In the library

Recently I've rediscovered my local library. I was an avid reader when I was young; though I can't remember a thing about them now, I believe I once read 4 "Babysitters club" books in a day. I was, and still am, an awkward and shy person, and books were my greatest escape. Most of the books I've read are memorable to me because of a particular moment or feeling. I remember relating to the novelty for Mary of simply being outdoors in the Secret Garden, and I remember thinking Judy Blume was describing a belly button in a book that, in retrospect, I probably read a little too early...

This is a picture of my cat, because I don't have any photos of books.
She's also much prettier than books <3

Reading fiction consumed a huge part of my childhood, and it was only when I started studying English Literature at 18 that I fell out of love with reading. I lasted less than three months on the course before dropping out. The volume of books to be read and the restrictions placed on what books should be read, and the intimidation I felt in having my own interpretations scrutinised by others sapped all my joy out of it for a very long time. Over the years I've gone through phases of reading incessantly, the best of times buried night after night in the Count of Monte Cristo and the worst reading identikit "thrillers" that didn't deliver. Mostly these phases have ended with me - literally, in one case - throwing an infuriating read against the wall. I should say now that I'm not naming names because however much anger I harbour over the nonsensical denouement; writing is hard, and I know I couldn't do any better, so apologies to anyone who wanted to read a takedown.

I made a vow to myself not so long ago never to re-read another of my "favourite" books. I don't know how much this applies to anyone else, but each time I did so I found less to like. It would be naive not to understand that my taste has changed over the past 20 years, but I want to preserve the original memories and feelings that I have for a book more than I want to remember the details of the stories or the characters, however much I loved them at the time.

So onwards to pages new. I mostly read eBooks these days, though with so much time on my hands I have recently started to visit my local library. Somewhat unsurprisingly, things have moved on since I last used a library; I now have a PIN and an online account, and I can apparently return my books to any library in Dorset. Requesting books can take a while - I've currently been waiting a week for a book to be delivered from who-knows-where, but I'm so absurdly grateful for the continuing existence of libraries, and so scared that they'll one day disappear, that I love the slowness, all the more so for the librarian's description of the delivery service as "random", when I suspect it is anything but.

Anyway, here are the two novels that I've read so far in 2017 (clicking the links will take you to Amazon - I might get some pennies if you decide to buy them)

The Secret Life of Bees first has been on my digital bookshelf for probably a year now, and I'm not sure why I put off reading it for so long when it'd been so highly recommended; it was predictably excellent.

Hidden Bodies was a book that I wasn't aware of until I listened to Emma Gannon interviewing the author on her excellent podcast CTRL ALT Delete. I devoured You, the first book in this series, a year or two ago, and had actually been keeping an eye out for other works by Kepnes, but this one had passed me by. Like everyone, I imagine, I was a bit worried to discover that Hidden Bodies was a sequel and would revisit the same character, Joe, but these worries were totally misplaced. The book takes Joe out of New York and away from his old haunts, and although he is the same character, the circumstances and relationships around him present new challenges and surprises, and the whole book just feels fresh and alive and keeps you guessing right until the very end.

I've also picked up some crafty books, as I was finding it hard to use online crochet instructions without access to a printer. My top tip for anyone wanting to find simple descriptions of stitches is Basic Crochet Stitches: 250 Stitches to Crochet (Harmony Guides) by Erika Knight. This was one of not-that-many crochet books in Weymouth library, but it's awesome, with clear pictures and descriptions of 250 different crochet stitches - exactly what I was looking for, and more than I imagine I'll ever need.

Next on my reading list is Ctrl, Alt; Delete: How I Grew Up Online, which is the book that launched Emma Gannon's podcast of the same name (or is it the other way around?).

I hope to be back with a post on some of my makes over the weekend, but it might be more of a summary of wips rather than completed makes.

I'd love to hear your book recommendations, so do let me know what you're reading!

Nicky xx