Tag: reading

daily prompt

My First Cooking Book

nhpureandsimple

What’s a book you never finished but still think about?

Years ago, during the final steps of my wedding preparations, my mother insisted that I should have one of those well- known cooking books in my new home. She had already bought me one before I had even thought about it. 

Before getting married, I used to help in the kitchen, but I had never been in charge of making full meals or anything complicated.

So my mother (may God bless her soul) believed that a cooking book would be a good help.

Honestly, I never used it, and I have no idea where I left it.

I might have had a look at it, though, but that was all.

Since then, whenever a booking book, with its colourful, mouth watering pictures and recipes, fell into my hands, I would give it a quick scan and put it back where I found it.

This doesn’t mean I don’t like cooking, because I do.

The thing is, perfection, consistency, exact measurements, are not on every woman’s cooking agenda.

By the way, would you really pause one day to think about a book that you never finished?

If the book was really of any interest to you, then you would have finished it. 

Otherwise, you’d ruffle through its pages and quietly set it aside without anyone noticing.

With a-book-never-finished thoughts,

Nahla 

P.S. the falafel in the photo are not home-made.

Daily thoughts

Thinking Too Much

nhpureandsimple

Sometimes thinking too much is not only frustrating but also a kind of torture.

So, for example, when you think too much about writing something, you end up writing nothing at all.

Have you ever felt this way?

I usually don’t think too much before writing. When an idea or a quote or a book or whatever strikes me as inspiration, I grab my iPad and write. 

Of course that’s when there are no distractions around.

And I have too many distractions these days.

Now, back to my Thinking Too Much post, the idea simply popped into my head this afternoon as I was reading.

I’ve been reading more of Lisa Wingate’s books. Her writing style is one of the things that won’t bore readers, even when the story itself isn’t that surprising.

For me, a story becomes more interesting when its narrative is captivating.

Anyway, the main character in the book is one of those people who thinks too much, giving both herself and me as a reader a headache.

But this kind of inner turmoil happens in life too. Right.

Some people weave a drama inside their heads that has nothing to do with reality. Or they weave things that do have something to do with reality, but don’t need all this drama.

In both scenarios, the drama doesn’t end until you spill it out. When you finally reveal what’s bothering, what’s annoying, or what’s frightening; all that have been buzzing in your head suddenly quiet down. It feels as if the door was wide open all along, and you were only looking through its magic eye.

The heroine in the story is exactly this type, and she stays that way until truth and reality meet her face to face.

But reading this inner turmoil is not like feeling it. I mean if you ever write your inner overthinking drama down and read it later, you might be surprised by your reaction because you would definitely laugh at yourself.

You would say: why think too much, why not explain things, why not ask about things, can’t you see the open door there, all the time? All you need is to step in, straightaway.

Things may turn out simpler and clearer than what you’ve been weaving into your head. And if they don’t, then at least you can step away but never back behind the door again.

And finally, this post is done and hopefully I’ll finish the book by the end of today.

And perhaps no more overthinking ever again.

With thinking-too-much thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Can It Be a Coincidence?

nhpureandsimple

What is your favorite quote?

I was scrolling through Insta for a while, then stopped when the notification for the limited time I had set popped onto the screen.

After that, I opened to my reading book; the story is actually interesting, and I am planning to finish it today.

So, just after highlighting a quote, another notification appeared, but, this time, it was WordPress daily prompts.

I paused…

The quote I highlighted is one of my favourites, and the daily prompt asks about my favourite quote.

Can it be a coincidence?

Really.

I didn’t just highlight the quote, I lingered around certain memories. And that was exactly when the prompt appeared, as if nudging me not to lose the moment, to write about it now.

And here’s the quote:

“Forgiveness given is forgiveness gained.”

And here I am, writing about forgiveness.

But first, how do you see forgiveness?

Is it a merit or a fault?

Is it a strength or a weakness?

Is it possible or impossible?

You think… and decide.

As for me, I see Forgiveness exactly as that quote above.

It’s a win, a fair, clean win after an atrocious fight against painful memories, unforgettable hurts, professional lies.

Forgiveness doesn’t come with a silver spoon.

