Sarah Hargreaves

Writing, Reading and Listening

recent posts

  • The Wasp Factory (reread #2)

    I actually really like this book. Sure, there are things about it that are screwed up but isn’t that the point?

    I’ve read reviews saying, ‘this is mad wtf?’ And I’ve read reviews saying, ‘Is that it? I was expecting more madness’ so it goes to show you can’t really keep everyone happy. 

    I think there’s obvious darkness, but humour in it too, and creating empathy for a character who casually admits to killing 3 children is just good writing and character development. What do I know eh? I’m certainly not book editor but I won’t give spoilers, mainly because I’m desperate for my boyfriend to read this book so I’ve gotten good at keeping the spoilers in.

    Has anyone read any other Iain Banks? I want to give them a go.

  • I believe in UFOs

    What’s your favorite candy?

    The sugar paper filled with sherbert space invader/UFOs/space ships sweets are the best!

    Partly because I love breaking them in half and filling my mouth with sherbert and partly because nobody else i know likes them so I get them all to myself!

    Yum!

  • Lord of the Flies (reread #1)

    I decided to kick off my ascent out of the romantic pit that I have fallen into I am doing some rereads.

    I heard on the radio an interview with the director of a bbc adaptation of Lord of the Flies and remembered I had it on my bookshelf so thought I would start there.

    And ohh emm gee, i know it’s short but I read it in less than 48 hours. I also decided to read an analysis of it so I can actually appreciate what the author was trying to do. Turns out I didn’t need that because I got it, the message does punch you in the face.

    Also, with my mindless reading of romantasy I’ve realised I skim read alot and am often thinking about other stuff whilst I’m reading. To combat this I’ve started annotating, I can’t physically bring myself to write in my book but have started sticking tabs with random thoughts. My thoughts are most likely bullshit but it did force me to be less passive. See book tabs below. What are people’s thoughts on this tabbing stuff? Helpful or gimmick?

  • My own brain

    Do you need a break? From what?

    Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts. Always so many thoughts.

  • No, Tim Berners-Lee, I do not choose you

    The most important invention in your lifetime is…

    I point blank refuse to say the Internet because whilst it is important and does a lot of good it has done a lot of harm as well.

    So, I’m going to say the reading light I can read my book without the overhead light on without straining my eyes. It’s great and brings joy and I would deem anything that brings joy as the most important.

    It’s occurred to me that may have been invented before I was born so if not that then any invention that helps women feel safe.

    FYI tim berners lee invented the world wide Web

  • Consistency is key

    After my super proud post of 46 days of consecutive yoga I am now feeling like a gigantic fraud.

    I have been ill, had to take time off work and haven’t done yoga for 4 days!

    In my defence I haven’t been able to breathe through my nose much either but it is still very frustrating.

    I’m hoping I can get back into the rhythm of it when I’m feeling better after such a promising start.

    In fact, not doing any form of exercise for well over a week now is having a severe effect on my mental health and it really brings to light how much I rely on it to make me feel good.

    Hopefully this weekend I can get myself back to full health and feeling ready to take on the world again.

    Consistency is key and i need to get it back.

  • It happens most weekends!

    Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.

    7.30am a cup of tea brought to me in bed

    8.30am take the dog out for an hour walk

    10am tea, breakfast, pancakes/bacon sandwich not fussy

    11am yoga, ideally outside

    12pm go swimming

    2pm lunch

    3pm read a book, do some pottery, mooch around the house doing bits and bobs

    4pm take the dog out again

    6pm have dinner cooked and washed up by the other half

    8pm hang out playing games, watching tv

    10pm bed

    I’m a simple person

  • Reflecting on what’s important

    How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?

    Despite only being in my 30s I can reflect and recognise that with each new decade one’s priorities do shift. What was important to me at 15, is different at 25, is different at 35 and I’m sure will be different in the subsequent years.

    As we age our perspective on life is constantly shifting, but is that due to time or is it due to having more experience and thus more opportunity for significant life events?

    Would I feel this lack of ambition for my career, lack of desire to have a family or even a social life if my mum hadn’t died? I think not. Her death made me recognise that my career wasn’t that important to me, I could never approach motherhood without her support and some of my friends weren’t there for me in the way I thought they’d be.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not unhappy. The life i have carved out for myself is good, but perhaps not what 15 year old me imagined.

  • Cleaning the car

    Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

    I hate cleaning the car. I have a dog, she wrecks it. It’s covered in dog hair and mud and I don’t want to clean it. No more to be said.

  • 46 days of yoga

    I am very much a beginner in the ‘yoga space’.

    I have bought the books and tried to learn more about the spiritual practice, not just the physical asanas but to be honest I am not a spiritual person so I am finding that bit tricky.

    But, I am very much enjoying the physical aspect of creating a habit. I have scoured the internet for people starting out in yoga being lumpy and uncoordinated only to find after a few years of doing yoga they are svelte, graceful and swanlike. Despite the multitude of yoga progress videos out there I am yet to find any where they started like me! So, I am to be the first.

    Downward Dog – knees bent, heels off the floor

    I have bought myself a 90s camcorder, hence the grainy footage. I hate using my phone for all these kinds of things so that is why the camcorder – plus I wanted to video myself to see if any of the poses actually look what they are supposed to, spoiler alert – they don’t.

    Here’s a couple of screenshots of the videos to whet your appetite. Whilst I am on day 45 of a consecutive yoga practice, this is a lifelong journey so these are still very much ‘before’ shots.

    Pigeon – that front knee is not at 90 degrees.