Thursday 31 January 2013

The One Dollar Horse by Lauren St John (Young Adult, 10E/10E)


31st January 2013, Orion Children's
336 pages,Hardback
Review copy 

Themes: animal mistreatment, rescuing animals, horse mad, riding schools regime & members, working hard for what you believe in, family opposition, tragedy, deception, Badminton horse trials preparation, dedication to your passion, unexpected help, secrets, lots of drama, very mild romance, tissues most definitely needed

Summary from Orion

Fifteen year old Casey Blue lives in East London's grimmest tower block and volunteers at a local riding school, but her dream is to win the world's greatest Three Day Event: the Badminton Horse Trials.

When she rescues a starving, half-wild horse, she's convinced that the impossible can be made possible. But she has reckoned without the consequences of her father's criminal record, or the distraction of a boy with melty, dark eyes, with whom she refuses to fall in love.

Nayuleska's thoughts 

Despite not enjoying riding I adore horse books. Rescuing a horse is an amazing thing to do - but as Casey discovers keeping horses requires a lot of money and hard work. Whenever an obstacle appeared she did all she could to jump straight over it. She'd never have got so far without the help and dedication of her friends, most of who she meets where she originally learnt to ride. Coming from a not all that wealthy background at first I admit it felt insane for Casey to try and keep Storm Warning - I don't know the exact cost of horses but I know it's a lot. 

Thankfully she has people watching out for her and willing to help her out for reduced rates (sometimes free) with no strings attached. The friendships she forges make a huge difference in her life, providing support when times are tough and she feels she has nowhere to turn. Casey learns the importance of keeping ties with her friends, and learning to let go. Her father's criminal goings ons add that extra spark to this 10/10 read, I kept hoping that events would keep turning downhill because I knew the ending had to be a happy one.  

You can find out more on Lauren's website

Suggested read 

For more horse adventure try The Swallow Tales by K M Peyton

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Lexiland by Suzi Moore Review & Guest blog post (Children's, 10 years +, 10/10)


31st January 2013, Simon and Schuster
288 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Themes: mystery, family secrets, losing friends, feeling alone, having medicine without knowing what it's for, new friendship, accepting people as they are, parents at odds with each other, hating birthdays, making mistakes, moving on from the past, lots of tension and thrills, tissues most definitely needed, 

Summary from Simon and Schuster

 A year ago ten-year-old Emma's twin sister Laura choked to death on a slice of birthday cake. Or did she?

Since then life has not been the same, her parents are always arguing , her Mum is over protective and her little brother Rory seems to get all the attention. Emma thinks she's become invisible, she hates school and despite the fact that she is super bright and has a photographic memory she thinks she's really dull. She's even started to hear her sister's voice before she goes to sleep, who tries to help her face up to her problems, but without Laura really by her side Emma still feels like the loneliest girl in school. Then, someone totally different steps into her world or rather their two worlds collide.

Lexi is an unpredictable force of nature. She has wild, curly red hair and she wears an eye patch. But why? What happened to her? Where is she from? She's a mystery to Emma, a mystery which slowly unravels when they become friends. Their friendship won't happen overnight and it won't happen easily but, it will be unique because they have both lost something. They have both lost something that they have to learn to live without. 

Nayuleska's thoughts

I was gripped throughout the entire book. There's something intriguing about a character who's living through a major loss in their life. The way Emma shut herself away from life is heartbreaking. I can see why she does it but I can see she wants to be comforted. Lexi was an enigma who made me smile a lot. It was interesting the way they didn't gel with each other, and the way they become friends made me go 'aww'. The major twist at the end was something I hadn't expected at all in this 10/10 read. 

To read my theory, highlight this paragraph. Ignore it if you don't want a minor spoiler. I've read a vaguely similar book to this in the past, which made me think that Laura was part of Emma's imagination. The pill she is given each day by her parents made me think that Emma was suffering from a mental illness, where she totally imagined Laura. My theory wobbled a little when certain things about Laura were mentioned (including her death), but the way others treated Emma seemed to confirm my suspicions (few at school talkd about Laura directly). I was very wrong in this suspicion. I did speak to Suzi about my thoughts, and she wished she could have done something like it.

