What's on my Bedside TBR (To Be Read) and Why

My bedside table pile is getting a little out of hand and has spilled over onto the floor. Here is a list of books I have on my bedside TBR and how they ended up there (don't get me started on the bookshelf!).

My growing TBR (there are more in my bookcase)

First, let's get real here. I took the photo at an odd angle so you don't see the messy bed, pile of shoes, and other crap I've got lying around. There was a mirror in that gap between the bedside table and the wall and I moved it to vacuum behind it. That's as far as I got. The mirror is now in front of my wardrobe, the space is still unvacuumed, and now there are books in the way... I really should get out the vacuum cleaner lol.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to go through some of the books that I have on my TBR and how they got there. Some have been sitting there for quite a while, and some are new additions - Let's do it!

• The Lady's Mine - Francine Rivers I read and really enjoyed Redeeming Love last year, so a beautiful friend of mine gifted me this Francine Rivers book for my birthday. I don't know anything about it, I can't even remember what the blurb says, but I am looking forward to reading it.

• The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver This is the story of a preacher's family moving to Africa in the late 1950s. I am probably a quarter of the way through this hefty tome, but I stopped reading it before Christmas. I was enjoying it, but I had books from the library that I prioritised because they have due dates and this one doesn't, and I haven't gone back to it... yet. I will though.

• The Red Tent - Anita Diamant I picked this book up from an opp shop because I know that it is a bestselling must-read for women and I think it has something to do with periods. Yeah, that's all I know. I was actually really excited to find it and am looking forward to getting around to reading this one. Eventually.
  

Two similarly-coloured books I will definitely get around to reading!

• Travelling Mercies - Anne Lamott I absolutely LOVED Anne's book Bird by Bird but haven't read anything else that she has written. I picked this one up at a book fair simply because it was written by Anne Lamott.

• Lazarus is Dead - Richard Beard I had a go at writing my own retelling/reinterpretation of the biblical story of Eve and picked this book up because it is trying to do the same sort of thing with the story of Lazarus. I am interested to see how this author deals with a biblical retelling. Not sure if I'm comforted by the fact that reviews for this book are mixed. I'm thinking that I might be biting off more than I can chew by attempting any biblical retellings (I'll be writing more about my experience in my next newsletter).

• Truly, Madly, Guilty - Liane Moriarty I enjoyed reading Nine Perfect Strangers a couple of years ago and picked this book up because it is written by the same author. (Worth noting that I did NOT love the Nine Perfect Strangers TV series. I might've if I hadn't read the book first though lol). No idea what this book is about. Looks like crime or mystery, which I don't usually read, but for a couple of bucks, I couldn't pass it by.

• Love in English - Maria E Andreu When I paid for this book the lady told me that it was a children's book, which has perplexed me ever since. It is not. It seems to be a love story that deals with learning English and attempting to understand the meaning of the words we use and misuse. I must confess that it was the colourful cover that drew me in.

• Phosphorescence - Julia Baird I started listening to this book on Audible but wasn't enjoying it. I thought it would be better to read on paper, so I snatched it up when I saw it and am hoping that I love it more when I get to read it myself. This book has also been fairly popular and has a pretty cover that lured me in. It combines two of my favourite things: nature and personal development, so I really think that I should love this one.

• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte I want to read more classics. It has over 2 MILLION ratings on Goodreads and the majority are 5-stars. Now that is a solid book that I can learn from.

• The Patterson Girls - Rachael Johns I follow Rachael on socials. She is an Aussie author who does things right! I look up to her, her realness, and her solid reader base. I borrowed The Work Wives from the library last year with a bunch of other books and didn't get around to reading it before it was due back. I've been meaning to read a Rachael Johns book for a while. Can't wait to delve into this contemporary Aussie romance (a genre that Rachael is well known for dominating).

• The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan I read this about 20 years ago. I thought that I remembered enjoying it, so I borrowed it from the library. I was wrong. It's not an easy read for me. I'm about halfway through and have already had one renewal. I am almost certain that I am going to abandon this one and it will end up as a DNF (did not finish).

• The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (The graphic novel version) This was a Christmas gift so it's been sitting there for a few months now. I read the non-graphic novel version of The Alchemist with Miss 12 last year, so I keep putting this one off. Occasionally I pick it up and read a few pages, but I try to get through it too quick and end up trying to read it like a novel and not look at the pictures, so I'll keep pushing it aside until I feel like I have the time to give it the attention that it needs.

