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Printed from https://writing.com/main/profile.php/blog/joycag/sort_by/entry_order DESC, entry_creation_time DESC/page/38
by Joy
Rated: 18+ · Book · Experience · #2003843
Second blog -- answers to an ocean of prompts
Kathleen-613's creation for my blog

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
CHARLIE CHAPLIN


Blog City image small

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

David Whyte


Marci's gift sig










This is my supplementary blog in which I will post entries written for prompts.
Previous ... 34 35 36 37 -38- 39 40 41 42 43 ... Next
July 7, 2018 at 12:56pm
July 7, 2018 at 12:56pm
#937570
Have you ever been so focused on what you're losing that you don't see what you have? What happened to make you realize what you were doing?

----

Have I ever? Not so much. I am not of the kind who cries over spilled milk.

A thought or two might have passed through my mind, maybe when I was much younger. Maybe when I had to stay home for a while and take care of kids until they were grown up, but even then, I worked from home. So, that wasn’t a major loss and, of course, I wanted to be with my children more than anything. Keeping busy and reading a lot help with any kind of preoccupation our minds push on us.

Past is past, and now, in old age, I am very thankful for what I have, and I don’t look back all that much.

July 6, 2018 at 2:13pm
July 6, 2018 at 2:13pm
#937524
You've met three people on your way to do an errand. They're all talking about something they overheard but are positive you're the reason it's happening. Are they right or wrong? Weave us a tale about the three people and yourself and whatever is happening.
If you can tie it in with the prompt in BCoF, you'll have a chance at merit badge by virtual draw.
BCOF prompt: Use these words somehow in your writing. enchanted, twilight, fireflies, rose, carousel, lion, and tinman.


-------


I was in a rush, and while picking up a grocery cart at the entrance carousel of our local Publix, I heard someone say, “That was the cart I had my eyes on, and she picked it before me.”

What? Weren’t all the carts the same? On closer inspection, I spotted a carved design on the back shelf of the cart where sometimes babies sit and I sometimes place my purse on, but after wiping it, as I know enough about baby tushies. The design had a lion and a tinman holding a rose while fireflies hovered above the figures, but it was unnoticeable at first sight for its being only an etching on plastic although it was large enough to cover the entire shelf.

“Well, I never! I’m in the twilight of my years, I never saw such rudeness.”

I turned around and saw three old ladies (well, older than me), whispering to each other, but their whispers, due to their being hard of hearing, were being caught by all ears around us.

I pushed the cart in front of them. “Is this the cart you wanted?”

One of the ladies, the one wearing a taupe shirt with paisley design, beamed. “Well, of course. How did you know? Are you psychic?”

“I overheard you,” I said.

The one in the blue shirt rolled her eyes. “Enchanted!”

Disregarding her comment, I asked, “Why is this cart special to you? Is it for the design?”

“My grandson etched it when he was here. That was ten years ago. Now, I pick that cart whenever we have to shop,” said the paisley shirt.

“Artistic!”

She nodded. “He’s overseas, now! Fighting!”

A Goldstar grandma! I felt like saluting her, but I said nothing. I had to talk to the manager about that cart. It had to be saved in a special place to be used only for these ladies.
July 4, 2018 at 11:51pm
July 4, 2018 at 11:51pm
#937435
Prompt: Who were your favorite fictional literature characters when you were a teenager?

----

Jo or Josephine March (of Little Women) I absolutely adored her, at the time, possibly because she had a mind of her own. She was a rebel of the gentlest kind and she loved to read and scribble. I thought of her as my alter ego.

Prince Mishkin (of Idiot by Dostoyevski) He amazed me, still does. I couldn’t believe anyone could be so gentle, so understanding, and so full of love, to the point of gullibility, but he wasn't gullible either. No wonder, in my later years, a lit prof thought of him as being a Christ symbol.

Jane Eyre Jane was an unfortunate girl by birth, but she, too, was a strong female character who had to fend for herself, but she did it without hurting anyone and on her own terms.

