Book Talk: How do you beat reading slump?

I have not read for a while now. One of my bookmarks is stuck on page 60 of Atwood’s Alias Grace; the other is on page 12 of Ikigai.

I could not keep up.

My mind is in disarray. There’s a live wire inside of me that carries alternating concern and indifference. If I switch between the two, I’d short circuit either way.

A funny metaphor, I know. And probably erroneous too, but who would pay much attention to such mistake when the world has had enough of it?

How are you?
Are you living well?
I hope so…

This is me on my third try at getting back to life. It Cornwell’s From Potter’s Field this time.

Book Talk: Portrait of a scared reader

Do you have a book that scares you? It could be of any genre but mostly it’s horror or suspense thrillers that raise some hairs.

Five years ago, on this day, I found and bought this book in Booksale (SM City Cebu). Fast forward to 2021, I still have not finished it.

Why? Nightmares — every. single. time. i. read. it.

I am a sucker for crime thrillers, books or movies. Give me gore, give me blood, give me mystery (so long as there is no paranormal involved). I also love watching and researching true crime stories. I am passionately interested in what goes into the mind of the mad. So, my experience with Cornwell’s Portrait of a Killer honestly came as a surprise. I’ve had countless attempts of continuing the book which resulted to countless of nighttime terror too.

By 2018, I gave up. It’s not about Cornwell’s writing (I am a big fan of her Scarpetta series by the way). It’s just that the scanned letters, the sketches, the newspaper clippings and the police reports — they all felt so close. It’s different when you’re watching things on the screen. Touching the pages with my hand felt like Jack the Ripper breathing on my nape.

Will I ever get over this book? How do you deal with such fear? Hmm…

Wrap-Up | November 2020

So, we are down to final month of this challenging year. I know it has been hard all of us but I hope everyone is safe, sound and thriving.

November — the month that was. It’s when half of the world transitions from autumn to winter. It’s when dead souls are honored and bounties are celebrated. It’s when creatives around the world try their hands at National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

I guess for me it would be “Nah, no writing November.” Anyhow, here’s a quick wrap-up.

Things I’ve written…

Continuing my #throwbackpoems, I have shared two from IG this month: Two Ghosts and Her name spells resilience. November 11 also marks Fyodor Dostoevsky’s birthday who would be 199 years old had he lived today. To commemorate, I shared Writer’s Quote Wednesday – On knowing, thinking and doing.

Books I’ve read…

My book collection is still continuously growing — all thanks to online resellers and Booksale. And despite the rise of scammers online, I was lucky enough to transact with kind and honest people who helped me find the books in my TLF (to look for) list. For this month, these are the gems that I got:

The Great Book of Lists- Chapter 5.0: I am currently…

Still catching up with TGBOL’s chapters. ^^

Chapter 5.0 week is about the snapshot of our day. It’s going to be a portrait of you who are, what you do, and what you plan. Here’s mine:

I am currently…

Loving… the idea of being back in here in blog-o-sphere.

Eating… cream-o for breakfast. Yep, I’m a certified cream-o-holic!

Drinking… a hot cup of Swiss Miss dark chocolate drink. ❤

Watching… the  ceiling. We’ve had a long weekend due to Memorial Day and I don’t feel like working yet. Ssshh.. don’t tell my boss! *wink*

Going… to start blog-hopping ASAP. I’ve been gone for a while and I missed a lot.

Reading… Patricia Cornwell’s Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed. I’ve had a reading break and  I’m happy I’ve read a lot. I’m stuck with this one though. It’s been giving me nightmares for two nights. Such interestingly disturbing book. Geez!

Texting… my high school and college best friends. Ah, how I missed the old days.

Playing… dead. Yep. Staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to hold my breath for as long as I can. I need a longer weekend! Bloody har har. XD

Working… on learning more about  my new found interest, calligraphy. I’m back in sketching too but I’m trying to tame my fingers for calligraphy these days.

Listening… to Hillsong United and Casting Crowns these days for inspiration. And Yiruma keeps my mind at ease.

Thanking… God for a long list of reason. I just couldn’t thank Him enough for everything and for never giving up on me. ❤

Buying… nothing (as long as I don’t lurk too long in the bookstore). I’m trying to save for something BIG. *fingers crossed*

Planning… to take another leap of faith and grab the chance at self-growth. Yes, career change. I’ve already let two chances slip right before my eyes. There will not be a third (I hope so).

Visiting… home. Soon! It’s for my parent’s 25th anniversary and I just couldn’t wait. 😀

Wondering… what to do first. Haha. I’m really stuck!

Feeling… happy. I love mornings as much as I love nights. Somebody’s playing upbeat music in the office. The sun’s gorgeous today and I believe it’ll be a lovely day. I hope you guys have the same! ^^

How about you? Can I get a snapshot? I would love to hear them, too.

Portrait of a Killer: An Index Poem

You left me a crime scene
Down in the basements, dark, 
Etching ground, bloodlike, 
Severed arm, severed leg, 
Blood; instant death.

They call it paranoia— delusional thinking
When I saw men as mere murderers
Bloodhounds, arsonists, actors
Disguised in painted letters and poetry
Secret rooms and music halls.

Look into the eyes of dead people
Trace the fingerprints
Smell the nauseating blood
Tell me, are these mistakes made by
A mere impotent fury?

---

Day 12:  Today, I challenge you to write your own index poem. You could start with found language from an actual index, or you could invent an index, somewhat in the style of this poem by Thomas Brendler. Happy writing!

P.S. I took the highlighted words from the index of Patricia Cornwell’s Jack the Ripper book. I’ve had this book since March 2016 but I haven’t got the chance to read it yet (Arghh! Work.). Did this poem make enough sense? Ha! It sounds sinister to me. 😀

Read more 2016 NaPoWriMo entries here!

The Great Book of Lists- Chapter 1.4: The Books that Transport You

This week’s The Great Book of Lists’ chapter, suggested by Jartagnan, dives into the list of books that transports you. What’s astonishing when reading a book is that at the moment you open one and sink into it, a new world unveils before your eyes—a world where endless possibility resides. A tale unfolds inside your mind taking you to a journey across the present time. A lot of books have done this to me but if I were to list them all, it may take a lifetime. So for now, here are some I’d like to share and recommend at the same time. 😀

1. Mitch Albom- As much as I would like to list a specific book, I could not bring myself to choose one among Mitch’s heartwarming books. All of them are really close to my heart and have been a refuge whenever my soul is troubled. I hope you read them all. 🙂

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