Hey there Peeps! Time for our weekly catch up, get that drink ready!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that it’s been a lovely, buys, but not busy first week of the break. As you read, Lil Man is back to school, and Lil Princess and I are embarking on the first of a few girlie days this week!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that the kids have been out most of the week for hours at a time, playing with their new street friends. I am seriously so happy that they have bonded with each other, and that we can let them out with no worries (well, almost no worries, but the story of this gang deserves another post, of its own!)
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that we ended up at the cinema twice this week too, to watch The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Aladdin. The kids really wanted to see the first one, and I was desperate for the Disney one! Actually, Lil Man refused Aladdin at first, so the plan was to watch that with Lil Princess next week… who I had to bribe to watch it with me… But, that was the film we saw first last week, after Lil Man had a change of heart… and it was such a good movie! I absolutely love the animated version, so was skeptical of a real life copy, but I had no need to be! Aladdin was gorgeous, Jasmine was beautiful, the sets were amazing and Will Smith as the Genie did Robin Williams proud, both making the character his own, as well as keeping the original Genie spirit alive. The kids were buzzing after it, and I was singing the songs to myself all evening. In contrast, The Pets film was… cute… but a little flat after the magnificance of Aladdin. Can’t wait for The Lion King now!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you I started the arduous task of EYFS report writing for school. It is so time consuming and the information needed changes from year to year, so we have to start early… just so the end of July doesn’t fly by in a haze of paperwork.
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that I managed to read lots too, as well as get started on the editing of my book, which was really exciting, and fueled by an hour long conversation with my editor, who is just lovely, and was so encouraging with her comments. I forsee a little work, not crazy rewrites, but some overhauls, and a few additions with a couple of take outs as well… but all in all, positive stuff! So positive that I have started the hunt for my book cover too!!!
— Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 #ChickPeaCurryLit (@RituBhathal) May 29, 2019
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that I have done hardly any house work… is that bad of me? This week has been about relaxing, letting the kids be kids and the Ritu be Ritu! Aside from the cursory wipes of surfaces and hoovering, and the dishes, oh, and the laundry, I have done none. And I feel great for it! Sometimes you have to let go of routine a little!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that Hoppaling Hubby is no longer in a cast! Yay! But he is now in a walking boot, which is a cumbersome device that means eventually he will be able to put weight on his foot, but there is still a definite second lot of 2 weeks where he can’t drive or go to work… Frustration is getting to him, as it would to us all… Cabin fever and all that … but we did get out to Lil Man’s cricket match, which was a change for him.
If we were sipping chai together I can’t forget to mention that I was driven to emotional tears of joy from a most wonderful review of my poetry book, Poetic RITUals, by the lovely Lucy Mitchell! Check it out below!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that, as I mentioned earlier, this week will be devoted to some girlie time with my Lil Princess, a little shopping, a little hair pampering, a little nail stuff… that kind of thing.
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention I shall be taking Hubby Dearest to his office one day, for the first time in nearly 8 weeks. I hope he appreciates the taking away of my holiday time… but it means lots more uninterrupted reading time for me whilst he is catching up with his colleagues!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that another exciting thing is that I am being interviewed for a Podcast tomorrow! More shall be posted, as I know more!
Have a wonderful week, Peeps! Let me know how your week went!
I would be honoured if you could follow the new blog where I intend to post all the details of my writing journey from now on, and I shall leave my writing challenges and the Chai updates etc… on my faithful But I Smile Anyway site.
Thank you all in advance. You don’t know the invaluable support you have provided me with over the years. To think, five years ago, I didn’t even know what a blog was… and here I am with TWO now!
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “silent/silence.” Use one or both in your post. Have fun!
The Colour of Silence
Silence is golden I often hear say But I'd like to think different That is, if I may For silence can come In a total array Of colours, depending on What you're feeling that day
That deafening silence Can feel rather black When you're thinking that No one's quite got your back
The silence of loss Comes across as quite blue When you're filling a void Not knowing what to do
When silent anger is simmering Deep inside your head No, that's not golden, You're just seeing red
That silence you hear When it's late at night Kids asleep, no disturbances That's purely white
In the peace of the moment, When all is quite calm That silence is purple It does you no harm
And yes, it can feel, sometimes Silver or golden As you accept life When your body does olden
A rainbow of quiet See, what I said was true Feel silence in so many ways Not only just a few Cos silence it comes in In many a hue We all like some quiet Which colour's for you?
I can already tell you that this month will not be an epic month like last month! But I can assure you what I read was quality! Are you ready to find out? Nine books, is still pretty respectable, isn’t it?
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Christine Nolfi has penned a beautiful story here, dealing with family, secrets, loss, discovery and forgiveness. I was swept into the life of Darcy Goodridge straight away, intrigued by why this woman was on the run from her past, her old life, for the last eight years. Over the first few chapters, the story unfolded and we were introduced to characters who you fell in love with. Samson, the ray of sunshine who attaches himself to Darcy, despite her not wanting reminders of any pasts she has forgone, Rosalind, Darcy’s mother, a scary character, who is full of misconceptions. Emerson, the nephew she left behind – but who is crying out for a mother’s love, and Michael. Darcy’s childhood best friend who she had to leave behind – twice. A wonderful tale filled with twists and turns, and secrets that prove you shouldn’t really hide things you think you know… because they may just not be the truth… Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published – 11th June
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I do love Amanda Prowse and her books. Ever since I read the first one, I have been hooked, and I was really looking forward to this new one.
Delving into the mind and world of Thomasina, or Hitch, as she is known, and reading about her meeting Grayson, and falling in love, felt like a privilege.
I have to commend Amanda for executing the nuances of this novel with such sympathy and grace. The thoughts and feelings of someone with a disability, but a person who is like everyone else, someone who wants her own life, and to be able to do everything others do, without the limitations that have been imposed upon her by her own loved ones.