July 4, 2018 at 2:29pm
July 4, 2018 at 2:29pm
#937417
Prompt: What does meditation mean to you and how do you meditate?

----

About 35 years ago, I seriously studied meditation. Then, it became second nature. As the result of it, I am a much calmer person.

I rarely meditate now, at least not consciously. The good thing about meditation is it becomes second nature and you find yourself meditating on a specific thing or idea, as well as what you trained for.

Free clip art


Prompt: “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you,” says Carlos Ruiz Zafón, in The Shadow of the Wind
What do you think he means? Don’t we see in a book what its writer has written?


---

I am not sure what Zafón claims is true for everyone. I certainly want to find out what the author is trying to say and why and on which thing inside of him he is basing it.

On the other hand, it is a fact that I like a book better if those things, ideas, and/or the writing style of the author correspond to my sensitivities. If this same feeling wouldn’t apply to every reader, then, we would have only one genre, one style, and more or less the similar storylines in books.
July 2, 2018 at 3:13pm
July 2, 2018 at 3:13pm
#937263
Prompt: Sources say that our brains are hard-wired to fear creativity, and vice versa, creativity thrives on what the brain fears most. What do you think? Can this be true for you?

==========

This may just the fear of the unknown. Creativity feeds on abstraction, and abstract concepts are difficult to accept, at least at first.

This may also be the clue to our resistance to alien ideas, thoughts, and belief systems. Those things are not comfortable to swallow as we usually fear what we don’t know or even what we don’t know enough of.

By birth, some individuals have a more creative personality than others. Still, creative imagination can be encouraged through the environment and hard work. I believe creativity works in two steps. The first step is the ability to think of a wide variety of concepts, connected in some way to the topic at hand. The second step has to do with intuition, which is a mystery in itself, and whatever you believe it is, it is an abstraction.

Consequently, the essence of these two steps produces a creative idea. That is why the advice to writers is to read a lot so they can at least come up with that first step.

Can that fearing the unknown thing be true for me? Sure. I dread being in the dark, not being able to see. Yet, I have no fear of death. That, too, is an unknown. Go figure!

Free clip art



June 30, 2018 at 7:09pm
June 30, 2018 at 7:09pm
#937156
Prompt: Use these words to create something on this lovely last day of June.
affair, flowers, parsnips, stationary, building, second and reconcile.


---

What You Don’t Expect


Such a razzle-dazzle of a joke you are!

To reconcile misunderstandings,
An Affair to Remember, you say,
holding flowers that resemble
wilted parsnips, and you expect me
to remain stationary
on a short leash, building up hope.

Just what skin did you come wrapped in?

And how ill-fitting is your stance
especially since you don’t expect
to be wearing on your head
my left-over soup, in the next second!

June 29, 2018 at 12:48pm
June 29, 2018 at 12:48pm
#937069
Prompt: Last night at my writing group a poem was shared discussing snitches get stitches. The phrase is a threat indicating that those who snitch (tell on or inform on others) Will be physically assaulted (require stitches to close the cuts or wounds they are going to get for being informers). What are your feelings about this topic? Is silence really the right thing to do or is putting yourself out there in harm's way the only way for this change?

====

I would say that depends on the time, place, and situation. Now, reporting suspicions of terrorist activities is a good thing when based on a true concern and not on feelings of revenge or animosity. The police business also uses informants to some success. I am not, however, in favor of informants making deals to avoid prosecution. Yet the police have to do what they have to do to solve cases.

Although keeping silent in face of injustice is tempting, going along to get along feels not the right thing to do, at least not always. What do you do if your family, your neighbors, or the peace of the general public is threatened with harm? This is something everyone should decide for themselves according to what went wrong.

