I’m lucky enough to have spent the first two weeks of the New Year on honeymoon in Cornwall. It’s been blustery, wet and very brisk ( a Lincolnshire euphemism for those mornings when it’s so cold and the rain so hard that your face feels like it’s been pebble-dashed ). I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I love the brisk cold followed by a hot brew, a roaring fire and a good book. I love winter beaches and meeting other nutters out walking their dogs on New Year’s Day while the Atlantic batters the shore. It’s wild and beautiful. If I want something more sheltered and sedate we are no further away from the opposite coastline with it’s pretty coves, creeks and Daphne Du Maurier style private shingle beaches along the Helford River. There I can pretend to be the second Mrs De Winter, walking Jasper along the beach below Manderley. I’m also staying somewhere rather special – a place I’m going to tell you all about tomorrow. I’ve brought with me an iPad full of January book releases so I can get ahead of my blog tours, but also enjoy some NetGalley picks. Inevitably New Year gets us all thinking about how we’ve been living and the changes we might want to make. As regular readers know, I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions but I do have some thoughts about how I want my bookish adventures to continue.
1. Making more sensible reading choices – it’s so easy to be lured by blog tours and the organisers I work with do have some incredible titles coming up. However, the more blog tours I do the more my NetGalley list comes to a standstill and older books might never get a look-in. Despite my shelves groaning with second hand books I rarely find time to read one, having been lured away by shiny new releases. So I’m going to do a maximum of two blog tours per month so I can choose every other book I read. Whether it’s from NetGalley, my second hand purchases or the physical proofs I get sent it brings some freedom back to my reading. It’s so easy to get caught up in the race to get the newest proof or next year’s must have new book. I don’t want to lose the joy I’ve always had in reading and writing about books.
2. Writing About Second-Hand Books – I love to find an absolute bargain when browsing through the second-hand books and plan holidays around browsing some of my favourite second-hand haunts. A lot of people can’t afford the latest book, or the myriad of special editions that I’m susceptible to – honestly I need an addiction clinic for this particular vice. So I’m going to be featuring more of my charity shop bargains and recommending great second hand books to pop on your buying lists when you’re trawling Oxfam or some of the fantastic second hand haunts around the country. There are so many great reads out there and they don’t have to be the latest big thing.
3. Featuring ‘Gift’ Books – Like a lot of my bookish friends I received some brilliant books for Christmas and some were what I’d call ‘gift’ books. They might be a special copy of a novel, including illustrations or be a non-fiction subject I’m interested in. My other half knows I love books around creativity, fashion, Art Nouveau and the Pre-Raphaelite movements, well-being, animals, costumes for the theatre or ballet. Or very specifically I love Liverpool, Moomins, Chatsworth House and anything to do with Liberty. This Christmas I was treated to a beautiful gift edition of The Girl of Ink and Stars, a biography of Tove Jansson and her creation of the Moomins, a stunning book about Jane Austen’s wardrobe and another about using ‘free’ embroidery as a technique for improving well-being. I often think that I should photograph and share them with followers and I’m going to resolve to do it this year, maybe even use TikTok a little more.
4. Saying No – this is a tough one for a people pleaser, but I do feel the need to say no more often. This is about saying no and protecting my time to read and write first of all. It’s easy to get sidetracked by other people or housework. There’s also that difficulty all workers from home have, that because it isn’t paid work or just because you’re at home it’s okay to drop in unannounced. I’ve got to learn to say that I have a little work to do. If someone pays me a long afternoon visit and I have blog post imminent or have been on fire with my own writing, I have to make up those hours. I need to write that blog in the evening or hope that the inspiration has lasted. I do love people feeling able to pop in though so this is going to be a tough one to break. Also this links back to numbers 1 and 2 in that I will have to say no to some books this year too.
5. Book Sluttery – twenty years ago when I first met my late husband, Jez, I was catapulted into a different world when it came to money. I’d been skint most of the time, on disability benefits but doing up to ten hours a week of permitted work meant that I had to pay rent. Usually after bills, I had approximately £20 to cover food for me and my cats, then after that any sort of socialising or personal spending. His financial advisor came to see us after we moved in and I was utterly fascinated with the way he created a budget. I know you’re a bit of a film and book person so that needs to be factored into the budget. I explained that I usually only spent on myself after everything else was paid. He taught me that if I didn’t split whatever amount left I had into portions for each hobby, I would never do anything or I would overspend. He was right. So I have given myself a monthly book budget because we know I’m going to buy them, but at least I won’t be tempted into bookish incontinence. I remain a bookslut, just hopefully a more sensible one.
6. Championing My Own Writing – one of my most read blogs from last year was about what I called ‘literary glimmers’, those beautiful shining moments in a book where an incredible landscape transports you to another place, where an incredible first kiss whisks you back to a memorable moment, or where a truth becomes so evident you can’t ignore it. This year I’d like to write more blogs like that or maybe share some poetry. I’d like people to hear my narrative voice and see what they think. I’m not going to hide the fact I have a WIP.
7. More Focus on the Squad Pod Collective – you may or may not know that I am a member of the Squad Pod Collective. This group of bookish friends became very close during COVID, keeping a chat group running on Twitter and another on WhatsApp. It was mainly personal support while we all shielded, home-schooled and were furloughed. Of course the talk often did turn to books and now the Squad has developed enormously, having a monthly book club choices, read-alongs and author interviews which is really exciting. I’m hoping to be able to give more focus to the squad this year and join in more with online chats and read-alongs.
8. The Therapeutic Aspect of Books – I have until very recently, been studying for an MA in Creative Writing and Well-being. However earlier last year I had to accept that my health was deteriorating too much to continue. It was a sad choice, but I have MS and there are days every week where I don’t even end up out of pyjamas. Reading has always been my ally when I’m struggling and I can still read or write unless I’m feeling really unwell and have to take a complete break. I love keeping my brain active and learning is a big part of my life so I’ve signed up for online courses in writing and bibliotherapy. When counselling I’ve often recommended books to clients and I’m interested finding out more. There are no set deadlines and I can do as much as I want when I can, so it’s perfect for my up and down life. Im also going to share some therapeutic books with you and share what they’ve done for my health and well-being.
9. Sharing Great Book Haunts – wherever my husband and I go on holiday or weekend breaks I have to spend one day on a bookshop visit. I have a favourite haunt everywhere we go and I’d like to spend more time this year telling you all about them.
10. Saying Yes Too New Experiences – I suppose number 8 is part of this, but I think it’s unhealthy to be in a rut and never try anything new. So I’m going to say yes to things: meeting new book friends, trying some bookish events, finally learning how to use TikTok. I know health is going to dictate some of these, but I’m feeling determined!
So that’s just a few thoughts for my bookish year ahead and I’m excited about the amount of incredible books coming up. It seems that every year gets better and I have to spend a lot of December trying to wrangle a top 20 out of so many great reads. I’m looking forward to it. Let me know what you’re looking forward to this year or any changes you’re thinking of making to your blogging life.
The Lotus Readers 