This year I want to read more books. It’s all very well to read online, newspapers and magazines, but nothing beats a good book. I tend to mainly read non-fiction and occasionally review books for bookpleasures.com. You can view some of my reviews here: http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/search.php?query=kaut&submit=Go .
I have accumulated a lot of books which want to be read, so my challenge this year is to get through 1-2 books per week. I made a list which is about 3 pages long at the moment and it really feels good when I can tick off a book as being read. On average I have managed to read 1 and a half books per week and it’s only February.
I try to alternate between fiction and non-fiction (a lot of them on writing). So far I have read seven books.
I am currently reading Vicky Halls’ ”The Complete Cat” which I am reviewing for Bookpleasures and the very funny “We’re British, Innit – An Irreverent A-Z Of All Things British” by Iain Aitch. The book is cheekily advertised as the real citizenship and covers things which are to be expected like The Beatles or Baked Beans, but also has surprising entries such as Autumnwatch, Dogging, Jordan (the glamour model) and the X-Factor.
I am currently at chapter H (Holiday Camps). I hope to get through the book by Sunday which should be manageable as it’s an easy read and the chapters are short. Iain’s book is not only funny, but you can also learn the odd fact. For example that the air wear soles of Doc Martens shoes and boots were invented by a German chap called Docter Maertens and then imported and that these shoes are no longer manufactured in Britain, but since 2003 produced in China.
I used to wear docs in my teens and twenties and still have my boots. Unfortunately I left my pair of doc shoes at my uncle’s in New Zealand where they are gathering dust. Leaving them behind was a big mistake as these shoes aren’t cheap and usually take forever to break in!
You can find out more about Iain’s book on his blog: http://britishinnit.com/wordpress/.
So what books are you currently reading? Let me know.
1 comment
Anonymous says:
February 19, 2009 at 10:27 am (UTC 0)
Hi Helen. I vowed to read at least a book a week this year too. So far so good. At the moment I'm working my way through the classics. Just read To Kill a Mockingbird which I loved, and am now on The Catcher in the Rye. Tip: Download audiobooks. That way you can listen to a book when you're at the gym, running, walking around town or cleaning. They have dramatically boosted my reading success rate. Keep up the good work!