Since there’s a fight, things take time, a really long time, unless you’re an angel, a one-hundred precent angel, who can grant forgiveness straightaway.

Forgiveness shows up in its perfect timing.

This is when you appreciate how blessed, how saved, how strong you are,

when you close your eyes and recollect your bad moments,

and when you whisper to the Creator, asking for His forgiveness.

Then you remember you too need to forgive others.

Once the action is done with pure intention, your life feels brighter, wider, and healthier.

But… just a little note to pin; 

you don’t have to include forget in the forgiveness deal.

Nor do you have to befriend or keep in touch with those who hurt you.

Which means things don’t have to end like a dead-end road, but rather like two separate roads. 

You forgive and start yours.

They feel relieved and take theirs. 

Now… was the quote and the daily prompt a coincidence?

Maybe.

But… can it be a heavenly whisper to extend goodness?

With forgiveness thoughts,

Nahla

holidays

Reading In July

nhpureandsimple

Well… I wish I could say I finished the book I started reading at the first of July, but I didn’t. 

People say you can read more during the summer holidays, 

but things went totally the opposite for me.

July was my least supportive month for reading.

It was a busy, buzzy month.

Still, my hopes were high, so high that I downloaded two books on Kindle.

I imagined that during the long flight to Malaysia, I would finish both books.

I even thought I would download and read more.

My plan vanished into thin air the moment I fastened my seatbelt on the plane.

Our outward and return flights were both early morning, too early to think of anything except falling asleep.

And then, we arrived full of enthusiasm, couldn’t wait to start our new adventure.

I set my book aside, promising to pick it up before going to bed.

But then, at bedtime, I felt not only tired but awfully drained.

‘Tomorrow at breakfast, I will do some reading,’ I promised my book.

The poor book trapped on Kindle app, sighed and moaned and shed a few tears.

The following day, I woke up late, missed my breakfast, and rushed to get ready to explore more of the city with my family.

‘I broke my promise,’ I remembered and vowed to grab a few moments for reading at any time during the day.

The same routine, with the same unfulfilled promises, repeated day after day. 

Then one day, I woke up with a sore throat, really sore, and blocked ears and nose. 

‘Relax today,’ I decided, and grabbed my iPad to clear the air with my poor book.

The book tittered and muttered as I ruffled through the pages, looking for the page I stopped at.

I had no energy to argue or fight or make peace.

I escaped from the kindle app to WordPress.

Sipping my lemon tea, I wrote a few posts. Two or three? I’ll check the accurate number later.

So even if my reading was poor in July, writing came to the rescue of productivity by adding a few writing pieces during the holiday month.

With July-holidays-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

Off The Hook Fishy

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Should a fish shut her mouth?

But of course she should,

otherwise she will be hooked out of her world; her big, secure home. 

And then it’s over.

She will serve as a fresh dinner plat for a hungry stomach.

“You definitely, and by all means, shouldn’t open it,” the old wise fish advised her fellows. 

“As delicious, fresh, and rare as the bait may be, it is as dangerous, cunning, and deceptive. You should remember that, and think twice,” the old wise fish warned.

We humans should think not only twice but thrice or even more before stepping into a zone that isn’t ours.

Whatever this zone may be; 

social, professional, or even familial.

It isn’t advisable to open your mouth and swallow everything, 

nor to open your mouth and pour everything out.

In both cases, you transgress your zone and fall into waters that aren’t yours; whether deep or shallow it doesn’t matter, again they’re not yours.

You sacrifice your self-respect, your peace of mind, and your time over trivialities.

Didn’t the old man repeatedly give this piece of advice?

Of course he did.

Psychologists , psychiatrists, and many books say and repeat the very same advice. 

If you don’t trust humans because they’re the ones who invented fishing rods, then trust the old wise fish who has never transgressed its own territory.

By the way this post was inspired by a quote I wrote on my other blog; the one I’m trying to bring it back to life. If you’d like to read it, here’s the link:

https://nh825.wordpress.com/2026/06/03/the-fish-and-the-hook/The Fish And The Hook

With the old wise fish’s  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

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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

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