Tag - reading

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The books of July & August
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G.L.i.B – bed: Tell Tale
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Withdrawal symptoms
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G.L.i.B
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Living, reading and setting goals
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Booking a place in the world

The books of July & August

But it is a vicious cycle, this reading and writing. In order to write well, one must read regularly, vigorously, voraciously, widely. Most times, like in the last couple of weeks, I ask myself: how do I combine both when I have daily writing targets and a day job? Where do I find the space to steal a few hours (or in my case, minutes) of reading time to boost my brain power and give fuel to an unfolding plot? Because, more often than not, inspiration lies between the pages of any good read and can take my current plot (and future works) in delicious directions.

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G.L.i.B – bed: Tell Tale

There’s nothing better than a Jeffrey Archer novel as a worthy companion. And to think I wasn’t much of a fan of his work in my budding, voracious reading years.  Don’t get me wrong; I did devour some of his books – A Quiver Full of Arrows, The Fourth Estate, False Impression, etc. However, it was a rare occasion to seek after them with the same passion and fervor I would normally for Sydney Sheldon’s work. Whenever I read them (Jeffrey Archer’s), they usually happened by chance and through no intentional effort on my part. Not until The Clifton Chronicles and I crossed paths. Now I’m quick to suggest him at  the slightest conversation about good reads and authors. Tell Tale was another enthralling read – all 14 short stories, and not enough of them in my opinion – that I finished in less than 12 hours, grudgingly laying it aside when there were more important tasks to tackle namely professional work and house chores. It was classic Jeffrey Archer with a surprising bonus at the end, four chapters of his new book – Heads You Win – which is due out in November 2018. I can’t wait!  

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Withdrawal symptoms

For the last 23 weeks or so… I have been in unfamiliar territory – reading e-books. New year, new things, I thought to myself. So I tried it out. Fire and Fury was by far the worst of the lot – in terms of how it was written. It was also the first of them all, starting me out on this untested route. However, it didn’t fall short in the entertainment department which was what I sought from it, as long as I overlooked Michael Wolfe’s writing inconsistencies. On the flip side, the best I’ve read has to be The Picture of Dorian Gray. A well-put together tome by the British Oscar Wilde did my syntax and grammar so much good I was sorry to see it come to an end. It cleansed me of all the Americanisms and flaws of Fire and Fury, throwing in striking statements from one of its principal characters. A Briton would definitely write my autobiography. Who said: “Everything sounds better in a British accent?” It applies to their writing skills too when done impeccably. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was anyone’s nightmare come to reality, and a poor choice on my part after an impressive previous read. This little book sent shock waves through me from the very first page. Then replaced that emotion with a sadness that didn’t abate even at the end of it. Days after I had finished reading it, I was still engulfed in a melancholic mood like a cloak dangling from my shoulders. Only to have The Island of Doctor Moreau – H.G. Wells plunge me into dark and deep horrors in the name of scientific experiments. War on the Planets of the Apes came to mind fleetingly.  I dreaded continuing but was too curious not to. Frightfully, I read until its end. With almost every new tweet, he makes headlines. No way was I going to resist another insider story of The Donald. Enter A Higher Loyalty by James Comey. “That creep who cost Hillary Clinton the election,” said a friend of mine when I told her what”more

