This year has been... interesting. I don't need to explain exactly what has been happening this year (the pandemic, political upheaval, continuing systemic racism and oppression, etc.) but quite simply I've not wanted to blog. That has changed very recently, as I'm now back at university, with my third and final attempt at finishing my MA in Classics. My aim is to do a weekly blog summarising everything I've done for both university and for fun. I need to maintain my mental health, as we all do, and focusing on what I've accomplished each week has been really useful. I thought I'd post about it, because it lets me procrastinate while still being productive.
My Aims: Monthly TBRs
I have created a new Goodreads shelf for a monthly-ish TBR. Basically, at the end of each month, I'll be going through my TBR shelf and picking out a few books. I'm aiming for one series, one book of at least 500 pages, and a handful of short books, hoping to have about 15 books a month on the list. Any books I don't read in the next month will move to the top of the list for the next. I will also have a blog post to accompany this, with the weekly accountability posts acting as a wrap up each week. I will also aim to read one NetGalley arc a month, but I won't be upset if I don't manage that.
My Aims: Crafting
Out of all my hobbies I tend to cycle through, I love to crochet the most. I've recently (as in, this last fortnight) learnt how to spin yarn. Along with the weekly accountability posts for reading, I'll be sharing updates of my hobbies, including progress pictures. It is my hope that this will encourage me to spend more time doing the things I love, so I have something to share each week.
My Aims: Blog posts
All of this means a blogging schedule. If I manage a NetGalley arc, reviews will be posted on the Friday as I have done before. The monthly TBR posts will be last Saturday of the month. The weekly posts will be on Wednesdays.
So... Since this is the last Saturday of October, let's talk about November...
November TBR
My series for November is The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. I watched The Last Kingdom on Netflix, I've read the first book in the series, and I want to continue it. Following the life of Uhtred as the Danes clash with the kingdoms of not-yet-created-England, it's an interesting historical fiction series.
I'll also be reading the next in the series with Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi, and The Ascent to Godhood by JY Yang. I read Children of Blood And Bone last year but never got to reading the second book. The Tensorate series is exceptional, and I'm excited to continue that.
My long book for November is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, a book I read when I was eight years old, but want to reread as an adult. I also have Jamaica Inn on the list too. My short book is one of my favourite novels of all time, The Picture of Dorian Grey by the brilliant Oscar Wilde. This is another reread for me; I read this in a lunch break in college, and became obsessed with it. I'm half tempted to read it tomorrow.
So those are my reading plans for November, and my plans for the future. I started this blog when I was 22 years old, and I'm almost 30; with so much of my life on this blog, I want to keep it going, and it is my hope that the weekly accountability will help with that.
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