Random Ramblings # 10 - Talking to oneself

 

Do you talk to yourself? You heard it right! Do you?

I do often! Being a loner, I have all the time in the world to talk to myself. Some people find me talking out loud to myself and look at me like a crazy fool. I admit that self-talk can be bad at times. BUT... It is more suitable for you too. You can take my word on that. Based on what you talk to yourself.

I have been a pessimist all my life. So, my self-talk involves a lot of negative things. Ever heard the saying 'You are defined by your thoughts'? True! Negative self-thoughts always pull us back on our path and are like quicksand that can pull you down. This leads to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. But there are times when I say something positive to myself. Whatever I think starts with "I am not good enough", "I am worthless", "I am destined to fail", and "I do not deserve to live".

Then I heard the word manifestation, which involves positive thoughts, goal visualization, affirmations and actions. Whenever you start manifesting positively, the world around you works towards uplifting you. I started with positive self-talk, which started building a certain confidence in me. The positive self-talk started to cultivate some amount of confidence, resilience and success. This, in turn, created a good impact, inspiring me to attain some of my goals.

As I mentioned earlier, being a pessimist, maintaining a positive outlook and positive self-talk is tough for me. Whenever I try to take a step forward, it starts to pull me two steps back. But small steps lead to big changes. Hopefully, I can positively look at life.

Likewise, everyone needs to follow self-talk positively. You should not make room for negative self-talk. This is unavoidable, but you can always change your perspective and try to convert the negative talk into a positive way. Affirmations, journaling, and mindfulness can help induce a positive approach in you.

Do you talk to yourself? How has self-talk changed you?

The Time Machine - H.G.Wells - Book Review

                                

One genre that fascinated me greatly during my childhood was science fiction. I used to read many abridged books of Jules Verne. Those were my versions of fantasy at that time. One writer I largely overlooked at that time was H.G. Wells. Forgotten, for a long time, I recently saw a collector's edition of 'The Time Machine' in the library and was quick enough to grab it to experience H.G.Wells.

The story is set in the Victorian Era, where the author, with a handful of people, gathers at the house of a scientist who claims to have invented a time machine. The second time he visits the house, the scientist claims to have actually done a time travel. Most of the story follows the scientist's experience during the time travel and what happened after that.

First of all, what a concept! I have always dreamed about being able to time-travel during childhood, and this book brings vivid childhood memories. Yes, this is a classic and needs patience to read. The reading was very slow at first. This picked up pace when the scientist started describing his time travel experience, and the tempo kept on till the end. HG Wells has blended science, society and philosophy in a balanced way. There are instances where you can experience deep philosophy as you read on. The Victorian Era was well depicted. There are scenes towards the end where the scientist time-travels on a fast-forward mode to somewhere in the far future and back. Those portions, even though of a few pages, were spellbinding for me. I could not help but wonder about the thought process.

 

In short, despite being a slow-paced read, this is a wonderful classic that triggers the thought and imagination of time travel in every person who reads it.

In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware - Book Review

 

This year, reading has been on the downside. I do not mean the numbers, but the variety and the experience. I have been struggling to maintain the pace for the past three months. I have been catching up on the missed experiences shortly after I landed upon this book. Ruth Ware's 'Turn of the Key' was interesting for me. I decided to go ahead with the read.

Leonara (aka Nora, aka Leo) is a writer who lives in a studio apartment in London. She is a recluse with minimal contact with other people. One day, she receives an invitation to the hen party of her erstwhile best friend, Clare. She is hesitant at first due to a bad past involving Clare and her fiancé, who is Nora's boyfriend. They arrive at a glasshouse in the English countryside along with a couple of other guests. As the party starts, things go awry and Nora realises that not everyone is here to celebrate. What happens at the party forms the rest.

First of all, the novel has a decent storyline. A handful of characters that at times tend to irritate us and not. The tagline was to get scared, but there was nothing scary about the novel. The so-called flashback was easily guessable. But there were multiple places where there was a lead to flashback until the climax, and this really tested my patience. The story started well, but quarter past into the book, it felt dragged at places. The characters were well written, even though a few of them irritated me at times. The writing style and language were simple to follow. The climax seemed rushed and cinematic. The unwanted length in the middle portions could have been used at the end for a more refined climax. Plus, the book cover was a major turn-off.

In short, a normal one-time read marred by slowness at places. Don't be fooled by the title or tagline. A wannabe thriller that can be a quick read.

All The Sinners Bleed - S.A. Cosby - Book Review

 

I had been considering trying a new author when I accidentally came across this book in the library. The name seemed interesting enough to catch my attention, and hence the read.

Titus, an ex-FBI agent, is the first black sheriff in Charon County. Even in this modern year, there is racism still underlying in the county. A year into the office, a school shooting happens that results in the death of a black person, the perpetrator. As the investigation progresses, more deaths happen, and Titus and his team realise that they are in for a wild ride. The violent crimes lead them to believe that a serial killer is hiding in plain sight. As the killer taunts Titus, he has to fight inner demons, tensions due to the far-right group, his dysfunctional personal life and catch the killer before it is too late.

To start with, I am happy to discover this author. The blurb made me look out for a racy story. But that was not so. The book was slow-paced. At the same time, there was no dearth of excitement. There were times when the reading was crawling at a snail's pace, but there was something or the other happening in the story that still managed to keep us hooked into the story. This is more of a crime procedural story. I liked how the social conditions of the county were described. Racism is an underlying theme in the story, and it pretty much runs in tandem with the main storyline. I was particularly impressed by the storytelling and character building of SA Cosby. Almost all the characters are grey shaded, and as the story progresses, the author keeps adding bits of layers to the story and characters. The detailing is spot o,n and the writings take us into the county. I enjoyed the chemistry that Titus has with his father and brother. The FBI background makes him see the crimes in a proper way, and we do not feel it is forced due to that. The crimes are violent, and some people might find it uncomfortable. There are red flags like racism, school shootings, violent death, right extremism, crime against children, etc. These can be trigger points for some. Also, the slow pace can give an undulating experience to the reader.

To sum it up, this is a brilliantly written story that touches a lot of social issues and gives a good procedural crime story. SA Cosby is an author whose works I need to check out more in the future.  

In The Tall Grass - Stephen King & Joe Hill - Book Review

 

I went on a trip last week and was looking for a quick read during the travel time. Browsing through my Kindle led to this novella. I quickly remembered watching a trailer for the adaptation of this book, which prompted me to read it. 

The story revolves around two siblings, Cal and Becky, who are travelling and what they encounter on the way. They are twins and in most cases, two single-minded bodies. On the way, they encounter a place with tall grass on the roadside where they hear a boy asking for help. He tells them that he and his mother are stranded in the long grass and they are not able to find their way out. Sceptical at first, they decide to help when they hear the mother of the kid warning him to be quiet or "he" will find them. But they go ahead, and what transpires from the story of the novella. Will they be able to find the boy? Is there more happening than they see? What happens to the brother sister duo? 

To start with, this turned out to be a quick read. This was a novella that could be read within an hour or so. But the authors do not shy away from maintaining their usual writing style. Like father, like son. Stephen King and Joe Hill did not infuse scares in this novella, but genuinely made me uncomfortable with the setting. Once the characters venture into the tall grass, it makes me feel a bit claustrophobic, even though the story was set in a field. It was creepy, and things can turn out gory for some people. I love how the few characters in the story had their own space and were able to make an impact in the little time they got. The antagonist was portrayed very well. I love the subtle meaning hidden in the backdrop, like in any Stephen King book. The writing was simple enough to read through. The interactions that the antagonist and the boy has with the siblings were the highlight according to me and these set the tone for the things to follow. I was amazed at how the writers succeeded in telling a full story with a bit of back story, a solid story and an interesting bait-picking finish.

In short, an interesting and quick novella that will entice horror readers. The father-son duo has done full justice to the twisted setting that they take us into. I will have to check more books by Joe Hill.