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G.L.i.B

The title of this post flashed, as though impatient to join the blog, while I read my first book of the year. Nora Robert’s Whiskey Beach, kicked off my reading this month. It has been a loooooooong while since I held a book authored by her. As I turned the pages of perhaps my first novel in six months, I realized I wanted to talk (or rather, write) about the books I’d be reading in 2017 as I did, and not just list all of them in one post at the end of the year like I’ve done in the past two years. To do that, I needed a title for the book category I’d be introducing on the blog; it was going to be a constant like the others before it – the institution, just the two of them, etc. Books I’m currently reading and my reading list were two possible headings that didn’t quite fit. Too pedestrian, I thought. Bookshelf also made a feeble appearance; it was the name of an online book reading club I belonged to. Nah, wasn’t that pilfering? Half – way through Whiskey Beach and pondering on the culprit of the main unsolved crime, g.l.i.b flashed and…kind of stuck. The more I thought about it, the apt it seemed. In name and purpose and…swag. Allow me present the latest addition to the blog – G.L.i.B (Getting Lost in a Book). This category will feature the books I’m currently reading (or have just finished reading) as well as my thoughts on them. It would be a review and recommendation of sorts. You will notice that the category’s title is dynamic and will be used not only to name the category but to describe some of its contents: G.L.i.B: Getting Lost in a Book G.L.i.B – bing: a book I’m currently reading G.L.i.B- bed: a book I have read Going to G.L.i.B: this is easy to understand, isn’t it? Now you see why it is as appropriate in name as it is in function? And to distinguish it from the same dictionary word (in spelling and”more

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Living, reading and setting goals

                Two weeks ago, I joined an online book club. I’m hoping this move would help me read more books this year and improve on that achievement as I go on. We are a 21-member, all – female group called the bookshelf and I feel really good about it. A few days ago, I posted the article below on the group’s page: What is your reading target? 10 minutes a day? 30 minutes? An hour? A book a week? A month? Quarterly? Annually? One of my 2014 resolutions was to read two (or more) books a month. For someone who claimed to be a voracious reader, this , I admit, was way below my reading standards. But while I played with the idea of increasing my monthly book count, I also considered other areas of my life. I had to be realistic; that’s what the R in the popular S.M.A.R.T goals setting acronym stands for. Because setting the goals are easy. Achieving them…not so much. 2014 started off brilliantly. By the end of February, I had six books under my belt – Mastery, The Art of Speaking Well, Life’s a Pitch, Dreams from my Father, Secret of the Ages & Creative Confidence.               I                 I was on fire! My next book in March was Footprints of an Iconic Diplomat. It took me four months ( shame, shame and more shame) to finish a book that had the word ‘pictorial’ as part of its subtitle! They say it’s the middle months , March – August, that truly tests your determination to stick to your resolutions. I just got proof of that statement.                 My reading went downhill from there and almost crashed into a valley. It was June already. I fell ill in July and just became strong enough in August to travel for my brother’s wedding. All the while I tried ( I really did) to get back on my reading track”more

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Booking a place in the world

‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.’ – St. Augustine I didn’t introduce T to the world of books early but when I did, we more than made up for whatever lost time. I added her brother into that world last year. Fortunately both children love books, reading, writing and all that jazz. Every opportunity to indulge in these activities means quiet and peace in my world, and I’m their biggest cheerleader. ‘No entertainment is so cheap as reading nor any pleasure so lasting.’ – Lady M.W. Montagu I must mention here that T loves, loves books ( a tad more than her brother) and takes every chance she gets to attempt to read and sound out familiar and new words, and sentences. It is only natural that one of her favourite moments is bedtime reading. She chooses the book, the story and reads what she can, displaying her reading prowess, learning new words and testing her memory. She also points out corresponding photos and asks questions when something is unclear. Before now, I’d read the story for her brother and her while they both listened attentively. Not anymore. In the last year, they have both grown and insist on being fully involved in this nighttime activity. This means two books, three voices, extended bedtime reading period, and a lifetime of benefits for both of them. Since starting school and recognizing the alphabets, Chairman literarily hijacks his bedtime book and reads it himself, complete with gestures and animal sounds. T is no different. Her reading confidence and repertoire of words have both increased proportionally to her height and, mummy is only remembered at word roadblocks. Books, like humans, entertain us, comfort us, challenge us and inspire us.They are also fantastic! Not only do they contain rich and varied language that fires the imagination but the children are required to work their memory to follow the plot … and take them to other exotic places. Bedtime reading also means: I get to spend time bonding with them. They develop stronger reading skills. New”more

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