Tag: book lover

Reading Update

Today I thought that it would be nice to share what I am currently reading and some of the books that I am excited about. During the summer I got a bit lost in a pile of books and usually I keep track of them all but actually I forgot where I put a few of them and now I need to play catch-up.

One such example is a non-fiction book by Matt Haig, called ‘The Comfort Book.’ Having read a few of Matt’s previous non-fiction books I knew that this would be interesting. Written in short chapters or segments, it is a positive book which is full of hope. In line with ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’, it analyses modern life and finds ways to really make you ponder and value everyday routines.

Another book I had started was ‘Flat Share’ by Beth O’Leary. A colleague lent me this in June and I have only just got back to reading it. What a great idea for a novel! A guy is looking for more income and rents out his flat, knowing that he is never there at night. The catch is that whoever rents the flat has to share the same bed as him. In theory the two residents will hardly ever meet.

People think it is strange that I have different books on the go all the time but usually I keep up with them all. Hopefully when I complete these two I can get back to my normal pattern of having a YA book, a contemporary, a biography and something lighter to read. I like dedicating different times to each. For example, a contemporary drama is ideal before bed.

Alongside these I am deeply into ‘Apples Never Fall’ by Liane Moriarty and have a brand new copy of ‘Heartstopper’ by Alice Oseman. With this one, I wanted to see what a web comic looked like as I had heard a lot of good things about her work on this porject. Both of these writers are talented and create stories that are very easy to become drawn into.

Anyway, enough of me babbling on. I wonder what books you are currently immersed in. Let me know in the comments or share your thoughts about the two books I signposted. For more about another book that I recently enjoyed, click here.

Reading Update

At the start of Blogtober, as the weather finally begins to turn autumnal and we prepare for a global summit on Climate Change, I have plenty to blog about. Although I may not manage a post every single day in October, I will do my best to share book and TV reviews as well as talk about environmental news.

There are so many things going on right now and I am totally enjoying my life and its challenges. Balancing work, blogging, doing up my house and trying to get back to social things, I am really appreciating the pandemic downturn.

I have finally got around to catching up on my reading, which is great because I have such a massive collection of new books to read and many more I want to order in future. This is not so much a TBR list as a ramble about books that I am in the middle of and currently finding intriguing.

Love Creekwood by Becky Albertalli

This book is downloaded onto my Apple Books .

You may know that recently I have come to be impressed with this clever and creative writer who first caught my attention with the YA book (and film), ‘Love Simon’. Since then I have totally loved reading ‘Leah on the Offbeat’ as reviewed here.

‘Love Creekwood’ is written entirely as emails back and forth between the main characters from the previous books: Simon, Abby, Leah and Bram. Having all gone to University, they are now testing their relationships and telling the story of how their adventures continue. It is so far very compelling and funny and heart-warming. I really need to spend some time bringing it to an ending, but part of me doesn’t want to, as I have no idea if I will read about these characters ever again. I hope that Becky carries on telling their stories as I am fully invested.

Different Class by Joanne Harris

Following on from ‘Gentlemen and Players’.

Joanne has a way of drawing you into her stories quite quickly. ‘Gentlemen and Players’ definitely impressed me with its short, sharp chapters and unpredictable outcome. This one is set in the same public school, St Oswald’s, which is steeped in tradition, history and controversy. A former student is now headteacher and Latin teacher, Roy Straitley, can sniff out trouble. I cannot wait to find out where the dramatic setup will lead to this time around.

So welcome to Blogtober where I hope to engage with more readers and share more information about the environment, whilst celebrating wonderful books and TV shows. Feel free to comment below what you are reading and consider following my blog and helping me build a platform.

What Makes You Read On?

Earlier today I was discussing what challenges can make readers not want to carry on with a story. Of course, I was trying to get to the bottom of why some students give up so easily on classic books, but this subject applies to everyone. So I decided to start the conversation here on my blog too.

What are the things that turn you off from a book? Are there any particular features that drive you mad?

Does book length matter?

Are you one of those people who likes shorter books? What would it take to get you reading something longer?

For me, I lean towards books of about 200 pages but happily read 500 page books by reputable authors like Joanne Harris and Liane Moriarty.

Are conversations better than exposition?

Big books or little ones?

Do you prefer books that have more speech than description? Or are you more inclined towards epic books that go to town on detailed descriptions in meaty paragraphs?

Lately I have read a few YA stories which include a large amount of dialogue. However, I also read a lot of first person books that have a lot of internal dialogue alongside plenty of description.

Does ‘Ye Olde’ English put you off?

Are you quickly losing interest in a book because the lingo is from the 1800s? Do you prefer modern colloquialisms?

I sometimes find classic books which are fairly old can be tricky to read. This is largely because they take longer to read as I have to double read some sentences due to the complex structure and historic vocabulary. Equally, I prefer when an author uses language cleverly rather than using lazy, modern slang and overly plain sentences.

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this matter. What makes you put a book down? Please comment your ideas underneath.

If you enjoy this type of bookish post perhaps consider following my blog. For a similar post click here.