My Interests

A small selection of my interests…

Reading

This is a constantly-updated list of books I’ve completed, with a rating of how much I enjoyed them, since 28/06/09:

1. Wild Magic (Immortals) [30Jun] (Tamora Pierce)        4/5
2. Wolf Speaker (Immortals) [2July] (Tamora Pierce)       4/5
3. Emperor Mage (Immortals) [14July] (Tamora Pierce)       4/5
4. The Realms of the Gods (Immortals) [22July] (Tamora Pierce)       4/5
5. Enchanted *2 [21July+ 30Mar10] (Nora Roberts)        4/5
6. The Bell Jar [27July] (Sylvia Plath)        5/5
7. Reinvent Yourself: 7 Steps to a Fresh New You [31July] (Fiona Harrold)      3/5
8. Celestine Prophecy [2Aug] (James Redfield)    5/5
9. Student Survival Guide [12Aug] (Phil Chambers & Elaine Colliar)        4/5
10. Tranquil Thoughts: on Friendship [14Aug] (David Baird)         3/5
11. The Sight [1Sept] (David Clement-Davies) 5/5
12. Change Your Life in 7 Days [7Sept] (Paul McKenna)       3/5
13. F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way [26Sept]   (John Parkin)     5/5
14. Fell [13Sept] (David Clement-Davies)        5/5
15. Becoming the Enchanter [19Sept] (Lyn Webster Wilde)         4/5
16. On The Edge: My Story [30Aug] (Richard Hammond)       4/5
17. Dear Fatty [2Oct]  (Dawn French)       4/5
18. The World According to Clarkson [17Oct] (Jeremy Clarkson)        4/5
19. Morrigan’s Cross [27Oct] (Nora Roberts)       5/5
20. Dance of the Gods [2Nov]  (Nora Roberts)     5/5
21. Valley of Silence [9Nov]  (Nora Roberts)        5/5
22. Wisdom: Lessons from Successful Lives  [10Nov] (Psychologies Collections)       5/5
23. The Mindful Woman  [3Dec] (Sue Patton Thoele)         5/5
24. 279 Days to Overnight Success [28Dec]   (Chris Guillebeau)       4/5
25. Minimalism: 7 Steps to a Simpler Life [28Dec]   (David Damron) 4/5
26. The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness [30Dec]  (Alan Watts)         3/5

2010:

1. Four-Hour Work Week [22Jan10]   (Tim Ferriss)       4/5
2. The Consolations of Philosophy [25Jan10] (Alain de Botton)       4/5
3. The Life Guide  [8Mar10] (Psychologies Collections)       3/5
4. The Wind Is My Mother [13Mar10] (Bear Heart)     5/5
5. The Happiness Project [12Apr10] (Gretchen Rubin)     5/5
6. Eat, Pray, Love [26Mar10]  (Elizabeth Gilbert)      5/5
7. Committed [30Apr10]  (Elizabeth Gilbert)      5/5
8. Dewey [1May10]  (Vicki Myron)         5/5
9. The Sailboat Kit [5Jul10]  (Eileen Corrigan Valazza)      5/5
10. Love That Room  [6Jul10]  (Lisa Baldwin)      4/5
11. Creating Your Business Map [8Jul10]  (Nona Jordan)      4/5
12. Beginnings, Middles & Ends   [25Jul10]   (Nancy Kress)      5/5
13. Silent Power [4Aug10] (Stuart Wilde)       3/5
14. The Green Lady  [6Aug10]   (Theresa Thomlinson)      5/5
15. Child of the May [7Aug10]   (Theresa Thomlinson)      5/5
16. The Path of the She-Wolf  [7Aug10]   (Theresa Thomlinson)      5/5
17. Plot & Structure   [8Aug10]   (James Scott Bell) 5/5
18. The Importance of Being Earnest  [12Aug10]  (Oscar Wilde) 4/5
19. The Power of Deliberate Thinking: 5 Strategies for Staying at the Writing Desk  [5Sept10]    (Joan Dempsey)        3/5
20. The Magic of Physics [02Oct10]  (Richard Weiss)    5/5
21. Tickling the English  [28Oct10]  (Dara O’Briain)     5/5
22. The No Plot? No Problem Novel-writing Kit  [01Nov10]   (Chris Baty)    4/5
23. Butterfly  [08Nov10]    (Nicola Lindsay)       5/5
24. Brida  [20Nov10]   (Paulo Coelho)    4/5
25. Blue Jean Buddha  [18Dec10]   (Sumi Loundon)    5/5
26. Zen in the Art of Archery  [26Dec10]  (Eugen Herrigel)   5/5

