Reading, Going On

Less than a month since my last check-in with the books of the moment, but I have done a bit of voracious reading, so I am opting to do this now. Seven titles seem enough in my estimation.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories Kindle Edition by Susanna Clarke, who you may remember from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, or maybe not. I read it and loved it, so I was happy to see this collection, which did not disappoint. Do not expect these somewhat otherworldly tales to be usual fare. The book is 257 pages, and I found it distinctly satisfying, so I gave it a five-star rating.

The Vine Witch Kindle Edition & The Glamourist (The Vine Witch Book 2) Kindle Edition by Luanne G. Smith, Volume One and Two of Three, which I discussed my not usually doing series, but, this is worth it. These I borrowed on Kindle Unlimited. Both books are wonderfully detailed and beautifully written. The novels are engrossing. Having 263 and 282 pages, respectively, there is not too long an engagement. I only wish The Conjurer were available now. Both books are five-star reads.

Find Me (Inland Empire Book 1) Kindle Edition by Anne Frasier, this is another Kindle Unlimited read. It is a bone chiller. If you are the type to sit up all night with books, I see you doing it with this one. It is not to be taken lightly, or with the lights down low. Just look at the cover, hmmm. I give it five-stars for its 271 pages. It is another series book. I am taking a break before I revisit that author’s mindscape.

Touch Kindle Edition by Clare North, okay, I warned you about the last one. This one is a psychological thriller that never lets up. What if consciousness were transferred simply by touch? What if the person next to you were not who they used to be? It is very well done, and so well written. You might find it hard to lay aside for usual things. It is 439 pages but seems so much shorter than that, and it is undeniably a five-star read.

The Unreal and the Real: The Selected Short Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin Kindle Edition, this is a Kindle Unlimited selection of 724 pages. There is a wide range of stories included. All are very satisfactory, and some are extremely strange. On occasion, I decide I should read something classic because you know, it is traditional. This did not disappoint. In Sci-Fi, you cannot find a much more acclaimed female writer than Ursula K. Le Guin. My rating is five-stars, and I have decided to seek other books in her repertoire.

Dark Tales Kindle Edition by Shirley Jackson, who you may recognize because of her story, The Lottery, which was weekly reader fare when I was a teen. The story is well-known. Shirley Jackson was one of the most talented horror writers ever. I much admire her work. Some of the tales in this collection are not nail-biters, but all are at least quietly unsettling and disturbing. She shows that you do not have to write slashers to make a reader check that the doors and windows are tightly locked. This is a swift read at 204 pages, and as a five-star recommendation, it should not be missed.

One note, on the fact I am generous with five-star ratings: I am a highly selective reader and I rarely begin a book that I am not fascinated to read. I read a fair variety, but I also have writers I know by prior experience. Most often when I count off stars it is due to poor editing, not content.

You will find I slip into the fantastical, I need the escape. I hope you found the little trip into my literary tastes to your liking. Until next time, READ, READ, READ. If you want to write, you must read like your life depends on it.

CATALYST

Catalyst is a word I have always admired. Being a collector of words, it is a marvelous one.

I live alone with a Marvelous Monster Wookie and a Triple Trouble Tribble. You might guess where they got their renamings. There are abundant reasons for the adjectives before their names, but that is not the purpose of this missive. Be it here said, I love my dogs.

I should be sleeping, but sometimes things go unexpectedly awry. I was sitting in my bed with my knees propped on a pillow after walking almost 26,000 steps and doing about 45 minutes of weight work for my upper body, plus some aerobics during the day. I laid my tablet on which I was reading eBooks aside. I made the miscalculation of picking up my journal and an Apogee. At that juncture, all sleep plans fled to somewhere beyond Pluto.

I am most lovingly called, an Agent of Spiraling Chaos, by someone dear who has known me quite a while. There are reasons for this nickname. Maybe one being, I am incredibly unpredictable a large portion of the time.

I could have waited until daylight to get all this in the computer and on Haphazard Creative, where you may read it, but somehow that did not feel right. Thus, here we are, hang on, this is CATALYST. Hang in too, because this is a bit all over.

Spare me your pity
Life rises round, and I join
The blooming of days.

*****

Lying here next to you
Only breaths separate us
Vibrant as a garden we are
Enough to embrace joint futures.

