Have you ever promised someone something?
Of course I have, we all do.
Have you been true to your promise?
Hmm … sometimes, most of the times.
Have you ever broken any?
Well… I can’t remember
Can you trust someone who breaks their promise, who couldn’t stand by their word?
Never … but unless it was inevitable.
Would your answers be any similar?
You might forgive once, but when things happen twice or more, nothing can heal the wound of mistrust. It’s better not to give a promise at all than to give one with any possibility of being unable to keep it. It’s not only unethical to break a promise, but also heartbreaking, disappointing, and deceiving.
However, what if the promise itself is impossible, dangerous, or unethical? Would you blindly, stubbornly fulfill it? Or would you listen to your heart and reason, and break it?
That’s what the new book I am currently reading is all about. A girl, in her early twenties, gives her bedridden mother a promise to move and live with her aunt after her death. From the very beginning, starting with the cold letter she receives from her aunt, to the long, miserable journey she makes, to people’s fear and shock about her destination, to the first sight of her aunt and her husband, everything seems to be shouting at her to break her promise and forget about it. If her mother were able to rise from her grave, she would do, so just to tell her daughter to forget about that mistaken promise and flee from her Aunt’s house. But, the girl, full of curiosity and stubbornness, stuck to the promise all the same.
I’ll let you know more when I finish it.
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
P.S. The promise is not the title of the book
Tag: Books
Obsession
I wonder if obseission is a psychological, complex problem? In fact, I believe it is.
It is like idolization, you fall for something or someone and make them like air and water in your life. Both are desturctive, but I think obsession is even worse. This is because idolization, sometimes, is out of true love which can be blind or selfish. But, obsession is mainly about possession, fear, and greed.
In both cases, either in idolization or obsession, you can’t see the truth, you can’t listen to reason.
Perhaps, that’s why this quote makes a very good sense: “Truth was something intangible, unseen, which sometimes we stumbled upon and did not recognize, but was found, and held, and understood only by old people near their death, or sometimes by the very pure, the very young.”
Do you agree that only the old, the very young, and the pure can sometimes see the truth? Do you think that might because they are no longer obsessed or have not yet become obessessed?
My Cousin Rachel by Dephne Du Maurier can tell you more about obessission. Here’s a link for my review.
/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/20/my-cousin-rachel/
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
A reader’s conflict
Last week after finishing an interesting book, I decided I wouldn’t write a review about it. But since then, I kept thinking I had to write down my thoughts about it, otherwise my mind wouldn’t rest, wouldn’t stop replaying it in my head.
Can you guess why I had this conflict?
Actualy, this conflict was what inspired me to write my “Villians” post, a few days ago. In that post, I was reflecting on my own conflict on how to feel about the book. I enjoyed it, but mainly because it was full of suspense and adventure, but I couldn’t sympathise with the characters. Perhaps that’s what the author wanted from the reader, to not sympathise with the characters.That’s what exactly I meant when I wondered whether you, as a reader, would enjoy the adventure for its own sake, or the story that touches your heart with a moral message.
If you want to know a bit more about the book, have a look at my review. Here’s the link:
/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/17/the-frenchmans-creek/
With hope and peace,
Nahla
My one-of-a- kind reading strategy
While reading, I sometimes come across mentions of authors. Immediately, before I forgot, I check their brief biography and pick one of their books in my want-to-read list. Occasionally, though rarely, the book is a suggestion or a recommendation.
Honestly, I am not always loyal be to my want -to- read list. But the good thing is that once I make my mind to read a book, I will read it all. It’s something like challenging myself, or out of curiosity to discover what this book has for me.
How long does it take to finish a book? That depends on how I like the book. If it is boring, and I feel like I won’t enjoy it, I read it when I am bored or when I don’t bother interruptions. For example, at a café or when I am waiting for my daughter to finish her clubs.That’s why some books take much longer than others for me to finish.
On the other hand, I will read the books I like when it’s all quiet, espcially at home. I will finish them before I could even know it. With this strategy, I might have two books to read at the same time, one like a player on the bench waiting to be in action, and another scoring a goal after goal on the pitch.
Sometimes I wonder, you might too, why I just don’t return the book I don’t like, or keep it unread on the shelf? Honestly, I just feel there’s always something hidden there to learn. The only exception, when my mind won’t work this way, is when I’ve watched its adaptation which, for me, means all the fun of reading is blown into thin air.
I am sure you haven’t heard of this strategy before, or have you?
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Cinderella’ Dream
Definitely, Cinderella didn’t dream of marrying the king or the prince. Perhaps, it was because she didn’t descend from the royal family. But, maybe, it was also because she wasn’t after money or fame. According to the story, all Cinderella wanted was a decent life full of kindness and love. But then, the package came with a handsome prince. Would any sensible girl refuse it? Of course, not.
On the other side, have you ever wondered that the prince had also his own dreams, his own wishs? He wasn’t after the pretty princess who lost a pair of her sparkly shoes as she ran away when the clock struck midnight. According to the story, he was also seeking kindness and love.
