Many people in the book world do these lists – but a lot of people do the amount of books that the year ends in, so this year it would be “22 books to read in 2022!”
I have a couple of questions about this. First of all, where does it stop? Are we going to be in 2079 writing posts about “79 books to read in 2079”? Secondly, how do you cope with the guilt when you don’t hit your own self-inflicted goal?
Continue reading “12 Books to Read in 2022! | 12 Days of Blogmas”
It’s the end of another month! And not only that, but the final month of the year…
December was a pretty good reading month for me, even though I did most of my reading during term time! I really began to fall back in love with reading after a slight slump in November, mostly due to mental health issues, but it sucked at the time. Still, it’s given me lots to look forward to.
Continue reading “December Wrap-Up and January TBR | 12 Days of Blogmas”
Before looking forward, the end of the year gives us a chance to reflect back on the past year – what went well, what didn’t, what we liked, disliked, and sometimes our goals change over just 12 months!
My reading goals for 2022 will be coming soon, but I thought I’d take the chance to day to look back at the ones I set all the way back in January.
Continue reading “Looking Back at my 2021 Reading Goals | 12 Days of Blogmas”
Twixmas n.
The time period between Christmas and New Years where you have lots of opportunity to sit around and read books.
I’ve heard a lot about “Twixmas” this year, mainly because my dad is obsessed with the word. I love Twixmas – we often don’t do much aside from going to look at Christmas lights, and it means I often have lots of time to read the pile of books I received for Christmas! Most people in my life know me as a huge book lover, which means that most presents I receive are something bookish related. I even received a book-themed soap from my work Secret Santa this year!
So obviously I had to start my 12 Days of Blogmas this year with a list of book recommendations!
For someone who loves epic tomes…
This one has to be Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. This book is chunky but is perfect for Twixmas as you probably have lots of undivided reading time! This epic fantasy novel has dragons and battles, and queens and heroes. I actually only got half way through this one before I put it down – not due to the novel but due to life happenings – so I think this might be the perfect time for me to start again!
For someone who loves reflective fiction…
I don’t read much adult fiction, but if you love it, you might be interested in Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. This book will make you feel sadness and joy, and reflect on your own life. It’s also the first in a series so there’s more to read if you enjoy it! This is a book you’ll want to read slowly to enjoy every moment of it.
For someone who loves to read about others…
For something delightfully Christmassy, Laurie Lee’s Down in the Valley is perfect. This is an adaptation of Lee’s BBC TV show, about his life and his memories of growing up in a valley. The acclaimed writer of Cider with Rosie takes us on a journey through his memories. I read this one in January 2021, and it was a great antidote to the cold outside!
For someone who loves a tear jerker…
Okay, Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk is one of my favourite books of the year. Every time I pick it up to flick through, I can’t help but let me eyes get glued to the page and sucked back into the world of the story. Every word has been meticulously picked without seeming like she tried too hard. The story will make you consider what you knew at twelve and what it means to you now. It will make you consider outsiders and insiders and everyone else you thought you knew.
For someone who loves accessible classics…
Howard’s End by EM Forster is accessible and desirable for anyone. This is proclaimed as his finest work (though I really enjoyed A Room with a View!) and follows three English families in the 1900s. I’ve not seen it, but I do know there is a TV adaptation too, so that might help with the long winter nights!
What books would you add to this list? I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and maybe pick up one of these books to add to your TBR for the Twixmas period!
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Until next time
Hannah x
I’d been in a put of a book slump, but the past couple of weeks has rejuvenated my love of literature, and has got me very excited to think about the books I’d love to get my mitts on!
Of course, I have tonnes of books unread on my shelves, but like any bookworm (read: hoarder) I am always looking for interesting new tomes to add to the list…
Continue reading “Books I’d Love to See Under my Christmas Tree!”
Though I am a lover of bookstores, physical pages, and libraries, I cannot deny that I love my Kindle. Yet when the first Kindle came out, I looked down my nose at it unhappily. Why, I thought, would anyone want to read on a screen when they could have the page?
My parents bought me a Kindle in 2015 (ish), when I was about 14, for Christmas. I did use it occasionally, but it mostly gathered dust in the corner of my room. I did enjoy being able to read documents on it, and bought many classics and free books from Amazon to one day consume (spoiler alert: I never did…). Mostly, though, I forgot about it.
Continue reading “Should I Get An eReader? | 7 reasons you should add an eReader to your library”It’s October! The season of cosiness, autumn, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and plenty of Gothic, spooky books.
This month, I am actually posting a to be read/possibility list, because I want to participate in two readathons, and therefore there are lots of books I want to complete. So far, I’ve read two books in October (though none are on my TBR…), so I’m already doing quite well I think!
The ninth month of the year is, somehow, over!
September was somehow more hectic than August, and I had my most disappointing reading month of the year so far, reading only 3 books. Whilst the books were really enjoyable, I do wish I had made reading more of a priority and read more books this month! That’s definitely one of my goals for October: to make time to read.
Continue reading “Monthly Reading Wrap-Up | September 2021”I love reading series; I think the fact you can be so fully immersed into the world is wonderful, and there is so much scope for world building. Think of the things you’re still learning about the novel and characters in the final novel that you never even thought about in the first!
The majority of the series on my shelf have been read… apart from the final novel. It’s always this last volume that I have trouble finishing. Why is that?
Continue reading “Why Do I Suck at Finishing Series?”
How do the summer holidays always go by so fast?! Even though I am now a teacher, not a student, it still feels like the last day of school was just yesterday!
In August, I did not read as many books as I wanted to. Thought I thought it was going to be a relatively quiet month, August turned out to actually be rather hectic and busy. I did a lot of adventuring and day trips, as well as a couple of overnight trips; I finished my Masters, and my first edited novel; and I had a good time! Maybe August wasn’t as productive and book-filled as I’d expected, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing.
Continue reading “Monthly Reading Wrap Up | August 2021”
Sprinkled With Words 