*****

I would be the bridge
From the most desperate pain
To living again.

*****

Though it is a war
I do not run from battle
Here, alive to win.
I celebrate, smile, laugh, grin,
Lick the depressions, reach zen.

*****

What are you reading?
Which books do you recommend?
I have a list, deal?

*****

Impossible is
Not in my vocabulary,
Miracles happen!

*****

Describe your best dream, (I will wait)
Now, make it your present goal, (Time waits for no one)
Believe it, do it… (You have the potential to do anything)
No excuses, you have lived (Without your dream)
Beneath yourself much too long. (You are beloved, you deserve happiness)

*****

Failed beyond belief?
Stop digging the ditches now,
Plant all the flowers.

*****

See, I told you, this needed to get here now. I know I would not have been given it, but there was a reason.

Serotonin and endorphins, not reading all the harmful toxicity of social media, music, which is medicine for the soul, reading excellent literature, and this is what I got. I am going to rest in my thought that it is exceptional.

They Did Not Get The Memo

One of the questions I had today at my appointment was about medications, especially ones that might be contributing to weight gain and uncontrollable appetite. All of them, it turns out, but they did not want to make changes.

They said I should exercise. I said I am already walking 20,000 or more steps on most days. The question then was, how do I do that? I said I read while walking, and I do it inside. They told me, no, no, that is no good you have to be outside. Maybe ride a bike, which I told them is bad on my knees. I have to have shots for my knees because of the pain.

Here is the real deal. I lost 65 pounds walking inside the house and kept it off for almost seven years. I cannot walk outside because I cannot breathe out there.

This evening, I revved it up a few notches by playing a selection of my favorite hits and letting myself go with the music. The real demon in this thing is hunger. The people who help me manage my mind cannot help with my weight, so I must make it happen again. I will, because I know I can.

If you have something hard you are facing, do not let anyone tell you that you must do it their way. If your way works for you, work it. You know yourself, your abilities, better than any expert who is on the outskirts of your life. I believe we are strong. I could explain, but all you need to know is that you are capable. There is nothing that can stand against you when you put your mind and heart into accomplishing something.

Rock on…

Oh, I moved the icons for the social media services off of the front home screen on my phone. I have not opened them on tabs in Chrome since I said I was leaving. Funny how I feel better, and how I seem to have more time. The experiment is going well.

Small Pleasures

Last weekend my mentor arranged a few hours away from his overwork, and we went shopping. This was partly because his schedule prevented our spending time on my birthday, which would not have worked for me either. I copy edited that day.

We went to Dollar Tree, and I fell for the store—everything a dollar, yes, my precious. Now, honestly, this entered my certification as a “personal money trap” to be avoided by me.

He told me to look around, and he went to get specific things. This was not a good place to turn me loose, no.

Anyway, among the things I got, the miniature organizer above. I lived with all my finds a couple of days without unpacking them. Then I took a selection of pens and put them in the organizer. The second day of looking at it unembellished, I got stickers and changed its personality.

It is so sweet that he got those few goodies for me. It does not take a lot to make me happy, a trip to a Dollar Tree with one of my favorite people.

I bet some of you know what I mean.

As a prompt, tell about a small thing that made you feel on top of the world.

Beginning an Experiment

The environment on social media has become increasingly toxic, and as the election nears, I expect that trend to escalate. I am taking some time off, or at least decreasing my time investment, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

I waste a lot of time on those generally. You may, too. I have some goals that will involve time expended, so I hope to recover a few hours here and there.

This does not preclude future engagement, it is just a sabbatical. I need to know if those influences are harming my attitude and reinforcing negative habits. I have reason to believe that time on social media is not a positive contribution to life.

I will be here because this is my forum. Hopefully, the readership will increase, but my commitment to posting daily will not abate. It is a vow I made to myself, contingent on none other. I wanted to work again like I did in the past, so far, I have exceeded my expectations. I believe I am doing good work, possibly improving with practice.

If you are distressed by postings, disturbed by attitudes, find yourself wishing the ads did not ruin your surfing, perhaps you should consider taking some time off from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well. I am not saying everything about them is terrible, but I think there is evidence that taking a close look at our consumption is prudent. I am making the break for now.