Thought Train to Pusan

With accompanying illustrations by Keith Thompson, Leviathan is a young adult’s Steampunk mechanics vs. Biopunk Darwinists tale set within an alternate history of the initiation of World War I. And at the end of it I was thinking, “that’s it? That’s where you leave me?” only to be pleasantly surprised to discover that Leviathan is only the first in a series of novels (how I wasn’t aware of this before, I’m not sure) that I definitely plan on continuing with when I am able to. The story begins with two separate focuses: Alek, the prince of the Autro-Hungarian Empire, on the run from the country that has turned on him with a small group of loyal men after his parents are assassinated, and Deryn, a young woman who disguises herself as a male in order to join the British Air Service. For the first half of the novel we see these two young people’s lives being swept into adventure and danger as the beginning of the war in Europe unfolds, and I kept wondering how their two paths woul...

Although I am also posting this over on my art blog , I am excited to be finished an art project I've been working on for a while (especially since I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on projects for myself recently)! And that project is a set of portraits of all the lovely young men in One Direction. Did I also mention that I'm going to Arizona to see them in concert for the first time later this year? I'm extremely excited for it! In any case, here is my completed project, though I still have to actually physically attach them in a single frame in order to put it up somewhere. Each drawing itself is 3.6''x10'' in pencil, using various references (and you can see a somewhat closer look at each of them individually: here ).  So what do we think? Do we like them? Personally, despite the fact that I am always insanely critical about my own artwork, I'm pretty pleased about with they all turned out.

It’s been almost a year (if not more) since I read the first volume in the Peter Panzerfaust series, which I absolutely adored! And so I had forgotten a few details about what actually happened in the previous installment. But once I got into it, I remembered quickly, and thoroughly enjoyed this second volume entitled “Hook”. This volume includes issues #6-10 of the comic series, and picks up with one of the French orphans, Julien, at an older age; here, Julien recounts the tales of his group of brothers in war led by Peter, as they try to find and rescue their lost friend, Felix. Along the way, the group meets up with a French resistance, and joins forces with them. One of these French members is a young woman named Tiger Lily, who is tough as nails and Julien soon falls for. We also once again meet Kapitan Haken, whose encounter with Peter is very intriguing due to that which it seems to reveal, but also leave hidden about who Peter truly is. All in all, this volume conti...

I promise that I will read and review something different soon, I’ve just been very focused on my school readings right now. And so, here is some more on art therapy! And two very different approaches and focuses within the field at that: - Studio Art Therapy: Cultivating the Artist Identity in the Art Therapist by Catherine Moon - Introduction to Art Therapy: Sources & Resources by Judith A. Rubin Judith Rubin’s Introduction to Art Therapy is just that: an overview of the different possibilities inherent in the field of art therapy, taking a look at the various pioneers of the field who contributed to its history and progression to today, as well as many of the different theories and practical models that may inform one’s practice. The book is a conglomerate of a broad scope of information, yet doesn’t go too in-depth in any particular area. Interspersed throughout, Rubin provides personal cases that she has faced with a number of clients over the years, showing ho...

An edited collection of essays from a number of different practicing art therapists, from a diversity of backgrounds. Each author presents a different view of art therapy practices, and stems from a different spiritual background, yet they all focus on the connection between creative expression, artistic practices, and the spiritual sense of the human soul. Ranging anywhere from Christianity to Buddhism to Spiritualities connected to the Natural world, the authors tell their personal stories, as well as those of clients that they have worked with, all using the arts to connect them with something greater outside of the self. In turn, discovery of the self and the spirit comes from relating and engaging in the artistic and spiritual world. Now, this all may sound a little hokey to some, and I understand that: art therapy isn't for everyone. But for those that can really engage and connect to the process, it can be vital in providing a sense of healing, or at the very least, a re...

They may technically be textbooks, but I read them from front to back. And considering how I’ve been powering through so many lately, the last thing I want to do when I have free time is read anything for myself, even something fun (guess that means more time for drawing One Direction fanart portraits… I mean… uh…??). And so, here are my reviews #13-15, for the following books: - Spiritual Care and Therapy: Integrative Perspectives by Peter Van Katwyk - Ethical Issues in Art Therapy (2 nd Ed) by Bruce Moon - Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions by Gerald Corey, Marianne Corey, and Patrick Callanan Starting with the introductory-type book on Spirituality within the therapy profession by Peter Van Katwyk, the book did a good job of covering a number of topics largely focused on family systems and the integration of spirituality therein. There were a number of diagrams focused on helping styles and orientations that were well thought-out, but perhaps could have...

Just as the whole series of Locke & Key started out gruesome and somewhat upsetting, so does Keys to the Kingdom hit the same stride. Developments are made regarding the identity of the dark woman, and teenage hormones run wild as relationships are formed, splintered, patched, and ultimately scarred beyond ever returning to the way they were. And poor little Bode is left taking more hits than he should, as he is essentially left at the mercy of the actions of his siblings and the consequences of their decisions with the Keyhouse keys. We begin with some seemingly normal issues for a family to have, with young Bode having difficulty making friends: the drawing style from his point of view is even more along the lines of a Calvin & Hobbes-esque story than the typical Locke & Key artwork. But things soon start getting tangled and dark, as the Locke children are attacked multiple times, in multiple forms all created by the Dark Lady. New keys keep getting found in the ...