Shilpa

My 5 Latest Graphic Novel Reviews

Hello!

As the temperature soars to 44.2°C (I am not kidding – check the latest news here), I am seriously rethinking my options to relocate. However, with the second wave of coronavirus sweeping the country and vaccinations being rolled out in phases for adults above 40 years old, I miss my university days in Edinburgh. I suppose a lot of people have reached their point of burnout but are still slogging it through the days with some routine (if there is any in the first place). Before I sound glummer, let me share the good part of my reading. In today’s post, I have compiled my short reviews on graphic novels that I received as ARCs previously. So, without any further delays, let us dive in.

What Next?

As vaccines are being distributed across the world and news on new strains have made us all go not again, I wonder how people are coping with the extended lockdown. I am sure many people are just thankful to be spending a lot of time with their families (with an overwhelming amount of work seeping in, of course), taking a vacation for a solo trip has been on my mind since I can last remember. But lockdown woes have made my parents give me a big fat NO for travelling, so I took a sabbatical from writing for a while and got into ruminating about what should I do next.

Unlike last year, I did not make any resolutions list for this year because the uncertainty of the situation made me realise this is a good time to slow down and spontaneously learn as you go. So in this post, let me share some of my ideas, thoughts and projects that I am currently working on and hopefully will bring to fruition in the upcoming months.

Before I Saw You

Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton

Print Length: 400 pages
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Bantam Press

A debut novel by Emily Houghton, Before I Saw You makes sure that you have few (or more) tears in your eyes and believe why love can heal and break in this heart-warming and wrenching story of two adults who find their world turned upside down after a major accident. It also shows how they build ways to connect in a hospital ward. Yes—hospital, death, pain, kindness, love, healing, and more is what you get blended with humour and courage in this book.

Wrapping up the year 2020

As I sit down and look through my cloud-stored folders and update my financial budgeting sheets for the year, it does not feel like a new year is about to begin today. 2020 has been insane – #lockdown #Covid #virus #WFH #mentalhealth #burnout and so forth. A lot has been going on in the last few weeks and I have not been in an emotionally stable place to gather up some courage and continue posting my blogs. However, I am getting better and it is a good time to wrap up my major hits and misses, high and lows, what I read and what I have learnt during this unusually chaotic year. Also, here is wishing you and your dear ones a healthy and prosperous new year ahead!

Let me take this moment just to say – you lived; every single day you woke up and tried to fight your blues due to this collective stress that has been impacting your daily life. Please pat yourselves for keeping it together with hope, strength and perseverance.

Top 6 Self-help Book Recommendations

Hello folks!

In my previous post, I discussed some thoughts and tips with regard to reading self-help or self-improvement books. In this post, I write about my top 6 favorite books under this genre that I have read this year with quick summaries to help you decide your next pick. Happy Reading!

Tips to Read Self-help Books

The world of self-help or self-improvement books is a league of its own. Whether you want guidance on an area of life that you would like to improve on or are simply looking for suggestions from those who have been there and done that, picking a self-help book can become cumbersome since you can easily search for suggestions on Google/Quora/YouTube etc. These books can cater to a range of interests—money, productivity, people skills, motivation, mindfulness, creativity, spirituality etc. Any book that claims to help you in improving or managing it better can be termed as a self-help book.

I have noticed people who usually do not read fiction books somehow like to dip their toes in reading a good self-help book. But while picking such a book, there are certain things that I would like to share so you don’t end up feeling that the recommendations put down by the author are all in the air. In my next post, I will share my list of six self-help books which I have read (or re-read) this year and would highly recommend it to you.