Links are in bold green
I used to love reading, especially Milly-Molly-Mandy. I read
Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and Jacqueline Wilson books like there was no tomorrow.
At some point I attempted The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings – I have still never
finished The Return of the King.
I only read in secondary school if I had to, and I have still only read the first Harry Potter book as it was my year 8 book.
And then I guess, I went to university, and after that
reading was ruined. I hated it. I suppose it wasn’t just uni; when I am
depressed or overly anxious, I cannot concentrate to read and end up re-reading
the same lines over and over and over but it doesn’t go in and I get frustrated
so I lose interest and don’t do it.
Momma P got me the follow up to To Kill A Mockingbird from
the library and I read it in two days. I did nothing else except read. I loved
it! It was the fastest that I’d read anything, I enjoyed it, and I did it
without getting frustrated. After this, I started looking for other books to
read.
I ordered Drunk Folk Stories by Beans on Toast (from Banquet Records) and took it with me everywhere. Lots of reading a story at a time in a
different bath in a different hotel room. I could’ve read the whole thing in a
day but I purposely slowed down and forced myself to read a bit at a time. I enjoyed
it so much, and then I found The Bloggess.
Jenny Lawson was introduced to me via a mutual on Twitter,
so I started following her. I soon after bought a book, Furiously Happy. I laughed,
I cried, I snorted, I giggled – as someone who struggles with mental health and
often feels like people don’t understand my quirks, here was someone who was
exactly like me. Weird. Sad. Anxious. Struggling to keep their head above. Funny
as fuck. I very much enjoy learning about how other people function – other people
are a source of wonder and fascination to me – and this book was great for
that. After I finished it, I ordered another of Jenny’s books, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. I got the copy with a taxidermied rat on the front. I love
both of these books, and was quite sad when they finished.
Following on from these I started buying books about nature,
wildlife, birds, using nature as recovery from mental illhealth. I bought
Making Winter by Emma Mitchell – using craft as a way to ease symptoms and
signs, and to feel more connected to the natural world during the bleakest part
of the year. I have also bought The Wild Remedy and am reading it a chapter at
a time – I will finish it soon as I only have a few months left. Reading these
books by Emma has made me stop and slow down. Look at the trees, feel the buds,
take photos of things that make me smile. Santa got me a flower press for christmas
and I have been using it nearly every week since, and every time I arrange the
flowers to squash them, I think of Emma. I have never even met her but she has
had such an impact on my life.
I have gone from being a proud and stubborn non-reader to
someone who budgets for book shopping every month. I don’t go to the library as
I find them overwhelming and dull – not at all motivating. I also hate mooching
and don’t want to spend ages hunting for a book that I have to read in 28 days
or else I get a fine. Buying books means I get what I want, when I want, and it
can sit a while and wait for me to be ready.
In the last year I have read more books than the previous
five years put together. I currently have five books on the go – I dip in and out
to whichever one I fancy at the time. I am mostly reading Wilding, which is
about the Knepp Project. I also started reading Underland but found it hard to
get into, and it is quite cumbersome and large so I tend not to take it on
holiday with me. I like lightweight books to pack and carry, and they are also easier
to read in the bath. The Little Book of Hygge was bought on a whim mostly to confirm
to myself that I am very hygge all of the time. Being cosy and warm is my
primary aim in life! I also like the cover artwork. I am also reading Wonderland which is a day by day account
of wildlife in Britain over the course of a year. I tend to read this once a
week or so and read a chunk at a time but I haven’t picked it up for a while so
am behind.
My to-read pile is ever growing – I never thought I would
say that – I bought Autumn after seeing it on Twitter and I really liked the
cover. The Lost Orchard was from santa and features my very favourite little Frenchman
(I love him) but I haven’t started reading it yet. There are two books by Dave Goulson
– I read A Sting In The Tale and couldn’t put it down so I ordered two of his
other books. I also have Dancing With Bees, and The Wood on the pile. I am
going to order another by Tom Cox as I enjoy his writing a lot, and I read 21st Century Yokel last year.
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| To read... |
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| I have read these |
I have also read The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Kate Bradbury
and as soon as I finished it, I wanted to unread it so I could reread it. These
are all words I never thought I’d say or write – I never had time to read, or
perhaps more accurately, I never allowed myself the time to read. The Secret Network Of Nature was another book that I couldn't put down, but became my holiday read. I spent a lot of time in the bath with this book!
I am trying to slow down life, stop being so hectic, and
unwind a bit. Reducing my use of social media is supposed to be getting
replaced with increased reading, allotmenting, crafting and such like, but it
hasn’t happened yet. Still, it’s nice to know that the pile of books is
waiting.
