Posted on by evamarasca

Wild: A Journey from Book to Book

Wild: Journey from Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed

During the course of reading Wild, I have quite often paused to research the Pacific Crest Trail and found it far more interesting than Cheryl’s narration.

The whole prospect of Cheryl’s journey is actually more interesting that her journey itself in this case. The drama behind the reason for the journey is not dramatic enough…well, it is but the way it is laid out it makes it bland, unremarkable and unmemorable. The story is told in a matter-of-fact way that is making this epic journey sounds like a walk in a park on Sunday afternoon with flowers blooming and birds chirping. It is a shame.  She has achieved something incredible but this unfortunately is not coming out from the pages.

I do love the father speech though…

”The father’s job is to teach his children how to be warriors, to give them confidence to get on the horse and ride into battle when it’s necessary to do so. If you don’t get that from your father, you have to teach yourself.”

”To heal the wound your father made, you’re going to have to get on that horse and ride into battle like a warrior.”

 

 

Posted on by evamarasca

Zero Tolerance to Tickling

Even easier that the S one.

DO NOT TICKLE ME!

a) it’s not funny

b) someone will end up hurt

c) it’s really not funny

d) someone will really get hurt

 

I did cause a bloody nose to a tickler in my young years (unintentionally, but what do you expect if you tickle my feet and don’t cover your face). I also caused a black eye to another tickler in my late twenties  (intentionally this time; it was his fault, he shouldn’t aligned his eye directly with my elbow while he continued with the tickling torture). I also had a near concussion when I banged my head on a radiator during another vicious attack by a tickler when I was a child. But the most serious injury received while being tickled was a broken rib. So not only was I tickled, I also couldn’t breathe without being in pain for few weeks.

SO ABSOLUTE AND TOTAL ZERO TOLERANCE TO TICKLING

 

Tickling is Tyranny and Torture and I have no tolerance to these.

Posted on by evamarasca

Zero Tolerance to Snoring

Easy one.

You snore? You’ll be pushed, kicked and punched and eventually exiled on the sofa. Strict no snoring policy enforced. No exceptions.

I will still love you. But you will sleep in the other bedroom, the one on the different floor…you’ll better have a big house.

 

S is seeping with things I don’t tolerate: slavery, social injustice, starving children, sex trafficking

Posted on by evamarasca · 1 Comment

The Shock of the Book

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer

 

I can’t be honest about this one. I had become quite distracted by the fact that there is a dead child in this book. It would not normally happen but when we picked this book, I couldn’t know that someone close to me will lose their child. It wasn’t possible for me to continue reading this book and not see the parallels with the real world and that is despite the fact the circumstances were completely different. A family lost a child. That is a profound and changing experience and I was heavily affected by it, albeit indirectly.

I finished The Shock after I got over the shock of this tragedy but I found it quite hard to get into Matthew’s head after the break. It was hard to swim in the whirlpool of thoughts and very confusing to figure out what is going on. That is not a bad thing in this case. The writing is brilliant and the scattered mind of the main character is speaking in many voices to us. We know we can’t trust the narrator but we believe him.

I think this book deserves my full attention so I will read it again.

 

Posted on by evamarasca · 1 Comment

Zero Tolerance to Runny Nose

Originally I planned this post to be against refurbished establishments that keep the same smell as the old ones but then I went for a run and ended up with a runny nose and the closest thing resembling a tissue I had on me was my sleeve.  Yes, I confess to wiping snots into my garments. I am so very mature.

I am also very much against racism.

 

Posted on by evamarasca

Zero Tolerance to Queues

I have truly tried to pick a different topic as I have already covered queues twice. I guess I really have issues with them.

I have also zero tolerance to questionable science and research. As if there wasn’t enough lies and deceiving already.

Posted on by evamarasca

Oranges are not the only Book

Oranges are not the only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

 

This is a cute little book. Truthfully, I don’t really get the hype around it. I think I’m from the wrong generation. It is interesting that some things from the past resonate with you more than others. I understand that homosexuality especially put in contrast with religion back in the 60s was a completely different matter than it is now (or is it?) but I think we are so exposed to conflicts on a much larger scale that we have become numb and I think I might be desensitised to the individual struggles of Jeanette in this story.

Posted on by evamarasca

The Book Index

The Fear Index by Robert Harris

 

Hmmm, mixed feelings on this one again. I liked the idea of artificial intelligence running a hedge fund and in the process evolving into a control freak without anyone realising what is happening – the ‘shot down plane’ and the ‘lift doors’ worked well in the book. But I thought the personal attacks on the A.I.’s creator a.k.a cannibal subplot was just weird.

I wish the story was explored in a wider environment and reduced around Dr Hoffman who I found to be very unlikable character. The potential was there but it stayed mostly untouched.  I liked the conclusion though.

Posted on by evamarasca · 4 Comments

[Z] is for Zeal

Z     Well, this was fun. I really enjoyed writing these running posts and I hope you have enjoyed reading them. Most of them were scheduled in advance and I apologise for my lack of interaction during the challenge mostly due to the fact that big chunk of my free time was dedicated to the training for the London marathon. In next couple of weeks I will try to read and enjoy as many blogs as I will be able to digest as I know how hard all the participants have been working on them.

I appreciate every visit, like, follow or a comment received during this month and I hope to see you around.

Thank you. This was a pleasure.

 

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

Posted on by evamarasca · 1 Comment

[Y] is for Yoga

Y     I admit that I could not think of anything else relevant to running starting with Y. (Except maybe a why?) But as I have very recently started attending yoga classes it kind of fits. I used to do yoga few years back and they were always a nice relaxing sessions with lots of meditation and breathing. I remember leaving the studio floating above the ground, high on oxygen. But I moved so that was the end of it. The classes I attend now are completely different. They are hard. Very technical and sometime I even forget how to breathe. But I keep going back anyway. I can’t explain it. I want to achieve that light feeling after leaving the class again. I should probably find a yoga session more suitable but I like the challenge to perfect the poses.

There are endless lists of reasons why is yoga good for runners, mostly to do with posture and strength. I agree. But I think it also benefits my mind, it is calming in a different way that running is. I like that.

 

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com