Isn’t this quote so true: “What you need you attract like a lover.” Better still, God knows our hearts, what’s lying and hidden deeply there. He listens and makes plans in His perfect timing. That’s part and parcel of Faith, my faith.
Have you read The Rose Garden Husband by Margaret. I like its simplicity and normality. Good stories do not always have to be complicated and thrilling, do they?
Here’s the link for my book review;
https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/11/the-rose-garden-husband/
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Archive or Kindle
I like to feel the books in my hands. I like how they look on the shelves. I like to use a bookmark, whether it’s one I made myself or a dried flower between the pages. I like the faded colours of the pages over the years. And, I like my scribbles and highlighted sections throughout the chapters. I used to visit the local library frequently and made sure I have got a library card in each and every new city I moved to. I also used to buy books, always on Amazon and sometimes from charity shops.
However, things changed when I discovered the Archive Digital Library with its online fourteen day lending system. Some books have fewer days to borrow, but I believed it was a great option. I don’t really remember when I first joined the Archive Library, but that helped me reading more. It was about two years ago when I heard that The Archive Library had legal issues regarding publishing copyrights and other complicated matters I couldn’t understand. The library don’t allow any changes to be made to any books, and no one can download any copies either. That was when I started to turn back to Amazon, especially Kindle.
With kindle books, things became much easier. I can read for longer hours at night (of course that depends on the book) without my husband nagging me to turn the lights off. I can also highlight sections, add notes, and copy my favourite parts as much as I want.
Whatever you prefer to use for reading, don’t stop.
Have you ever received a book as a gift? Wouldn’t one make a great gift?
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
The riddle
“What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in day time, and three legs in the evening?”
Can you solve this riddle? Please don’t search it up, perhaps your answer will make sense as well, and of course you don’t have to share it. I knew about it while reading The Solitaire Mystery.
But, maybe, I can give you a tiny hint about it. Tick off inanimate objects. Ignore the numbers. And, mainly, think of Time. What is Time?
By the way, did you know that the one made the riddle could never be the one who solved it.
/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2024/12/28/the-solitaire-mystery/
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Playing cards
Before the smart phone games, app games, and all the massive screen based entertainment, some parents used to play cards with their children during holidays and school breaks. I did, still do, though rarely nowadays.
Those moments engraved wonderful memories in our minds. We laughed, shouted, and jumped as we sat in a circle on the carpeted floor to play cards. We played for fun with one rule: the first loser is out, but had to keep sitting and watching until the last round. It was something like “The Weakest Link.” What made those moments even more enjoyable was how my husband and I called the cards names in the Egyptian Arabic. Our children wouldn’t mind, wouldn’t even try to use the english ones. They liked it this way.
I wonder, and you might also wonder, why I thought about all that today? That’s becuase of the book I have just finished reading: The Solitaire Mystery. Have ypu read it? I really recommend it. It’s a good book,. But to be honest, I was a bit confused with the English cards names version. I even don’t know what the Solitaire game is? We play basic cards games. Bit by bit, I came to understand things, and that’s when I started enjoying the book more.
Herewith the link for my book review. Have a look and let me know what do you think about the book?
https://nh825.wordpress.com/2024/12/28/the-solitaire-mystery/
With hope and peace,
Nahla
Don’t let them age
I remember my grandparents from my mother’s side as I hadn’t seen my father’s since they all died early before he married my mother.
Anyway, my grandparents were barely in their late sixties or early seventies when they died. As a child, I used to believe they were so ancient, so weird. Their house was so big and so old. Not becuase they didn’t have enough money – they did, but because they didn’t like change. They liked their old furniture, the old walls, the old staircase, and even their old clothes.
From my mother’s tales, especially about her father, I believed he was a monster and a tyrant. By the way, he wasn’t religious, but I am not going to detail more because we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, should we? However, he was, actually, so kind with me. Perhaps, because I used to avoid him all the time, or because I was the quietest of his grandchildren tribe. But, he really was kind, and when he laughed or smiled, I didn’t see him that old at all.
Some people say that the real youth is the youth of the heart and the soul. If you read Mr. MacBride’s story, you will know how important it is to not let either your heart or your soul age.
Have you read The Five Wishes Of Mr MacBride. It’s a wonderful book. Have a look at my review!
https://nh825.wordpress.com/2024/12/17/the-five-wishes-of-mr-murray-mcbride/
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Reading Challenge
It’s almost the end of the year, and I am running our of time to finish the 50 books I had planned to read this year. Actually it’s not that bad, I read 47 books so far. By the way it’s thanks to my WordPress friend Arlene for starting this experience in the first place. I can’t remember exactly when I did, but I was inspired by her reading challenge experience.
Before the coffee gets Cold, is the most recent book I have finished, and here’s my book review for it.
https://nh825.wordpress.com/2024/12/05/before-the-coffee-gets-cold/
Please have a look. Hope you’ll like both the book and my review.
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 