Why I fear reading self-help books by Nada Adel Sobhi

For a long while, I've wanted to read self-help and development books, particularly those on the writing craft. BUT I had a problem. And because of it, I kept postponing reading those books.

Eventually, I picked up one and then the other. Two years later, and not as many books as I would have liked done, I still have that fear.

So what is it?

Well… it's not just one problem. They're several and all linked together.

Self-help books contain lots of information and that freaks me out.

For starters, my memory isn't as good as I would have liked it to be. It's a little better than Dory's in Finding Nemo, but close enough, especially when it comes to things I 'really' need to remember. Even back in school, I couldn't get high grades in certain subjects because I couldn't memorise stuff.

Even if my memory were good – I won't say impeccable - it's hard to remember everything you read.

When you read fiction, you don't have to remember "everything." You can read 300 or 500 pages and come out with a plot, characters, a few events, and some ideas. Even if you forget that you read a novel, nothing happens, since you're often reading for your own leisure or for fun. But when you read a self-help book, for me, the situation is different.

I want to read this or that book so I can apply the content to my daily life or to my writing, or both.

The multitude of information simply scares me. How on earth would I remember all of this? And how would I begin to apply it if I can't remember it?

Solution?

As I started reading, I realised that unless I had a photographic memory, I would never be able to remember everything and most likely a lot of people won't either.

So, I've resigned myself to the fact that there is no way what I read would stick, whether I read the book once or several times even.

Instead, I'll:

-        highlight the bits I think are important (and use different colours)

-    write notes whenever and where I need. These should help me remember what I was thinking when I read that particular comment or idea.

-   add bookmarks in places where I've written down notes or highlighted something important so I'd know where to go when I need something specific.

-       "maybe" write a summary and/or book review that can help as well. 

Another important thing I learnt is that with books on the writing craft, don't try to read more than a few pages in one sitting. You'll end up with a headache and whatever little might stick in your mind, won't.

I love to constantly develop myself but let's face it, being surrounded by a tonne of knowledge can be scary. So, baby steps and trying to avoid perfection are key. Something I'm trying to remind myself, while also making progress.

If this isn't enough, I'll be starting a new project - well actually job - that heavily relies on self-help books! Talk about facing one's fears, right? 

Below are some self-help writing-related books I've read

The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

The Writer's Lexicon: Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos by Kathy Steinemann

Currently reading and to-read

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner  

How to Write Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal

The Emotion Thesaurus: Second Edition by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

Shadow, Shadow: Who would you trade to be saved? - Book review

Shadow, Shadow by V.B. Marlowe

(The Shadow Pines Trilogy #1)

Publication date: February 15th 2015

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Young Adult

Shadow, Shadow by V. B. Marlowe is the first instalment in The Shadow Pines trilogy and an amazing multi-faceted becoming-of-age novel about four school students given four Shadow Boxes on their sixteenth birthday. They, Harley, Teaghan, Gianna and Brock, are told that they have the power to remove one person from their lives by giving them to the shadows, which need to feed. However, they are later told that they must use the Shadow Boxes or someone close to them will be killed/taken by the shadows.

The novel opens in the middle of an action, giving immediate rise in tension from the first page and marking a strong opening as we see Brock Ethan being arrested.

"Everyone was used to me being in trouble, but Brock Ethan? He never did anything wrong."

Shortly after, Brock tells Harley to run and she takes off. We are then transported back to events that happened nine months earlier, when they first received the Shadow Boxes.

Narrated from the first person perspectives of Harley and Teaghan, Marlowe contrasts the girls' lives and choices. The author also sheds light on the Brock's and Gianna's choices and struggles through these two characters.

Harley is a rebellious character, often in trouble, grounded and into watching and writing horror movies. Her name reminds me of a Harley Davidson bike, which I often feel she is like in terms of making a statement. However, Harley has several problems and we see from the first chapter that she lacks fatherly affection.

Her mother disappeared and her father remarried Amy, a cruel and unfair stepmother, from Harley's perspective at least. Harley also has a trouble-making boyfriend, Nash, whom the reader immediately dislikes and deems the perfect candidate to be given to the shadows.