Then, sometimes, it takes one individual to make a change, personal ethics or concerns aside. Snitching could have been useful during the Nazi atrocities, for example, or it may work if you are sure that your neighbor is abusing his/her child. On the other hand, if my best friend has dropped and broken her mother’s antique dish by accident and is keeping quiet about it, it is not my business to tell her mother what happened. In a reverse situation, it is also not my business to tell everyone someone else's accomplishments if that accomplished person does not like being the center of attention.
June 28, 2018 at 6:16pm
June 28, 2018 at 6:16pm
#937041
Prompt: Writing your life story. What are some things you would give highlights and details about?

----

That is a very good question for those who would want to write their life stories. I have no interest in doing that. First, it is too much work and I don’t have the time. Second, no one would believe me. Don’t ask!

On the other hand, I can talk about a few ideas on writing one’s life story. First of all, it should have a central theme and a reason why you are writing your life story and what would be the secondary themes in it.

Beginning with childhood, the things to address are, what were the family dynamics, your parents, the place you were born and grew up, your spiritual upbringing or the lack of it, wealth or the lack of it, and who were the earliest people who stood up and still stand out for you. This is important because families and earliest experiences make or break the children. In relation to this, what you think you are like (your self-image) and how the person you shaped up to be was influenced by the earliest experiences should also be addressed.

The beginnings are the most important; then come your early adult years, the roads you followed as to relating to others, male-female relationships, education, work, and forks on your road and which turn you took, as well as your life goals in the beginning and if they changed along the way.

Another area is your life’s work. If you formed a family later or did something or other to influence the world or your community, these need to be shown. Your regrets and the things you are proud of are also worth mentioning.

Throughout the writing, other things can be revealed even if they are generally well-known, such as the changing of gender roles, political and social changes and upheavals. This is because the outside always impresses the inside.

Then, for the ending, the way you are looking at your future, how your life goals improved or changed for the worse, and what you expect as support from your family and your environment.

It is a very difficult job to be fair and truthful about one’s own life. So, to anyone who is thinking of tackling it, good luck! You’ll need it.

Mixed flowers in a basket


Prompt: Have you ever been on stage or performed for an audience?


----

Yes, a few times in school. I was in a drama club at one time. I was first a porter in a Shakespeare play (all girl’s school). Then I graduated to Madame Butterfly, and a few other fancy stuff.

Funny thing is, I was never shy on stage. I am more modest in real life. Go figure!

Mixed flowers in a basket


Prompt: Donald Hall, a former poet laureate of the USA, who passed away on June 23, 2018, once said, “Literature starts by being personal, but the deeper we go inside the more we become everybody.”
What are your thoughts on the quote?


----

The most clichéd advice for writers is write what you know. I take it as to not-referring to actual events, places, or actions, but to our thoughts and feelings about them. Let’s face it; literature in general, even the most realistic, is make-believe. In that make-believe work, however, are great truths of humanity that rise to distinction. That is why literature tells the humanity’s truth more than the facts themselves, as literature is probably based on the desire to reveal the author’s essential, secret self, to be known by others. Unfortunately, so many writers believe that advice, write what you know, to be the subject of their work and that what they write should be their factual experience, and consequently, so do their readers.

So many times, some members here thought what I write in my poems or stories to be the facts of my life, especially when I used the first person. Inside their reviews were some really hilarious comments.

Fact is, most writers try to write their ways into many characters whose lives they know nothing, or next to nothing, about, but while doing that, they discover the universal truths; thus, the deeper they can go into their own selves, the more they become everybody.

June 25, 2018 at 5:09pm
June 25, 2018 at 5:09pm
#936905
Prompt: In an interview, Charles Krauthammer said, about his paralysis, “I made a promise to myself on day one [after my injury]. I was not going to allow it to alter my life. You get two choices. You can be hopeless and despairing, or you can live your life. And to me, there was basically no option.”
What are some of those difficult things you do not let to change your life? If you do not want to write about yourself, write about someone you know or even a story character.



=========


I think, Charles Krauthammer was a very brave man, and he owed his success to his decision to not let such a serious disability affect his output.

I honestly don’t think I have his courage.

