little pieces of poetry #8

Friday, October 30, 2015
Excuse.

I can be your excuse
get you out of the things you don't want
let my illness, my pain
be your saviour, your freedom
let my mind's mess
envelope you
and spirit you away
the only thing I ask in return

is that you see me.

Book Review: The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

Monday, October 26, 2015
I love reading. Books are amazing. They are a form of escapism, yes, but they are also inspiration, joy, and... well. Goodness. I think in some ways I have used my appetite for reading to define parts of my personality, so it made sense for me to review some of what I read! Here we go...



Title: The Aeronaut's Windlass
Author: Jim Butcher
Series: The Cinder Spires #1
Publication Date: September 29th 2015

Synopsis: "Since time immemorial, humanity has lived inside the Spires, habitats towering for miles over the dangerous, monster-infested surface of the world. Captain Grimm of the merchant airship Predator was dismissed from Spire Albion's military in disgrace - now his ship and crew are all he has, and he's fiercely loyal to both. When the Predator is severely damaged in combat, Grimm is offered a choice - take on a clandestine mission for Albion's leaders, or stay grounded for good.
And even as Grimm undertakes this perilous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity's ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death with follow in its wake..."

My thoughts: I have never read any Jim Butcher before, though I have watched most of the Dresden Files tv series (which is excellent), so when this turned up on my doorstep I was definitely intrigued to try it out. And I was not disappointed.

Butcher has created such a fantastic, intriguing world - not quite dystopian, but pretty close - and has populated it with amazing characters. These characters, guys, they are just so interesting. So varied and charming (for some), and occasionally downright scary (for others).

There's a quote on the back of my copy from Patricia Briggs that says "Beware fellow readers, herein lies adventure that will keep you from food or rest..." - and, really, I have to concur. I had a tendency to ignore my body's needs (such as food) when I started to read this book. The story was just fascinating, and I couldn't predict where it was going to go next. It was such a fantastic mix of adventure, suspense, humour, and yes, a little romance (just a teensy touch). And there's even cats!

Seriously, I loved this. And I really want to get my hands on the next one. And maybe read more Jim Butcher in general :D


Big thanks to Hachette for sending me an unsolicited copy of this book.


You would like this book if: You enjoy awesome adventures with well-crafted characters.

Tea to drink while reading this book: A hard one to pick, as this book has so much in it... But I have to say I enjoyed the odd pot of chai (Cuppa and Co.'s Cheeky Chai) to go with the complex flavours of this book :)

Rating:  10/10

If you'd like to keep up to date with what I'm reading, follow me on Goodreads here!

{2015} September Reading

Friday, October 23, 2015
Oh, so very late! Sorry about this guys, but better late than never! Some of the sections may be a bit small as I try to remember what I bought and received, or what I read. When I had internet again at the new place, I tried to update goodreads as best I could, but this may not be a complete record!



Book bought/received:
~ Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (review)
~ Rising Strong by Brene Brown

Books read:
~ Still the One (Animal Magnetism #6) by Jill Shalvis
~ Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim #2) by Juliet Marillier (review)
~ Instant Gratification (Wilder #2) by Jill Shalvis
~ The Peony Lantern by Frances Watts (review)
~ Instant Temptation (Wilder #3) by Jill Shalvis
~ The Dark Mirror (Bridei Chronicles #1) by Juliet Marillier
~ Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (review)
~ State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

So, this month was a bit of a Jill Shalvis and Juliet Marillier heavy month... Lots of romance and lovely fantasy. A few review books for good measure, too. Overall a pretty nice month!

The Jill Shalvis books were borrowed via the library system - mostly the online ebook editions. I love that I can borrow these on my ipad without having to go anywhere! And I love Shalvis' work... she just makes me smiley. :D

Tower of Thorns was excellent, mysterious, fantastical. I swear every time I read a Marillier there is this particular feeling that I get that I just can't pinpoint. It makes me feel happy, connected, and magical. I decided to re-read The Dark Mirror so that I could continue on with the trilogy. I am still semi-reading the second book - The Blade of Fortriu - but the move kind of messed up my reading patterns. I will get back to it soon, though, just so I can get that feeling once more.

The Peony Lantern was a bit of a surprise - it ended up making me cry a little bit. Well-researched and interesting, I am so glad I requested a copy to review. Please check out my full review for more info :)

Big Magic was a wonderful book to read and review, and I still re-read parts of it to remind myself of the awesomeness of creative lives. Gilbert is just amazing - she writes so wonderfully and just draws you in. I am so so grateful to have gotten a review copy of this book. It was because of her and her podcast - Magic Lessons - that I picked up Ann Patchett's State of Wonder, which was something I probably wouldn't normally read. It was absolutely amazing and I loved every minute of it. In fact, it was the first book I finished in the new house. I think it will have special meaning because of that.

And that was September! Or as much as I can remember of it... I am reading a few things at the moment, but mostly I am just trying to settle into the new place and build my reading life around that. :) What are you reading?

Notes on a new life

Thursday, October 22, 2015


I have not posted in quite some time, and I have no real explanation for that. For some time, I did have a real explanation - no internet at the new house. And then sheer exhaustion. Today I am dealing with symptoms and general ick, but I thought it was finally time for me to write some of the things that have been happening.

I am writing to you from my new home - Xin and I have finally moved in together to a sweet little townhouse. We have our own courtyard where I am growing some pretty plants, and there are already trees established and thriving, including some citrus trees. We even have a little balcony where I have a small lavender plant.

Life here is still falling into a routine, and I feel like I am dealing with it well, but there is a certain urgency to my energy lately that bothers me. Things are going a bit odd at the moment - Centrelink suspending my payments, things getting broken, surges of anxiety for both me and Xin. And it is only writing it now that I realise things are getting cracked open, broken, so that new light can come in. 

I have spent a lot of my days feverishly doing things, cleaning, cooking. Yes, I am enjoying these things. I love them and I try to put that love into everything I do. But, somewhere along the way, I have repressed the knowledge that my body can't do things all the time. I have started getting bigger and bigger symptoms, and I have to start recognising them for what they are - warning signs. Little notes and messages from my body trying to let me know that I need to create a routine that not only makes sense for this new life, but that make sense for my own self-care and self-love.

Increasingly I have noticed myself turning towards things like Facebook, writing posts where I subtly (and not-so-subtly) ask for permission to rest, permission to be the way I am. Sometimes this helps, as I remember the support I have. But a lot of the time it simply leads me to feel lost and disconnected, because the fact is that I am asking others for advice about how to live my life. They can't know what it is to be me, and I need to remember that my inner world is just that - inner. Only I can connect to myself and know what is best for myself.

This alarming tendency to ask others for permission is something I am going to try and lessen. I think what would be best is to get quiet with myself a bit more often and figure out what I need. And right now? I need Castle, books, maybe some tea, and food. Oh, and snuggly things.

Love to all who read.
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