Re-discovering poetry (and a potential readalong!)

The other day I realised I couldn’t remember the last time I read a poem. I also realised that I wouldn’t dream of reviewing poetry on this blog. I was curious as to why and so looked back at my relationship with poetry so far.  

So, I’ve been away a while

I have a collection of half-written posts on my laptop, some of which I wrote at the tail end of 2015, stating that I hadn’t posted in a while or posted regularly and how I hoped to be back. I never published them; I’m still writing them. I haven’t lost my love of blogging at all; I admit, I just haven’t made the time for it recently.

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A year in books: 2015

2015 wasn’t the best reading year for me. I struggled with a large and lengthy reading slump around the middle of the year, and while I think it has passed, I have to say it doesn’t necessarily feel like my reading has picked up and resumed its earlier pace.

Reading and blogging resolutions 2016

Happy New Year! As 2015 drew to a close, my thoughts turned to the year ahead and how I’d like my reading to go in 2016 so I drew up some bookish resolutions. 

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer
Little, Brown, 2014

This post is less of a review, more a personal reaction to this book, a journal entry on how it has affected me and made me look at my life. The Art of Asking had been sitting on my to-read list for a while, and I only wished I had read it sooner. But in some ways, reading it when I did felt like one of those moments when you read the right book at completely the right time.

Why I love Channel 4’s 24 Hours in A & E

I’ve been watching Channel 4’s 24 Hours in A & E for some time now, and when a new series started again recently, I was so happy to see it back on our screens. For those who have never watched it, cameras are fixed into the A&E department of a busy London hospital (this series and the last it’s been St. George’s in Tooting) and we see patients brought in after (sometimes horrific) incidents and treated by the doctors there. But the programme isn’t one that sensationalises injuries or dramatizes accidents. It’s a programme that focusses on the essence of being human. And I love it.

Buying Books: Books and Identity

When I was a child, the primary place I found my books was the library. My parents didn’t instil in me a habit of buying books; instead, it was a treat. I think this is why I can vividly recall many of the occasions as a child when I would buy books, and I look back on them fondly. I remember the book fair coming to school and seeing bookcases being wheeled through the playground into the school hall where we’d usually have assemblies and lunch, but, for that afternoon, would be a makeshift bookshop.

The Happy Reader

I first found out about Penguin’s The Happy Reader magazine on Lucy’s blog The Literary Relish and it sounded wonderful. How could a magazine all about books not? Plus, it’s only £2 per issue. Because I couldn’t wait to delve in, I paid a little extra to receive the current issue (Spring) instead of waiting until Summer.

The ongoing reading slump

I have this theory that book blogging both causes and cures my reading slumps.

This year started off as a good reading year for me – I rang in 2015 with Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk which I’m pretty sure will end up on my list of favourite books read this year. I picked up that book because of the numerous glowing reviews I read of it on book blogs; I’m really grateful to all of those bloggers that raved about it because, when I first heard about the book, I thought it was one that wouldn’t interest me (how wrong was I!) and was quite happy for it to pass me by. Since reading that book, it’s started this interest in nature and travel writing – basically, it’s made me start to read more nonfiction and has opened up this whole new avenue of reading for me.

And that’s all thanks to book blogs and the book blogging community.

Why we need to #SaveIdeasTap

image source: www.ideastap.com

On Monday I scrolled through my emails and was shocked and saddened to read one that told me IdeasTap would be closing.

IdeasTap is a UK arts charity offering creative support and inspiration to young people forging careers in the arts. It’s a wide-ranging and wide-reaching charity, helping young people whatever their artistic discipline. They advertise arts jobs, help people get funding for their arts projects, offer competitions and briefs with wonderful prizes which often include showcasing your work, and offer mentoring and workshops from professionals in the field. All for free. There are no fees for being a member; there is no cost for entering their competitions.