Tag: Books

daily prompt

Stars and Wars Do Not Match

nhpureandsimple

Emperor Palpatine has announced open elections for a new Emperor — and he’s nominated Darth Vader. You get to nominate one challenger.

Well… I have no idea about Star Wars, and I’ve never thought about reading any of its books either.

So I am at sea, don’t know any Star Wars heroes to nominate as challengers.

What I know is that stars and wars do not match.

Those luminous shapes up there in the sky look too peaceful to even know the meaning of the word war.

The sun, however, can do well with wars since it’s boiling nonstop like hell, and its atomic explosions never rest. 

So Sun Wars makes a bit of sense for movies and books.

Is there already any movies or books about Sun Wars?

Hopefully not.

If they can play with the stars,

no one would ever play with the sun.

With no-idea-about- star-wars- thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Simple Advice: Just Listen

nhpureandsimple

What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?

Whether you’re 10, 20, or 23 plus — Please Read.

Reading is better than television,

better than cinema,

better than social media,

better than nonsense talk,

and yes, even better than football. 

By the end of the day, they all consume their energy, 

eat your brain, 

and dull your senses.

Books can restore it all.

And reading doesn’t ask for money, subscriptions, or travel visa.

It only asks for a little of your time everyday, and in return it offers great rewards.

The best two rewards are: 

a healthy brain

and a loyal companion.

So… please read.

With book-reading thoughts,

Nahla 

Just writing

Hello, June

nhpureandsimple

Your big brother May was kind all the way to the end.

Yes, thank God, May was fun, interesting, and productive.

I posted quite often, as ideas flowed easily and unexpectedly.

But… I read less in May.

Guess why.

Because I picked the wrong book at the wrong time.

It was one of the old classics; a collection of Kipling’s short stories.

The name rang a bell from somewhere back in my English degree days, but I’m pretty sure I hadn’t read anything by this author before.

So I welcomed the book heartily; looking forward to enjoying some beautiful, rich prose.

But it turned out to be like a machine manual catalogue with too many symbols and clues that gave me a headache. 

My brain couldn’t digest this piece of literary work, save for one story.

I exhaled a long, deep breath when I decided not only to stop reading it, but also to never pick up another book by Kipling.

But then, as I was checking my want-to- read list, I remembered that I have a second blog.

Quotes and Reviews…. nh825.wordpress.com

I felt sorry for it.

It has been mute for so long that it doesn’t know me anymore.

I gave it a little nudge post to wake it up.

It did wake up though still yawning with, heavy lids and slow motion.

Hopefully, in June I can feed it with more quotes and book reviews.

With June’s new blogging thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

The River and Its Source

nhpureandsimple

I didn’t think I was going to write anything today until I randomly opened one of my old notebooks. Actually.. I was searching for a blank page to write down something before it slipped from my memory.

And then the miracle happened.

My eyes caught a quote from a book, and my brain insisted on giving it some workout.

By the way, do you also have this habit of saving the quote but neither the author’s name nor the book it came from?

Just curious to know whether I’m the only person who does this. 

Anyway, this is the quote: “To know a river, you have to know its source.”

So, according to my humble interpretation: to befriend a river, to communicate with it, and certainly to understand it, you have to know its source; how it flows, what kind of life it carries, and when it floods or dries.

Simply put, you have to know where it began, how it lived, and what shaped it.

Don’t you agree that some people are just like rivers.

You can’t truly know them until you know their sources; their history, their nature, their way of life, and certainly the reasons behind their tides.

With people-like-rivers, thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Finally… FICTION

nhpureandsimple

Yes, finally I’m back to fiction.

Phew… it took almost five months to pick a fictional book again.

I really enjoyed reading non- fiction over the last few months.

It wasn’t until yesterday that my brain started begging for a break, a pause from working on those complicated terms and scientific writings.

When I didn’t show any sign of objection, my brain seized the opportunity and explained that he was in dire need of breathing some literary prose, some metaphors, similes and idioms. 

I took a few sips of water, and he sighed deeply before continuing his complaint about how bored sick he felt reading those black- and-white paragraphs. He longed for… imagination with its colours, rhythms, and intrigues.

Request approved, I said.

And finally, I whispered to myself, feeling over the moon.

It was last night when I picked up an old fictional book.

Oh, the poor book has been waiting patiently for that exact moment.

“Welcome back,”he said.

I smiled and started reading.

With back- to -fiction thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt, Just writing

Other Than My Family

nhpureandsimple

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

But of course, my small family has the greatest share in any positive impact on my life.

But for this post, I’d like to talk about someone or something else.

These are books.

Yes — books have changed the way I think, the way I talk, and certainly the way I write.

Books have pulled me away from movies and TV programs altogether. I rarely use our TV, and when I do it’s mainly to watch things with my family. 

People look surprised when I say, “no, I haven’t watched this or that.” And when their brows rise all the way to their hairlines. I simply ask,“have I missed much?”

Of course I haven’t, I whispered to myself.

But, honestly, to draw a clear picture, social media is part and parcel of my daily routine. But, thank God, I’m active on only two platforms.

So back to books, even the books I didn’t like, or the ones that bored me, they encouraged me to form my own views, to use my brain, and my brain warn me not to swallow everything. 

And books are just other people in your life; the ones you come to know through their words, their imagination, and their experiences.

Don’t people say that books are the quietest and most constant of friends?

