I know, bit of an oxymoron, as you’re probably reading this via social media, but what the hey!
But it’s important, and I didn’t realise just how much until recently. I’ve been genuinely wasting hours of my life every day just scrolling through nonsense, stuff I’m just not interested in, yet feel I have to sift through to keep up to date.
Well no more.
I’m cutting back, I’m going native and reading some physical books, we’re talking old school here and I’m loving it. I find that I’m racing through some pretty awesome reading material without the distraction of emails, notifications and all the other stuff that comes with being online. I’ve tried the old “put your tablet in Airplane mode”, how long does that last, not long in my experience and then it’s back to checking everything again!
In the last 2 months, I’ve gotten through at least 7 physical books and one of them was almost a 1000 pages! These are meaty tomes, some real lose yourself in the story reads. I’ve missed it.
These are the books I’ve read recently and highly recommend:
Blood and Sugar – Laura Shepherd-Robinson
A real gripping historical murder mystery, set in 1781 London, this kept me up late into the night with exciting chapters that you just can’t bookmark…
Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News – Emily Maitlis
This was a fun read, especially the chapters with Jon Stewart, David Attenborough, Russell Brand, Emma Thompson, the Dalai Lama, Gordon Ramsay and Alan Partridge among many. They are all stand alone chapters, so very easy read and give a great insight into the journalist’s life.
The Troop – Nick Cutter
This is scary biscuits, a great horror read, very Lord of the flies but perhaps even scarier! I read some reviews where people had said they were over 200 pages in and weren’t scared yet… these people are perhaps psychopaths!
Middle England – Jonathan Coe
This, to me, is a real head nodder. It’s the type of book that resonates with you because it reminds you of people you know, or yourself really. It spans the experiences and opinions of several generations of an English family which will be relatable to many.
Tombland – CJ Sansom
Another awesome historical mystery read set in 1549, this was a book that I was sad to finish, I just wanted it to go on and on. Part of the Matthew Shardlake series, I would recommend getting the previous books to really get more context on characters though!
Once Upon a River – Diane Setterfield
You get a trend with my reading patterns, this is another historical mystery, set on the Thames, it dots about here, there and everywhere, so keeps you on your toes, really enjoyed it, story telling at its best.
How not to be a boy – Robert Webb
Fantastic read, having followed Robert Webb’s career for many years, this was a touching, funny, sad and everything in between autobiography that gave a great insight into the makings of Robert Webb!
So if you’re feeling a little burnt out on social media, then step away from the phone/tablet/laptop for a little while and get cosy on the sofa and start reading!
Go on, lose yourself in a good book!