Suggested read

For another heart-breaking, emotional read try Black Heart Blue by Louise Reid




It gives me great pleasure to present a guest blog post by Suzi about writing.

 I’d been writing picture books for a year when my agent suggested I try writing a novel. I spent a great deal of time just thinking and playing around with various fantasies but nothing felt right. “I’m stuck.” I sulkily complained to my husband one evening. “I just can’t think of anything that a ten year old girl would like to read.” He listened to all my crazy ideas and said, “Well what were you like when you were ten years old?”  I thought about it with a bit of a shudder. I suddenly saw myself all alone at school, shy, nervous and uncomfortable in the very itchy scratchy uniform. A whole load of memories came back to me. The shiny black shoes that were too big, the girl next door who died when a tree fell on her car, the playground squabbles and the smell of the classroom, my grandfather and his twin sister picking me up from school in his ancient car which blew out big clouds of black smoke and how I felt the day my grandmother died. I put down my knife and fork, ran upstairs to my office and wrote the first chapter of Lexiland.


My sister died on March the first which was really annoying because it was my birthday.  
Actually it was our birthday.  Laura was my identical twin. 

It happened very quickly and the doctor said ‘: ‘It didn’t hurt.’ ’. I said: ‘At least she got to open all her presents first.’ Mum didn’t think that was funny. I told her that I wasn’t trying to be funny, but I thought that, if it had been me, if I had choked on a slice of birthday cake, if it had been my very last birthday ever, I would have at least liked to have opened my presents first. 

But, that doesn’t really matter now, because I don’t like birthdays any more. 

I don’t like Christmas any more either. We’ve had one Christmas without Laura and my Mum was miserable. She cries a lot now.  My parents argue a lot and my little brother, Rory, talks to the wallpaper. 

Sometimes, I hear my parents shouting late at night and once I heard my Mum say: ‘Emma (that’s me by the way) looks so like Laura that some days I find it hard to look at her. Sometimes, I think I’m looking at a ghost.’

The morning after that I went into the bathroom and, using the sharpest pair of scissors I could find, I cut off all my hair. All of it. But I couldn’t reach the back so I was left with two dark, brown tufts. I thought they looked a bit like mouse ears so, with a black felt tip I drew a nose and six black whiskers on my face. I showed Rory and he laughed so loud that Mum came into the bathroom to see what we were doing.

Mum:    Oh my God! What have you done?”

I wriggled my nose and smiled.

Me:        Squeak! Squeak!

Rory was still laughing.

Rory:     I wanna be a mouse too Mummy! Can I? Can I? Please?

But Mum just cried and cried.

Me:        What’s wrong? Do I still look like a ghost?

 
Many thanks for this insightful read and the first part of Lexiland Suzi! 

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Swordspell by C J Busby (Children's, 7 years +, 10/10)


1st January 2013, Templar 
208 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Themes: legend of Arthur & Merlin, life at a castle, studying and battling against magic, magical frogs, a girl wishing to be a squire for a knight (& doing it rather well), fighting for what you believe in, having faith in others even when you can't have faith in yourself, practice makes perfect, lots of magic and humour. 

Summary from Templar 

In book 4 of this popular series, Max and Olivia have discovered that Morgana Le Fay is plotting to use a mysterious 'Swordspell' against King Arthur at the Festival of Chivalry. They don't know what the spell is or how to stop it, and Olivia also has her training for the Squire's Challenge to worry about. But things are made even worse when Merlin is called away unexpectedly, leaving Max and Olivia without his magical protection. With the help of Sir Lancelot, Sir Bertram and Adolphus the dragon, Ferocious the rat and Vortigern the duck, the Pendragon children must quickly uncover Morgana's evil plan, before it is too late for Arthur and Camelot

