Insane TBR list

Book Club: Insane To-Be-Read

My name is Heather and I am a compulsive book buyer. I have no idea what has driven me to this insanity of collecting books but I continue to visit the nearest Bargain Books and spend most of my savings and time rummaging through the sale items. I sit here typing this on my bed with my "to be read" pile (more like an avalanche) taking up half of my bed. So I'm going to share with you the books that I have bought but still have to read.

E-Reader

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
2. Six Earlier Days by David Levithan
3. The Time Machine by HG Wells
4. Dash and Lilys Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn/Daid Levithan
5. Positive Discipline for Children With Special Needs by Steven Foster
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
7. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
8. Unremarkable Heart by Karin Slaughetr

Paperback/Hard Cover

1. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
2. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
3. The Scent of Lemon Leaves by Clara Sanchez
4. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
5. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
6. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
7. Cujo by Stephen King
8. The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
9. Perfect by Rachel Joyce
10. The World's Greatest Unsolved Crimes 
11. Oos Van Mamagele by Jack Hurter
12. Spud: Exit, Pursued By a Bear by John Van De Ruit
13. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
14. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
15. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
16. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
17. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
18. White Dog Fell From The Sky by Eleanor morse
19. The Prince, The Princess and the Perfect Murder by Andrew Rose
20. The Young Victoria by Allison Plowden
21. Poison Farm: A Murder Unmasked by David Williams
22. Silver Ring Thing Abstinence Study Bible
23. The Little House by Philippa Gregory
24. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Happy 186th Birthday, Leo!)
25. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
26. Bridget Jones Diary Omnibus by Helen Fielding
27. Out of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys
28. Operation World by PJ Johnstone
29. Readers Digest Book Collection (Before I go To Sleep, Siege, Women And Children First, Outwitting Trolls)
30. Shakespeare by Another Name by Mark Anderson
31. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
32. The Man Who fell In Love with His Wife by Paul Burke
33. Saving CeCe Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
34. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
35. Key of Light by Nora Roberts
36. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
37. Brand by Henrik Ibsen
38. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
39. Three Years to Play by Colin MacInnes
40. The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue
41. The Borgias by Mary Hollingsworth

49 books in total!! I better get right to it then.

-Heather McIntosh

Next Week Tuesdays post: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks review

Our Deepest Fear

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, ' Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?'. Actually, who are you not to be?..." - Marianne Williamson

The above is a quote from my favorite film, Akeelah and the Bee, which tells the tale of young girl who despite the odds against her, excels in spelling bee competitions. I have watched it quite a number of times, and yet it never ceases to leave me with feelings of inspiration tinged with nostalgic memories of my own spelling bee days.

I cannot even fully capture how pertinent this quote is. As we navigate our way through life: school, relationships, health, spirituality...Fear pops up like a pus- filled pimple in our lives. 

We are too scared to audition for that play, because there are so many other better performers. We shy away from applying to that school, because, heck, who would accept me with my grades? And we are too afraid to write, and share our work with others unless it is " perfect". Perfection remains elusive.

This quote is especially pertinent right now as I am a candidate for a position in the News Department of my school's community radio station. Applying was the first step. Then I got the interview, and got enrolled in the training program where I am now to learn how to write and produce a news broadcast.

 But there is a catch. Over the next couple weeks, the station is to monitor or assess our progress during the training sessions, and make the final decision. Not everyone is going to get into the News Team. Our station manager described  it as a "Hunger Games" type of situation where we are all competing for the same title...And they can only be one victor, and the rest of us just die ( BTW: if you don't know what the Hunger Games are, do read Heather's review:  http://imaniandheather.blogspot.com/search?q=Hunger+Games+). 

It is quite intimidating to think that one of us might be sent packing. I often have to snap out of those thoughts of comparing myself to others whenever I am placed in competitive environments. 

The thought of failing scares me. The thought that I am not the only person is the world with the similar aspirations.

Comparison then sets in. You become so focused on what other people can do better,that you miss out on your own unique attributes.  That is not to say that we should just sit around, and not improve ourselves. But we shouldn't be so transfixed on our inadequacies, that we neglect actually addressing them. 

So my approach this month is drumming into my head that each and everyone of us in this " Hunger Games" -esque is special.  We are all meant to shine.That is why we have been shortlisted among heaps of applicants. 

And thankfully our lives are not on the line. 

Peace and Love

Imani Dlamini 

Do feel free to comment and share your thoughts.