A poem for Sunday

A dose of inspiration...

Sunday for me tends to be a nice lull in the week. A quiet morning of flicking the Sunday papers, lots of food (I'm currently living up to this one and making my way through a chocolate egg!) ... it is generally a day set aside from the demands of the rest of the week and to be filled with things I enjoy!  Positioned at the week’s end Sunday has always seemed to me an opportune day to take stock of the week just past, and to look ahead to what the next one has in store. It is a day for pausing. In fitting with this, I have decided Sunday is an apt day to offer some poetry or lyrics for your musing.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too:

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;

If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same:.

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your loss:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

‘If’ is a really lovely poem that I was reminded of quite recently. In reading the words of a father passing on the wisdom of experience to his son, the poem is warm and sincere. I personally can’t help but feel comforted and buoyed with a little self-assurance with each passing stanza. The ‘If’ is comforting in the sense that it suggests mastery over our dreams is conditional, that is to say it takes practice. There will be challenges along the way, and inevitably we will get things wrong. But this is okay. Kipling expounds the virtues of confidence paired with humility, of dreaming big paired with a sense of realism, of being open to and unafraid to face failure and start again. Essentially nothing is impossible with the right attitude and approach.

So, as Sunday draws to a close, draw some inspiration from Kipling’s ‘If’ to see you through the week ahead – here’s hoping it’s a good one!

(How was that for a fix of inspiration? If you’re feeling it too then why not check out this post from Daniel Edward on the wonders of memory – maybe you’ll be inspired to reflect on your own! http://danieledward.weebly.com/memorylane)

Here's to reading!

There is a book to suit all of us!

It occurred to me this morning as I sat book in hand, coffee beside me, the snow thawing (yes, in March, I know!), that one of the nicest things about reading is that it really is a hobby for all seasons. Curling up under the shade of a tree in summer is, for me, equally as nice as tucking myself up in a big comfy seat in a quiet corner of a coffee shop in winter...preferably by the window. This got me to thinking that reading tends to be overlooked as a hobby. It’s the one that everyone sort of mumbles or writes down by default without much thought at all. I feel this is a bit of a disservice. Humour me if you will, and I shall make a case for reading as the perfect hobby.

1. You can tailor this hobby to suit your personality and interests.

As a general rule, detective novels or crime are just not really my thing. This is fine because I simply don’t opt for them when adding to the book stack. That’s right, I can be as picky as I like because it’s my personal hobby. From cooking to theatre to fashion to sport, there is most certainly a book out there to suit all of us.

2. It can be relaxing or a bit of an - albeit mental – workout.

There are the lighter reads; the holiday books, the bedtime books, the I-don’t-want-to-have-to-think books. These are great if it’s a light pastime you’re after. And then there are the others. Those books - Joyce’s Ulysses is mine – the one you are determined to get through and keep returning to. You know the type I’m talking about, where you find yourself looking up every other word in a bid for comprehension, or you have to run around (mentally of course!) following a wildly meandering plot, even searching for it when it seems to have veered off course altogether. And then the magic, that wonderful moment of clarity as everything slots into place at the end. You close these books mentally exhausted but with a considerable sense of satisfaction…much the same (I imagine!) as finishing a gruelling session at the gym…

3. It can be social as well as solitary.

Points 1 and 2 highlight the benefits of reading as a solitary hobby, but there is a social element on offer as well! Popping along to a local book group can be a great way to meet new people. These groups are great for sparking discussion and for approaching titles you might not otherwise have picked up. This can also be a really fun thing to do with a friend who lives far away since it adds something novel to chat about across the distance.

4. You can learn a lot.

While lots of other hobbies are enjoyed in and of themselves, reading offers an extra benefit in the form of knowledge. Indeed you are just a book away from knowing something you didn’t before starting. From the very beginning many of life’s lessons are straight off the book pile. My good old friend ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ taught me the perils of gluttony while ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ would reaffirm that there really was no place like home. It’s a long road to wisdom and my general philosophy is to travel along it one book at a time.

With such versatility, here’s to one big show of recognition and appreciation for reading as the perfect hobby!

PS. I thought this was worth a share – why not pop on over to the lovely people at Penguin and enter their big giveaway competition - good luck! 

http://www.penguin.co.uk-great_big_giveaway/index.html

All the President's Men - Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Because variety is the spice of life …or so the saying goes anyway, I have opted for a book that is altogether different from the light-hearted comedy of the last post.  Always interested in a spot of scandal, particularly of the political variety, this one proved quite the thriller!

On June 17^th 1972, the Washington post ran a headline that went as follows:

‘Five men, one of whom said he is a former employee of the CIA, were arrested yesterday in what authorities described as an elaborate plot to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee."

This was the beginning of a journalistic storm as the Watergate Scandal began to be uncovered. What started out as a routine report on a burglary turned out to be one which would unearth the complicity of the Republican Party in breaking into and bugging the Democratic National Committee headquarters. While few at the time believed the government had a hand in these events this investigation unearthed the corruption at the heart of the president's administration, and led to the eventual resignation of Nixon and the disgrace of the Republican party at large. This gripping account stands as a collaborative effort from Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two reporters who broke and uncovered the story.  

The book is penned in the third person allowing an outsider’s look in on events which makes for some gripping moments. At all times the reader feels privy to inside information - a prime position as this shocking tale unravels. We hear much of the back and forth fervor of the newsroom and of the brokering, cunning, and strategy which made this investigative piece possible. With a fast pace plot the reader is kept absolutely on edge wondering who will be the next conspirator found complicit amid the turmoil. We follow along as the pair follow up on leads and search for the facts as they unknowingly piece together what was to become one of the biggest political scandals in American history.

While this may not instantly sound like everyone’s book of choice, a gripping and fast pace account lies within these pages; an account muddled with mystery, secrecy, deception and lies. Here stands an insight into the messy and darker side of political power. It is definitely worth giving this one a chance!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Presidents-Bloomsbury-Film-Classics

All My Friends are Superheroes - Andrew Kaufman

What better way to start than with a quirky little read I came across recently. All My Friends are Superheroes by Andy Kaufman took me completely by surprise. Suggested to me by good old Amazon, I added this one to the basket intrigued by the title but not expecting too much from the short length. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The story follows Tom (just your average normal guy) on a quest to make his super-heroine wife, The Perfectionist, see him again. Hypnotized by an ex to think that Tom is invisible she thinks he has abandoned her. Cue a lot of comedy and frustration as Tom bids to prove otherwise! We meet many of Tom’s other superhero friends along the way too, The Couch Potato, The Frog-Kisser and The Amphibian to name but a few. These are certainly not your average superheroes, but a bunch of characters gifted with odd powers that each provide a snapshot into all of the little things that people care about or feel from being popular, enjoying lazy Sundays or being loved.

A rather humorous take on the conventional love story this one is a must read. I’ll admit it is utterly whacky, but that is entirely the fun of it. More than that it is definitely one that tugs at the heartstrings but keeps you laughing – a winning combination if you ask me.

Whatever your plans over the next month slot in an hour for this feel-good novella. I promise it will leave you smiling!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-My-Friends-are-Superheroes

PS. Definitely let me know which one your favourite superhero was!

Hellos and all things book related

Hello there! :)

I suppose this is what one might call a blog-warming. As the blog title might suggest, I rather enjoy disappearing into a good book for a while. I find few things beat hunting around in little markets or bookstores for rare editions, nice covers, or simply good stories. This might explain my constant need to add further titles to the growing stack of books I have yet to get through! 

For me the magic of a book (see image for actual visual magic with books from Sue Blackwell) lies in the endless possibility of what may lie within. It’s an odd though comforting thought that any given emotion is most likely written down somewhere by someone else who has shared a similar experience or feeling. On the other hand a book may offer something entirely new - escapism at its finest! So just like my thoughts on shoes, when it comes to books there is no such thing as too many!

In my quest to add to my book stack I decided to share some current reads in the hope that this might lead to some new finds. I expect it will  also be nice to have a space to exclaim about whatever I'm currently reading. If this sounds like your type of procrastination too then perhaps you’ll find some new titles that take your interest, can suggest some (this would be liked very much indeed!), or will simply enjoy hopping through the posts on offer! Either way, watch this space! 

Nothing beats discovering what lies within the pages!