"I hadn't heard from Nash all week. That was typical with him. He called when he felt like it, and most of the time when I called him, he didn't answer his phone."

From the first chapters, we see how, despite her misfortunes and familial problems, Harley has more heart than any of the other characters. She has a hard time deciding who she should trade to the shadows, even though several options arise. She even cares for those who have hurt her and takes her time to think of the consequences of "trading lives".

Meanwhile, Teaghan is a geeky, lonely character. She is an introvert and would rather spend her life reading in her room; however, she is often picked on in school. Teaghan is the first to use her Shadow Box, and bit by bit her character changes.

"Happiness was a mythical creature that visited other people. I'd never seen it. Sometimes, I felt as if I was the only one who hadn't."

Marlowe does a stellar job in contrasting characters, especially Harley and Teaghan and later Gianna. I think she's done a splendid job with the "show don't tell" in her novel. I couldn't help but constantly compare and contrast the characters.

Another character, a sort of background character is Ava-kaya. She doesn't appear often but she has a major role to play as she is the one who first gives the students the Shadow Boxes. We also never learn how she got all four boxes at the same time. She is also the one with all the info about the shadows and Shadow Boxes, which she reluctantly gives out to Harley bit by bit.

“The four of you have been blessed with a great gift. Well, it’s a gift for you, but a curse for someone else.”

I liked how the Shadow Boxes show the true nature of the characters. Teaghan, for example, begins to appear in a new light to herself and to others.

Connected by the boxes, each character is tested differently throughout the novel and given different motives and motivations to use their Shadow Boxes. Brock and Gianna's struggles appear towards the end but also shed light on their different characters.

"The greatest gift in the world. Trading is what keeps the shadows appeased. It keeps the shadows in their place."

My only problem with the novel is that the prologue or first chapter does not connect with the last, where we see a new character called Michael that we've never encountered before. I don't feel a thirteen-year-old would feel the depth of the characters but that could just be me. (Blurb says for Ages 13 and up).

Both the narration and language are easy to navigate and light, helping the novel's quick pace, along with short chapters. The imagery, mostly similes, is well placed throughout the novel. Harley is a sarcastic character and her sarcasm adds to the occasional comic relief.

Overall: 4.75/5 stars – only because the first and last chapters didn't meet for me, but overall, I loved the novel and couldn't put it down. I look forward to the remaining instalments in the trilogy.

I also liked the cover, which was cute but mysterious at the same time.

Note: I free copy via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. 

Family Secrets: A journey of self-discovery - Book review

Family Secrets by Kat Nichols is the first instalment in The Secret Societies Collection. The novel is about Sophia, who has been living with her best friend Abby after both her parents died, but soon she is sent off to live with family she never knew existed.

Not only so, Sophia discovers that comes from a long line of witches. She has to learn everything within five months for her initiation on her eighteenth birthday. She is also to be named the next matriarch of the Blackthorne Coven. The family and coven are loaded with secrets, rivalry and lust for power. Sophia is to be trained by her cousin Alexa, who is not an easy-to-deal-with character. At school, Sophia meets Connor, who has a secret of his own, and who is named by Alexa as the 'enemy'. But who is really the 'enemy' in Family Secrets?

Sophia has a long journey ahead of her and she has to decide who is friend, who is family, who is foe, and who falls under more than one of these categories.

Narrated in the first person, the novel is about Sophia, her magic and her journey of self-learning and self-discovery. Occasionally, it feels like a diary-entry, but it is nonetheless enjoyable and smooth.

As the novel begins, we see the Sophia is not a strong character.

"Sophie, I don't want you to go." Abby grabbed me in a hug, squeezing me tightly.

"I don't want to go either. But I have no choice."

"Yes, you do. Fight back, Sophie. Stand up for yourself for once." Her voice was sharp and she pulled out of the hug, looking directly at me. "Don't let people walk all over you."

A little later, Abby also tells her "Standing up for yourself doesn't make you a bad person, you know."

As the novel develops, we see Sophia struggle with these words at several points, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. Despite playing a small role in Family Secrets, Abby is both an important character and a major part in Sophia's development.

