This Week in Review | The Tenth

Hi everyone 🙂

I hope you’ve all had a lovely week.

I know this is a day late, but yesterday was a bit of a tough one.

I had to go to the walk-in clinic yesterday morning. Last week, my right ear had felt a bit plugged on and off, but Sunday night it blocked completely. My doctor told me that I have a build-up of wax that’s pressing against my ear drum and gave me a regimen to follow for the next five days to try to remove the wax (aka 2 drops a day of hydrogen peroxide) and told me to come back next Monday for a follow-up so she can make sure there’s no damage to the drum itself. Walking around half-deaf is no fun and I feel somewhat off-kilter. There’s less pressure today, so I’m hoping everything will be okay next week!

All that to say, chances are this will be my last post until next week. I’ll still follow up on my bloggers and twitter, though 🙂

So, let’s make this count, shall we?

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WHAT I READ:

I finished reading A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King. The 3rd in her Mary Russell series, I am always delighted by the characterization of Mary. She is an academic scholar, an independent woman and a daring adventurer with the wit and determination to match the great Sherlock Holmes. While the mystery itself was not as diverting as previous ones, it was still a most enjoyable read and I look forward to getting my hands on the next one.

The Waste Lands by Stephen King. The 3rd book in the Dark Tower series, I can still remember the first time I picked up the 1st book. I didn’t know what had come over me. I’m not the biggest fan of horror and I had never imagined that I would pick up one of his books. But I did. And I was enthralled. Of course, the Dark Tower reads more as a fantasy adventure than a horror novel, but there are elements in it that strike fear while simultaneously evoking whimsy. King is a true master of the compelling narrative and if you have not yet, I would highly recommend that you give his stories a try.

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. It’s been a busy week for books hasn’t it 🙂 This marks my last book of January & my 1st book of February. I’ve only read 8 books so far this year. I’ll need to double down over the next few weeks if I hope to read 100 (ie read smaller books  (ie. read less books like Voyager)). Like any other Discworld novel, Wyrd Sisters is a humourous adventure story, a fast-paced read that delights and enchants without missing a step. This particular novel plays out as a parody of Shakespeare led by three witches who answer the question: “When shall we three meet again?” with “Well, I’m free next Tuesday”. The sixth book in the series and the second pertaining to the witches, I am still in awe of this man’s genius. Please, if you have not read any of Pratchett’s work, do yourself a favour and pick up a book of his. You won’t regret it!

I’ll now be turning to a graphic novel, my first of the new year: Sandman Vol 6.: Fables & Reflections by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is one of favourite authors & I adore the Sandman series. Another gem of a fantasy author.

WHAT I WATCHED:

Very little. Truth be told, I’ve been busy writing and just generally living, that I haven’t had much time to watch anything besides a few shows here & there. Notably, I tried the pilot of Lucifer. I was hoping for better. I’ll leave it at that. The rest was mostly background noise, but worth a longer mention is:

New Girl: season 5, episode 4. The most recent episode was one of the funniest I can recall in recent memory. The first to mark Zooey Deschanel’s absence due to maternity leave, it proved that the show is best when it relies on its full ensemble of characters.

Hopefully this week will present some more opportunity to watch a movie or two. We’ll see 🙂

WHAT I LISTENED TO:

As always, music is my lifeblood. It pumps through me and inspires me. I know that many of you feel the same. Here are three songs/albums that I’ve been listening to lately!

1. Water Under the Bridge by Adele: I love her new album and most of the songs on it, but Water Under the Bridge is definitely one of my favourites. The lyrics are some of her best, and the melody is a driving force that works really well for me when writing. It also speaks well to a certain relationship in my series, and I love it when music speaks to your book directly.
2. Once soundtrack. I love this movie. I love the music. A truly beautiful and enchanting creation. I love listening to this soundtrack on repeat. It calms and inspires all at Once 😉 If you haven’t watched it or listened to it, do! It shows how a simple story can be the most compelling!
3. Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant. I heard this song a while back and forgot about it. It was used in the pilot of Lucifer and I was reminded of what a great tune it is. Catchy and powerful. The lyrics are truly moving. At least Lucifer was good for something.

I’ll leave This Week in Review with a new part that might only stand for this week, but I hope to include it beyond.

What Inspired Me:

• I am a Catholic. I was born and raised as such and as a free-thinking individual, I still uphold my faith. I do not wish to force my faith on anyone. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs as long as they do not harm others in the process of practicing it. Enough on that.

This past Sunday, the second reading came from the 13th chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. It is one of the better known bible passages. I’ve included it below, taken from NRSV translation provided on BibleGateway:

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹ For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰ but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³ And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Rediscovering this passage gave me the opportunity to reflect on my life and my relationships and the way I interact with people on a day to day basis. I now hope to take each day guided by the truest form of love; it takes far more energy to hold anger towards someone than to let your grudges go. I feel somewhat unburdened already as I have made an effort to embrace the message. I hope that it might inspire you as well.

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Let me know what you’ve been reading, watching, listening to & inspired by this past week.

Until my next post, I wish you all blessed week filled with love and happiness. May you not want for anything.

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith