From the Lady Cave: Sharing a Fabulous Book List

I am sharing this book list, partly for selfish reasons (I need to add a few to my TBR 😁) and to hopefully inspire someone else to read some of these.

I am incredibly Thankful for alot of things, people and situations that got me to this point in my life.

Can’t think of a better day to share this than on Thanksgiving Day, which happens to also be my Birthday ❣

Enjoy every minute my friends, make it count!

Here is a link to a post from The Orang-utan Librarian, she has the best lists: https://wp.me/p6boOO-4Ht

So, we don’t have Thanksgiving here in the UK, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share some BOOKISH GRATITUDE! I tried to narrow this down to books that have a special place in my heart or that came into my life at exactly the right time (although of course, most great books feel like that, simply by virtue of being great 😉). Annnd I’m gonna be honest, I ended up with a very different post to the one I started with, because I took out anything too dark. I think I just prefer this to be a *happy place*. Without further ado, here are some of the books I’m most grateful for:

Harry Potter– starting way back when I was 7- this was the first big book I ever read and I will always be thankful that it made me the reader I am today. Yes, I am a stereotypical millennial reader and proud of it 😉

The Hobbit– aside from being mythologically rich and having wonderful characters, this book gave me my love of fantasy- how could I not include it?

Peter Pan– this is another childhood favourite and I’d feel remiss not to include it, especially given how often it inspired me to practice flying as a child 😉 (granted, I never actually achieved my goal, but not for want of trying 😉)

Rebecca– this book always reminds me of my mum, cos it’s her favourite. And I’m always glad that she foisted her favourites on me!

The Idiot– I originally felt like I had no special reason for including this one, but whenever I think about books that have shaped me, this springs to mind. I read this at about thirteen and it just clicked. Not only did it start a lifelong love of Dostoevsky, it taught me so many valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day.

Emma– okay, quick confession, I’d already read Pride and Prejudice when I read this and I think I was too young to get the irony. I’m really happy I read this book, because it unlocked Austen’s humour for me. I ended up rereading Pride and Prejudice shortly after and loved it the second time round! (which was lucky, cos I was set it for school). Then, of course, I read all the others and have never looked back!

Dr Faustus– it just lit up my brain at exactly the right moment- yes I am enough of a dork to include academic inspiration on this list.

Man’s Search for Meaning– part autobiography, part exploration of logotherapy, Frankl’s book may seem a bit heavy on the surface. However, it’s actually the most uplifting book I’ve ever read and my brother was a hundred percent right about getting me to read it!

Mort– I *needed* this book in my life- I just didn’t know it. Fortunately, a couple of my friends did know that I needed to read this and pushed me into it… and I couldn’t be happier that they did! Plus, one of my friends knew exactly which Pratchett to get me started on. So I know you’re not reading this, but thank you.

Vicious– fun fact, I was giving blood for the first time when I read this- and it was the *perfect* distraction! It was simply too brilliant! You simply can’t pay attention to anything else going on when you’ve got Schwab for company! (also, guys, give blood- it’s a great excuse to sit and read and you get free biscuits 😉 )

Grey Sister– ah this is just a pleasure to put on the list. I was in a horrible slump a couple of summers ago and trying to deal with big life changes- this gave me a welcome distraction for a few hours- which I was immensely grateful for, I can tell you!

Carry On– I can’t stop being thankful for this magical book- because it has the power to pull me out of any slump and give me all the *warm fuzzies*!

That was fun- I feel like I should steal more traditions from across the Pond 😉 Hope all my American friends have a Happy Thanksgiving! (and if it’s not to late, the same to all you lovely Canadians!) And, I’m curious, what books are you most grateful for? Let me know in the comments!

From the Lady Cave – Crochet and other thoughts….

This isn’t about crochet solely, so feel free to insert whatever your hobby is into this message.

I was at my cancer center for my 3 year checkup, all clear for another year!

I just love dealing with the people who work here. They are genuinely nice, helpful and down right courteous.

For the last couple years, I’ve made a point of stopping at the volunteer desk. I crochet and like making hats, so I inquired to see if they needed any. Up until today, they’ve always told me they had a surplus. They had maybe a dozen hats and that was it.

So I sounded the bell of need to my crochet friends. Everyone that can has stopped what they were working on to crank a couple hats out. I even joined a couple new Facebook groups just so I could pass the word; they’ve all had a few people agree to help.

I hate the thought of someone going without a hat if they need it. I can’t stop thinking about “what if I didn’t stop to ask?” even though, each year I was told they had all they needed.

My point is, it never hurts to ask. So if you have a hobby and if you’d like to share it, ask a local charity if you can help.

If we all gave a couple hats, no one would have to go without.

pass it on…

From the Lady Cave: Just Do It!

I am speaking from my own personal experience and hindsight.

I’ve often said “Be like Nike; Just Do It!”

(No this is NOT an endorsement)

What is your first thought when you hear this statement? I am willing to bet it starts with “But…”and then you list all the reasons why you can’t.

I get that there are financial constraints, so please don’t use that excuse.

What I am getting at is “How do you know unless you try?” Believe me, I know something about this; I haven’t lived this long without figuring out that I am the only person standing in my own way.

If you read my last post you’ll know that procrastination is not good.

Take that step, one little step! Nothing easy is worth doing, but I’ll guarantee that once you “try” you’ll realize it’s never as hard as you thought it would be. Sometimes doing stuff outside your comfort zone is Scary as Hell! But holy moly can it be an amazing experience; like driving my own motorcycle.

Aengus

What’s the worst can happen? You find out it doesn’t work out? So what! Now you have a better idea of what will work, so you back up and try again.

Recently for me I’ve discovered that in crochet, I really can do most of the things I thought were way to complicated.

Did I do it all on my own? Nope, sure didn’t. I used video tutorials, asked experts and I leaned heavily on what I already knew and BAM I FREAKING DID IT!

Poncho and baby Newsboy hat for one of my granddaughters.