After rather a poor effort last year, 2013 will be the year that I give this blog the attention that it deserves. In my defence, 2012 was not the best time for me to set up this blog, given that halfway through the year I left New Zealand to live a rather nomadic life travelling through Asia before returning to the UK in September to start the unenviable task of looking for a new job. I did of course read lots of books during this time (just as I of course drank water and breathed oxygen), but didn’t really have the inclination, or the regular internet access required to keep posting. I am also the worst procrastinator, but I have come to realise that the source of my procrastination is my long-held perfectionism, which keeps me mired in the thinking and analysing stage of projects and away from the just-bloody-do-it part. Without turning this into a self-improvement/new year resolution type of post, lets just say that I am planning to succeed in my endeavors this year, whatever that ‘success’ looks like. For me initially, success will be actually having something to show for my efforts, rather than a big headache full of ‘why didn’t I just….’ and ‘what a waste of….’
So, expect regular posts, quotes, book reviews and news. The picture above is my current shelf of books from the library waiting to be read, well from the libraries actually. For anyone who hasn’t read my about or book reviews sections (and if not, why not?!) I love going to the library, and the vast majority of the books I read come from the library. I very rarely buy books because I rarely re-read them, I am very thrifty, and because I have moved around the country (and world) so much since my late teens that any possessions just get in the way. The library I have used for many years in the UK is the Birmingham Central Library. However, due to a new Library of Birmingham opening later this year (yay!) the current one has closed most of its floors, and has very few books available to borrow compared to usual. Luckily for me, there is a tiny (living room sized) library just a few doors down from where I live, which for some reason I had never been in until last week. I have now joined it and have fallen in love because it has a perfect number and range of books that will keep me occupied, and I can order books to go there from other libraries in the county. I will do a post, or posts, dedicated to libraries at some point, but for now let’s just say that libraries have always been a big part of my life, and long may they continue to be so.
Not shown in the picture, is the book I am currently tackling, which is resting on my bedside table until later. It is Margaret Forster’s ‘Keeping the World Away’, which I am enjoying so far, and looking forward to snuggling up with it tonight. My review will be coming up some time in the not so distant future.
Bye for now, and happy reading!
The Literary Owl 