What I’ve Been Reading

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I thought I’d share with you what I’ve been reading. I meant to do it last week, but you know inspiration hit and well…the rest is history.

When I was sick, I wasn’t able to write and when I started to recover, I did a lot of reading because there’s nothing like a good book to make you feel better. Am I right or am I right?

So, without further ado, here’s a list of some of the books I’ve been reading. They were awesome!

 

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine. 

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fineis the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .
The only way to survive is to open your heart. 

 

My Thoughts:

I loved this story! I love how Eleanor heals herself with the help of some unlikely heroes. I love stories where broken people overcome their obstacles. Eleanor was an amazing character. She’ll make you laugh at times and cry at others. It is definitely a good one to put on your summer reading list!

An NPR Best Book of the Year * A ShelfAwareness Best Book of the Year * An Entertainment Weekly Summer Books Pick * A Buzzfeed “31 Books to Get Excited About this Summer” Pick * A Publishers Weekly “Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers” Pick * A BookReporter Summer Reading Pick * A New York Post “Best Novels to Read this Summer” Pick * A Shelf Awareness “Book Expo America Buzz Book” Pick *

What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.

 

My Thoughts:

This was an incredible story for people who love thrillers. I’m one of those people. Ever since I’ve read this book, I’ve been binge-reading Ruth Ware. This was a great story that I read in a couple of days.

 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware’s fourth novel, “her best yet” (Library Journal, starred review).

On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

 

My Thoughts:

When I said I was binge-reading Ruth Ware, I wasn’t kidding. This story draws you in with the characters and keeps you guessing until the very end. I’ve read another Ruth Ware book, The Woman in Cabin 10, but I didn’t like that one as much as I did these two. But, don’t worry, it’s still a good story.

So there you have it, what I read while I was recovering. Awesome stories. How about you? Have you been reading? Leave a title and your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you!

Is it Worth it?

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after almost two months of non-writing. Today, I finally broke the trend and did some editing of one of my stories. I’m back in the saddle again and it feels good. Whenever, I go through these stages of non-writing, I always read because I love to, and when I’m suffering from a little burn out, reading is always my “go to” activity. There’s nothing more comforting on a cold, rainy day than a good book. Am I right, or am I right?

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But enough about that. When I first started this post, I was going to give you a good list of some of the books I’ve been reading, but then inspiration hit, and I’ve decided to write about something else. I’ll do the book one later. 😉

 

Today, I’d like to talk about sacrifices. I know it’s not really a pleasant subject, but one that I feel has to be addressed. You see, all the great writers, artists, and athletes made sacrifices to get where they are now. They sacrificed time with their families and loved ones to practice and create. That shows grit and initiative and that’s great. I’m sure they don’t regret their success. However, I wonder if they ever ask themselves if it was worth it?

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At first glance, you may think I’m crazy for having such a thought, but it’s out there now, so let’s run with it.

Was their success worth their sacrifice?

It’s a good question and I wish I had someone like Michael Jordan or Stephen King around to ask. I’m sure they would say yes, but it’s something I struggle with. Because we all would love to have that kind of success, but the time away from family is hard to take sometimes. So, every time I sit down to write, I ask myself, can I indulge my passion at this time? Am I neglecting my family’s needs? Because let’s face it, I’m not going to get these moments back. So, there are times when I put the computer away and hang out with my family, watching a silly movie or watch my youngest play tennis. It’s a conscious choice during these moments to put my writing on the back burner and sometimes it’s hard, but it’s worth it.

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So, whenever you’re feeling bad because you’re not putting as much effort into your writing or you just need to take a break. Stop yourself. Because moments with your family can disappear in an instant and you might not ever get them back and my motto is live without regret.

 

So, do I regret not spending time writing the last two months? Well, there are moments when I think I should be further along in my story than what I am, but then I look at the fact that I was sick, so I had to take care of myself. Then I look at the tennis matches I got to watch and see the joy on my youngest’s face when he would see me show up at his tennis game and the sacrifice was worth it. I don’t regret it.

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Yes, it’ll take me longer to get to that bestseller’s list but that’s okay. I’ll have enjoyed the journey to get there much more because I didn’t miss any important steps along the way.

So, when you see other authors getting an agent or hitting the bestseller’s list and you feel like you’re missing out, just think of it as it’s their time to shine. It’s not yours yet. You’re still working on being a great mom and being there for your kids. You’ll get your moment when it’s your time.

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So, relax and enjoy your journey. Enjoy all the steps along the way. It’ll make the destination that much sweeter!

Thanks for reading my post today! How do you feel? Are you enjoying your journey? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

Lessons from Nature

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. It’s been a while since I’ve written a post and I apologize. I’ve been busy with work and kid events. My youngest has decided to play tennis, and it has been great fun watching him. He is improving every time he plays and that has motivated him to keep practicing.

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I’m so thankful to the coach who asked him to play. His father and I had been trying to motivate him to try a sport because he’s very agile, but whatever we suggested he just wasn’t interested in that activity. Sometimes it takes another adult that you respect that makes all the difference, and for my youngest it was his math teacher who was also the tennis coach.

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So, I am very thankful for his teacher who recognized a spark in my youngest and motivated him.

 

But enough about that, today I’d like to talk about something I’ve noticed in nature, and that is, every species seems to work together to take care of each other except for humans.

For example, there is evidence that trees in a forest can communicate with each other through their root system. When there is one tree that is doing poorly, the other trees send nutrients and healing antibodies (for lack of a better word) to the one that is sick.

 

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Another example is elephants. Did you know the females stay with their mother their whole lives and help raise the babies? When one of the weaker elephants falls and needs to rest, the other females circle it with their tails facing their fallen friend and ward off predators until their friend can continue her journey.

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Did you know the only species that kills within their species is humans? Sure, animals fight for positions within their herd, pride, or tribe, but they never reach the point where one of them dies. Why is that, I wonder?

Maybe we’ve gotten too far away from nature and need to go back. I wonder what kind of world we would have if we all tried to cooperate and look out for each other? Instead of competition we’d have cooperation. Wouldn’t that be nice?

I know, it’s an unrealistic thought. There’s always going to be competition. It’s the way humans are wired, but if we can, we should take a lesson from nature and do our best to look out for each other. 😊

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment!