Reading around a life

I can’t be the only one who struggles with this, who was an introvert through circumstance in childhood and now has to learn how to balance reading with a social life. Actually leaving the house, or having people come over and socialising. I’m just not used to it.

My parents weren’t the type that liked to have my friends over and they also needed 2 weeks notice if I was going to a sleepover or the like. We also didn’t live close to any of my school friends, no buses and definitely not in walking distance. So I was alone a lot, hence my obsession with Animal Crossing and reading! Now that I’m an adult, and for now (whilst I’m at uni) I have my own place, I can actually have people over, go out when and where I want. It’s a little confusing in itself and I’ve still not gotten to grips with it over the three years I’ve not lived at home. But adding reading into the mix? Just makes it even harder.

I’ll be moving back into my parents place soon, as I have finished my degree and don’t have anywhere else to live while I hunt for a job, or decide generally what my future might look like. I expect that this will result in more reading time as I’m shut away in my room, passing the hours with the internet and all my books. But I can’t stay like that forever, essentially hermitted. So when I eventually get my own place again I’ll have to find that balance. Who knows where it’ll come from…

I take a book, kindle or iPod for an audiobook everywhere I go to squeeze in reading time. But often people consider it antisocial, even though I only pull out my book when everyone is sat on their phones and not talking. I know I could read on my phone but I hate to buy ecopies of physical books I already own and my phone screen isn’t huge. Most of my friends aren’t readers, we’ve bonded over other pastimes. They don’t understand the want to read and think that you can interrupt just as you would with a Facebook article or a youtube video. They mean well, they just want to chat, but all this extra socialising not only means you brought your book for no reason but it also means you’re too tired to read once you get home.

I love my friends, I really do. If I didn’t I wouldn’t spend so much time with them! But finding a way to incorporate one of my favourite pastimes whilst actually having a social life (which I am still really not used to) is unexpectedly difficult. Genuinely, if any readers have advice please tell me! I guess I’m just an introvert by circumstance and an extrovert in personality.

This has been a bit ramble-y. I’m just typing this out on my phone while I’m visiting York and it’s a lot harder to edit on here! But let me know if you have this issue too, or anything similar. Surely I can’t be alone in this!

May TBR!

This month I am off to visit my boyfriend for 6 days, which means train journeys and limited packing space. In light of this, I decided I would only take my kindle with me when I visited (God the self-control I’m going to need will be immense!), and therefore a lot of my tbr this month are some eARC’s from NetGalley which I need to get to. I am going to be pretty ruthless with these, if I’m not enjoying them then they’re being DNF’d and that is that. Fingers crossed they’re really good for me and for the author!

So – into the books!!

The first book I’d like to get into this month is Ink by Alice Broadway. I wanted to read this last month but I didn’t manage to find the time for it, it looks like such a good YA read and I’m really hoping it lives up to my expectations! The cover is absolutely beautiful as well which doesn’t hurt!

 

Next, I’d like to read City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Yes, yes I know. I should have read this series already, but at least I’m finally getting around to it! I managed to get 94 pages into the book previously but University work got in the way, I did absolutely love those first few pages though so I’m looking forward to being sucked back in and finally understanding the hype!

The third book I’d like to get to in May is Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. Again I have already started reading this book, I knew Alwyn was coming to the NYALitFest in Preston and wanted to read the book before the event. However….. I ended up really loving the world! I didn’t want to rush through it and decided to leave it until I had enough free time to really enjoy it, so I think taking it as my train journey book is a good plan for this month.

The rest of the books on my May TBR are the eARC’s I have chosen from my NetGalley books, which total four books. I probably won’t read these in any specific order, but here they are!

Book number one on the ARC list is Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough. This is a thriller book, and the blurb doesn’t really tell you much more than that! I really like the cover for some reason, I think it’s the hue of blue and I do really like the pincushion heart. I requested this on a whim and fingers crossed it’ll be engrossing and shocking!

ARC number two is Queendom of the Seven Lakes by A.B. Endacott which is a NA fantasy novel (NA = New Adult). It follows an assassin who has been hired to protect the Queen’s son, however, she discovers he is being groomed for the throne. A throne which is never supposed to be succeeded to a man. Elen-ai must come to terms with this political landscape whilst protecting the prince from the dangers which seem to come at him from all sides. A really engrossing sounding fantasy which I hope is as good as the synopsis suggests!

The third ARC for May is The Unity Game by Leonora Meriel. This seems to be a sci-fi, mystery and fantasy book all rolled into one and if this is pulled off it will be amazing! There is not much explained, yet again, in the synopsis, however, there is enough to pique my interest and I hope I’ll enjoy it!

 

The fourth and final ARC for the month of May is Some Assembly Required by Michael Strelow. This sci-fi read follows Jake as the voice he hears in his head seems to be transferred to the physical world in a weird, amorphic, green-grey… lump? This has potential to be really funny, but I have a feeling that I won’t be keen if it’s taken too seriously.

 

I would like to get more reading done than this in May, however, after not reading properly for a while I don’t want to stretch myself too far with an overambitious tbr. Fingers crossed I’ll have lots more books in my wrap up, but if not I’ll be happy that I just have the time to read again.

Follow me either here on WordPress or on my twitter account @autumnpellinor to get updates when I post my next blogs and see my wrap up at the end of the month!

The Guilty Reader

I don’t read enough.

There I said it, I definitely don’t. I have my dissertation to think about and so much other stuff that sadly takes priority right now, along with me just plain being lazy. Looking at my books when I’m at university is a bit of a guilt trip, I really want to read them. They’re there because I want to read them. But I just don’t have the time!

It’s even worse when I visit home, which I did recently for the Easter holidays. I get to see all my old favourite reads, which is lovely, but I also get to see the 150+ books I own that are on my tbr list. And I know I don’t have time to read them! Part of me wants to declutter and unhaul some of these books just to make the list more manageable, but I feel like that’s a waste of money It’s genuinely a struggle. I don’t feel like I’m ever at home long enough to be able to sit on a decision of unhauling and really make up my mind to get rid of some of this absolutely massive tbr. I picked these books up for a reason, I clearly want to read them. But will I ever actually get round to it? Who knows? Maybe once my dissertation is finished and I move back into my parents’ house in the summer I can just spend all of my time reading and try and get through as many books as possible.

Unfortunately, I think any sort of action has to be taken a few months in the future. I need to focus on finishing up my higher education as best as I can and that doesn’t involve setting reading challenges for myself… sadly…

For now, I just have to live with the fact that my tbr pile is far too large and there is nothing that can be done at the minute about this other than trying not to buy any more books. I am on an attempted book buying ban from now on! Let’s see how long that lasts!