Like his last book, it follows three different storylines, but this time they’re all set in different centuries: Konstance on a spaceship in the future, Anna in the 1400s in Constantinople, and Seymour in the early 21st century. My dad gave it to me for Christmas and it took me a while to get into but it’s worth sticking with. It was a fascinating book, I learned a lot, but it read like a novel because it was such a page-turner.Ĭloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr: The author of All the Light We Cannot See (one of my all-time favorite books) wrote this 2021 National Book Award finalist. She follows more traditional cults (like Jonestown) and then discusses how this language is also used in cult fitness programs (like Soul Cycle and Crossfit), MLMs (such as Amway and Young Living), and social media wellness gurus. The author writes about the language used in cults (Cultish) to recruit members and keep them engaged and attached in what can turn into an unhealthy dependent way.

I’m not usually a big non-fiction fan and rarely read a non-fiction book all the way through in one shot but I couldn’t put this one down. WHAT I’M READING & WATCHINGīooks – Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism By Amanda Montell: I finished this one in a few days and loved it. I am basically counting down the seconds until our flight to Palm Beach takes off. The second is that Anel and I are heading out of town this week on our first real trip as a couple since COVID hit! It’s only for two nights but even two nights away in a new setting, just focusing on each other and having fun is exactly what we need. It’s gorgeous and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The first is that we reset my engagement ring as an early 10-year wedding anniversary gift. On a happier note, I have two exciting pieces of news this month. And I’m lucky to have an amazing partner to do it all with. I’m lucky to have a job where I can work while they sleep and I won’t get fired. I’m lucky to have extra time with my kids. The only thing I can do is try to shift my mentality. I feel helpless and worthless and like I’m failing at everything I try to do. I’m tired, I’m frustrated, I’m angry, and I’m really really sad. Amalia doesn’t remember a world without masks and quarantines and Luca has never lived in one. Two years in and we’re vaxxed, boosted, have had COVID twice, and I just can’t seem to find any end in sight. A fact and the title of an article that I found to be spot on. Omicron Means Parents Are Doing It All Again, Except This Time Dead Inside. A year later, and it’s only getting harder.

Last February, The New York Times told us that America’s mothers are in crisis.

I’m trying to get creative with activities for the kids at home but, like many other mothers, I’m burnt out and my creativity is at an all-time low. At first, I was panicked, but now I’m focusing on accepting our situation and the fact that at least the next few months aren’t going to look normal for work/life balance. But snow days and quarantine-related school closures have forced me to spend a lot less time working. After a rough holiday with COVID, the Dzafic family is slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things.

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