First.

Tomorrow is The Big Bad Booklist's First Birthday!

Not on this exact blog (it humbly began on Tumblr), but the concept was born almost exactly a year ago and I've got to admit I couldn't be happier about it. I never ever thought I'd still be doing this a year on and that I'd still be enjoying it as much as I do. I'm forever getting bored with things and I find I've never really updated my blogs as much as I say I'm going to.
A huge thank you and masses of love going out to all of you who take the time to read my reviews and for the continued support, it really means the world to me.

My first ever reading challenge went incredibly well, 11 books over my target! (I tried to take a picture of them all. but they just wouldn't fit. I gave up.) I'll be raising the bar to 65 books in the coming year. It's still a massive challenge and a huge commitment but I feel it can still be accomplished.

I've had a lot of literary based opportunities in 2012, from participating in World Book Night to being in a reading group for The Guardian First Book Award. As well as reaffirming my love for the written word I have recently been getting to know the world of spoken word, which has been a real treat for me. I'm hoping that I have even more fantastic literary based memories in 2013, I have a few ideas hiding safely under my wizard's hat but more on that later.

I've received a fair few books over the Christmas period (some will technically be re-reads), so I already have a lot of ammunition for this coming reading challenge. I honestly can't wait! I'm so excited! Although, I really have no idea where I'm going to start.

Happy New Year, you fabulous, amazing, wonderfully inspiring people! I'll see you in 2013.
And as always, happy reading!

--Kaveeta.

Being Inspired.

I suppose I'll be using this space (on occasion) to shamelessly share some of my own creative writing, it won't be very often so you won't be tortured for long. I blame all the talent I've come across recently at a local spoken word night, Word Up- something I shall be mentioning again at some point in the coming week.

I found a poem I wrote at the tender age of 17, when I was inhabiting the lands of inexperience. It was half done, so I've taken the liberty today to complete (and improve) it. So, here goes. Enjoy, I guess.

***

It took less than a minute for my whole life to turn round;
Shackled and bound.

Shackled and bound?
You want me to--
Tie you down?
Tie you up.

You want me to--
Take your wrists
To tie them up, to tie them like this?

I let myself be pulled into a blood drawn kiss.
Your love, it was kind of like a fist.

We made quick work of turning turning pain into pleasure.
As sharp as a needled syringe.

Needled syringe?
No, as a whip, a paddle, a cut.
A butterfly stitch.
As sharp as a broken glass tumbler--

I may have held the key to your restraints
but it was your spell I was under.

It was becoming obsessive,
harder and harder not to miss.
Your love?
Well, it was kind of like a fist.

The problem was we weren't our only addiction.
I called us junkies--
You called it 'a most pleasurable affliction'.

Even when we were high,
a length of silk would bind together our wrists
Our love;
It was kind of like a fist.