reading Archives

Committed

The Failures of the Mental Health System and the Heartbreak of Caregiving Author: Poalina Milana Committed: bound or obligated to a person or thing, as by pledge or assurance; devoted. ~ Dictionary.com The term “committed to a mental institution” refers to a formal commitment of a person to a mental health facility by a court or other lawful authority. This includes involuntarily committing a person for treatment due to mental illness, mental defectiveness, or other reasons such as drug or alcohol abuse. Importantly, it does not include admission for observation or voluntary admission to a mental institution ~ Law Insider All [...]

Frances Carden2025-12-10T17:23:51-07:00December 10th, 2025|Tags: book review, Committed, memoir, mental illness, read, reading, schizophrenia|

Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The

“All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think.” Author: C.S. Lewis The world is at war, but for four English children, this is a distant reality. They’ve been sent from the bustle and danger of London to a professor’s remote country manor for safety. Here, their days are filled with exploration, and one rainy day in particular, the youngest, Lucy, makes a discovery that will change everything. In this creaky English manor, there is a wardrobe filled with old furs, but it is no ordinary wardrobe. It leads to a magical world – one that is [...]

Frances Carden2025-12-08T15:53:51-07:00December 8th, 2025|Tags: Aslan, book review, C.S. Lewis, children's classic, classic, Narnia, read, reading|

Staircase in the Woods, The

"Home is where the hurt is." Author: Chuck Wendig Four outcasts. One-star student. Five friends. Matty is the star student, the good one, the one who watches after the others. The one who fights bullies, who throws his lot in with his traumatized friends, who sinks his reputation by hanging out with the “bad” kids. The druggies. The kids with no future. Matty is the glue, the hope. Until one night, camping in the woods, when they find a lone staircase. Matty goes up it . . . and is never seen again. Twenty-years later, everyone in the town still thinks [...]

Frances Carden2025-12-08T13:50:48-07:00December 8th, 2025|Tags: book review, horror, read, reading, Staircase in the Woods|