Notes on Cari Moral by Thomas Harris

Not great, but not as terrible as I’d expected from the reviews. The Thomas Harris themes are there, the Strong Female Protagonist, the Monster Serial Killer, the metaphysical metaphors.

You are closer to the verities—do you know verities? Las verdades, la re-alidad? How did you learn the difference? Where did you see something truly fearful?”

Cari had not smelled gun oil for a long time or tasted the copper taste of war, like a penny under her tongue …

“So is this encampment, Cari, this system. It is a machine. You have a good and inventive mind, Cari. Don’t let them cozen you. Don’t limit your personal life to just the minutes you can steal in the woods with someone. Use your wings for yourself.”

The word “cozen” stuck in her mind. In Spanish, “engañar.”

Enganyo. Ganahan. Walang gana.

Notes on The Science of Self Talk: How to Increase Your Emotional Intelligence and Stop Getting in Your Own Way by Ian Tuhovsky

Not endorsed, I don’t want to encourage this kind of book. Less than 100 pages, this isn’t even a chapbook, it’s a long blog post. But found some interesting things to look up, so not a total loss.

Charles Fernyhough, author of The Voices Within: The History and Science of How We Talk to Ourselves,

Fernyhough’s work looks interesting, added to the to-read pile.

Don’t think of the negative self-talk as you . Think of it as being like a family member you have no choice but to see every holiday, someone irritating but goofy and harmless. Give it a name. Think of it as a foolish, nagging voice that bugs you sometimes. When that unwelcome visitor comes into your head, just tell yourself Oh, Uncle Vernon is just blathering on and on again.

Give it a name.

Chapter 11 – What’s in a Pronoun?

This is cutting-edge psychological research that’s less than four years old, and it has huge therapeutic potential for helping people take charge of their lives.

Talking about distanced self-talk. Does not cite Chatter by Ethan Kross, a far superior book, read that one instead.