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Girl, Stop Apologising

“Because the world needs your spark.”

When I discovered that my favourite YouTuber of a decade plus had Rachel Hollis’s “Girl” series on repeat for more than a handful of times, I had a feeling I could do with listening to it, too.

Rachel Hollis talks very candidly about life’s ups and downs and how we as living breathing humans need to take everything in our stride. Her book has helped strengthen my faith in there being light at the end of any tunnel that we may – and will – encounter. Further to that, she has allowed me to see that it is these trials which enable humans to become their more full, contented and destined selves.

I do not believe that there is ever a set time to receive a sign to do better, achieve more, speak sincerely and act genuinely. With that said, I am truly thankful to have come across Rachel’s books during a time where I was ready to embrace as many inspiring people’s nuggets of wisdom as possible, with open arms. I listened to her anecdotes eagerly, desperate to learn how to one day reach my potential. Top tip? It may not feel as life-changing as people market it to be, so if there’s one thing to take away from this book, it is to look for it in everything you do.

I recommend this book to whoever needs a boost of hope that they are not alone in their struggle and that they can take actionable steps to get out of any funk. Time, patience and effort is what is needed.

Rachel, thank you for reminding me that it is never too late to try, and that it is okay to try again.

Readers, always trust that gut instinct because am I devastated that my time listening to Rachel Hollis as I drove to and from work has come to an end … until the next time.

Sheeza

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Show Up: A Motivational Message for Muslim Women

“Love is a verb”

Na’ima B. Robert’s Show Up may well have a small page count, but it certainly packs a punch in the messages it succeeds in conveying to whoever gazes upon her words. It is a collection of reminders, mantras, anecdotes & realisations.

I am forever on the search for quotes & stories that leave a person feeling more hopeful, happy & as though they should be thanking their fortunes more often. Robert quenched my thirst for such a feeling. Her final few chapters left me particularly touched as she personally addresses the reader & how worthy they should consider themselves. It hit home as it is true what she writes: we’re never really taught how to love ourselves, how to praise our achievements & how to strike that balance of being proud & staying humble, so for her to dedicate a chapter to her readers – motivating them to see their distinctive potential – heartened me beyond compare.

Another one of my many interests is to find the silver lining in any type of situation & one way in which I am able to do that is by having an attitude of gratitude. Na’ima swears by counting one’s blessings; to see that reveal itself in her writing was an absolute pleasure. She encourages digging deep to see what makes one not only authentically oneself but also what makes a human being so uniquely capable of overcoming any struggle they may find themselves to be in.

Robert believes that goodness ought to rule supreme over any evil we may otherwise be inclined to spread, being the imperfect individuals that we all are. In a time where hatred can be found in pretty much every major part of the world, it was as though I exhaled a breath I had been keeping in for a long old while when I read Na’ima’s inspiring written word. Practising kindness should be on the top of everybody’s to-do lists & it’s always a lovely occurrence to see people like Na’ima Robert preaching it, too.

As one of my favourite people, Sonny Bill Williams, says, always alhamdulillah,

Sheeza

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Tokyo Ghoul, #2

Sui Ishida’s second instalment of Tokyo Ghoul is a testament to how unique an experience it always is for me whenever I dive into manga. Official statement: I don’t do it often enough.

I was a little worried that I’d forget where the first book ended & how this second book would begin, but, contrary to my belief, I was on Kaneki’s bandwagon successfully within the first few turns of the book’s pages. I don’t wish to spoil this series for you & so I shall keep this review rather brief, but I thought to leave you with some lessons I learnt from my time with the ghouls for a second time:

– Fight for whatever it is your heart believes, regardless of who may or may not stand by your side as you do so

– There really is nothing like unconditional love – run towards that as hard-to-find as it may, at times, seem

– Be your authentic self as it is unsurprisingly tricky to be anybody but unapologetically you &

– It pays to think outside of the box

In a time as unprecedented as the one we face at the moment, manga may well provide you with a healthy dose of escapism, where for a few hundred pages, you’re in another world entirely. Having read a book that brought me into its world page turn after page turn, I sincerely hope that you too are familiar with a similar sense of being elsewhere. If not, then allow me to reassure you that, when (& only when) you do find yourself there, you’ll have a yearning for that feeling time after time, much like myself.

Socially distanced hug from myself to you,

Sheeza

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We Hope This Reaches You in Time

“Your presence is a gift. Be mindful of who you share it with.” Samantha King Holmes & r.h. Sin

Another day, another blogpost, another book by r.h. Sin, with bonus content provided by his wife, Samantha King Holmes. Together, they have created the breathtaking read, We Hope This Reaches You in Time (by Jove, it did!)

The first half is written by Holmes & as I successfully remained composed, I gained insight into how an independent, free & vindicated woman sounds. It will be of little surprise that the latter half of the poetry had me in bits. I for one felt as though he glanced into my mind & told me exactly what I needed to hear: the poignant reminder that no matter how much one is convinced that this is the end, that there is no coming back from this, that one cannot feel worse than they do now, that it will eventually get better. This too shall pass, as they say.

r.h. Sin gives me yet another reason to deem him my all time favourite living poet & the fact that he co-wrote with his wife makes the reading experience all the more meaningful & purposeful. Their words are as though somebody has extended their hand from the shadows to readers so that they may feel heard & understood.

