Tag: books

  • Non-Fiction For A New Year

    Non-Fiction For A New Year

    Just a over halfway through January fam! Still feeling inspired? Or are you flagging a bit? Never fear, here’s my quick fix recommendation. Pick up one of these four non-fiction books to help give you a boot up the backside and get that ‘New Year, New Me’ feeling back again.

    Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert

    This was my 2017 ‘get your head in the game’ January read, so the inspiration it’s given me is very much fresh in my head. Elizabeth Gilbert, likely most famous to most as the author Eat Pray Love, tackles creativity in her latest dive into self-help. The book is mostly about harnessing and embracing creativity, with a spiritual and mindful approach. To be honest some of it does get a bit too spiritual for my liking, but some of the ideas presented about creativity being more of a sentient being than a personal characteristic is definitely interesting.

    Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own by Kate Bolick

    You may remember my review/follow up post on this one last year, but if you’re perhaps struggling with your single status this one is for you. It provided me with a nice reminder that our self worth should not be measure in romantic entanglements and that plenty of women have flown whilst in and out of relationships. The of the point being we should embrace our wonderful, individual lives.

    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain

    Classified under one under one of the books that changed my life. I reviewed this one eons ago, and even though I identify more as an extroverted introvert nowadays it’s a nice one to flick back to every so often. Useful for both introverts and extroverts alike, Quiet so eloquently restores faith in the idea that introversion is your biggest strength, not a crutch.

    The Good Immigrant (edited by Nikesh Shukla)

    I love a good essay collection and The Good Immigrant is certainly one of the most thought provoking I’ve read in a while. The stories and personal essays are all written by BAME authors, artists, and actors on race and diversity. Some are serious, some humourous, but they’re all insightful and wonderfully written. It’s particularly great to hear experiences from minorities living in the UK, as often conversations about race tend to focus more on the US narrative.

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    Have any of these pick already inspired you? Are there any that I have missed off the list that you think I should read?

    Ria Xx

  • Books | What Harry Potter Means To Me

    Books | What Harry Potter Means To Me

     

    *Disclaimer there are NO Cursed Child spoilers in this post! You are safe!

    But yes, it’s no coincidence that a Harry Potter post has been timed with the release of the play script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

    I realise all of you know I’m a Harry Potter fan. I shout it pretty loudly when I get the chance but I don’t think I’ve ever delved into the topic too much. So we’ll start at the very beginning.

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  • Plath & Poetry

    sylvia-plath-poetry

    Little poppies, little hell flames,
    Do you do no harm?

    You flicker. I cannot touch you.
    I put my hands among the flames. Nothing burns.

    And it exhausts me to watch you
    Flickering like that, wrinkly and clear red, like the skin of a mouth.

    A mouth just bloodied.
    Little bloody skirts!

    There are fumes that I cannot touch.
    Where are your opiates, your nauseous capsules?

    If I could bleed, or sleep!
    If my mouth could marry a hurt like that!

    Or your liquors seep to me, in this glass capsule,
    Dulling and stilling.

    But colorless. Colorless.
    – Poppies In July, Ariel

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