Tag: books

Getting back to me – Day 4 2025

A few months ago, I think I was listening to a podcast. One of the topics was about getting back to being yourself to de-stress. At the time I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with my job and new team. I took a moment to remember those times in my life when I was most relaxed. What did I do every day or most often?

I used to journal often. I have never really being a daily journal writer but I have used to write in my journal a few times a week. I also used to read a lot. So started to journal more often. I had become so lackadaisical about it that my entries were months apart. (Much like my blogging 🤪) I am back to journaling a few times a week. It really helps to clear my head.

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I have always read but I had gotten into the habit of only reading non-fiction. I still enjoy them, but I didn’t realise how much I missed fiction until I decided to tackle the many unread books on my bookshelf. I have gotten back to enjoying Michael Connelly and Jonathan Kellerman. I have finally started reading Stephen Leather novels. I do find them a little slower than Connelly and Kellerman. It also drives me insane that his books do not have chapters. There are just paragraph breaks. Dan Shepard has grown on me though so I will continue to read Stephen Leather’s books. I also like the fact that his stories are set in the UK. I love just about everything British. The slowest books though are Robert Galbraith’s (aka J.K. Rowling). They seem to follow a similar story arc as the Harry Potter books. The bit in the middle can be quite convoluted but it always comes together pretty well. I do like Robyn and Comoran Strike so i will continue to persevere through all the convoluted middles.😁. I am really enjoying reading again and am grateful that I can read.

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I am always on the lookout for new authors, so do share any murder mystery or spy authors you enjoy.

I have to say that both reading and journaling have helped me get back to feeling like my old self again and this has helped lower my stress levels, and helped me gain perspective and clarity on certain things.

What have you done differently to relive stress this year? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for popping by.

Don’t forget to be amazing!

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

George R.R. Martin 

I finally finished Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday today.  It took me two years to read.  So much for discipline.  🫣😂. I had set myself a goal of reading 45 books this year since I wasn’t studying and I managed to read 29. although I should end the year 30 as I will finiish current book by Tuesday..  Not too bad.  That was more than two books a month.  

If there are three things that I am always grateful for it is that:

  • I can read and write.  There are still so many illiterate people out there who have a limited chance to achieve their potential because they can’t read and write. 
  • I love reading.  My love affair with books began in pre-school and will never end.  
  • There are so many fantastic authors out there who publish their work so that we can entertain and enlighten ourselves through reading.  
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My favourite books of 2024

This year, I listened to half my books every morning on Audible.  My favourites are read by autobiographies that the authors read.  This year’s pick is 12 Notes by the late, great Quincy Jones.  I listened to it a few months before he passed away.  I was blown away.  What a man and what a full, rich life he led!  I really hope my son chooses to listen to it, too.  There is so much wisdom packed into it.  The story would not have had the same impact if it had been read by anyone else.  Only Quincy had walked in his shoes, so only he could emphasise the lessons in the way that he needed to.  I am so glad he chose to read the book.  The world is a better place because Mr Quincy Jones was in it and God made sure he was in it for a very long time so that he could touch as many lives as he has. He was not perfect but he was a blessing. I highly recommend it. 

I also discovered Robert Galbraith ie. JK Rowling by another name.  I love her character, Commoran Strike.  She uses the same formula as she did for Harry Potter so the two books I read are are looooong.  I didn’t realise how long because I read them on my Kindle.  I read a Michael Connelly novel in between the two.  The pace of his book was so much faster yet I enjoyed both author’s books.  

The book I really struggled to read was Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  It was set in the 1960s and tells of Biafra’s struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria. The war was brutal.  I read this book as it was recommended to me while I was in Nigeria last year.  One of our directors told us about his dad’s experience of the war, and that’s when the book was mentioned.  I picked it up at the airport but only started reading it this year. It’s interesting but it took me a while to through it. 

That’s it from me today.  Thanks for popping by.   What are your favourite reads from 2024?  Let me know in the comments

Bye for now.

A Month of Gratitude 2024: Day 10

Hello hello! How is it going in your corner of the world? It is so very hot and humid in Durban right now. I think most of South Africa is experiencing a heat wave, but that’s December (or Dezemba as it is affectionately known in South Africa) for you.

Two Things I am Grateful For

  1. This morning I woke up to dry taps! 😱. There was a burst pipe on a nearby road. Dry taps on a hot and humid morning that is also an office day…not fun at all. Thankfully, there was water when I got home, so I got to enjoy a cool shower. Can you imagine how grateful I am to have running water again? There’s nothing like a little deprivation to make you appreciate what you have, don’t you think?
  2. I was scolling through Instagram earlier and came across an inspirational page for women. The page left me feeling energised and bursting with confidence. Growing up, I always thought boys had it better than girls so I wanted to be a boy. That only really changed after I had my son. I started enjoying being a woman and today I am extremely grateful and absolutely delighted to be one. I love every aspect of being feminine. There is not only beauty in it but there is also strength. I now appreciate our differences to men and celebrate them. Being a woman is a blessing and I am grateful to be one.
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One Source of Joy

We found my son’s lost textbooks! It was a team effort between him and I but we eventually found them in a bag that we had both looked through previously. Don’t ask because I don’t know how we both missed it. 🫣. We only found it when I began transferring the bag’s contents to another. We were ready to do the dance of joy when we found them!🤣

On that joyous note, I shall love and leave you. Thanks for popping by. What have you been grateful for today?

Bye for now.🌼