Autism
fact: Boys are four times
more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
Childhood Toys
I’m delighted to be
taking part in RJ Scott’s autism blog hop again, although I have to admit that
when I learned that the theme for this year’s autism blog hop was childhood toys,
I had a few second thoughts. I honestly can’t remember a time at which toys
were important to me. I have no memories of favourite playthings when I was
younger, nor do I look at the items in toyshops now either with nostalgia or
whishing a particular toy had been available when I was younger.
While I did have, of
course, toys, for me it has always been, and still is, all about books.
But wait, says you.
This is supposed to be a post about things to play with. Books are fabulous of
course, but reading isn’t the same as playing.
And you would be
right.
Reading is also often
a solitary activity, where as toys, more often than not, easily allow for
playing with others and are often created for exactly that purpose.
So, there’s me. My
friends are carrying their Barbies around and playing with them whenever they
can and I? I watch them, not quite understanding what the fun is supposed to be
while secretly wishing for the book I haven’t finished reading yet.
The day I decided to
turn my personal book collection into a library, everything fell into place. I
went the whole distance and created tickets for my friends (and/or their Barbies)
and put little envelopes in my books, with room to make note of the return
date. My friends loved coming to my library, borrowing books, either for
themselves or for their Barbies, and I’d found a way to join in and enjoy myself.
I learned a valuable
lesson back then. Children don’t necessarily want to play with the traditional
toys you find in shops. It was a lesson that came in handy in the recent past.
The hubbies godson is
on the autism spectrum and for years we struggled to come up with appropriate
gifts for Jack. It was only when I reminded myself that a toy can be anything a
child likes spending time with, that things got easier. Jack likes pictures and
we can’t make him happier than providing him with new ones, preferably lose,
individual images he can carry around with him. Card games, postcards, they
delight him more than any expensive toy possibly could. As for us, we just want
to see him happy. When we stopped overthinking the toy issue, we achieved
exactly that.
Lessons in Love
Falling for each other was easy. Staying
together comes with a learning curve.
Three months after they met in the
miraculous library, Cian is nervously preparing for Mitch’s arrival in Dublin.
As much as he’s looking forward to three long days with his boyfriend—without
parental supervision—he can’t help worrying about the fact that they will have
to share both his small room and his even smaller bed. He doesn’t even own
pajamas.
Their relationship is new, and Cian
may be two years older, but he has little more experience than Mitch when it
comes to intimacy and boyfriends. He isn’t sure what he’s doing or what’s
expected of him. As a result, Cian and Mitch are in for a whirlwind weekend,
filled with shocks, surprises, fun, and deepening feelings.
Against the backdrop of Ireland
celebrating its national holiday, Cian and Mitch learn their first Lessons in
Love.
While a Miracle in the Library was a
young adult story, Lessons in Love features two young men old enough to consume
alcohol and be sexually active. This book is therefore meant for readers who
are eighteen years or older and contains sexual acts between two consenting
men.
Giveaway
Tell me about your
favourite childhood toy (or book) below for the chance to win a title from my
backlist.
Charity
I’ve thought about this long and
hard. There are so many very worthwhile charities in desperate need of money it
is almost impossible to pick one over the other. So, I guess you could say I
took the easy way out when I decided to support RJ’s chosen charity, Lindengate.
This
is a mental health charity that works with
autistic children and can be found here: https://mydonate.bt.com/
