Pilar Orti's personal site
It's not often I finish a book and say out loud, "Well, that was depressing". Though absolutely entertaining and enjoyable, the book left me thinking how much our penitentiary system (yes, that's not a typo, shaming is at the core of how we're punished) fails us as individuals and society, as well as how easy … Continue reading So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson.
In my last post, I shared how I had high hopes for November. And I did. I won't say that my hopes were dashed, but I didn't achieve everything I wanted to achieve. But that's ok, it was a good month anyway. Mainly, I didn't finish the novel I started working on for NaNoWriMo. However, … Continue reading ‘The House We Grew Up In’ by Lisa Jewell
I have high hopes for November. For a start it’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), the time of year when I make sure I get a bit of fiction writing every day - more or less. It’s the month when at some point, I realise that I am well behind my word count, and I … Continue reading I Have High Hopes for November
Move around! Work / think/ play in different surroundings. In an office: have you got access to different areas? Move around! In public transport: do you always tend to sit (or stand!) in the same spot? In the city: do you often use the same parts of the city? And you don’t need to take … Continue reading Drops of Happiness: Move Around
Start the day reading. Set some time aside if it makes you happy. It's food for the soul. You don't need to be learning, just enjoy it. You don't even need to know why you're enjoying it, though it's fun to wonder why: Is it the style, the plot, the story? Does it transport you … Continue reading Drops of Happiness: Read
First, a small confession, or at least, something you might want to know about why I read non-fiction. It's not always to learn what the author thinks I want to know. Or at least, not to take notes on what they want me to take from the book. I read non-fiction mainly for pleasure, to … Continue reading ‘The Organized Mind’ by Daniel Levitin
It took me a while to watch the film - I thought it would be violent and superficial, but I remember enjoying it A LOT and being surprised by the quality of the acting and script. Fast forward many years later, and the book has appeared on my radar through different avenues: - It's was … Continue reading ‘Fight Club’ by Chuck Palahniuk
I often avoid "inspirational books" but I heard so many people I respect recommend Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear', that I decided to give it a go. I found Gilbert's story fascinating, especially her reflections and experiences after writing Eat, Pray, Love (which I haven't read by the way) and ironically, found … Continue reading ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’ by Elizabeth Gilbert
I'd already read The Little Village School and so I knew I was in for a sweet read when I downloaded Over Hill and Dale by Gervase Phinn. Gervase Phinn was a school inspector and this series of books, he weaves anecdotes together to create beautiful stories that have the innocence and charm of … Continue reading ‘Over Hill and Dale’ by Gervase Phinn
I call this type of books "cozy reading" - they're not hard work too read, they usually don't shake me emotionally and I know some of the characters are going to make me feel warm. And I always laugh when I read Muriel Spark and enjoy her social commentary. 'A Far Cry from Kensington' is … Continue reading ‘A Far Cry from Kensington’ by Muriel Spark
I love crime stories, detective books and spy novels. I've read quite a few of Stella Rimington's novels featuring Liz Carlyle and so it was about time that I found out more about the author herself. So here are my favourite quotes from 'Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5'. Of course … Continue reading ‘Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5’ by Stella Rimington
The first book I read by Stephen King was his non-fiction 'On Writing', which is quoted in every single book on writing. (I wrote about it here.) Following that, I decided to start reading some of his fiction, to see how he applied (or not) his own advice. I've liked some books more than others, … Continue reading ‘Misery’ by Stephen King
