I've heard it said that birthdays become less important when you get older and it looks like it was true of my blog's birthday this year - I totally forgot about it! Nevermind, less than a month late, so the cake won't be too stale nor the champers too flat.
To be fair, the reason I lost track was because I was doing what I was supposed to be doing (reading, just in case you were wondering!). After a very quiet patch at the start of this year (four books in four months - rubbish!), I've suddenly read four books in a month. Amazing what some nice weather and longer days can do for finding time to read.
But there is more to it than that. Despite my best intentions, I've always found it hard to buy fewer books and concentrate on just reading the ones I've already got. And, to be honest, the self-inflicted pressure and guilt was getting me down. On the one hand, I wanted to read what I'm lucky enough to already have, but, equally, brilliant things are being published all the time. My love of reading comes from curiosity and I simply couldn't help being interested in what various new publications had to say.
So I've come to a decision... to go a bit easier on myself. Rather than worrying about what I'm reading, my new focus is on just... reading. It's better for me to be spending time reading something that I really, really want to read than struggling distractedly through something just because I've had it for a while. As I'm sure you've found, every book has it's day and while you may not be in the mood for something one week, you may be the next. I picked up 'The King's General' by Daphne du Maurier three times before I read it all the way through and then I absolutely loved it. But I wasn't in the right frame of mind during attempts one and two.
I have read 26 books over the past 12 months, 24 of which I've posted about. About 12 of these titles were published since I started this blog, but I will always find it hard to resist a new Bernard Cornwell ('Warriors of the Storm'), Caitlin Moran ('Moranifesto'), Neil Gaiman or Philippa Gregory.
Hopefully you've found something interesting among what I've been reading lately. I'm nothing if not varied! Sixteen titles were non-fiction, including Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette (only took me seven years to finish, partly because it's such a heartbreaking story, partly because it's flamin' massive.), 'It's All in Your Head' (Fascinating book about psychosomatic illnesses which has started off an interest in science that has lain dormant since school) and 'My Grandfather would have Shot Me' (Thought-provoking story of a black woman who discovered her ancestor was a notorious Nazi concentration camp commandant). The ten fiction books I've read included favourites such as short stories and historical fiction, but I'm glad to say I finally got around to 'To Kill a Mocking-Bird' (recommended to me by so many people I've lost count) and 'Pet Semetary' (incredibly waiting to be read for nearly 15 years).
Unusually, I had three absolute favourite books this year. As well as 'It's All in Your Head' and 'My Grandfather would have Shot Me', I absolutely loved 'Animal QC' by the most unlikely barrister around, Gary Bell. His story is, without a doubt, completely nuts, but is also one that shows what you can do with drive, focus and hard work. Call me old fashioned, but I like stories which remind us success is not just about getting the girl/boy, passing that exam or winning a competition.
I also dipped my toe once more into a bit of travel writing in 2015 and the resulting post, 'In Search of Wuthering Heights', is far and away the most popular piece I've ever posted. I'm really glad you enjoyed it, it was hard work walking up that hill! It really was a fantastic day out and I'd thoroughly recommend it to Bronte fans and people who like getting some fresh air once in a while. I've got a couple more pieces about book-related places in the pipeline, so watch this space.
Well, it looks like I'm going to have plenty to read and tell you about for a long time yet! Thank you so much for joining me in this project and I hope you keep enjoying the blog for a long time to come.
Now, back to Poldark 5!
The 500 Books Blog: Selections from 2015/16
May
'Marie Antoinette' by Antonia Fraser
June
'In Town' by Mark Steel
July
'It's All in your Head' by Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan
'My Grandfather would have Shot Me' by Jennifer Teege
'Diamonds are Forever' by Ian Fleming
August
'The Spy who Loved Me' by Ian Fleming
'In Search of Wuthering Heights'
September
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory
October
'The Library of Unrequited Love' by Sophie Divry
'Just a Phrase I'm Going Through' by David Crystal
'Sandwich Man' by John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich
November
'A Book for Her' by Bridget Christie
'Jeremy and Amy' by Jeremy Keeling
'Warriors of the Storm' by Bernard Cornwell
December
'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King
'Animal QC' by Gary Bell
January
'Little Tales of Misogyny' by Patricia Highsmith
February
'The Rendezvous and Other Stories' by Daphne du Maurier
'Wishful Drinking' by Carrie Fisher
'To Kill a Mocking-Bird' by Harper Lee
April
'Moranifesto' by Caitlin Moran
Previous Birthday Posts
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
