Happy Halloween and happy Saturday!
I’m back with my biweekly newsletter, letting you know all about my latest book recommendations, thoughts, language tips and more!
Saturday Sunshine
I was lying in the grass today, watching the leaves on trees turn to yellow and orange, and I was meditating. I tried to focus on my breath, the weight of my body, the singing of birds.
Sometimes it’s important to take an afternoon off, to remind yourself that feeling relaxed and at peace is the most essential thing to having a good, good life. No matter how many to-do lists you accomplish, it’s the people you love and the moments when you truly connect with the world that count the most.
Cherish small moments, such as taking a deep breath, watching the birds or knitting (which I’ve started doing again after a long break, and it’s making me super happy!)
Breathe in, breathe out.
You’ve got this.
Language Lessons
Watching TV Shows has helped me a great deal with language learning. I basically took my English from level A1 to level B1 in a matter of a few months when I was 13, and all of that thanks to days and days of binging Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars.
I recommend looking for shows in your target language on Netflix, for example - I’ve seen many French and German-speaking TV shows that are simply fantastic, for example, the German show Dark. Love it.
If you can’t find enough TV shows, try to watch those in your mother tongue with subtitles in your target language - it’s better than nothing and it might teach you a phrase or two!
Reading Recommendations
Image from Goodreads
I basically devoured The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I finished in about 24 hours, and I simply couldn’t get enough.
This book is amazing. It’s feminist, queer, wonderfully written and full of quotes that are definitely worth writing down. It sheds some light on the life behind the scenes of Hollywood and on the sexist environment of the film industry.
Five stars. I definitely recommend this book.
Writing Whispers
Apart from working on my Czech novel, I’ve published new articles on Medium in the past two weeks!
Here they are:
On relationships
Avoiding Conflict Ended My 10-Year Closest Relationship (this is one of my most vulnerable pieces so far)
On writing
7 Tips to Carve Your Way into Your Character’s Entire Personality
Become a Better Writer by Being a Better Reader
On self
Powerful Lessons from My Teenage Self That Remind Me to Be a Better Adult
The Ultimate Problem with Reading Challenges
NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow, and this is my first year when I’m planning to participate! I’m doing it a little differently - I have to write 50 000 words per month overall, counting both my novel and my non-fiction articles.
I’m excited to write over 1667 words a day! We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, I won’t be too fed up too soon, hah!
Clumsy Confessions
Apart from being shat on by a bird, nothing much happened.
Thank you so much for reading. Your subscription means a lot! I wish you wonderful two weeks, don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to connect and take care!
Kate x