There you have it. For those with keen eyes, there are a few others in the piles - one of mine that I need to edit, and a handful of non-fiction, but this lot will keep me going for quite a while (plus the two I have on hold from the library).

So many good books and such little time to read them.

What's on your TBR?

Love, Marley x

Branding Marley - Creating a Brand

Attempting to summarise what Marley Betts is all about. Hang on... What the heck am I all about?!

Err... okay, here's where I'm going to summarise what the Marley Betts 'brand' is all about. But WHY?

Who cares about creating a brand and what it is all about, right? Yeah, I thought so too, but after some recent feedback, I have been encouraged to think about my target audience again and what my work is all about. I have been very reluctant to restrict myself to one writing genre, so I most definitely want my brand to be flexible, non-restrictive and encompass all of my random and impulsive creative endeavours.

Cool. Good start.

On the flip side, what I have written in the past is definitely:

• Contemporary

• Women's Fiction

So, my brand should be modern and feminine - focussed on women.

That part is easy.

Now, I also like to think that my writing has been a little bit

• Earth/Nature loving and respecting

• Spiritual/philosophical
  

Messy, imperfect, creative, and colourful - tick!

It cares about the stuff that matters.

What else do I want people to think of when they think about 'Marley Betts' the brand?

I want it to be:

• Empowering

• Colourful, and

• Imperfect

Yes! Now we're getting somewhere.

I want it to be for all the:

• Women desiring genuine, deep connection

• Messy mums (who adore their kids but still hover either side of the burnout line - Hello Mum Feelz)

• Real women (without Insta-perfect lives)

• Creative thinkers

• The quirky, introverted, book-loving overthinkers

And here's where I go, "Yeah, that sounds great, but how do I use that?"

Answer:

• Rebranding, and

• Writing with purpose - for those people

So, I'm starting to get a bit of an idea of what I am all about and who I am writing for, and you may notice a little rebranding as we move forward.

Things are going to get a little bit more colourful, fun, creative and imperfect.

How exciting!!

This blog post has pretty much been just me sharing my thinking. It has no agenda, but if you like books, check mine out HERE.

Much love,

Marley x

Pondering 23 of Life's Big Questions

Some (not all) of the big questions that I have been thinking about lately - from God and ghosts, to social awkwardness and honey drips.

Dripping honey bucket = sticky mess

• Was the living Jesus really the son of God? And is he up there wondering whether it was worth dying to save us? Surely he's up there just constantly rolling his eyes.

• How do I stop my bucket of honey from dripping on my pantry shelf? The simple answer is to not buy the buckets and instead spend more on the squeezy thing

• Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? In the words of Nelly, "It wasn't me"

• Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side isn't really an answer. It's the equivalent of, "because I said so." Where was she going?

• Why do I keep doing the things that I don't want to, while not doing the things that I do want to do? Ugh (Paul's books are my favourite)

• Why am I so socially awkward? Double ugh (Is it all in my head, or am I genuinely as socially awkward as I feel?)

• What happens when we die? No, really

• Are there ghosts/spirits? Can our deceased loved ones really watch over us? Are we being watched all of the time? Wouldn't the spirit world be getting kinda crowded? Do they fight over who they get to watch that day?

• Why do red M&Ms taste the best? and why do they even bother making brown ones?

• How do I sell more books? Seriously

• What damage is my parenting doing to my children? Sorry, kids

• How many ants are there in the world? A lot

• Who murdered the dude in Larrimah? I love Australia (If you haven't seen Last Stop Larrimah, then I highly recommend it)

• Is there anyone who genuinely never picks their nose? Really? And does it actually increase the risk of dementia?

• How much longer do we have until WWIII? This is one of the huge and genuinely terrifying questions knocking around my head these days. What does our future hold?... hang on...

• What does our future hold? Better. Atomic bombs? What will my kids experience?

• Why do we keep killing our planet? (see above question) How is money ever more important?

• Is Trump going to get reelected?

Errr

• Is midday 12 am or pm? I always forget

• Do our dreams mean anything? Coz some of mine are a little weird

• Should I bother calling someone to finally stop the split system from dripping on the carpet whenever we use the cooling? Or are the three buckets against the wall just fine for the 10 days a year we actually use it? And why is this my second question about drips?

• Public, private, or home school?

• Novated lease or buy outright?
  

Which of life's big questions have you been pondering lately? I'd love to know!

Love, Marley x