"She was always more outgoing and confident than me. She knew how to act in all sorts of situations, while I just floundered in social waters like a toddler learning to swim."

Bit by bit, Sophia learns to react differently to each character. There is Alexa, Connor, Lucas, Sydney, the maids and mostly importantly her grandmother Beverly.

"She stared at me like she was trying to see into my soul. Her blue eyes didn't remind me of my dad's now. Hers looked like ice chips – frozen and hard. My dad could never have those eyes."

As the novel progresses, we see that even the grandmother has intentions of her own, which are constantly revealed to be darker than what others think.

I truly enjoyed the magic system incorporated in the story. Nichols has certainly exerted efforts to lay down the rules for this well-crafted system, which is slightly complex for the practitioner but easy to understand for the reader. Each spell is bound by a sigil, a symbol, that the practitioner has to imagine in their mind before creating the spell through a hand gesture.

In addition to reading journals written by previous witches from the coven, Sophia is to be instructed by her cousin Alexa in order to be ready for her initiation. But what happens when your tutor is jealous and adamant on making you fail so they can take your place?

During training, Alexa is always pushing Sophia down rather than encouraging her. "We'll start with the easiest of the elements—air. You won't be able to do too much now, but give it time."

In the journals, Sophia learns about other types of magic; however, she soon realises that the journals she is given are of lesser witches. She finds much darker ones in her grandmother's study and begins to sneak those to read them. I particularly liked this part in Sophia, as it shows her the extents of and other secrets in magic. It also contributes to her development and better understanding of her coven.

In one of the journals, she learns about a spell called "Compelling", which is a bit similar to the Imperius Curse in the Harry Potter books.

The language used in Family Secrets is simple and helps the pace of the novel, which is fairly quick even from the beginning. I liked how Nichols used the maids, who add relief and warmth compared to the coldness Sophia encounters from her family.

"The way she said dear grated on my nerves. It turned an endearment into a dirty word."

Although I had an initial dislike for the novel's title because of the negative connotations often associated with those two words, when I finished the novel, I felt it was actually a suitable one.

I must say, I didn't want the novel to end. It was quick, fun and enjoyable, even the sad parts played major roles in the character and plot building. I can hardly wait for the second instalment in the series.

Note: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Insanity, Mad in Wonderland - Review

Book Details:

Insanity by Cameron Jace

(Mad in Wonderland)

Publication date: December 19th 2013

Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Young Adult

Insanity has got to be the quickest-paced novel I've ever read! Full of short chapters and never-ending madness… I absolutely loved this book.

I don't know if there is a particular character I liked over the others, but I most certainly liked them all for various reasons: the imagery, characters, the background, the different settings, the sarcasm and the humour. Even the Cheshire.

The first instalment in the Mad in Wonderland series by Cameron Jace, Insanity revolves around Lewis Carroll's famous Alice in Wonderland books. 

Jace uses the original novels and twists them brilliantly into black comedy and humourous but serious fiction.

I'm pretty sure this novel falls under the 'absurd' genre but it will the novel of the absurd (not the theatre of the absurd).

While I haven’t read the original books, I have definitely added them to my endless to-read list after this and will be seeing the old literary characters in a brand new light after this read.

It seems Wonderland was full of monsters that Lewis Carroll had to lock up with magic; however, several of these monsters escaped and shape-shifted into humans. While some live peacefully, others are wreaking havoc, particularly the Cheshire Cat, who is on a killing spree.

"If you've survived parasites and bacteria until the age of nineteen, you can survive sane people" - one of the many cool-but-insane things the Pillar tells Alice in the story.

Insanity is mostly narrated in the first person from Alice's perspective, with a few exceptions narrated in the third person. Alice, the protagonist of the novel, is young girl in an asylum. She regularly endures shock therapy at the hands of her wardens, who seem to enjoy it A LOT. She has no idea who she is or what the outside world is like. Soon, she is introduced to a serial killer living in the asylum known as Pillar the Killer.

The two inhabitants of the Radcliffe Asylum embark on morning-only journeys to find the Cheshire and begin to meet several people/characters from Lewis Carroll's book.