On the other hand, I have worked despite some illnesses and other mishaps, but it has never been my style to complain of pain or discomfort. I never knew what challenges were awaiting me, and I had a lot of challenges, too, but I decided not to be frightened of them but to make the best of everything.

Other life challenges that may affect any one of us could be bad parents, divorce, violent people in one’s life, old age, and failures in things we have our hearts set on. It could even be the country one was born in with an extremely repressing regime, or it could be leaving family behind, living in foreign lands and having to make friends with foreigners.

For most of us, it could be small things gone wrong or even bigger undesirable things changing our lives. In fact, we never know from one minute to the next what is on the horizon.

I believe some kind of faith is needed to overcome any adversity. If it isn’t a religion or some such belief, one must, at least, believe in oneself, thinking, “I shall overcome this. I shall be successful and happy, despite this mishap, tragedy, or whatever.”

No one taught me this. In fact, the parent who raised me was a pessimist to the nth degree. I found out on my own that life is never easy, but good or bad, everything is part of the journey human beings have to take. We might as well make the best of it.

Moreover, as easy as this sounds, it isn’t. One thing to take into consideration, after believing in oneself, is the understanding that we have nothing to lose and it isn’t the end. Also, the more we overcome challenges, the stronger we become.
June 23, 2018 at 1:06pm
June 23, 2018 at 1:06pm
#936806
Prompt: Creation Saturday strikes again--
use these words in your writing task: orange, toothbrush, grains, sunrise, apple, poison, and groan


Bad Temper

Arrgh! Soup’s gone too thick
with barley grains
Then, spotting orange and apple peels
spilled on kitchen tiles
I need to shriek
who’ll pluck them up, now!
Instead, I rush for the broom.

Later, a gray hair on my toothbrush,
my annoyance is filled to capacity,
I gag and groan as if it were poison
but suddenly, I grin, recalling
our first sunrise, after which
you stuck with me
despite my bad temper.


June 22, 2018 at 12:29am
June 22, 2018 at 12:29am
#936733
Prompt: Write a complete story about a cat in 55 words.

----

Electra, the tabby, hated the couple who picked her off her mother’s tits and adopted her.

When Electra didn’t heed commands, the wife said, “Electra’s deaf!” and she gave Electra to Janice.

Janice was surprised when the vet said Electra heard perfectly.

With Janice, Electra was obedient and lovable.

She had only resented the couple.



-----
Exactly 55 words according to MS Word.
June 21, 2018 at 10:10pm
June 21, 2018 at 10:10pm
#936727
Prompt: Write a Blog entry about a Hope Chest.

--------

My grandmother had started a hope chest for me as soon as I was born. That thing (a trunk actually) gained many sets of different things, but mostly linens all finely embroidered. In time, they all got stains for just being in that hope chest, which nobody could get out. Plus, most of their cloth being linen and cotton, they needed constant stain removal and ironing.

Although I still appreciate the love and effort, when I had my own place, I gave the whole thing to my cousin and bought plastics and easily washable stuff. I don't think my cousin used them all that much, either. I think hope chests and such similar things belonged to a different era when women were meant to stay at home and slave over their laundry and fancy housekeeping.

Mixed flowers in a basket


Prompt: "I explore the world by looking to the past." Toma Clark Haines Write your views about this quote

--------.

The past, I am not too goo-goo-eyed about. If the past were that perfect, we wouldn’t have had wars, fights, hostilities. and conflicts. And since we are still at odds with one another, we haven’t learned a thing. That is not exploration by looking to the past, is it? Therefore, why revel in nostalgia?


On the other hand, maybe nostalgia motivates the rehearsal of past experiences that can remind us of our authenticity. On a personal note, reaching back helps us rediscover the people who became part of who we have become and what our world today is. Maybe a few people have discovered a world through their rose-colored lenses through their families and hometowns; yet, when this nostalgia is applied to the world, I can’t help but be pessimistic.

Mixed flowers in a basket


Prompt: Some people, we love to talk with; yet with others, we lose attention or focus or, worse yet, we are annoyed. What do you think makes a conversation poignant and successful?

--------

To have a good conversation with anyone, first people have to have something in common or, if a person doesn’t know the others well, he or she has to find a common subject or just say what his or her thoughts are on the present subject.

I think being one’s genuine self always is the best policy. I don’t think compliments, if not genuine, are necessary, although most people who think they are experts on the subject advise to give the other person a compliment and tie it to a question. Although I don't like insincere compliments, starting unnecessary arguments isn't a proper way of acting, either. I believe being real but not rude is better.

Making conversation can be difficult for most people, especially if they are on the shy side, but practice makes perfect and good timing is essential. If someone is arguing on the phone, trying to have a conversation with him can be useless, for example.

Another point is listening well and understanding what the other person is trying to say. If one doesn’t understand the other person’s meaning, asking questions or paraphrasing what he’s saying could help the focus of both people. Eye contact and positive body language also help a good conversation going.



June 18, 2018 at 9:25pm
June 18, 2018 at 9:25pm
#936552
Prompt: “If you are in love with somebody, that love is a gift to you.” Sri-Sri
What are your thoughts on the subject, and is that love still a gift when your beloved mistreats you?


======


It is a gift only because it shows you are capable of loving. Some people exist who do not understand what love is or cannot love another person.

Although there are many different ways of looking at love, the quote says, “if you are in love with somebody…” To me, this means a specific person, which rules out agapé and its offshoots.

I think the meaning may be more like eros, which unlike agapé, eros seeks someone like the seeker.

If the love is like that of eros, a question could be why is it that anyone seeking someone like himself or herself can still feel love when mistreated? This makes me think, one has to love oneself first before seeking for the kind of love the quote is referring to.

Then, I don’t think that love is a gift when the person you love mistreats you. It may only mean that the Creator or the Universe is showing the lover what is wrong with him or her for he or she loves that one specific abusive person.

If you still love the person who mistreats you, you are not being gifted and you are not a saint either. You are a glutton for punishment.

June 17, 2018 at 6:55pm
June 17, 2018 at 6:55pm
#936490
Prompt: "I think we are already in a lot of trouble, actually!"

------

"I think we are already in a lot of trouble, actually!" she said, looking over her shoulder at him fixedly.

“Perfectly ridiculous!” he said putting emphasis on the last syllable. “I don’t understand any of it. All this mixup.”

“Of course not,” she said, “I don’t understand it either, but I thought you did.”

How could she! He took a long breath, realizing he was more irked than she thought him to be, but if she were on to him, she’d try to calm him down with her attentions, fussing over him, smoothing his hair, or loosening his tie…exactly what he didn’t want her to do.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked anxiously, watching his face.

“No, dear,” he said forcing himself. “Just tired, that’s all!”

“Wait! I’ll get you a cup of chamomile tea.”

He rested his head against the back of the La-Z-Boy as she left the room. As soon as she was out, he sprung to his feet and put his head against the door to be able to hear her talking on the phone.

“He’s here,” she was saying. “I have him.”

What a wild trip! he thought as she continued. “I’ll put it in his tea. We'll be rid of him. No, no one would know. It’ll be all right. ”

He reached inside his jacket, to the back of it where his belt held the Glock, and stepped behind the door, cocking it.




June 15, 2018 at 2:08pm
June 15, 2018 at 2:08pm
#936376
Prompt: Write a four-line poem about a mysterious island. (Do this two times: once where each line rhymes and then again with no rhyming at all.) Let your creativity flow.

--------


Girded by mermaids and a cutthroat shark,
my isle of mistakes flounders in the dark;
mysterious trees on its hill, wind-shaken, bark
like dogs, bitter and scared by lightning’s spark.

Since I have swerved away, out of your way,
after our parting, such an enigmatic heart
this island prods on the latitude of worn-out hopes...
Still, may you find the route to come back to me!

June 14, 2018 at 4:47pm
June 14, 2018 at 4:47pm
#936311
Prompt: "Start each day like it was your Birthday." Kate Spade How would you live each day if every day was your Birthday?

