romance genre picks, I'm constantly navigating how to talk about pleasure and sexuality with general audiences. Though it's easy to swoon and joke about "spicy books" with friends, real talk about pleasure reading is tricky. I've been inspired reading Rachel Lynn Soloman's new romance Business or […]
This is an ode to the mom squad: a network of moms, both in-person and virtual, that can be relied upon for nearly anything. My own network of mom friends comforted me in my fourth trimester. They pulled me through the landmines of the terrible twos. Now, they're showing me the hilarity of living with […]
After getting shamelessly lured by an eye-catching new book, Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke, I couldn't help but wonder: why do people obsess about certain body parts? Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke Objectively, we all have body parts we find attractive in others. It stands to reason that we also have parts of our […]
Now in its 4th year, the City of Toronto has proclaimed March 6 to 12, Black Mental Health Week. Recognizing this week shines a light on the mental health challenges of Black Torontonians. Years of institutional, systemic and anti-Black racism have affected the mental health of many in the Black community. Societal stigma and financial […]
Despite using the catchphrase "no sweat," a lot, the truth is I am human and I do sweat. In fact, I sweat a lot (both physically and mentally). So of course when a title like "The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration," appeared on TPL's Health and Wellness New Books page, I immediately […]
I'm a sucker for a great book cover. I know I'm not alone. Since starting my journey into eAudiobooks though, I don't often pick up a book and judge it based on its cover. Instead, I download, double tap an airpod, toss it into my pocket or backpack and off I go. Audiobooks I'm currently […]
Since becoming a health and wellness blogger for TPL, social media now strongly advertises body positivity campaigns to me with hashtags like #BigFatFatty. I'm going to take the radical stance that most people have worried/struggled with their body at one point or another in their life. Be it body size, race, gender, or ability, the […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has put medicine at the forefront of most conversations. Simultaneously it has left non-science minded folks like myself trying to catch up on the never ending debates over science vs. pseudoscience. On my journey to educate myself, I discovered a few curiosity-piquing books on medical misconceptions that I'm sure folks out there […]
This Mother's Day, I'd like to acknowledge the mental health roller coaster that happens when becoming a new mom. Somewhat like a job promotion, I don't think you can’truly appreciate the role of being a mom until you're actually in it. In this blog I'll take a panoramic view of motherhood and recommend books that […]
Who doesn't love a green, leafy houseplant? I recently took my love of houseplants to the next level by tattooing a sentimental Heart-Leaf Philodendron on my forearm. My husband's grade one teacher gave each of her students a single leaf cutting of their classroom plant and he (with my help) has kept it alive and […]