 Nayuleska's thoughts 

I've read a fair number of books about Arthur and Merlin over the last few years, yet it's a tale that never gets old. Morgana, as usual,  is the enemy, having significant magical power. She doesn't understand the power of friendship - especially if one of the friends is a dragon! Max and Olivia are funny characters, each having to overcome an obstacle (usually a person) in the book. However, they have sweet friends. The mishaps and yay moments which Ferocious, Vortigern & Adolphus have made the book extra special. I've never read an Arthurian tale with a talking duck and a rat and a dragon! This 10/10 read is sure to delight any Arthur/Merlin fans, especially with the unusual cast. 

Find out more on the series website.

Suggested read 

For another Arthurian series check out the Spell Sisters series by Amber Castle, which start with Spell Sisters: Sophia the Flame Sister.

Monday 28 January 2013

What are YOU reading? #152


What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Read


Silent Saturday by Helen Grant
Young Adult
(An emotion packed thriller with heaps of mystery and surprises!!)
10/10




Wake by Amanda Hocking
Young Adult
(This compelling read about the lives of two sisters did not include vampire mermaids - but it came pretty close to doing so!)
9.5/10




Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
Young Adult
(I'm enthralled by the sisters' lives, and the evil nature of the sirens!!)
10/10




Watched


Strawberry Shortcake: Jammin with Cherry Jam
Animation, English
10/10
(The French version isn't out yet, but the voice overs are pretty good and I adore Strawberry & co's new friend!)





H20 Just Add Water
REWATCH! Drama, English
10/10
(I'm actually not hating the 2nd season antagonist so much this time round of watching it...)





Lilpri
REWATCH!, Anime, Japanese
10/10
(It's nearly time for the girls to learn a new song...)





Tangled
REWATCH!, Disney
10/10
(Rapunzel is so spunky and has to deal with an awful lot of life changing revelations plus I adore her pet chameleon!)






Gaming


Final Fantasy 13
Role Play game, PS3
(Understanding the fighting system is drastically improving my
battles this 2nd attempt of playing it...)






Craft



Here's my current progress on my Winnie the Pooh cross stitch. I received this from my family who did all of Tigger (which is why some of the back stitch is in place - I only do all back stitch which outline the characters once all cross stitch has been sewn. I'm  making good headway with Pooh & Hare. 



Here's the what the final product will look like for comparison. Isn't it cute?


Sunday 27 January 2013

Nayu's News #50: My unique weather reporter


I'm not really one for paying attention to the weather, unless it involves snow. My views on rain are in another post entirely. The reason I mention the weather today is that my cat goes beserk in it.

Now, she's mental on a normal, calm weather day. Tearing round the house has earned her the nickname of The Tabby Tornado among my family. When she goes mental and races about trying to catch her tail which she finds it hard to believe is attached to her, she gets this look on her face. 
"I caught it!"

You can see the boundless energy charge zipping around her brain, making her dart about everywhere. 

During the snow over the past week and a bit she was mental. 
"Oooo, white stuff! Falling white stuff."

Now today with a bit of wind after heavy rain last night she is once again mental!
"But you love me for being so cute!" 

My cat is certainly not normal and I adore every single part of her mentalness. Maybe that explains why she sleeps so much...

 "This is the life"

This week some of my family are on holiday, so I'm holding down the fort (with my cat).

This means that I have extra tasks to do, which may seem very small and easy but for me with limited energy they are an extra effort. In turn that means I don't have energy for writing. 
This is frustrating but I'm trying to take advantage of the reading & anime watch and looking at it as food for my Muse. The time will pass and then I can get back to editing!