=============

I am not too crazy about my birthday, and every day can’t be a birthday, because we are only born once in one day of the year. If every day was my birthday, I would hate my life.

This is different for children since they get to invite their friends over and have a party and they get presents, and especially if a present is something they wanted, it makes them happy. Since I am old and do not want too many material possessions and I value my quiet time when I can read or write, birthdays with parties can become tiring and boring.

Having said that, I am glad I was born and I am grateful to those people who remember my birthday. Their remembering is like saying they are glad I am around.

I like other people’s birthdays much better than mine and saying “Happy Birthday” to someone is an acknowledgment of someone’s existence. It’s always nice to recognize someone and make them feel loved


Mixed flowers in a basket



Prompt: "In order to lead a fascinating life, one brimming with art, music, intrigue and romance, you must surround yourself with precisely these things." Kate Spade What is your take on this? I'm in a Kate Spade mood, so I will be using quotes from her.

====

Okay, I would partly agree if someone else had said that. In Kate Spade’s case, it seems that didn’t work so well for her, unfortunately.

I would partly agree because not all romances are perfect and I stay away from intrigue. Art and Music, however, I'd go for those, 100%.

For life to be fascinating, one needs curiosity and a sense of adventure, then, most importantly, making the best of every situation, even one's own birthday party.


June 12, 2018 at 6:09pm
June 12, 2018 at 6:09pm
#936218
Prompt: What would your personal fantasy world be like? Can you describe it in detail? Would it be like the earth and its inhabitants or something totally different?

-----------

My personal fantasy world is where there are no wars, and no living being has to eat another living being to survive. Success is defined in terms of kindness and generosity. Money and power are only needed for survival, but having too much of them is something to be ashamed of.

As to the elements, the weather is always mild, and there are more colors everywhere. People can fly like the birds and can dive into the ocean like the fish. Here, all living things are sacred, and all living things take care of one another, even if they are of a different species. Hurting a member of any species has the highest punishment. Thus, no species can become extinct, ever.

My world also consists of numerous planets, and some of them are empty. This has to do with the idea of procreation. Having children is fine as children are cute and much loved by everyone, but since there’s no death and no threat to the family line, people usually opt not to have kids. Then, since our bodies will be working differently, having or not having them is a very easy option, which will be totally left to the couples; however, if this world gets too crowded, the other empty planets are easy to get to and inhabit.

Our present world will be thought of as the fantasy world and the arts and literature will be there to show it as a pastime or for thrills. Anyone who wants to study any one kind of the arts will be encouraged. In fact, discouraging people from studying anything they want will be considered a huge crime.

tiny heart


Prompt: Do you think travel is stressful, and what would you do if you found yourself alone in a foreign country where you don’t know the language and you don’t even know if there’s an embassy of your country?

=======

Yes, travel is stressful although it depends on the conditions and where you are going. As to finding myself alone in a foreign country, it has happened to me and it was no fun. But then, please don’t shortchange the humankind; many people were very helpful and I made friends with a lot of them.

The good thing about the English language, in most countries, there is always someone who, at least, half understands what you are saying. Still, it is a good idea to carry a phrase book of the language of that country. Even if you can't pronounce the words, you can point to the sentence in the book to the people.

There’s something to be said about traveling solo because the pleasure is doubled for being on one’s own schedule, at least for me. Still, if you are a people person, you may feel lonely if you can’t talk the local language, and it sometimes hurts to know that the friendships you made will be temporary. Also, when you’re alone, dangers may intensify, but the rewards are usually much greater. For, when you return, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment since you took on yourself a challenge many people would find daunting.
June 9, 2018 at 1:06pm
June 9, 2018 at 1:06pm
#936043
Prompt: Let's have fun on this creative Saturday with these words:
rate triangle death selection well appear captain mail-carrier mechanical


