Wednesday 7 November 2018

The Return of Readabilitea

So it turns out that juggling a full-time job, an MA dissertation, and fun things like reading and blogging is pretty hard. Who knew?

But I'm back from the unplanned 3 month hiatus and I'm pumped. Firstly, it's winter which means colder weather, bigger jumpers, and Christmas. Secondly, I have time. Such a novelty! I can read what I like when I like and I'm able to jump right back into all that fun stuff I missed out on.

Whilst I'm not starting afresh as such, I have removed a lot of my posts from the past two years. This is because in the last year, they've been a bit half-arsed and also some of the older ones aren't posts I'd post now or they're in dire need of updating. I've kept some of the most popular ones, such as my bookish guide to York, as well as the Publishing MA series, but other than that it's time for brand new content.

To bring you up to speed with my reading life in the last 3 months, here are the books I have read (left) and the books I have bought (right).


Dissertation certainly slowed down my reading dramatically, but that didn't mean I wasn't able to squeeze in some absolute gems into my free time. Sally Rooney knocked it out the park with Normal People, a book which, ever since putting down I've wanted to pick up again. Circe has actually managed what I thought was impossible and has gotten me interested in classical civilisation and made me want to read texts like The Odyssey and The Iliad. Finally, Diary of a Bookseller is a fantastic book about the realities of the post-Amazon bookselling world. It's hilarious and heartwarming and reminded me of the exact reasons I went into bookselling in the first place.

Whilst my reading pace slowed down, my book buying didn't. I do have the excuse that it was my birthday and I went to Bath specifically to visit bookshops. It also doesn't help being surrounded by amazing books all day, making staff discounts all too appealing. High up on the priority list is Everything Under by Daisy Johnson, Crudo by Olivia Laing, and Outline by Rachel Cusk. 

If I have any chance of reducing my TBR drastically before Christmas, I need to check myself. I've been doing quite well at reading books bought this year, but there are many books on my TBR from years ago which are just sat, festering. Over the next month, I'm going to try and make them more of a priority/have a long, hard look at my books and try to be honest with myself re: what I actually want to read.

In short, I am back. Expect reviews, photos that try to defy basement flat lighting, and general bookish ramblings to ensue.