Me, Suzy P by Karen Saunders (Children's, 9 years +, 8/10)


1st January 2013, Templar
352 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Themes: bonds of sisters, family life, teen romance trouble, feeling left out, being in a nightmare wedding, doing family things you'd rather skip, hot chocolate, tears, troubles at school, drifting away from friends, discovering new things about yourself, heaps of drama, oodles of humour 

Summary from Templar 

I'm Suzy Puttock (yes, Puttock with a P), fourteen years old and a total disaster magnet. My life's full of ups and downs. My loved-up big sister Amber's getting married and wants lime green bridesmaids' dresses. I'm not happy about that. But there's this hot new guy, Zach, just started at my school. I am happy about that. Only... I've had a boyfriend since forever, Danny. So now I'm all kinds of confused!

Nayuleska's thoughts 

I knew from the first page that I'd love this book. Suzy's voice is highly readable - she made me laugh a lot and groan over the teen angst. I love how over the top and totally crazy Suzy's sister is - Suzy definitely went through a lot of trauma when it came to getting her bridesmaid dress! A lot of the time I could see the hardships that headed Suzy's way, and I hated being powerless to tell her to look out. I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to her - I'm certainly clumsy! 

Surprisingly Suzy isn't the sole star of the show. I loved her sister Amber's slightly dippy self, as she is quick to believe things and totally devoted to her idol. Suzy's mum is very clever at one point by diverting Amber's strange tastes for the wedding by saying that Amber's idol actually prefers things another way, not the way Amber originally thought her idol liked things. (Apologies for grammar I'm writing this while tired). I adore the hyperactive Millie, who is brimming with energy & enthusiasm, as well as being very charming. I could see her dilemmas which tested Suzy throughout the book. The other funny character is Suzy's prankster sister, who is talented in mischief & mayhem. This 8/10 read is light and funny while dealing with issues teens come across. 

You can find out more on Karen's website

Suggested reading 

For more family drama and mayhem with an entertaining lead role check out the Dork Diaries series (filled with funny illustrations) by Rachel Rennee Russell which includes Dork Diaries: Skating Sensation (the first book I read but not the first in the series)

Saturday 26 January 2013

At Somerton: Secrets & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed (Young Adult, Historical, 10/10E)


3rd January 2012, Hot Key Books
304 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Themes: family & servant life in a large house, early 20th Century culture, exquisite dresses, lots of intrigue and drama, scandel, deception, family ties made and broken, new friendships forged, enemies made, incredible plot twists to wow you, lots of humour, some teen romance 

Summary from Hot Key Books

One house, two worlds, dark secrets...

The year is 1910. For the past decade, the Averley family has lived a life of luxury in India, but now they must return to Lord Averley's ancestral estate, the sprawling, majestically beautiful Somerton Court. As the household staff hastily prepare for the family's arrival, they receive shocking news: Lord Averley is bringing back a fiancée with three children of her own, and on top of that, there are rumours of a terrible scandal surrounding Lord Averley's resignation as Lieutenant Governor of Bengal.

As the family settles in, tensions arise both upstairs and downstairs. Lady Ada must choose between her honour and her heart, Sebastian must fend off ruinous threats from a former servant (and lover...) and gentle housemaid Rose will find herself at the centre of a scandal so enormous it could destroy the Averleys' reputation forever.

Nayuleska's thoughts 

Historicals like S&S make me squee! I adore the outfits the girls get to wear (the more dresses the better). I love how the different lives of the servants and those they serve are sort of separate to begin with, then merge as the numerous plots unfold. The villains in the story are extremely cunning and I view them as snakes.

Rose is a firm favourite of mine, especially at the end. She makes a few decisions which I thought were unwise, but she redeemed herself by the end. It was interesting getting to experience a lady's maid perform her duties, rather than just a brief mention and no details about what the job entails.

Lady Ada is a spunky girl, not one to hang about if her mind is set on something. It was sad seeing one of her plots unfold because I saw it happening yet was powerless to stop it. Georgina kept surprising me - I wrongly associated being ill and weak with being placid when I should have known better! 

This 10/10 read is a mix of Downton Abbey and Pride & Prejudice - I came to that conclusion before reading any reviews/info on it, which do refer to Downton. I'm super eager for book 2 to see what happens after the awesome book 1 finale.