Choosing Story Characters


so far, I did not make the selection well
at this rate, my triangle means death
a captain, a mail-carrier, and a plastic figurine

and you say you love everything I write
but this story needs more than a captain,
a mail-carrier, and a plastic figurine
but someone handsome, like you, to appear
with the know-how of mechanical intricacies
to fix the crackle and buzz of my wild words
to sing a song of tragedy, to twist and turn
the wild cacophony of the plot

a captain, a mail-carrier, and a plastic figurine
at this rate, my triangle means death
so far, I did not make the selection well

June 8, 2018 at 4:37pm
June 8, 2018 at 4:37pm
#936016
Prompt: What period of history is most interesting to you?

-------------

I always liked history for its relevance to human life, and I consider the knowledge of it as an investment in our future. Fortunate or unfortunate it may be, history does repeat itself however with variances. So, when we dream of future, we can also warn ourselves, as the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed.

Surely, “forewarned” has to do mostly with the silly-stupid wars mankind gets into, but more than the wars and events around them, I am most interested in the cultural background and how people lived and thought, at any era.

For this reason, all periods of history are interesting to me, and for a while there, I was into the Romans, Europe’s middle ages and culture, and the Renaissance, but my reading, for quite a few years now, has been about the Second World War and its repercussions as far as human behavior and feelings are concerned. This may also have something to do with the time of my birth, which was after the middle of the WWII.

Maybe I was alive during the war but not much aware of it, as I had quite an overprotective family environment. The events during my older times, say the Korean War, has begun to gain importance only recently, and only recently, I have begun to read books and stories about it.

Then, reading about things that came after when I was an adult and the wars and the situations of the people involved in them do not seem too interesting to me. I think this is because I knew them well enough. For example, I had watched Watergate proceedings without missing a day.

On the other hand, the Vietnam war still hurts me deeply. I can’t bring myself to read the fiction or memoirs of it. Neither can I read anything fictional about what has happened or is happening in Iraq or Afghanistan. Such books depress me immensely. Maybe in a few years, if I am around, I’ll be able to read them.

For some weird reason, US Civil War fiction is not for me either. I feel upset that this war ever happened, although I have read some fiction on the matter such as Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind.

Yet, the Revolutionary War, I have no problem with. I even enjoyed the Outlander series, which some of it took place during the Revolutionary War.

June 7, 2018 at 4:01pm
June 7, 2018 at 4:01pm
#935959
Prompt: What books are on your summer reading list?

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I don’t have a summer reading list. I don’t know why summer is set aside for reading, in the first place; however, I read a lot, so I’m going to mention my current reading projects here.

In WdC, I am reading and reviewing with other WdC members in "CLOSED!The Monthly Reading Challenge and also through GoodReads. Each month, I pick several books, from varied genres and types. Usually, I have novels, non-fiction, personal experience, and poetry books. I am partial to the literary, historical, spy, World War II, and psychological mystery books. I try to read at least one classic, possibly by Dickens or Daphne du Maurier. I also try to read at least one contemporary author from a Non-English-speaking country.

For June, so far, I have Malagash by Joey Comeau, Chemistry by Weike Wang, the Paris Package by A.W.Hartoin, The Korean War Trivia Book by Bill O’Neill, Gray Shadows by Julia Gousseva. The rest I’ll figure out when I finish these.

For later, I’ll be reading Daphne Du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn and I also just bought Brain Rules by John Medina, which is really a textbook, but about a subject I am keen to explore. I don’t know what else will come, but at the rate that I read, there’ll be several other books for the summer.

I don’t write reviews for every book I read, but "CLOSED!The Monthly Reading Challenge expects good lengthy reviews, so I do what I can for the books I have pledged to read for that forum, each month.

It used to be writing was my first love. Now, it is reading, possibly because I can take a book or a Kindle with me wherever I go, and my writing needs a quiet place and a laptop or pen and paper. Also, writing in public gets people’s attention and I am usually asked why or what I am writing, which bothers me, but with reading, with everyone’s nose in their cellphones, no one takes notice.

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