Welcome to The Hearth. This space is dedicated to personal reflections and life outside of academic research. Browse the posts below for insights into my daily routines, navigating life as a neurodivergent PhD candidate, and finding balance beyond the university.
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The magic of Harry Potter
As a teacher librarian I regularly come across the phrases “I hate reading” and “I’m not a reader” in my day-to-day work. I am never angered by these comments, nor am I surprised, but rather I like the challenge that this possesses. For many students it’s often about simply finding the right book, but more…
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Diversity matters
For a long time I have been tossing up whether or not to write about the importance of reading diverse stories. I’m taking the leap because this is something that I am very passionate about and I think needs discussing. I will contain my focus for this post specifically on books and stories. Without getting…
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Developing a reading habit
During my research for my thesis, I spent a lot of time reading about the importance of reading (how meta is that…) and I discovered some very interesting things. I thought I’d share some of the most interesting tidbits of information that I discovered here. I also shared a video on my YouTube channel with…
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Life update for 2020
In this crazy time of 2020 I, like so many others, have had to make some hard decisions about what I want out of this year. And so, I thought I’d write a quick update about where I’m at and give some details around those hard decisions. In my 2020 goals post earlier this year,…
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2020 Goals
It’s that time again! Last year I wrote about resolutions/goals, and I’ve got to say, it set me up beautifully for the year. I made it to the end of the year feeling more like myself, having read 52 books, and with a brand new masters under my belt. I achieved a lot, and setting…
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Remembering 2019
It seemed like a good idea back in 2017 to keep track of all that I achieved during the year. However, as the years continue to get busier and busier, I’m starting to think that I need to draft this post at the beginning of the year and just add to it as I go……
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Click’d – Stone
We recently purchased “Click’d” by Tamara Ireland Stone for the iCentre at Mount Alvernia College, and it has sat in my #tbr (to be read) pile since then. I finally got around to reading it this past week and I really enjoyed it. Synopsis: Allie loves to code. She attended CodeGirls Summer Camp over the…
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What I like about me – Guillaume
I had seen this book all over Instagram and I was very intrigued. So many of the captions were saying how much they loved this book and how it made them laugh and cry. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that made me laugh AND cry so I decided to give it…
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Four Dead Queens – Scholte
I had seen this book all over Instagram and so when my colleague, Marg, handed me our new copy to read I didn’t think twice; I took it home and started it over the holidays. However, when the first queen died I got such a shock. I then thought to myself “hang on a minute,…