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Rachel Reviews: To review or not to review? . Top Story - November 2023.
It's been a strange week for this writer for many reasons, most of them requiring me to draw on emotional reserves that, for the most part, remain slumbering deep in my inner recesses, never needed in the charmed life I lead.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: The Cows [Don't Follow The Herd] by Dawn O'Porter
The Cows is a book that surprises. Dawn O'Porter takes our perception of what women should be in terms of traditional views and messes with it, presenting us with a truer, more 21st century vision. I found it challenging in terms of its direction and what it highlights, not its content, and darkly humorous.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
How to overcome your mistakes
In a 2019 study, over 400 participants were enlisted to learn a mysterious, invented language. Individuals were asked about three pairs of runes— for example, which of these two characters represents an animal? Then, after a brief break, they were asked about the same rune pairs with questions flipped, as in, which of these two runes represents a non-living object? But this game had a secret— The subjects’ answers in round one determined the runes’ meanings in round two. In the first round, participants either had all their answers marked as correct no matter what, or they were forced to fail every question. This meant that at the break, every participant had the same amount of information, and in round two they were playing for real. But despite this even playing field, the successful participants from round one rose to the top of the ranks, while those cast as failures kept, well, failing. People often describe failure as a teachable moment— a necessary stumble on our way to improvement. But learning from our mistakes isn't always easy, especially when those failures are demoralizing, overwhelming, or just downright confusing. So what exactly prevents us from turning our mistakes into mastery? Perhaps the most obvious hurdle to learning from failure is how painful it can be. People generally want to think of themselves as capable and competent, and experiencing failure threatens that self-image. In a survey following a replication of the rune study, participants in the failure group indicated much lower levels of self-confidence after participating. It’s tempting to dismiss this pain as a temporary setback. But some studies have found that when people feel demoralized or incompetent, their brains often stop processing new information. This suggests that if a threat to your self-esteem is large enough, it can undermine your ability to learn. However, your tolerance for failure also depends on your relationship with the task at hand. In a study from 2011, researchers surveyed a group of American students enrolled in introductory and advanced French courses. These students completed a questionnaire asking what kind of teacher they preferred— one who emphasized their strengths and successes, or one who highlighted their mistakes and corrected their weaknesses. In general, responses showed that while beginner students sought positive reinforcement, advanced students were more eager for critical feedback. Researchers have theorized a handful of explanations for these results. Having just started out, beginners are still determining if they enjoy learning French and if they want to continue studying, so they might crave praise as a way to stay motivated. On the other hand, the advanced students are already invested, so they may want to improve their skills as efficiently as possible. The process of gaining expertise also comes with its fair share of failure, so the advanced students may have built a higher tolerance for making mistakes. But whether you're an expert or a novice, it’s usually much more straightforward to learn from your successes than your failures. For example, imagine getting your grade back on an exam. If you aced it, you could reasonably assume you made good choices around when, what, and how much to study, and you can replicate those decisions for the next test. But if you failed, it could be for any number of reasons. Maybe you didn’t study enough, maybe you studied the wrong information, or maybe you did everything right and the test covered things you shouldn't have been expected to know. In cases like this, it’s unclear exactly what went wrong, making it difficult to learn how to improve. Wanting to learn from our failures is completely natural, and there’s a lot to gain by being resilient and cultivating a growth mindset. But fixating on your failures can make it easy to forget all your successes. And building on what you’re doing right can be more effective than focusing on what you did wrong.
By Adekunle Adeleke2 years ago in BookClub
Utopia Is Unachievable
In Lois Lowry's The Giver, the pursuit of perfection leads to the revelation that by creating a seemingly utopian world by eliminating suffering, more is lost than gained. The narrative traces the experiences of a twelve year-old protagonist who seeks to overcome the control imposed upon him by his totalitarian government and bring back the vibrancy and uniqueness that once existed. By trying to pursue such Utopian ideals, their society is stripped of diversity and individuality. Similarly, Lowry depicts a world that is heavily monitored and regulated. All the citizens are easily manipulated and conform to the numerous rules that they are presented with. Whilst majority of the community is oblivious to the sinister side of their seemingly utopian world, the protagonist has access to memories of the past and is faced with immense pain and the deep knowledge of their dystopian world.
By Aashini Rastogi2 years ago in BookClub
7 Benefits of Reading
7 Benefits of Reading 1. Enhances Cognitive Abilities: Reading regularly stimulates various cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and critical thinking. It helps to improve reasoning skills, problem-solving abilities, and the overall functioning of the brain.
By Thanda Shabalala2 years ago in BookClub
#Norsevember
Do you read Norse books? Then I'm happy to introduce Norsevember, a reading event in which we talk about, recommend, read and review Norse inspired books! Started by Alex of Spells and Spaceships in 2020, it was born after he thought to dedicate a month to read and review Norse books, and others on Twitter expressed their enthusiasm to do the same.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
How to become a good witch
"To earth, sky and the universe, astrology, cosmology, alchemy and magickal spells we offer thanks. Gifts of prophesy, midwifery, soul retrieval and clairvoyance, now attend. Unto us impart your spiritual advice, blessings and knowledge".
