The big book-to-film reading challenge of 2020

I had quite a few UK holiday plans this year, they are gradually getting cancelled or postponed. In the meantime I have decided to pursue more homely goals; sorting out our house and garden and catching up with my reading and writing, art and craft. My reading list this year centres around twelve book-to-film titles I have been meaning to read for a while. I have already read and reviewed the first three. You can find more of my book reading and reviews at Good Reads.

Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert

The Martian by Andy Weir

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Dune by Frank Herbert

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

The Duchess by Amanda Foreman

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

The Revenant by Michael Punke

Eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I really loved watching the film of this book on Netflix, so I was really looking forward to reading the book itself. Luckily the book did not disappoint, although I found it strangely lighter in many places than the movie. The first part is thirty six chapters on enjoying food in Italy, as well as some story background and an introduction to Liz, I found it quite delicious. The middle section, Pray, is set in an ashram in India and features a lot of reflection on meditation. The final, Indonesian section, Love, seemed less well-defined as the eat and pray sections, it was about finding balance. I found the whole book was a very enlightening read. 

The Martian by Andy Weir

I found this a difficult, but enjoyable read. It is very much like the film, so the story was easy to understand. The difficulty, I found, was the amount of mathematical and scientific language involved. Mars is a planet devoid of life, so anyone attempting to exist there, has a lot precise working out to do. All of this was explained in great detail in Watney's log. Even so, the book was still a lot of fun.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre

I found this a difficult film to follow and so I was surprised to find the book much easier to understand. Its quite old now, so I found it pleasantly nostalgic. Most of what I got from the book was a series of unusual characters having strange conversations with other odd characters in various interesting locations, in and around London. I think I got a lot out of reading it nevertheless.

Reverse Bucket List

After completing my mini bucket list (5B450) in 2017 I have had a little more to do with bucket lists. My new bucket list is called 5450+ which is more of a being list than a doing list. After a brief exploration of the blogosphere I discovered that reverse bucket lists could be a good exercise in reflection and gratitude. The sixteen items on my reverse bucket list are a reflection of my life over the past fifty odd years. I think the 1990s was a big ‘to do’ list for me: getting a job, getting a career, getting a house, writing songs, poetry, short stories, getting a husband, getting a baby. Since that time I have become more reflective. The last item on my list, ‘2 years of mindful discoveries’, offers the hope that the 2020s will be more a time for ‘being’ and less about ‘doing’.

Lorna’s Reverse Bucket List - A Meaningful Life?

1.      Thirty Years a Librarian (February 1990 –February 2020 plus)-after gaining my library degree-BA(hons)-in 1989

2.      Five decades of travelling (1970s-2020s)– (50 places in England and 33 other countries)

3.      A year of London – visiting 52+ interesting London places

4.      Found and lost love

5.      Learnt to drive

6.      Bought a house (with Richard)

7.      Twenty years since SubVerse (2020) – (active period was 2000-2005)

8.      Raised Amy to the age of 20+ (got her through school and helped her with qualifications) (2020)

9.      Twelve years a Piano Teacher (2008-2019)– helping pupils get fifteen certificates in ten years

10.  Ten years at church (2008-2018)- including ten months of Sunday School teaching from 2010 to 2011

11.  Ten years of Arts and Crafts (2010-2020)– redecorating the house, appreciating art and culture, developing craftwork

12.  Ten years in concert (2010-2020) – Playing classical piano pieces in various public places

13.  Two diplomas in the 2010s – Level 3 in Business Administration and dipABRSM in Piano Teaching

14.  Ran a craft stall in the Twenty-Teens (2013-2019)

15.  Ten years a blogger (2013-2023) – Highlighting my creative and therapeutic endeavours

16. Two years of Mindful Discoveries (2018-2020)

The photos are from the 'Bucket List Coffee' shop in Eastcote.

 

Teenage Troubles

I used to write more and much longer poems when I was a teenager, maybe I had more time back then at least for writing poetry. The five poems in my Teenage Troubles collection occupy a special place in my heart.

Dave was a caveman came second in the Hounslow Poetry Competition in 1984.
Not a very pretty sight is an earlier insight into body dysmorphia.
The Antique Junk Shop has developed into a YouTube video.
Who's been corrupting our son? is about my brother and his teenage friends.
Inadequacy comes from the same place as my interest in 'Unspirational' and Stoicism.

