The title sums up my absence from the blogosphere in the past four months.
I’m changing career and have enrolled in a course which will lead to (hopefully) opportunities to become a full stack web developer, something which I’ve been really enjoying in recent months.
My spare time outside of creating buggy websites and novelty widgets has also been spent reading a glut of books. Productive, I would argue!
The best books I’ve read lately include:
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The Beach: The adapted film with Leo DiCaprio is probably better known, though the novel is IMO much better. The hedonistic journey of three backpackers travelling through Asia who stumble upon a map that speaks of a mysterious island paradise.
Uzumaki, Spiral into Horror: Manga with a twist (or should that be twirl?) I read this in Spanish to improve my language skills. A small town in Japan is cursed with a snail-like pattern which manifests in the objects and people in horrific ways. Fun read!
Letter from a Stoic: Timeless classic with many pearls of wisdom from the Roman philosopher Seneca. One that I keep going back to for reference.
Dinosaurs on other Planets: I don’t read many short stories but this collection had received some acclaim on Irish shores. Well written and colourful stories.
Back from the Brink: One of Irish sports most successful and popular stars, Paul McGrath lays his soul bare and explains the pressures or fame and his battle with alcoholism.
The Walking Dead: I tore through these comics in Spanish because I couldn’t wait for the TV show to begin. Great for comic, horror or zombie fans.
A Journey Around My Room: It’s the 18th century in France and a young officer is locked in his room for six weeks following a crime. He uses the contents of his room to go on an expedition and takes the reader with him. Truly bizarre factual account.
The Field: Really thought provoking book that reads like a scientific detective story. Explains how at a fundamental level, the human mind and body are not separate from their environment but a packet of pulsating power constantly interacting within this vast energetic sea.
Bird by Bird: Wonderful book about the writing process (taking it step by step – or bird by bird, referring to archiving the wide range of birds – explained better in the book!). Stephen King pointed me to this, and coupled with his ‘On Writing’, it’s a great motivator to get writing.
The Way Home: Tales from a life without Technology: From an Irish author who, like a modern day, Thoreau, unplugs from the grid, returns to nature and in the process uncovers some uncomfortable truths about himself and society. Highly interesting!
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: Seven short(ish) stories from the genius that was Roald Dahl. A wonderful mind.
The Handmaids Tale: Needs very little introduction. Decided to read it when hearing of the sequel which was released in September. Enjoyed this. Better than the series.
The Missionary Position: Very controversial book by an investigative journalist which suggests that Mother Theresa of Calcutta wasn’t exactly whiter than white.
Live While You Can: Written by my local Parish priest in 2017, and who sadly passed away last month. A memoir about hope and resilience, Fr Tony Coote was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 53 and fought it with grace, courage and dignity.
The Case Against Fluoride: Science-backed hard-hitting expose about the danger of fluoride, how it ended up in our water supply and why it remains there. Strongly recommended, especially for US readers.
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I’ve been writing a little bit of short fiction recently. I’ll have a new story out later this month called My Mate Mark. As you’d expect from me, it’s a bit of an oddball story and I’ll share more detail soon.
My latest novel has stalled at the 30,000 word mark. My creative juices haven’t quite flowed so well since I returned to Ireland from Colombia.
But, I’ll be picking up the pen to restart it with a view to finishing it before Christmas. It’s a story that really needs to be told, not least because it’s a splinter in my head and I need to get it out before it burrows any deeper and does some irreparable damage!
More frequent blogging to come.
Been far too long.
How have you been?