Daily Haiku Project

I have always admired people who actually complete 356 challenges. I tried to do a photography one last year, but there’s only so many ways I could be inspired in my little city walking to and from work everyday.

So this year I decided to make myself do a writing project and I set my sights on the haiku. I figured a small, compact poem that I could write in its entirety would be better than say, making myself write 100 words or something each day.

I wasn’t sure I could pull it off for a week let alone all year, but day by day I kept going and yesterday I posted number 50.

I’m pretty proud of myself to be honest so I’m sharing this milestone here. I’ve been sharing my haikus daily on twitter (@nucosi) and instagram (@haikosia) where the project has also taken on a daily photographic element. Below are a few of my favourites, if you like them please consider following my socials and say hi.

Eight.

Returning alone

To our home that’s half empty

Until you get there

Sixteen.

Spend time in silence

And when the world is quiet

Listen to your heart

Twenty Five

Taking a small step

Is better than none at all

It will slowly build

Thirty Two

A late night snow fall

Blankets the world in quiet

And brightens your smile

Forty Three

Back to the water

The waves have calmed and I too

Now the storm has gone

Book Review • GHOST

GHOST, the latest UK release from Jason Reynolds (the whole series is already out in America), is the first of four parts about group of kids on a track team. Castle Cranshaw, or Ghost as he likes to be called, has some serious natural talent but a short temper and a past nipping at his heels. If he can keep himself together and stay out of trouble he might just make a name for himself.

This is one of those rare books that actually deserves the ‘I couldn’t put it down’ claim. From page one Reynolds has crafted one of the most compelling voices in fiction that I’ve read for quite some time. Ghost’s personality springs from the page; he’s cool and aloof, masking that intense rage and passion many of us experience in our teenage years, he’s kind, genuine, ambitious and also flawed. This is a book unlike anything I have ever read in middle grade, and a story that is sorely needed, there is a lot here for children and adults to enjoy.

Reynolds is fast becoming one of my favourite writers working today and I honestly cannot wait for the next instalments of this series.

A side note shout out needs to go to Knights Of for bringing GHOST to the UK, they are a fantastic publisher dedicated to diversity, inclusivity and simply making books better. As a kid I would basically buy any record put out on Saddle Creek because most of the bands I loved were on that label, so anything I didn’t know was bound to be great. Knights Of are my Saddle Creek of kid’s books, everything they have put out into the world so far has been gold so I highly recommend you keep an eye on what they’re putting out. With every release Knights Of are making the book market better, more diverse and generally more awesome.

January Catch Up

It’s that time again where I dust off the blog and profess that this time I’ll stick to it. The truth is, I kind of have been just not here in this space. I’ve been way more productive over on my instagram stories feed. I’m going to try to migrate back here though a little too. I’ll still be talking about books and my writing and sharing poems and photos and whatever else, so I hope you’ll stick around. You can also follow my instagram if you like, I post way more regularly there and engage with people more too, I’m at @nucosia.

So to get things going again I’ll do a few catch up posts, looking back at January.

Big thing is that I’ve moved. I’m now living in Brighton. Moving somewhere new, fully living with my girlfriend and making somewhere a home has been incredible for my mental health, my creativity and basically everything. I have been working more consistently and also experimenting with different outlsets this past month and hopefully that will continue.

My main outlets this past month have been a significant increase in photography output, reading a LOT more, and also a daily project for the year of writing haikus (more about the books and haikus tomorrow or something), but for now, here’s some of my favourite photos from the last month.

Thanks for sticking with me, those of you that have, and welcome to anyone new reading this.

An Ode to Books

---

Ah books

You taught me how to cook how and see and how to love

You bestowed wisdom from above from time and space and gave me a place

A place to call my own in this world I built alone

out of your pages marked with ink.

And I don’t think that I’ll ever read all I want to but I surround myself with you as a comfort

and you make me feel hopeful.

Hopeful that the world is not all doom and gloom that magic can bloom in my mind if I just open you up

And read.

---

This is an old poem I wrote and performed earlier this year but have never shared otherwise. All the stuff I’ve been working on lately is in no shape to share so I thought I’d dig this one up.

Book Review · Pages & Co

Pages & Co

by Anna James

---

This, is the best book I have read this year.

It is going to be quite hard to express just how marvellous this book is because it is the special kind of marvellous, of magic, that has to be experienced to be believed. The one thing I can tell you in no uncertain terms is that, if you read this book you will never forget it.

Pages & Co is about a girl called Tilly who loves books. She spends her summer days reading in hidden corners of her grandparents bookshop, dreaming of the characters and places within. One day she starts spotting familiar characters wandering through the bookshop and then Alice comes strolling right out of Wonderland and changes everything.

I absolutely fell in love with this book. Anna James renders Alice and Anne (of Green Gables) so perfectly it feels like they literally jumped out of their own books and into this one. The adventure Tilly and her pal Oskar embark on is full of intrigue, magic, suspense and a whole lot of literary references. By the end of this book I promise you will have a whole new ‘To Read’ list.

Pages & Co is quite simply the best thing about books, while simultaneously being about the best thing about books: the joy and magic of reading is celebrated and encouraged on every page. This book is going to be huge.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced proof copy of Pages & Co but the Hardback that will be released September 18th is stunning and I highly recommend pre–ordering one. I have.