Rae of Light

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett While reading a Pratchett I usually feel that I’m part of a group of people enjoying an in-joke. In the case of this book however, I constantly felt I was missing the joke. At the start of the read I kept waiting for something to happen. While I got a lovely insight into how the Assassins’ Guild is run and conducts its final examination, I was left rather baffled as to where all this was leading. The first 250 pages seem steeped in great sadness. I could not shake this feeling, especially when reading sections about High Priest Dios as he desperately clings on to power through the manipulation of time and aging. I came away from the remainder of the hero’s wanderings through the desert and other dimensions parched and in desperate need of a waterhole. I struggled to finish this one. Overall I was left feeling hollow, like one of those doughnuts with the hole in the middle. So I’m very glad I’ve got Guards! Guards! to move on to as...

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett The murder of the King of Lancre is the opening for this Pratchett offering and sets the scene for the tyranny and intrigue to follow.  Pratchett playfully refigures the plot of Macbeth to give us the story of how a country ruled by a tyrant chooses to rebel. It’s not pretty, with the usual majority blaming whomever the ‘media’ decides is to blame. And for this particular scenario, the witches come under the cosh. Naturally the witches are forced to fight back in the manner which only a Pratchett creation can. As usual, he is able to highlight the flaws in society and how people turn on each other at the slightest provocation. The book also focuses on feelings of frustration due to powerlessness in a given situation. How well I know that particular emotion. The book also emphasises how words can have a power which we dismiss too easily. But that very power affects more than one person and has a terrifying domino effect. I was amus...

I grew up listening to Rock & Roll, Soul and Rhythm & Blues with a hefty dose of Disco and Easy Listening thrown in for good measure. Saturday and Sunday afternoons our house was often full of the strains of Elvis, Nat King Cole, The Blue Notes etc. Every once in a while furniture was pushed against the wall and we danced. I never sang. My dad was the singer, with a voice to equal that of a choir of angels. My mother sang off key and so did I. Many years ago I was told I’m tone deaf. This put me off singing completely, unless of course I’m totally alone, singing in the car or in the bath. I’m an occasional hummer and a mouther of words but no actual sound makes it out from between my lips. So I grew up with the firm belief music, for me, was restricted to one thing and one thing only – DANCING. I didn’t come to classical music till quite late in my life. It wasn’t till I started competitive ice skating around age 12 that I got my first taste of mainly instru...

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett You may remember that earlier this year I decided on the insane challenge to read every single Pratchett ever written. To ease myself into the task I’ve started with the Disc World series and am currently on book 6.  That obviously means I’ve finished book 5 so here’s my review of it. This latest Terry Pratchett instalment finds us back with the hopeless wizard Rincewind. And of course, The Luggage makes a welcome return too. I confess I’m very fond of this particular travel accessory in the Disc World series and am always keen to know where it will shift its loyalty to next. I was not disappointed as it fell in love with the delectable Conina and then suffered greatly when she spurned it. The plot revolves around the fact that the 8 th son of a wizard is in fact a sourcerer. A particular wizard, not keen to submit to the rules of Death, decides to use the fact he has an 8 th son to his advantage. And so the mayhem ensues. The...

My foray into the delectable language of Italy continues apace.  After months of staying at 34% I suddenly had a dramatic leap to 40%.  The main reason for this is that I adjusted the way in which I use the app. Every day it sends me an email reminding me to do my daily practice. This email presents me a topic to move on to.  Like every good student I obeyed my teacher and did this.  However, I would be in the midst of a revision exercise and come to a complete stop because I couldn’t remember vocabulary. So I decided to trust my instincts and redo units the app told me I’d already completed.  Now I ignore the instructions from the app’s emails and redo a unit until I’m confident I’ve retained both the vocabulary and the grammar.  If you think about it logically this makes absolute sense. In order for something to go from short term memory it has to be revisited and repeated so it can be stored in the long term. I find it incredibly easy t...

A Dance with Dragons (After The Feast) by George R R Martin This book was as exasperating for me as the Dreams & Dust instalment, primarily because I knew much of the events from the TV series albeit in a truncated and slightly altered version. The name listing akin to the begats of the Bible was equally trying and pulled me away from the story far too many times for my liking. I wouldn’t have minded too much if it had been an isolated incidence, but it seemed to be almost everywhere. There were some lovely moments when characters voiced realisations about situations or their own flaws but in general I was a little under whelmed by this book.  I found myself eager to get to bits I was as yet unaware of. And while there were such moments, they were far too rare. It was pretty obvious that everyone who was anyone was gathering their forces as there are a few almighty battles in the offing. I did not find this section stirring or entertaining. My main thoug...

So this is the final instalment of how I inject FUN into my routine. By the way,  I’m not advocating that you do the exact same things I do to get your writing brain to peak performance. What I’m advising is that you find those pass times which serve to reinvigorate you best.   I love nothing more than heading off to the cinema to watch a great film on the big screen. Unfortunately I don’t have the time I had when I was at university. Back then I’d treat myself to a visit to The Cornerhouse after a session of research or revision at Manchester Central Library.  Now I’m restricted to unexpected free evenings or the weekend.  I’m more than happy to go to the cinema on my own but am always delighted when I can share the experience with a friend or two. My love of cinema stems from childhood. My parents were avid film goers and I was dragged along even before I was potty trained. There is a rumour going round that once this event took place my knig...