Everything in Insanity and the mystery behind the killings is related to Lewis Carroll, his life and writing. It's brilliantly entertaining and mind-boggling to both Alice and the reader.

For a book named Insanity, there is a very fine line between what is considered rational and what is seen as 'crazy' and Alice finds it very difficult to differentiate and to be sane in the modern world.

Moreover, she cannot remember her past and finds it easier to be crazy. Even the asylum becomes 'home' after she goes out to the real world.

I particularly like how comic relief and sarcasm are interwoven in the fabric of the novel; they are ever-present, so that the reader's brain is never fried but is constantly relieved even in the most serious of situations.

When we first meet Alice, she narrates how she keeps her sanity, saying "My orange flower is also my personal rain check for my sanity. If I talk to her and she doesn't reply, I know I am not hallucinating. If she talks to me, all kinds of nonsense starts to happen. Insanity prevails."

Throughout the novel, there is wisdom in insanity; I must admit I found it way better than Shakespeare's Hamlet - both book and character. While the play which is at the top of my never-likely-to-read-again list, Insanity is deeper and better played. I'm not sure how to say, I just loved how the absurdity made a lot of sense.

Alice landed in the asylum after a tragedy; it was said that had killed all her friends on a school bus after claiming they were Wonderland Monsters, including her boyfriend, whom she cannot remember. When she tries to remember him, she says: "Whatever we shared is buried somewhere in the abyss of my mind. I just don't know how to swim deep enough and return to the surface with it."

Cameron Jace cleverly critises modern governments in his novel Insanity. Several things the Pillar says ring true. The encounter with Maragret Kent is interesting and leaves much food for thought. I must say, there are things I never understood about governments, no I – believe it or not – actually look at them in a new light and have a better understanding. (I can't believe it either).

I also particularly liked Jace's use of modern-day governments, the comparisons and the examples

With a lot of action, running around, getting a Certificate of Insanity, going to the British Parliament and chasing a serial killer – with the help of another serial killer - Insanity is by all means a highly enjoyable and insane must-read.

Note: I received a free copy of Insanity via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Twin Magnolia: A Soul Call - Review

Twin Magnolia: A Soul Call by Victoria Popescu is a novella of soul-healing and self-discovery.

It is narrated in the first person by Claudia, whose life has been filled with death and disappointment. She embarks on a journey to Kauai, Hawaii and spends several weeks with her grandmother’s best friend Tarana, the healer.

Like old Shakespearean plays, Twin Magnolia: A Soul Call is divided into five chapters, with each chapter divided into smaller ‘scenes’ or parts. The third chapter is the backbone of the novella and is the longest chapter, covering around sixty percent of it; while the resolution comes at the end in the fifth and final chapter. 

The novella focuses on Claudia’s healing process with Tarana. The latter is around 80 years of age and has accumulated a life-long knowledge of healing. She tells Claudia about the ‘chakras’ of the body and soul and their colours. These ‘chakras’ sound like what we know as the auras. The novella is filled with interesting material such as the uses of mint and colours and their ability to heal.

The reader often feels that Claudia is obsessed with finding love. We learn that she feels incapable of love and that she yearns for her soul-mate; her other half. Luckily, this search takes the reader’s soul to the beautiful Hawaiian Islands and through Tarana’s healing process.

Popescu relies heavily on the reader’s senses particularly the senses of sight and smell. The novella handles the soul and how it needs to let go of pain and fear in order to begin its healing process. Tarana prescribes several common and medicinal herbs such as drinking thyme and mint to help Claudia heal.

We see Claudia’s character and soul develop slowly throughout the novella. Simple things act as progress. For example, the haircut Claudia gets is seen as a means of shedding the old routine. It is accompanied by more painting and the desire to look good and attractive.

There are many references regarding a person’s soul in connection with nature and the earth, and how that affects one’s soul and sense of happiness.

Twin Magnolia: A Soul Call has this slight feel of the supernatural with regards to the healing process and how Tarana, through experience, has gained the ability to read people, sense their pain and heal it.

Twin Magnolia is certainly unlike any book I’ve ever read!


Check out my interview with Victoria Popescu, where we talk about reflexology, healing, her books and so much more. Also follow her on Twitter.