You can find out more on Leila's website

Suggested read

If you like the early 20th century for drama and dresses, check out Debutantes by Cora Harrison 

Thursday 24 January 2013

Peachville High Demons #1: Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon (Young Adult, 10/10)



October 2010, Dead River Books 
136 pages, Ebook 
Personal Copy 

Content: murder, some gruesome parts, lots of tension 

Summary from Sarra's website

 Beautiful Demons is the first book in the Peachville High Demons series. Harper Madison isn’t like other girls. She has extraordinary powers, but her inability to control them has gotten her kicked from so many foster homes she’s lost count. Shadowford Home is her last chance, and she hopes Peachville High will be the fresh start she needs. But when evidence ties her to the gruesome murder of a Demons cheerleader, Harper discovers this small town has a big secret.

Nayuleska's thoughts 

When I adore a book, and it's totally right for me, I know it pretty much after the first page. This is exactly what happened with this book. I love it! I was glued to the pages as Harper's power is revealed, I was hooked by the mysteries going on in her new home. I adore stories where the character isn't at home (for several reasons) and is under the care of others. It was nice how Harper isn't completely alone in the world - she meets people who have their own agenda, but they do give her an unexpected hand when she needs it. I'm looking forward to devouring the rest of the series, which will hopefully be just as engaging as this 10/10 read! 

You can find out more on Sarra's website

Suggested read 

For more mystery and powers check out Devilish by Maureen Johnson 


Wednesday 23 January 2013

Spell Sisters: Olivia the Otter Sister by Amber Castle (Children's, 7 years +, 10/10)


3rd January 2013, Simon and Schuster
160 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Summary from Simon and Schuster 

When eleven-year-old Gwen ventures into the forest beyond her castle home she comes across the magical island of Avalon and her life changes forever. The lady of the lake, Nineve, asks Gwen to embark on a quest to protect the enchanted island of Avalon from the evil sorceress Morgana Le Fay.

Morgana has imprisoned the eight Spell Sisters of Avalon throughout the kingdom and stolen their magical powers. It's up to Gwen, her best friend Flora and a very special horse named Moonlight to find the sisters and return them to Avalon before its magic is lost forever.
In their seventh adventure Gwen and her cousin Flora go in search of Olivia the sister who controls animals.

Nayuleska's thoughts 

I'm convinced with each book this series gets more amazing! Gwen and Flora take to the river to help free Olivia. They have to think really hard how to get to Olivia once they've found her, as Morgana isn't the only one trying to stop them. I love the girl's sweet and adventurous nature, how one is neat and gentle and the other is always a mess (apologies I can't remember which girl is neat!) 

They each have strengths which are both needed to free the spell sisters, which reinforces the idea that working as a team gets a job done quicker. The illustrations bring the story to life, with each soft looking picture making me go aww, especially the otter scenes which made me feel warm and happy in this 10/10 read which includes stickers!

You can find out more on the dedicated website

Suggested read 

Be sure to check out the rest of the series, including Spell Sister: Evie the Swan Sister.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

The Cupcake Diaries: Emma All Stirred Up by Coco Simon (Children's, 7 years +, 10/10)


3rd January 2013, Simon and Schuster
160 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Summary from Simon and Schuster

Emma is not thrilled with always needing to rearrange her schedule to babysit her younger brother, Jake. Now Emma's parents have broken the news that really threatens to push Emma over the edge--since Emma and Jake are going to the same day camp this summer they will take the bus together, and
Emma has to sit with Jake. Which means not only can't she sit with her friends--she has to comfort Jake who gets "bus sick" on a regular basis!

Nayuleska's thoughts 

I adore this series which revolves around a tight group of friends through the ups and downs of life. Each book is from a different character's point of view, and as you can see from the title this is from Emma's pov. Although I don't have a sibling younger than me, it was easy to sense how much Emma hated the summer plan! Although she did get off a bit lightly since she didn't get to stay with her younger brother during the day at camp. 

