Thanks for stopping by my profile! I created this little space to share my story of getting back into reading and to provide other readers with book-related content and resources. As I work to make reading a regular part of my life again, most of what I post is about the books I'm currently reading or just my random thoughts on the topic. Sometimes I'll share about annotations, and sometimes I'll share about journaling, since this space is for both reading and writing.
I want to join a few book clubs or maybe even start my own one day, and I'd also like to connect with other bookish communities on and off of Tumblr. I hope that makes me feel better about sharing things here too... I'm usually anxious, so talking to people directly isn't always easy for me. However, I don't want that to keep me from meeting other people who share my interests.
Everything here is just my own thoughts, shaped by how I feel and what I find in each book I read. I’m not here to be a harsh critic of authors or their work. I only wish to respectfully express my opinions. Given that English is not my first language, I am still in the process of articulating my emotions and thoughts. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding~
Lastly, I hope this little space shows how much I love reading and how much fun it is to find new books and new ways to get to them from all over the world. I share what I write here in the hopes that some people, including those close to me, will become more interested in reading. Perhaps someone who hasn't yet developed a love for books will realize that reading can be easy and fun -- much more enjoyable than simply scrolling through social media. Not everyone needs to read a lot to enjoy books. All readers count!
PS: I read all sorts of books except those that heavily revolve around SA and abuse that are made to depict it or contextualize it as pleasure or interest. Feel free to contact me here or on IG/Threads (or through email ⬇️) if you're interested in having me as your ARC reviewer 🤎 All my reviews are on @mfleure-reads 🔖
Happy reading! 📖
➤ #fleureposts - my own posts
➤ @mfleure-reads - thoughts & reviews
➤ email contact: [email protected]
PPS: I'll only respond to and consider messages about books and journaling. Thank you~
unironically i think we need to bring back computer labs because APPARENTLY some people WERENT taught basic computer literacy and internet safety in school
things about computers/the internet i think kids should be formally taught in schools because theyre important to know and the amount of soon to be grown adults i know who know NOTHING about any of these is quite frankly almost all of them (and resources to learn if you dont know these things, because its never to late to get better with computers)
how to troubleshoot by yourself when you have a technical problem
what common file types are
some very basics on how to use ""developer tools"" on your computer (because i cant think of a better way to refer to them) like task manager and command prompt (and their mac equivalents, terminal and activity monitor ofc)
how to read and understand a privacy policy and what your personal data is, as well as what it being collected actually means and steps you can take to keep it private
how to understand terms of service
(hey. if you have trouble with reading legalese and worry about being able to understand these policies anyways, here's a site that gives basic summaries of privacy policies and ToS)
what a cookie actually is
internet privacy and your digital footprint!! seriously i dont know why we stopped teaching people that they shouldnt be putting their entire real identity online in a world where your online actions can ruin you irl
basic safety measures like antivirus software (and why you should use it or if the built in one on windows or mac is enough for you) and backing up your computer (also a mac guide)
common keyboard shortcuts (and on mac)
as an additional note: things i think everyone should know on computers and the internet but schools may bit hesitant to teach about for whatever moral/legal standards schools pretend to operate on
vpns and adblockers! (btw for most of these where you can pay for things im purposefully not recommending any specific software but seriously just use ublock origin for an adblocker)
how to not get a virus while pirating something
what a temporary email is and when to use one
red flags that you shouldn't trust a website (and how to quickly check the security of a site)
what javascript on a website does and how to disable it to get around paywalls
I took a short break from reading since I wasn't feeling well for a week and was bedfast. I've decided to share some media, art, and music from time to time when that happens…
We currently have a 1yr-old pug in our home, and it was so touching to see this comforting video from 16 years ago of a kindhearted elderly man & his senior pug living together peacefully.
Have a good weekend and stay safe~
late post but here are the books i read last month. most of them were borrowed from the library. still getting over a reading slump that’s been going on for years, so i’m starting with lighter reading, even though i know some of these books are quite heavy, lol. i plan to share more thoughts about some of these later this month…
(i forgot to include before the coffee gets cold book 1 🥲)
Some picture books I read and loved last month 🧺☀️₊˚⊹
📖 The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson
⭐ Amazed
This book tells the story of Nokomis (Ojibwe grandmother) Josephine Mandamin and her profound love for nibi (water). It shows the start of the "Water Walk Movement" and the people who were involved in it. I loved how raw & authentic the story was written and drawn, how it heavily lit my awareness of the importance of water in everyday life, and how timely it is nowadays, especially on the over-consumption of water worldwide.
I wouldn’t have known about the aforementioned movement, the reasons behind their environmental concerns in 2003, or how important it is to protect water from pollution and excessive use without this book. Aside from this book, you can read more about the Water Walk Movement here.
📖 Lights along the River by Pat Lamondin Skene with Sabrina Gendron (Illustrator)
⭐ Thankful
Another wonderful story about a young child and their town, who were just about to get their first day with electricity in 1952. Patsy, the young child, shared how they lived before having electricity, how they spent their time together as a family, such as listening to battery-operated radios, using oil lamps to fill light in the living room, and her brother reading old comic books. She also expressed some worries about whether electricity would cause their family to become closer or more estranged. The book as a whole is such a touching story; it made me appreciate what we have now, both with and without having to use electricity. What I have learned here the most is to learn to balance it into our lives, not over-relying on any, and instead learn to spend time the most with your loved ones. There is nothing that fills our lives more than doing that.
📖 I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis, Kathy Kacer with Gillian Newland (Illustrator)
⭐ Indignant
Coming from someone who was raised outside of Canada, this one was especially weighty. I had never known about the residential school system until I read this book last month. This book is one of those books that proves picture books can be read at any age, and some will really be impactful, informative, and gut-wrenching. The story revolves around Irene and her brothers, who have been taken from their homes and sent to live at a residential school in Canada. Here, I learned about the harm that the system did to the Indigenous people, especially the children who were taken because people thought they were bad and needed to be "saved" from themselves.
In this particular section of the book, I felt both enraged and sad for the people who had gone through that system -- ”𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚙, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚝.” This kind of discrimination and abuse happened in those residential schools and was told in the book. The last residential school closed in 1996.
📖 The Most Beautiful Thing I Have Ever Seen by Jenny Kay Dupuis, Kathy Kacer with Gillian Newland (Illustrator)
⭐ Hopeful
The last book is about a little girl and her family who had to leave their home because of a war. They had to go to a different country where the girl thought they would be safe and not have to worry about anything. Only to display how war has affected their hope and freedom and how traumatizing it is, especially to young children, even if they’ve already fled from it. It showed how even a simple fireworks display at a celebratory event could trigger children from war, and it made me feel uneasy and sad, which is also the point of the book. Once more, it's a very relevant story, particularly in light of current events. I believe reading this will widen your empathy not only towards the families who have been suffering from these wars but specifically towards the children who only hoped to live and grow like us, without war, without fleeing from their home, beloved countries.
🖋️I absolutely recommend these books to anyone who appreciates art -- especially vibrant illustrations -- combined with beautiful narrative, new information, and powerful messages. You can still pick up useful information in picture books such as the books I have mentioned above (most of them are not fiction). I have always loved reading picture books because that's how I started to love reading. Back then, picture books were essentially relevant to young children, not only to improve reading comprehension but also to learn empathy through the visuals being evoked in the books. They were locally affordable and supported not only independent local writers but also artists. Picture books helped me develop my love for drawing in addition to reading, and I hope that these two passions will continue to prevail into the future of newer generations.