6B460

6B460

My 5B450 bucket list was a list of five things I wanted to do before turning 50. My new bucket list is more about things I want to keep going over many years and how I want to live my life. My big travel goal is to visit Belfast and Northern Ireland.


1. Visit Belfast and Northern Ireland


2. Work in libraries for at least thirty years


3. Keep a blog going for ten years


4. Play classical piano pieces in public for ten years


5. Practice Buddhism everyday


6. Live a good enough life

Art Therapy

Art is therapeutic on a number of different levels; expressing yourself, the practical side of just doing art, flow, engagement, creating something beautiful or striking. The materials used can be comforting, time spent can be pleasant and meaningful. Visiting art galleries can also be therapeutic; connecting with other creative minds and lives via a work of art. We can see the struggles and thoughts of others and it could help us feel less alone. I intend to visit more art galleries and maybe get to know more artistic and creative people too.

My Third Mindful Year

In my first mindful year I was getting to grips with big changes in my life and using therapeutic techniques to enjoy life more. My second mindful year was about waiting for a few milestones to pass and to enjoy myself while waiting. My third mindful year (from March 2020 to February 2021) will involve ticking things off my to do list and being mindful while doing so. I don't think to do lists and mindfulness work so well together. I put wellbeing first these days, so will try to not let my to do list stop me from enjoying the here and now.

Spring -March, April, May

I have five getaways organised for this year. Two of them are scheduled for Spring; Belfast and Teignmouth. There is also work to be done in my home and garden, helping my family and my work. I also want to visit more therapeutic London places and continue my local mindful outings with my daughter. I also want to continue enjoying all the mindful activities I have been discovering and exploring over the past two years.

Summer - June, July, August

I have three more getaways happening in the summer, Norfolk, Hampshire and Sussex. August was a good month last year, it was a time for relaxation and reflection and spending time in our local walled garden. I hope to have more of that this year.

Autumn - September, October, November

I generally don't go away in Autumn or Winter, so will continue my normal mindful activities that I enjoy in quiet times. My favourite mindful activities are reading, drawing, writing, watching TV and films, gardening and homemaking, cooking, listening to music especially Radio Three, nature walking and slow coffee time. I also like visiting London parks, art galleries and museums and walking by water.

Winter - December, January, February

I find Winter a little hard going, enjoying a slow and mindful Christmas and New Year is particularly good, which I managed to do in 2019. In January and February I usually do a lot of planning for the year ahead. In 2020 I realised the importance of living in and enjoying the moment as much as possible no matter what that moment (or the weather) held.

The Need Fairy

I first thought of the basic story of the Need Fairy in the late 1990s when I got married, moved into my house and was hoping for a baby. I was so busy being a working mum in the noughties and also running my SubVerse poetry group, that it was ten years before I sat down and wrote it out as a proper story. It now exists in the real world as an ALF Book and on my Wattpad channel as one of my serial short stories.

The Need Fairy by LJ Finnigan
Tony and Cleo are happy in their new home, but the more they settle in, the more Cleo senses another presence in the house, one that is neither happy nor settled.

Christmas Day
As Cleo and Tony enjoy their Christmas dinner in their new house, the house's spirit reminds them of its presence.

New Year's Day
As Tony works in his home office Cleo ventures into the attic and begins to unearth the house's hidden treasures.

Valentine's Day
Cleo introduces the elaborate idea of the house possessing a Need Fairy to a bemused Tony.

Ash Wednesday
Cleo discovers a little of the house's gruesome history and the house spirit begins to find its voice.

Mother's Day
Cleo finds the true value of the attic treasures when she visits the local antique shop.

Palm Sunday
Cleo and Tony both experience tangible encounters with the house spirit when they both venture into the attic.

Easter Day
The Need Fairy visits Cleo in the middle of the night with a promise of love for the future.

Christmas Eve
The spirit of the Need Fairy is alive and well and living in the nursery.

Pray, eat, love holiday plans 2020

2019 was a much more peaceful year than 2018 and allowed me time and the chance to get to grips with certain aims, lists and quotas in my life. 2020 is more about fulfilling those aims, lists and quotas. One major one is these three 'Pray, Eat, Love' holidays inspired by the book and film 'Eat, Pray, Love'. They are spread over the months March to September and I hope to do a proper review of the places I visited later on in the year.