Lisa’s bookshelf: currently-reading
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Author: Writer Lisa Toddun Bell
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Lisa’s books
Athens, Acropolis, Amphitheatre
Taking some time out to reflect within -Sukhasana
Warning Novel under Construction
It takes time to build a novel and my first novel is under construction.
The psychological sturdiness for me is having to redraft in a new point of view and it is a steep climb.
“It has been argued that half the skills a writer need to learn are skills of psychological sturdiness, and the other half are skills of literary craft” David Morley
Short Story Collection 2017-2018
Over the next 12 months I am working on a collection of short stories as part of my commitment at the Creative Hub 30 week advanced fiction course with John Cranna.
While in Greece this year I walked a long narrow track to Homers Tomb on the island of Ios. It was there, as I gazed at thousands of cairns and built my own that I decided that each stone would represent a story.
Stacking of stones lies here as thousands of monuments across a vast open space for those who pass by, in honour of Homer and perhaps humble altars to celebrate his life and lasting influence to literature. Or maybe it is a simple sign of connection for those that visit as they gaze out from the high cliffs to the sea in an ordinary display of thanks and gratitude.
Like a simple pile of rocks each of my stories is about ordinary people in ordinary lives and we get a glimpse of how fragile and complicated the human life is, dependent on the view from which it is witnessed. Most of the others are building mountains with their epic novels.
I am building little rocks and stacking ordinary moments of life as a monument to the small stories and the ground upon which they stand. Its the small moments that witnessed individually and collectively have big impacts that can leave a lasting impression on our soul.
Advanced 30 week Fiction course – Creative Hub
Story Telling for HR
It was an honour to present at the Elephant HR Inspiration Day in Auckland on the 25th October on the value of Storytelling for HR. Who tells stories, how they tell them, what they say and what the impact is!
Building your own narratives can have a lasting effect on your businesses bottom line and reinforce your values and mission.
A Good Fall – Ha Jin
In his first book of stories since The Bridegroom, National Book Award-winning author Ha Jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of Chinese immigrants in America.
A lonely composer takes comfort in the antics of his girlfriend’s parakeet; young children decide to change their names so they might sound more “American,” unaware of how deeply this will hurt their grandparents; a Chinese professor of English attempts to defect with the help of a reluctant former student. All of Ha Jin’s characters struggle to remain loyal to their homeland and its traditions while also exploring the freedom that life in a new country offers.
Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, A Good Fall reminds us once again of the storytelling prowess of this superb writer.
The Wish Child
Amazon Review – “An incredible piece of writing…takes us inside the minds of the children and their families with such tenderness, humanity and psychological astuteness that it creates an understanding of why they loved and followed Hitler.” * New Zealand Listener * “Compellingly gentle and empathetic…one of our ‘must read’ novelists. It is a book difficult to put down and deserving of more than one reading.” * Otago Daily Times (NZ) * “A brilliant novel, with a cohesive and persuasive vision of human beings under stress, a subtle prose-style and a major grasp of things that really matter.” * Reid’s Reader blog (NZ) * “I love this book… I love the way, at this critical point in the world, when fundamental human values are violated, The Wish Child reminds us with grace and understated wisdom of a need to strive for universal good. I ached as I read. This novel is unmissable.” * Stuff (NZ) * “This novel is remarkable for its authenticity, this is a fiercely determined act of imagining… Heart-rending.” * North and South (NZ) *
