Monica’s Musings: Goblin Mode

Goblin Mode by McKayla Coyle

“Honoring our goblin selves means celebrating our passions, asserting our right to green spaces, listening to our bodies, watching the world with curiosity, and prioritizing comfort.” – McKayla Coye, Goblin Mode

Summary: Embrace your inner goblin! Learn to decorate, dress, craft, forage, and live according to the goblin principles of community, diversity, proud weirdness, and joyful mess.

Do you ever feel strange, gross, chaotic, underappreciated, or like you don’t quite fit in? Great news: you might be a goblin! That means your imperfections and idiosyncrasies are the most awesome things about you, and you can build a more balanced, comfortable, harmonious life by accepting and honoring them—taking inspiration from the frogs, fungus, moss, rocks, and dirt that goblins love.

Can a mushroom give you fashion tips? Can a snail teach you to be a better person? You bet they can—and in this book, you’ll also learn to: Build a moss garden for your lair, grow and use medicinal plants, forage for berries (even in the city), mend your cozy sweaters, display your cool rock collection, and more!

Anyone can be a goblin, and Goblin Mode includes life advice for celebrating physical and mental diversity, rejecting prejudice, and generally hanging on to a little joy. Featuring 25 whimsical illustrations by Marian Churchland, Goblin Mode will help you rethink your relationship with your body, home, community, and the earth.

My Thoughts: Goblincore is an aesthetic and subculture inspired by the folklore of goblins, centered on celebrating natural ecosystems usually considered less beautiful by conventional norms, such as soil, animals, and second-hand objects. This book is so cute and fits the goblin core aesthetic quite nicely. It discusses the history of the term “goblin,” with its negative connotations throughout history, and how it has recently been reclaimed to mean something positive and relatable.

This way of life is about finding positivity, beauty, and joy in the world around you. You get craft ideas and helpful tips on plant and pet care. My favorite chapters were about dressing comfortably, decorating your home in a way that makes you happy, and how to wallow and take time for yourself. I recommend this to anyone looking to connect with nature and embrace themselves without conforming to society’s standards!