That, and her capture of a person on the spectrum, someone whose thought process is so very different to the majority of the world.
And their love story.
I was hooked. I loved Pops and Mum, and I adored Thom and Gray!
One of my favourite quotes from the book – ” I like the way you care for my daughter and, for the record, I happen to agree with you. I think she’s pretty perfect too.” Thomasina’s Pops.
There’s a lesson in this – in the end, anything is possible – you just have to make that first step towards change.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and Amanda Prowse for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Just seeing Kenya in the description was enough for me to want to read the book!
You see, my family, both my parents were born in Kenya to Indian Immigrant parents, and I have spent many a summer going there to visit.
It was great to read names of places and to be able to picture them and to know the names of the tribes mentioned, and the descriptions of some of the places, and animals…
But I’ll tell you a secret… I was never told of the Happy Valley set, and the indulgence, and the debauchery!
This story is set between the years of 1925 and 1937, following the life of 14-year-old Theo Miller who moves to Kenya with his family for his father’s job heading the railways. He gets caught up in the antics of Freddie and Sylvia, and their little Happy Valley band, wanting to be accepted by them, and dreaming of being just like them. ( I must ask my parents if they were aware of the goings on of the Happy Valley Set… My mum went to a British boarding school out there, so you never know…)
Though his thinking is not always aligned with theirs: their views of British supremacy, and how they are making the lives better for the natives, by keeping them in their place clash with Theo’s sister Maud, who is appalled by the double standards, choosing to try and fight for natives rights and those of the natural farmers in the area.
An interesting read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Borough Press for providing me with an ARC. in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars An absolutely wonderful, inspirational collection of biographies celebrating the South Asian superwomen out there, some already known and some lesser-known, but no less inspirational. What a brilliant book to show our girls what they can aspire to be!
Another gripping story from one of my favourite authors, Amanda Prowse. Not my favourite, but a good read nonetheless. Kathryn Booker does something pretty despicable at the beginning of the book, but, as you get into the story and continue with her on her journey, you realise that she had a very good reason for acting as she did. A woman caught in the web of domestic violence; both physical and mental abuse piled upon her, and the pressure of acting like the perfect, happy wife and mother to the rest of the world takes its toll. Then finally, Kathryn becomes Kate again – the woman she was always meant to be. I loved the build-up and the to-ing and fro-ing of the timeline so you gradually found pieces to the jigsaw of Kate’s life and saw how it led her to where she ends up. That said, I was a little disappointed in her children, though they start to come through at the end, and then I wanted the story to carry on more, so I knew more about how the whole situation affected them and their relationship with their mother. A sometimes disturbing account of a woman’s journey through abuse and fighting her way out of it.
Another Amanda Prowse book means I know I need to gear up for a shed load of emotion, and this was no different. It is always the case when I read a story about the loss of a child… And I don’t mind admitting that I actually sat in the car, waiting for my son to finish his cricket training, reading this book, and had to wipe away tears… Grace and Tom Penderfold have all they could want, a wonderful marriage, a beautiful home and a precious child, with Grace bringing in the income, and Tom being the amazing house husband and daddy… until tragic circumstances rip their child, Chloe, from them. A heart-rending story exploring the changes that loss can wreak upon couples after the loss of a child, and also a story of hope. The added benefit of educating the readers about the dangers of a potentially fatal condition, Sepsis, makes this a truly gripping read. Having had to have emergency surgery 13 years ago because of the possibility of septicemia, this hit home even harder. Definitely a recommended read.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started to read this debut novel from Joanna Glen, but one thing I can tell you. I was not left disappointed at all.
We follow the story of Augusta Hope, one half of a set of twins: Julia and Augusta – two girls born on either side of midnight July 31st, meaning on was born in July and the other in August.
As can be the case, the girls were polar opposites in many ways, from appearances and personalities to likes and interest, but they still had that twin pull.
We are taken to Burundi as well, a little known African country, which has captured Augusta’s interest from a young age, and meet Parfait and his family, caught in a country suffering from bloodshed.
How the lives and stories of these two characters intertwine, is a testament to the brilliance of the author, and I did wonder… ‘Who actually was the other half of Augusta Hope?’ at the end.
Definitely a recommended read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Borough Press for granting me a wish with this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe I should be ashamed to admit this, but Half a World Away is actually my first Mike Gayle book.
And I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last.
What a journey I went through, reading this story of Kerry and Noah, two extremely different individuals who are linked in the most basic of ways – by blood.
Life caused these two siblings to be separated,
We have Kerry bumping through life on the low roads, through foster care and children’s homes, before finally living an independent life, becoming a mother to Kian, but never forgetting her baby brother, who was separated from her.
Then there is Noah, cruising along the highroads, married, a barrister, a father, and living a life far removed from his real beginnings
The reason that Kerry finally reaches out to her brother is revealed slowly, and in such a manner that it makes the readers heart break.
I don’t want to go into the details, but I was hooked. it didn’t take me long to become fully immersed in Kerry and Noah’s story, and accompanied by tissues, snacks and copious cups of tea, I finished the book in a haze of emotions.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
A highly descriptive account of a journey through both the seas and fatherhood. Reading this, I could picture the scenes, smell the salt (and diapers, on occasion) and taste the whiskey that William encounters on his sailing journey of a lifetime, connecting him with his father, and allowing him to reminisce about becoming a dad. It’s good to read of a man who isn’t afraid to show emotion too! Definitely worth reading to find out whether William reaches his destination, and how he handled early fatherhood, and beyond!
And there you have it!
I shall be reading more, between writing reports and finally getting to that edit of mine, so chat soon!
But I Smile Anyway... 