There was a feel good factor when she took part in some camp activities because it was for the girls only - which meant they could get close to each other and not be teased about it. Emma has a few issues having her camp friends and her cupcake club friends, but they manage to work issues out for a happy ending. & yes, there are plenty of cupcakes in this 10/10 read! 


Suggested read 

Be sure to check out previous books in the series including another Emma-centric book, The Cupcake Diaries: Emma on Thin Icing.

Monday 21 January 2013

What are YOU reading? #151


What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Home Girl's Book Blog where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Books I've Read


Me, Suzy P. by Karen Saunders
Children's, 9 years +
(For once my favourite character isn't the protagonist but her hyperactive best friend, her slightly dippy older sister and Prank Princess younger sister!) 
8/10




Swordspell by C J Busby
Children's, 7 years +
(A delightful Arthurian tale involving a talking duck, a fearsome lady squire and a magician's apprentice...)
10/10




The One Dollar Horse by Lauren St John
Children's, 8 years +
(This is both a heartbreaking and a heartwarming read about a girl who adores her horse no matter what life throws at her.)
10/10




The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Young Adult
Release Date:  February 2013
(I found so much to relate to with Hazel; some of her thoughts mirrored my own regarding chronic illness...) 
9/10




The Man From the Land of Fandango by Margaret Muhy
Children's, Picture book
(This book alternated between being cute and being freaky...) 
6/10





Films

Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper
French version, Animated
9/10
I was slightly surprised how engrossed I got into the tale of two girls both wanting freedom from their respective lives...




Barbie:  Rapunzel
French version, Animated
6/10
Barbie films seem to be hit and miss: there were charming parts, but quite a lot was too dark for me, plus it seemed to have several fairy tales in it, not just Rapunzel's...




Shugo Chara!
Anime
10/10
At last Iru gets some air time!!!!!




Cendrillon
French version, Anime
10/10
This fab series about Cinderella is way better than the Disney version - Cendrillion is smart, has friends (including animals) and is full of kindness...




Labour Pains
Film, starring Lindsey Lohan
8/10
I watched this while feeling very bleh, it was quite funny and definitely not a difficult plot to follow.



Confessions of A Shopaholic
Film
8/10
Another film watched while feeling bleh, the plot was pretty clever in places... 




Charlotte aux Fraises Aventures aux Fraisi Paradis (Strawberry Shortcake)
Anime
French & 2009 version
10/10
The girls learn when buying gifts for others, buy what the recipient wants, not what you like! 




Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings
Animated film
10/10
This is an epic Tinker Bell movie - she has a sister! You will need tissues...





Games
None this week, but I havn't been well.



Sunday 20 January 2013

Nayu's News #49 The Key To Life!

 "Brrrrr!" 

Afternoon/evening/morning to you all! Have you had a good weekend? Here in England there's been a lot of snow (4 or so inches...which to us is a lot). 
Unfortunately I haven't been able to go outside & make a snow angel or a snow bunny (snow bunnies are way better than snow girls), since I was ill Thursday until today. 

I started feeling a little better yesterday (Saturday), well enough to get some reading in, which I hadn't been able to very much while I was ill. That was dire! 

Today I'm feeling much better, if a little tired. I'm reducing a night med, to try and get to a set dose so I can possibly switch to a different make which may be better for me. I've been taking 1 dose for a week, then reducing it by 10mg for the next week. I've got 20mg to go and already back to waking up at 4am regularly. 
"So tired...please leave me alone!" (Quote by Nayu, picture from no idea.)

It's been a while since that happened a lot, so I'm still adjusting to being awake so early and surviving until my usual bed time (10pm - if I go before that, I wake up even earlier. #epicfail #insomnia #waitnotontwitter) That is why I crashed out for 3 hours at lunch today with anime. 
 It cheered me up and is relatively passive. I'm whizzing through this post asap so I can curl up with a book - when I'm super tired I actually find watching things is too much - at least reading I know the words will stay black and white and I can read them at my own pace. Get to start a new book this evening which is always exciting! 
Wait!

