My blog celebrates its first anniversary on 4th December. I thought it was a good opportunity to reflect on its success – or lack of it. I created this blog for me, as a record of the books I’ve read and to develop my book reviewing skills. I wasn’t looking to find lots of followers and the thought of sharing it made me nervous – but maybe something to aspire to.
My posts haven’t been as frequent as I planned at the start of the year, but who could have predicted what a year 2020 would turn out to be? As I write this, England has been in Lockdown Number 2 for just over a week.
Reading has been a huge part of my life since I can remember. I think I was born loving books. I was lucky to have a father who read – and still reads – all the time. He would give me books that were always more advanced than I should have been reading for my age.
I had my nose in a book all the time. The most terrible punishment from my mother was not to go to my room (I could read all I wanted there – bliss!), but to stay downstairs and watch TV.
Since 2006 I have kept a record of all the books I’ve read; writing down what I thought of them. When I read through these notebooks I can remember most of them, and sometimes where I was when I read them. This year I am on target to beat my record of most books read in a year, so maybe 2020 hasn’t bee all bad.
I don’t know what I would have done this year without books and reading. Its the perfect activity when you’re alone. Books can transport you to the most amazing places, get you inside the heads of fascinating characters and let you witness unlimited real and imagined events.
What I have really come to appreciate this year is that reading is a social activity too. I have been a member of a book club for over 10 years. We have over 15 members – all of us very different but with a love of books and reading in common. As soon as we went into Lockdown in March we set up a zoom meeting and agreed to meet once a fortnight, instead of once a month. The invitation was and is open to everyone and there is no pressure. The library was closed so we didn’t have our monthly book, but we soon discovered the library’s online offer, Borrowbox and we shared recommendations with other.
One of the things I do to help me cope with everything is walking. I walk 2 hours a day before starting work. I’ve been listening to audio books and I love them. All kids love being read to – and that joy doesn’t change as an adult. As Stephen King says its not the delivery mechanism – paper, e-book or audio – its the story that counts. He’s right.
I considered deleting my blog and giving up, but I’ve decided to keep going. I’m going to aim for a weekly update – but if I don’t, or can’t, stick to it I’m not going to give myself a hard time. I’m going to write about the books I’ve read, the books I’m reading and the social side of my reading life – book club news, Radio Cumbria book club, podcasts I listen to, books on my list to read next.
Writing this I feel the same excitement and nervousness as I felt this time last year when I had just created the blog and thought of its name. This is the Pixie Chronicles – my adventures through reading.
Pixie Chronicles 