To any future readers of We Hope This Reaches You in Time, may this book serve as a reminder that nothing is impossible to overcome. It is truly at one’s low moments that growth is most prevalent. Keep on keeping on!

Sincerely,

Sheeza

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Whiskey Words & a Shovel III

“the library is therapy for those with minds like mine” r.h. Sin

R. H. Sin’s Whiskey Words & a Shovel III was read in a solitary evening for one very specific reason: my heart could only bear to endure this book for a single sit-down reading time. I didn’t have it in me to read this the next day, though the night was waning, because if there is any living poet out there whose words resonate with my beating heart to an absolute T, it is R. H. Sin. So please don’t get me wrong — though I read it in a sitting so I didn’t have to for another evening, that is certainly not to say it wasn’t my all time favourite read of this year… as it definitely is!

He’s the poet for you if you’re big on affirmations, reminders, realisations about some realities & explanations about why certain things happen the way that they do. I believe that his words will be best appreciated by a reader who doesn’t shy away from finding parallels in somebody else’s wise words to one’s own life experience.

Sin touches on romantic relationships, friendships & family relationships, also. There are countless reasons why he is my all-time favourite living poet, but I appreciate him most for his humble nature whilst addressing real misconceptions & issues hitting society not just today but that have been pressing for quite some time now.

If you are considering diving into this delight, I recommend having a best friend nearby for emergency laughs — I very fortunately had mine readily waiting to comfort me with Instagram posts and WhatsApp messages. Guess who da real MVP is?

Sincerely,

Sheeza

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The Book I Wrote That Saved My Life

Robert M. Drake’s The Book I Wrote That Saved My Life is a collection of Drake’s poetry between the years 2012 and present day.

It is a reminder that we grow through what we go through — life goes in but a straight line & I too am slowly getting better at seeing life’s lessons for what they are: an opportunity to further blossom & improve, like his poems encourage me to do.

It has been a while since a book has touched me in the way this has. I found myself to be moved on occasion due to the sheer intro/retrospection Drake compels his readers to face. What I loved most is the fact that one does not have to experience what Drake did in order to write these verses, yet one can still learn from what he has to say.

What I most certainly wish to uphold as a mantra is this: Strive to make this already cold world a warmer one. Now, my nearest & dearest will know that some of life’s happenings has at times taken a toll on me more than they should. I struggle with people’s harshness at the best of times & I would consider myself a fairly grounded individual. With that said, my tribe — & words like R. M. Drake’s — are helping readers such as myself to stay soft in the harsh climate that this world can sometimes house.

With all of this said, as I reached the final few poetic pieces, I made the following mental note:

You cannot control your life, but you can control your response.

In life, there will be countless moments we will want to be in control of, & it is those moments that will remind us of our human inability to manage everything. It is these moments that will facilitate our growth as we learn to accept the inevitability of some events so that we may become better focused on how it is that we react to such events & occurrences.

A selection of the written word that I could not recommend more to those who need short spurts of reminders & anecdotes that they can not only relate to but learn from.

Pure wisdom lies in between the lines of this poet’s work.

Sincerely,

Sheeza

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The Midnight Library

Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library follows Nora Seed, a girl who believes that she no longer has any reason to live. She decides it’s time to call it quits, until she finds herself in the most surprising circumstances. Just when she thought it was all over, Nora wakes to what is coined the Midnight Library. In it contains archives upon archives of parallel universes, multiple versions of the one Nora, several lives that could have been led if some decisions were made rather than others. She now has the chance to live out every single one, to see which she’d rather have. After all, rumour has it that she can continue to live on in whichever world gives her most contentment.

“never underestimate the big importance of small things”

This book sheds light on how one decision – big or small, minor and major – can cause a series of dominoes to fall as a result. Reading The Midnight Library will make you stop to think just how true that is. It invites the reader to engage in deep reflection about the impact of our actions.

“he believed that the more people were connected on social media, the lonelier society became.”

This book is a wake-up call to all that is wrong with the world, namely how dependent we have become on technology and its repercussions. We think that the more socialising we do online, the better we will be perceived. Matt Haig is right to affirm how wrong this perception is, when done so in an excessive manner. It’s one thing to use social media as a means of staying connected and up to date with loved ones, but it’s another to use it as a replacement tool for actual relationships.

The resounding message that I received from this book is as follows:

Appreciate the life that you are given more than the life you think you want, or the life you think would be better, because chances are it wouldn’t have been better.

Sincerely,

Sheeza

🌙

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The Story of Tutankhamun

Patricia Cleveland-Peck’s The Story of Tutankhamun follows King Tutankhamun from the moment he was born to his devastatingly untimely demise.