Indeed, they are.

And that’s why they continue to have a positive impact on my life.

With book-and-friends thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Reading Psychology

nhpureandsimple

Well… I’m pretty sure one of my recent posts was about the change in my reading genre. 

Reading and Mood Change

So far, I am following the plan just fine—reading nonfiction. 

Recently, I’ve started reading some psychology.

My first encounter with this subject was in my final year of high school, many years ago.

Honestly I remember nothing of those lessons except the teacher herself— even her name has slipped away. I remember her loud voice and sharp gaze, but I can’t get any closer to her name. 

But I do remember the name of my teacher from my first year of primary school.

Strange, isn’t it.

I loved my first primary teacher and I wept buckets when she left and moved away with her husband. 

Anyway, my psychology teacher crossed my mind as I stole a little time for reading. Time is tight these days, with Eid celebrations almost knocking on the door.

So… according to psychology, our memory machine is not only selective, but also clever and cruel. It doesn’t come with a button we can press to “save all” or “delete all.”

No.

It works professionally, by using its own unique selective strategy. 

It mainly saves the things you like the most, hate the most, or the things that hold your full concentration and consciousness.

Memory is not like history, which keeps a record of everything, though sometimes with some alterations and even some big lies.

Memory is a trustworthy keeper. It writes the minutes of the things that truly matter in your life, even those small details, those passing emotions, or those quiet, special moments.

And sometimes, out of the blue, it brings back one of those memories from many years ago.

Something that can make you smile, cry, or simply wonder as time pulls you back in a split second.

You find yourself back in that classroom, learning psychology, having no idea that years later you would be reading a psychology book explaining why you can’t remember your teacher’s name.

Simply because you neither loved or hated her, your memory saved only what had caught your attention back then — the special tone of her voice and her sharp gaze

And… thanks to psychology, I found the little distraction that inspired me to write this post.

With these reading–psychology thoughts,

Nahla 

Just writing

Reading and Mood Change

nhpureandsimple

Surprisingly, my reading in February was better than expected.

Perhaps it’s because my reading interests and mood have changed.

This change began not as a challenge, but as a wish to read something different.

I love fiction, with its imagery, prose, and intriguing narratives.

Is there anyone who doesn’t like stories? 

Maybe.

By the way, fiction is still my favourite.

But… sometimes a title of a certain book crosses your path and intrigues you enough to have a look.

This unexpected friend introduces you to another field, another scope of knowledge. 

You start listening while reading. 

You start wandering into a new world.

You start feeling how little you have known, 

and how many interesting topics there are to learn about and from.

They say changing habits and routines is good for your brain.

What do you think?

I agree.

This wasn’t the main reason why I decided to read nonfiction, though.

But I’m glad I did, because I’m both enjoying and learning from this temporary change.

Let’s wait and see which path my reading will follow in March.

That’s all for today,

With reading thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Too many books

nhpureandsimple

At the beginning of this year, 2026, I suggested to myself without enforcement, argument, or stubbornness that I would read more nonfiction books.

So far, I’ve been doing well following my own suggestion.

I’ve a long list across various topics. 

It’s good for the brain to switch activities and also books, isn’t it? 

But I haven’t abandoned fiction completely. I read a few pages every day from a story in a different genre: Japanese fiction.

By the way, nonfiction isn’t that boring if you’re interested in the topic.

It may need more time and concentration.

But the good news is that you’re not obliged to read it from cover to cover.

Sometimes a nonfiction book is a collection of different essays, topics, or even categories.

You read the ones most related to your interest, and skip the others.

Well… that’s my strategy.

I reckon nonfiction authors expect this from readers. 

Some of them even mention in their introduction that you, as a reader, may skip the parts you’re not interested in.

So far reading nonfiction sounds good.

But just a tiny problem to consider:

there’s no room for imagination in nonfiction.

And that’s why I always keep a fiction book at hand.

Nonfiction can teach us science, literature, philosophy, history … 

but fiction can teach us all of that in one imaginative story. 

It’s in nonfictions that we learn about history, and in fiction that we see it.

By the way, do you think villains read history?

Perhaps they don’t, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many of them.

With reading thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing, Philosophical musings

Faith and Friendship and December 

nhpureandsimple

“Anyone who requites faith and friendship as I did, will have to pay for it.”

The Professor’s House by Willa Cather. 

I’ve already shared my review of this novel, and this quote has inspired me to write this post.

The reason behind this quote was the loss of a friend —not through death, but through disagreement and disappointment. One was an idealist, the other an opportunist. Though they made good company together, at the first conflict, their paths parted. It was the idealist who said these words, lamenting the loss of true friendship to uncompromising ideals.

Faith and friendship are such precious gifts— too precious to be returned, too fragile to be repaired.

One is blessed to have them strong, and to keep them safe and nourished. 

How strong? How safe, how nourished? 

The balance depends on how much you are committed.

Along this journey,

perfection and idealism are neither required nor recommended.

Materialism, modernism, and other -isms have no place here.

These precious gifts need a simple home with strong pillars.

Understanding and sincerity can be the main pillars. 

But, if the pillars break, the building will collapse.

Then, regret follows,

and what a heavy, merciless creditor regret can be!

In brief, this is my interpretation of the quote, which I see as the bulb of the book. And perhaps you might think of it as… just a pat on the shoulder on the first of December. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla