In this weekly wind up, I recap what I’ve published during the week and share with you what I’m currently reading. I hope you’ve all had a great week, and continue to stay safe in these challenging times.
Things already seem incredibly different this week compared to last Sunday. The UK is seeing rising Covid cases and we’re already running out of tests before the Winter even begins. There are murmurings that something is going to be announced, but who knows what, the government are unpredictable by nature and I wouldn’t be surprised if something changed overnight.
I had a tweet blow up Friday night, and couldn’t believe some of the comments – I even had to block and report people who were saying Covid-19 was a hoax. But there you go, that’s the kind of world we live in.
I’ve been writing a lot this week and have continued my success on Medium, nearly securing 2.3K views on one post. It feels different there and I feel like people read what I have written. Yesterday I managed to write a whopping 4,000 words and I’ve still been keeping to my daily habit of writing something every day. But as always, some days it’s easier than others. This weekend I’ve written practically nothing, but figured I probably deserved some time off.
It is starting to feel like Autumn in the mornings, as we’re getting the golden kind of sun that I know and love. It’s still fairly warm during the day but the nights are drawing in and I’m probably a bit too excited about having to wear a dressing gown in the mornings.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty about my job, as there is only one month left of the furlough scheme. It is a worrying time, but hopefully, I’ll be able to cling on.
I’ve posted relatively little this week, but I have been writing daily to try and make sure I can work to publishing something every day. Here’s what I published this week.
There are lots of things in the works for the weeks ahead, so hopefully, I can work towards establishing some kind of publishing schedule to spread things out in an organised way. If I go back to work, I’m going to need to do this to try and manage my time better.
I’m currently reading the same books as I was last week, but I’m nearly finished with Such A Fun Age – I am enjoying it so far and I think it will be one of my favourite books this year. I’ve been dipping in and out of Quiet, as it’s quite heavy going because of its academic approach. I’m finding that I am relating to it a lot though – due to being a natural introvert. I suspect it will take me a while to read but I don’t mind that.
Next week you can expect a review of Such A Fun Age, though I expect it will be quite a difficult one to write, as it’s a complex book.
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
Another week, another Sunday. I’m writing this feeling a little sleep deprived as I haven’t slept much this weekend – but not by choice. I’m having another insomnia flare-up, which I haven’t had for a while. They tend to come and go in spouts. I think it’s because I’ve been feeling more anxious than usual, and I’ve neglected writing in my journal and the importance of gradually winding down in the evenings – which always helps.
It’s been a strange week – again, I haven’t published too much but I have still been writing every day, although the word count is down on last week. I averaged around 1000 words a day this week, compared to my usual 2000. I don’t stick religiously to a word count, but I think it’s good to have an idea of how much you are writing to help you stay on track.
I’ve been doing my first bit of copywriting for a small company based in London and I’ve been enjoying it so far. It’s freelance and technically my first paid writing job which is exciting and a step forward. I get to learn about completely random things like antique carpets and cloud software but it’s strangely satisfying!
I’ve had some more success on Medium – I’ve now been named as a top writer in their reading and books categories, which is exciting and completely unexpected. Having only been on the platform for a month I didn’t think I would get this much recognition so quickly. I have been loving writing over there and it’s really improved my confidence.
It was my 23rd birthday last Wednesday, which passed in a haze. It was a strange lockdown birthday but still a nice day. We got a takeaway and I did lots of reading, it was nice. I saw my family from a distance yesterday and was able to celebrate with a cake (but I didn’t blow the candles out in the usual way!) and nice food. It’s the little things these days.
It’s meant to heat up again next week just when we thought Summer was over. I hope it doesn’t get too hot, I’m ready for winter now.
I’ve always known I was an introvert, so I thought I better read this book. I fancied reading some more non-fiction so I decided to pick this up.
I’ve only read about 50 pages so far, but have already learnt some pretty interesting things. Van Gogh was an introvert, as is Bill Gates! It starts with a discussion about how American culture and society grew to prioritise extroversion, and how this is gradually changing as we alter our misconceptions about introversion and shyness.
I think I’ll learn a lot about myself with this one.
When the Booker Prize nominees were announced a while ago, this was the only book I thought I would like the sound of, so I decided to read it.
The story begins with Emira, a young, African-American babysitter, who gets accosted at her local supermarket for looking after a white child. The security guard in a racially motivated attack accuses her of kidnapping the child and she is forced to call the father.
It follows the perspective of Emira, and her employer, a famous blogger called Alix Chamberlain.
I’m really enjoying it so far and it hooked me straight away!
I really haven’t been reading that many articles this week, so I will leave out my favourite articles for the week – hopefully there will be some to include next time.
Please note – this post does contain Amazon affiliate links and if you choose to use them, I will earn a small fee but this doesn’t impact my review in anyway.
Just a quick mid-week catch up from me. There won’t be any reviews this week as I don’t think I am near finishing a book. Last week I whizzed through An American Marriage, and finished A Tale of Two Cities, however, this week I have started two new books that have been on my TBR pile for a very long time.
Image: Violet Daniels
I read Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch last year and completely fell in love with the writing. A few years before I had read The Secret History and really enjoyed it, but The Goldfinch was really something else.
The Little Friend is the first book Tartt published back in 2003, before she had received so much literary acclaim. Being a fan, I of course wanted to pick this up. It is written in the same fashion as The Goldfinch, as Tartt centers on one narrator’s intimate perspective to tell the story. This time it is told through the perspective of twelve year old Harriet, living in Mississippi in the 1970s.
One day when Harriet was young, her brother was found hanging from a tree in the family’s yard, and ever since his murder hasn’t been solved. Harriet sets herself the task of solving the murder despite her family’s hesitancy. Harriet is bright and observant – making her an excellent narrator for the intricate story that follows.
I’m only around 200 pages in out of 624, but I am really enjoying it so far. It’s definitely a slow burner, as to be expected, but it already contains so much suspense and intrigue that will inevitably keep me reading. Tartt has such an eye for detail and ability to write literary and poetic prose, which is what I love so much about her writing. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this! Although I feel like I should savor it as Tartt usually takes 8-10 years to write a book!
Also how beautiful is this cover? 🙂
Image: Violet Daniels
This has been one of the most sought after books since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and I can totally see why.
Although I’m only about 1/3 of the way through, Eddo-Lodge writes in such a clear and concise way, making even the most complicated issues easy to understand. She provides a well informed account of black history in Britain and how our education system has typically left the worse parts out (Britain’s involvement in the slave trade, colonialism and the race riots of the 1980s to name a few examples) and makes a case for a revolution in how British people understand racial inequality.
She goes on to tackle other sections to uncover how racism is embedded within our institutions and takes a look at white privilege – however, I haven’t got that far yet! It’s safe to say I’ve learnt more in these first 100 pages about black history than I was ever taught at school.
I would highly recommend this! Really accessible but super informative.
My July TBR as it stands
An American Marriage
A Tale of Two Cities
The Little Friend
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race
How I learned to Hate in Ohio (e-ARC/NetGalley)
General update
This week I’ve been having a bit of a break from writing, last week I churned out quite a lot of stuff and now feel a bit burned out. I think I’m going to focus on reading instead, and just jotting down writing ideas when they come. I’ve been getting back into running this week, not doing anything crazy but just easing myself back in.
I recently hit a milestone of 100 followers and am feeling very grateful for this little online space I have crafted for myself.
I’m still pitching to other publications and having no luck… but I am not giving up and still trying so that’s the main thing! Many places, including big ones like The Guardian have been hit really badly by Covid-19 and it’s not surprising that their commission budgets have been slashed. I think it’s going to be really hard for me to get things published, so I’m going to focus on my blog and other smaller, student/graduate ran places.
I’ve been toying with the idea of doing reviews and uploading them to YouTube, but I am really not sure. I love the idea of it and think they could potentially reach more people but I also know that the platform is flooded with other people doing the same thing. If you have any thoughts on this, let me know!
That’s it for now. Hope you are all keeping well and safe.
Another month in lockdown has passed and we are also half way through the year! As usual, I will be sharing what I read this month and what I am currently reading. What have you read this month? Has anything stood out for you? Let me know!
This one was a real dark horse. It follows the lives of two siblings that have never met before, Kerry, who lives in a council estate and works as a cleaner and Noah, who lives in Primrose Hill and works as a barrister. They are two worlds apart but life suddenly brings them together. The novel explores the difficulties of an upbringing in care, forging new lost relationships and the pains of lost time. It was well written, heart-felt and incredibly readable.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I had started reading this at the beginning of lockdown, alongside all the other books I was reading, hence why it took me so long. This is a work of political fiction that explores the livelihoods of a group of white, working class men at the turn of the twentieth century in Britain. It explores workplace exploitation, poverty and class in a way which is still so shockingly relevant to today. It resonated with me in more ways than one and I am very glad I have read it, although it is far from a light read.
Refreshing and uplifting, this book made me laugh as well as cringe. Loosely based on the concept of the reality TV show, Love Island, Amy suddenly finds herself dumped on live TV. She is thrown together with a group of singles, as they each take part in a series of challenges to see who is crowned ‘The Keeper.’ I enjoyed reading this but found it quite cliche – but it had an element of feminism laced throughout that I liked.
This book was beautiful and unlike anything I had read before. Following the author’s life, this novel explores the pains of coming of age and being torn between identities from living in opposing continents: Europe and Africa. It is a work exploring identity, self reflection and sexuality, told in a lyrical and poetic fashion. It was strangely addictive to read and one that will always linger with me.
I was really looking forward to reading this. It certainly had a uniqueness that I’ve never experienced before. It was a mix between dark humor and crime, told through the perspective of a Korede, who acts as an accomplice to her Sister, a ‘Serial Killer.’ It was gripping in places but really lacked a certain amount of depth it could have benefited from. I enjoyed the dark feel of the novel but ultimately feel that it lost its initial momentum.
I read this during a week in my life when I was experiencing insomnia, so who knows whether I truly made sense of it! However, I really enjoyed this and got stuck into the element of mystery at the heart of the novel. It’s a coming of age story with a unique twist. The characters were weird and wonderful which was what drew me to it. It had so much pace and suspense that I felt compelled to carry on reading. Jess’ strangely close relationship to her university tutor, is always weird, but it gets even weirder as the novel progresses…
A well written collection of short stories, focusing on the experience of human sacrifice and what it can mean for different relationships. This collection features the stories of Guillaume, a dairy farmer struggling to make ends meet, Matthew, a young boy who has a close attachment to a tree and Francois, an older man trying to make it as a writer whilst looking after his Grandson. The collection is harrowing and dark in places, but always countered with a sense of hope.
Due to be published in September, this is a book exploring the psychology of grief. The narration is told through Jen and her partner, Ed, as this experience impacts their relationship. I’m about half way through this and must admit, it has been a bit of a struggle so far. There’s no real plot and is a bit too heavy on the stream of consciousness for me, but I appreciate the attempt to portray the mental health implications of losing someone. As this has recently happened to me, I resonate with the elements of guilt the author is trying to portray through the characterisation of Jen. I’ll definitely read to the end but I’m not sure it will be one of my higher ratings!
A novel centuries apart from the one above. This is a novel which explores the element of social upheaval wrought by the French Revolution in 1789, swinging between London and Paris. Dickens is full of his characteristic humor, portrays great characters and has a use of language which is lyrical, poetic, and informative. I love the feeling of change and upheaval that is being conveyed. I’m about 3/4 of the way through and very much enjoying it – I’ve always been fascinated by that part of history which helps!
What’s on my July radar?
I think I’m going to abandon having a TBR list as I feel so much pressure and disappointment when I look at it and realise I haven’t ticked off many. Instead I think I’ll be referring to it as a ‘radar’ as this feels more achievable. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to read anything from my list, and often discover new titles I want to read more.
So what’s on my radar for July? Definitely We Need to Talk About Raceas I have very much been enjoying listening to the podcast and feel it will be a good introduction into exploring the racial history of Britain. Also An American Marriage, a novel I have wanted to read for a long time, and one I know has had great reviews. I’ve got a few e-ARC books to review as I’m trying to get my NetGalley feedback rating to 80%. Apart from that, I’m not going to list any more as I don’t want to pressure myself! Reading habits are so changeable so I don’t think it’s all that necessary to stick to TBR’s.
I hope you are all staying well and had a good reading month!
Just a mid month update from me (well actually more than midway through…) thought I would do a quick post detailing my current reads. I’m actually pretty surprised at myself, usually I’d be reading 3-5 books at once but I have been very self controlled lately.
I set myself the goal of reading 50 books this year, which now doesn’t feel ambitious enough but then again, in January I had no idea that lockdown would happen or that I would get so into blogging! I’ve already read 35 books this year, and have a feeling I’ll be at the 100 mark by December.
Currently reading
The Sacrifice by Indrajit Garai <- I am around 70% of the way through this and enjoying it so far. I was kindly sent it in exchange for a review, so many thanks to Books by Indrajit Garai @ Estelle for letting me have a copy! I reviewed (and loved) The Little Bridge of Jeremy a while ago and am excited to read the rest of this. Reading a short story collection is a nice change from what I usually read.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens <- I am around 10-15% of the way through. After writing my post about classics, I managed to inspire myself to pick this up. It’s been one of those books I’ve wanted to read for ages so I thought now would be a good time. I’m finding the plot quite confusing but I love the writing, despite it being hard to understand. I find myself having to re-read sentences to get the gist of things. Definitely not a quick fire read, but very worthwhile. In a time of uncertainty and change I thought it was quite an apt choice.
The Truants by Kate Weinberg <- About 15% of the way through, I started this last night before I went to bed and immediately fell in love with the writing. It feels so comforting and nostalgic. Also, it’s set not too far from me so that helps too. I think this is going to be a winner for me!
And that’s it at the moment! I’ve almost surprised myself, at the beginning of lockdown I had about 4-5 books on the go at one time but I’ve managed to tone it down a bit since.