By Novel Allen2 years ago in BookClub
"Mastering Short Story Magic"
Salutations, and welcome to this enlightening expedition into the intricacies of crafting short stories. If you've ever found yourself entangled in the enigma of weaving a truly satisfying short narrative or felt overwhelmed by the mosaic of diverse and sometimes contradictory advice, rest assured that your sentiments are shared by many. In this profound exploration, we shall peel back the layers of prevalent misconceptions that may have acted as restraints on your creative aspirations, and we shall journey deeper into the core facets of successful short story composition.
By Alisa İnnokate2 years ago in BookClub
"The Art of Laughter: Unearthing Comedy in Everyday Life"
"Have you ever taken notice of how numerous jokes commence with the phrase, 'Have you ever noticed?' And what's up with, 'What's the deal?' There's an abundance of humor hidden in the everyday, mundane aspects of life that we usually overlook. So, if you're aiming to inject some levity into your tale, presentation, or screenplay, here are a few tips and techniques for unearthing the comical. All exceptional storytelling, comedy writing included, is made up of a handful of fundamental ingredients: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Writers have been probing these questions since at least the 1st century BC, and none of them can be addressed with a mere 'yes' or 'no.' They crave details, and the more precise those details are, the more amusing the narrative becomes. Let's kick off with the 'who,' the comical character. Think about the books, TV shows, and films that tickle your funny bone. They typically feature amusing archetypes. The know-it-all, the endearing underdog, the terrible boss, the neurotic, the scatterbrain. Interestingly, these are all stock characters hailing from Commedia Dell'Arte, the artistic comedy of the late Renaissance Italy, and they've yet to lose their charm. The Commedia principle for crafting comedic characters is simple: find the flaw, then magnify it. Alternatively, you can experiment with opposites. When the smartest person in the room commits the silliest blunder, or the goofball outsmarts the genius, our laughter is triggered because we didn't anticipate it. The ancient Greek humorist Aristotle is reputed to have asserted, 'The key to humor is surprise.' This surprise, or incongruity theory of humor, posits that we laugh at things that appear out of place or defy our expectations, such as a frog dating a pig, a lizard peddling insurance, a baby grooving to disco, a nun dancing to disco, or a feline showcasing any disco-related moves. Actually, just a baby, a nun, or a cat doing pretty much anything, especially involving disco. One fun way to identify incongruities is by forming connections, literally drawing them in a mind map. Begin small; select a word, let's say 'pickle,' jot it down, and then as swiftly as possible, establish connections. What do pickles bring to mind? Who savors pickles? What cherished pickle-related recollections from childhood do I have? Another excellent method for generating comedic content is shifting from observation to imagination. Transition from 'what is' to 'what if.' For instance, what if instead of a horse, you had a pair of coconuts? Now, envision some memorable moments in history, literature, or film and consider how they'd unfold if coconuts were involved. Allow your imagination to run wild, even if an idea seems overdone, too apparent, or just plain daft, jot it down nonetheless. What seems evident to you might not be to someone else, and the most foolish idea could unexpectedly turn out to be the cleverest. Speaking of real-life absurdities, have you ever noticed how much comedy revolves around the exasperating, infuriating, and mortifying experiences we encounter? Will Rogers once quipped, 'Everything is funny as long as it happens to somebody else.' So, if you're having a dreadful morning, imagine it happening to a character you're crafting, and by the afternoon, you might have a humorous story to tell. After you've delineated your characters and plot, here are a few swift and simple comedy writing techniques to make them sizzle. The 'rule of three' or 'zig-zag.' Experiment with setting up an anticipated pattern (zig-zig), then subvert it (zag). A rabbi, a priest, and a coconut stroll into a bar. The 'punchline rule' suggests placing your punchline at the end of the sentence. A rabbi, a priest, and a coconut sashay into a disco. This leads us to the 'rule of K.' For some reason, words with a 'k' sound tend to tickle our ears and are deemed comical. Coconut, disco, pickles, crickets? Well, we don't always elicit a chuckle. Humor is subjective, comedy is an experiment, and writing is all about revising. Keep on trying. Discover the imperfections, uncover the details, introduce incongruities, incorporate 'k' words, and bear in mind the most pivotal rule for crafting comedy: relish the process. As Charles Dickens once mused, 'There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.' And disco."
By Alisa İnnokate2 years ago in BookClub
Ant Vision: Shedding Light on Their Visual World
Ants are fascinating creatures that have evolved over millions of years to become highly specialized and successful insects. One common question that often arises when discussing ants is whether they have eyes. The answer to this question is somewhat complex, as it depends on the specific ant species and their role within the colony. In general, ants do possess visual organs, but the nature and functionality of these organs can vary significantly.
By Alexander jackson2 years ago in BookClub
The Syrian Child's Hope: A Tale of Resilience
Once upon a time, in the war-torn city of Aleppo, there lived a Syrian child named Ahmed. His childhood was far from ordinary, for he had grown up amidst the chaos and destruction of the Syrian civil war. Despite the challenges, Ahmed's spirit remained unbroken, and he held onto a glimmer of hope that shone even in the darkest of times.
By Alexander jackson2 years ago in BookClub
