Real, Not Ideal

            I’ve been thinking a lot about the situation I was in last year. My knee injury threw me for a complete loop, and it was the beginning of a series of months that led me to being stuck physically, mentally, and emotionally. Luckily, I’m out of that, and it’s thanks to me. Everyone is always first to thank family, friends, and other support systems, and I’m obviously grateful for all of those people, but ultimately, I got myself through it all. I saw my surgeon just over a week ago, and the first thing the trainee doctor said to me was that he loved my positive attitude. When I found out I was having surgery, I promised myself that I would do everything I could to maintain that. You see, my surgery date came so quickly that I didn’t have time to process what the next few months of recovery were going to look like. As a result, I just made up my mind that I was going to heal. The day I had surgery, I started physio and then didn’t stop for months. I had a whole routine a

                 Hello everyone! It has been so long since I wrote one of these, so these are the full reviews of January and February’s books. A Man Called Ove – Fredrick Backman – 4.5 Stars I adored this book. I finished it late into the night with tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect ending for this story. It is a heart-wrenching tale of grief and belonging mixed with humour and a reminder that our parted loved ones are never too far away. The character of Ove is, on the surface, a gruff and miserable man who wants nothing more than to be alone. Through the background flashbacks and his reluctant relationships with the people around him, readers realize the depth of Ove’s compassion and need for companionship. The way the story is written is fantastic. Ove’s life is slowly unfolded in such a tailored way which makes the ending both devastating and full of joy. The frame narrative is unexpected and serves the novel well. I remember so many of my old