You're probably wondering what the title of this post means, right? (Psst, if you are forgetful like me the title is Nayu's News #49: The Key to Life!)
(One of the characters from the manga & anime Maria Watches Over Us - ?Shimako?)

The key to life is not an actual key like the dumpty key from the anime Shugo Chara...

...it's a concept called Pacing! 

"Pacing? What's that?" (Quote by Nayu, picture from no idea)

Pacing is something I've learnt over the past two years, to deal with everything my chronic pain & chronic illness throw at me. Instead of doing something all in one go, pressing on despite being tired/in pain/feeling sick/etc, the task is broken into bits with rests in between each other (time & length vary). I really  thought I had it sussed...but it dawned on me sometime last week (I think, I'm a bit hazy on when it happened) that although I thought I was pacing - balancing tasks with lots of rest, I wasn't. 
(I wasn't knitting at the time but I think I was thinking of cross stitch) 

Dratticus. 

How did I realise this? Well, let's give an example of a day off from work (not Wednesdays I have craft club). Once I'd woken up et al I'd get up and begin blogging. I'd try to stick with 2 hours, but sometimes it ran to 3 hours. Or 4 hours. 
  Yes, I know one friend will be looking at this and sighing. She is very happy with my new schedule!. Anyway, post blogging I'd eat lunch, then straight away write say 2pm-5pm - mostly til 6. I would do 15 mins writing followed by 15 mins resting (reading). Then I would watch anime for the evening. 

To me, that was pacing. Only, as I've already said, I realised it wasn't. I'd learnt to do tasks slowly, breaking them up into chunks and resting inbetween. For example laundry. Once it is dry (family help me with transporting it about the house) I'll take it off the airers and put it in a pile in my room.
I would leave it until the next day...or even the day after the next day. Then I'd fold it all and sort it. Sometimes I would wait another day between this step and the final one which is putting the laundry away. By pacing when I each step, the task is more manageable for me. 

So...why wasn't I using this approach for anything involving work on my laptop? 
 Writing, blogging, email - all of them fall under the category of a task!
"What? What? How did I get this wrong???"

Upon realising I'd spectacularly failed at pacing a part of life which is mega important to me, I realised I needed to change. I needed (to some extent) chuck out my scheduling. So I promised to do things when I felt like it. 

This didn't lead to slacking off a lot. It is more listening to what my body tells me, and not to do a marathon session of blogging/writing, no matter how rough I feel. It is to stick to time limits. And it works! 

For instance yes I did some blogging and editing this morning. I was strict on how long I did those tasks, but I was less strict on how long I relaxed for. Instead of 20 mins reading I ended up nearly double that because I wanted to finish the book. At one point, instead of reading I decided to research some presents for my family, and I didn't keep an eye on the time for that. I didn't feel guilty that I'd overspent my leisure time - I was happy, just as Kirino in the anime Bamboo Blade is happy. 

Letting myself do what I feel is liberating. I'm having way more fun then I've ever had. Although I still have a rough idea of what I'd like to do at each time of day, if my body so much as whispers it needs to rest then I get out the anime and rest. Reading is activity, sadly, which I can't always do. Equally I can't always watch anime because sometimes I find it (including the quiet ones) too fast/jerky/colourful and I then have to read. 

  It's a bit frustrating sometimes because improving my pacing can mean I'm reading less/writing less/blogging less.

 However, it's so beneficial that I don't feel grumbly for too long ^o^ 
(My Twitter avatar Holo, the wolf goddess from the anime Spice and Wolf)

No matter how many germ gremlins attack you/stay away, I feel that everyone can benefit from pacing. I've no idea how I survived doing all I used to do. I'm not looking back with this technique at all. If you have any suggestions for pacing, have discovered the wonders of pacing, or would like to ask any questions, please do comment! (no links please - I delete comments with links in). I'm not a professional in any respect, but I do have experience of pacing, and have been taught a few tips by professionals in the medical field. 

Thank you for listening to me chat about the key to life - pacing!