I first came across this book as it is a core text for my kiddies come September & I really wanted to make a start on familiarising myself with what my children in Year 4 will be going on to learn!

I found myself learning more about Egyptian life at the time of King Tut’s reign, facts I realised I had forgotten over time:

how young he was when he was made king

the mystery behind his death

the games he would play as a youngster

the art of hieroglyphics

the significance of artefacts

As a teacher, I want to use this book as a tool to inspire my teaching & to introduce my future class to life in Egypt way back when by immersing them in the sport King Tut was fond of & how Egyptian people would write their name using symbols as opposed to the alphabet we are used to using today, to name a few examples.

I hope that any fellow teachers – or perhaps even parents & anybody else who is interested in Egyptian history – will pick this book up & enjoy foraging for information that would not only pique the curiosity of young minds but anyone who is fascinated by the way in which some key parts of the world used to function.

Sincerely,

Sheeza

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Jackpot

Nic Stone’s Jackpot follows Rico Danger and Alexander (‘Zan’) Gustavo Macklin, who could not be leading more different lives. Rico lives pay cheque to pay cheque, having to juggle being a teenager with quite adult responsibilities, whilst Zan has to concern himself very little about whether or not he’ll see a meal when the sun rises and sets. His family business ensures that he has a back-up plan, should school not end as he would have liked, directly contrasting Rico’s uncertain future. It is when Rico discovers that a lottery ticket she sold whilst working her shift at the petrol station is a winning ticket that she encounters Zan and both agree to find the victor of the six-figure prize. Rico hopes that hunting this fortunate individual down may mean she gets a sum of money to take home to her family, unbeknownst to Zan, who simply fancies a change of pace and scenery with a girl whom he finds intriguing. The reader seeks to find out if they ever locate said jackpot winner.

I grew very fond of the female protagonist, Rico, because I found her to be so relatable: bumbling along, trying to make ends meet without losing her head in the process. She was written to be such a sweet girl, merely attempting to pick up the pieces at home, with her mother and little brother depending on her to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

Similarly, Zan did well as the male protagonist, portrayed refreshingly as a sensitive, happy-go-lucky yet determined and driven chap. He reminded me of my all-time favourite male character, Finch, from Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places (high praise indeed, if you know my affinity with that story!)

The book was insightful regarding class and how living in an affluent area, like Rico did, did not make her feel any richer. Her lifestyle would lend itself to desiring more than her job at the petrol station offered. The book illustrated how easily, at times, class can label a person, both rich and poor. I was reminded of the privilege that is the NHS, here in the UK, a gift we so often can forget is just that: an entitlement that warrants high appreciation.

This book also did well to remind the reader of the sweetness of love – those first couple of butterflies that one experiences upon seeing the person of their affection, not to mention the feeling as though one is with their very best friend. Nic Stone addresses love as, albeit not a focal point of the novel, rather in a very real manner that is entirely easy to conceptualise.

All in all, Jackpot was an absolute delight to read from beginning to end and it was just what I needed for my lazy summer days basking in the thunderstorms that the UK has in abundance!

It is ideal to read if one wishes to live out an adventure from the comfort of one’s armchair.

Sincerely,

Sheeza

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Forever, Interrupted

“We have to find little ways to smile. No matter how strong you are, no matter how smart you are or tough you can be, the world will find a way to break you. And when it does, the only thing you can do is hold on.” t.j.r.

I’ve said it before and I will not hesitate to say it again: Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write a story that takes her readers on a journey that is, much to their dismay, fleeting but, fortunately, completely unforgettable. Forever, Interrupted is no exception – it follows our protagonist, Elsie, who loses her husband in a freak bike accident a week after marrying him.

The book explores grief and how it has many forms depending on the person experiencing it. It sheds light on how life goes on, no matter how much an individual may wish for it to be put on hold, even if for just a moment. I find this to be a very important read because of how it discusses the process behind mourning and how, though heart-wrenchingly difficult, it is a normal, natural and necessary process to experience.

Like every other book of hers I’ve read, Forever, Interrupted is an absolute page turner, with nearly every chapter ending on a cliffhanger that makes it impossible to stop reading on.

The book is structured very cleverly, with it going back and forth between the past and present, a form the writer is masterfully skilled at executing in every book that she has crafted, including Forever, Interrupted.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has become the author whose works I could read blindly, simply because they are her design – her work is consistently captivating and I am never disappointed by her stories. She always includes a plot twist that could come at any time (I for one am never prepared, hence the multiple gasps that take place whenever there’s a book of hers in my hands!)

I caught myself smiling like a Cheshire cat oftentimes at the relationship explored in this book – it’s one that anybody would and does want, which is what it makes it so compelling to read about.

I’m not sure how long it’s been since I read an ending and felt this immense sense of closure. The way Taylor Jenkins Reid closed this story is a testament to how important it is to assure your readers that they are taken care of, from the very first page turn to the last. It’s that careful attention to detail that makes for loyal readers who will always return to the writer who promises to deliver just that.

Sincerely,

Sheeza