Published in About Me Stories·PinnedAbout Me — Keara LouThe bookish traveler who’s a little bit weird — Hello out there! My name is Keara Lou! If you’re not sure how to pronounce my name, remember this. The word ear is in the middle of my name. Lots of people get it wrong on the first try, so don’t worry! …About Me5 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·Jun 10What I Learned From Spending A Month Reading Self-Help BooksThey’re not like I thought — When I think of self-help books, I think of something out of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit!. Someone’s out looking for an extra buck, so they spread some generic, vague nonsense. More times than not, it screams toxic positivity. I picture a white, super skinny blonde woman. She’s in her twenties…Books5 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·Jun 2The Best Books I Read In May 2022Nonfiction month became my most productive reading month — After suffering through Catch-22, I felt stupid for not understanding the book. So to make myself feel better, I read only nonfiction in May. I used to think of nonfiction in two ways: cold textbooks or overly positive self-help bullshit. After this past month, I learned that’s not the case…Books5 min read
May 18I Might Need A Break From WritingI Might Need A Break From Writing Something strange is happening right now. Whenever I try to write something, my brain fizzles and turns to mush. I can’t get more than a paragraph before my brain stops trying to work. I don’t know if I’m trying too hard or can’t…Writing Life2 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·May 16It’s Not Every Day I Abandon A BookBut Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 broke me — I have a confession. It’s hard for me to dislike anything. I don’t care if it’s a lousy movie, book, or TV show. I’m entertained by the bad shit as much as the good shit. But when I find something I dislike, it’s not pretty. I rage for a day…Books And Authors4 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·May 7The Best Books I Read In April 2022One of the hardest months to pick a best read — April turned into a stressful month. I didn’t find much time to write, but I did find lots of time to read. Reading was the only way to calm myself down when I came home from work. In April, I read five books and saved $120 from using my local…Books3 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·Apr 21Ever Have A Book Bring A Sense Of Nostalgia As You Read?I did when I read Shang Guan Jie Wen’s “China In Real Life” — Anyone who’s read my work knows I can’t go more than five articles without mentioning I spent six years living in China. China was one of the best life decisions I ever made, and I often wonder if I made a mistake leaving the country. These days, I haven’t talked…Books4 min read
Apr 17Maybe It’s Time To Create A New PublicationOr would it be better to write a book? — Life is throwing shit at me left and right. It’s nothing bad; it’s lots of decisions I’m not sure I’m ready to make. Writing-wise, I revived my Substack. Instead of writing about life in quarantine, which fizzled out faster than I planned. I’m writing about what I need to do…Writing3 min read
Published in The Partnered Pen·Apr 8My Solo Writing Retreat Is A Major SuccessI think I’ll be doing these more often — If you saw my Instagram or Facebook, you wouldn’t think my mini-retreat was a successful experiment. I had tons of pictures of my adventures in the city and the occasional meme. According to the title, this experiment worked out better than I thought. I banged out a few poems, and…Writing5 min read
Published in Books Are Our Superpower·Apr 4The Best Books I Read In March 2022My books went in like lambs and out like lions — After five books, March looked like a more productive month. For the curious, I saved $125 from using my local library. I’ll have to look through my old articles to see how much I saved this year. If I had to guess, I’d say I saved about $300. This month…Books5 min read
