Connections

In sixth form, me and a couple of friends were keen fantasy readers. We read so many series and would have animated discussions about these characters and worlds that we’d discovered. I still read predominantly fantasy now, but as I don’t get to see those friends as often, I don’t have as much opportunity to share my thoughts on these books.

Last week, one of these friends got in touch to recommend a fantasy book she’d read, and it was like regressing back to being 17 again. We set up a WhatsApp group for the three of us to have our own book club and share recommendations. I was honestly so happy. I couldn’t stop grinning at the thought of us 10 years on behaving exactly as we did at school and getting overexcited about a new series. To be fair, the WhatsApp currently consists of one friend who’s finished the series sending GIFs while she waits for us to read more, but it’s become a more communal experience all the same.

It’s precious, the excitement you can feel about sharing a book with someone else when you just know they’re going to love it too. At a time when we’re craving connection, sharing stories is special because books connect us so intimately. Whether it be fantasy or any genre, we build a world inside out head when reading and it’s a wonder to share it with someone else.

I don’t normally feel quite so philosophical about reading because it’s such a part of my life, what with working in publishing too. Perhaps I take it for granted. But this was a reminder of why I love this bookish life I’ve chosen. I hope you’ve found people to share stories with too.

The TBR pile’s time to shine

It’s been a while since I’ve been here and, like many people at the moment, I find myself with a little more free time and I’d really like to get back into sharing bookish thoughts here.

Like many book-lovers around the world, I’m trying to use this time to get through the ever-present TBR pile. It’s a great opportunity to read those hardbacks that you don’t want to have to carry around on your commute! Here’s a few that I’d like to get to:

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

I think that should be plenty to keep me going for now. If you’ve read any of these, please leave a comment with any thoughts as I’m not sure where to begin…! I’ve also pre-ordered a couple of books that are out in April and May, so I’ve got a few deliveries to look forward to. If you’re in the UK, I recommend checking out Hive.co.uk – they give a percentage of every sale to independent bookstores, so it’ll help support them at this time. Let me know what’s on your reading list for the next couple of months!

Another tip I have is to check out whether your library offers an audiobook or ebook lending service. My library uses an app called BorrowBox, and I’m getting audiobooks on that to listen to at the moment.

I’m working from home for the foreseeable future so my TBR pile is sat looking at me… I’m also hoping I can write here more and also do some creative writing. Anybody else have any bookish goals?

New year, new blog, right?

This will be a place for me to share my thoughts on books, reading and publishing. I’ll be writing about pretty much anything that takes my fancy.

To tell you a bit about me, I’m an editor of children’s educational books working in London. I’ll read anything but mostly it’s YA and Fantasy. I also love the odd bit of non-fiction. A few books I’ve enjoyed in 2018 are Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton and Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? by Holly Bourne. And just so we’re right up to speed, I’m just about to start reading Circe by Madeline Miller.

I thought I’d begin by stating my plan to not buy any books until February. No, seriously. I suffer from that common bookworm affliction of buying too many books and not reading them all. We all have books on our shelves that are yet to be read. Here are a few of mine that I really want to read.

Vox by Christina Dalcher
Misogynation by Laura Bates
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

So I’ve banned myself from buying books until 26 February. Why then? That’s because The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is published then. If you’ve not read her books, I really recommend them. The Bone Season is a fantastic series. It’s got great characters, a fast-paced plot and her world-building is second to none. This new book has dragons in it so I’m sold already.

Hopefully that gives you an idea of the sort of stuff I’ll be writing about here. Give me a shout if you’ve read any of the above or have recommendations!