2011:

1. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari   [5Feb11]  (Robin Sharma)   5/5
2. Of Spirits and Madness  [6March11]   (Paul D. Linde)     5/5
3. The Saddest Girl in the World  [9March11]     (Cathy Glass)    5/5
4. The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny   [11March11]   (Philip Gonzalez)     5/5
5. Living, Or Just Surviving   [4April11]   (Ashley Ambirge)    5/5
6. Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America   [12June11]   (Elizabeth Wurtzel)    5/5
7. Buddhism: Plain and Simple   [12June11]   (Steve Hagen)    4/5
8. Bushido: the Way of the Samurai  [18June11]   (Tsunetomo Yamamoto)     4/5
9. Promise of the Wolves  [17July11]   (Dorothy Hearst)    5/5
10. Queen of Shadows  [8Aug11]    (Dianne Sylvan)      5/5
11. The World According to Clarkson: And Another Thing (Vol2)   [23Sep11]    (Jeremy Clarkson)      4/5
12. The Picture of Dorian Gray  [30Dec11]  (Oscar Wilde)      4/5

2012:

1. The Happy Prince and Other Tales  [4Jan12]   (Oscar Wilde)    3/5
2. Holding On and Hanging In    [5Jan12]   (Lorna Miles)     5/5
3. Shadowflame    [15Jan12]   (Dianne Sylvan)     5/5
4. Game of Thrones  [22Jan12]   (George R.R. Martin)    5/5
5. Dusk   [28Jan12]   (Kenneth Oppel)   5/5
6. Walk Like a God   [11Feb12]   (Drew Jacob)   5/5
7. Astonishing the Gods    [26Feb12]   (Ben Okri)   3/5
8. Fairytale   [28Feb12]   (Monica Kulling)  4/5
9. Wights and Ancestors  [26March12]    (Jenny Blain)   4/5
10. Why Now Is The Time To Crush It!  [16April12]   (Gary Vaynerchuk)  5/5
11. Shadow’s Fall  [20April12]  (Dianne Sylvan)   5/5
12. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening  [27May12]    (L. J. Smith)    4/5
13. The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle  [29May12]   (L. J. Smith)    4/5
14. .
15. ..
16. …

I generally keep 5-10 books on the go at once, which you can see underneath; usually . I often have a couple of non-fiction books to complement my fictional education, on my bedside table.

Currently working through:

Spirits of the Sacred Grove   [Emma Restall Orr]

Mind and Matter   [Erwin Schrodinger]

Nonviolent Communication [Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D]

Women Who Run with the Wolves  [Clarissa Pinkola Estes]

You Don’t Need A Job, You Need Guts [Ashley Ambirge]

A Clash of Kings [George R. R. Martin]

Working with Young People [Roger Harrison & Christine Wise]

And also part-way through:

How To Practise [His Holiness The Dalai Lama]

The Celestine Vision [James Redfield]

The Little Book of Productivity [Scott J Young]

Write a Novel And Get It Published: Teach Yourself [Nigel Watts]

The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking [Stephen Law]

Inside-Out Simplicity [Joshua Becker]

On Hold Due To Availability:

Committed to the Sane Asylum [Schellenberg & Barnes]

Oscar’s Books: A Journey Through the Library of Oscar Wilde [Thomas Wright]

Photography

I also take photographs and wanted to share a little of my work with you:

Painting

I draw, paint and cross-stitch. Here’s a selection of my watercolours: