October is over which means another reading challenge has come to an end. I feel like October was a much easier month than September. I listened to a lot of audiobooks and that definitely helped. I even managed to finish ahead of time. Feeling quite proud of myself. Though it won’t last. The closer we get to Christmas, the harder it will be to find the time. I must stock up on picture books for December!
I don’t understand how January and February could be so easy to complete yet March nearly ruined me. I don’t know if it’s because it’s my birthday month or because I’ve just found myself in a bit of a rut. Whatever it is, I was sure that I’d never be able to spell out this simple 5 letter month. It’s not as if the letters are that bad. I had plenty of options for each but that didn’t make it easier. Still, I finished it. Let’s take a look a how.
I honestly thought I’d fall apart on spelling the month out in my books for February. We needed one more letter and the month was shorter. It seemed like a recipe for disaster. It was a bit of a struggle to find something for Y and I had to break my book buying ban. Then there was the fact that I had to find last minute alternatives for R and B because I wasn’t going to finish the two I’d set aside. I found E a bit more of a struggle than I expected but, once again, Agatha Christie came through for me.
I’m always really interested in those challenges that ask you to spell out certain works using book titles. It’s always fun. I never really struggle with spelling out my name because, weirdly, the letter U is pretty easy. I liked the idea of spelling out the months with books but, being the overachiever that I am, I needed to go one step further. I secretly decided that I would tailor my reading material in January so I would have one book for each letter. In my attempt to keep my intentions hidden, I didn’t read them in order. Although, I’m not actually that paranoid. It was more to do with the fact that I had already started reading an A book when I made this decision. I can’t promise I’ll do this every month because some of them of really long. Plus, I think I’ve used up one of my only Y titles and I’m meant to be buying fewer books this year. But, we’ll see how it goes.
If all had gone to plan today, I would have been writing my review of Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory. Of course, things haven’t gone to plan at all. I just haven’t got round to reading enough this week and I’m still waiting to finish it. I’ll be honest, I’m not enjoying it as much as I thought I would but I do think it’s a great book. Maybe I’m just not in the mood for non-fiction? I’ve got a load of cosy crime waiting for my and I think I’m just waiting to get onto that. Knowing what I’ve got waiting for me is only making the task of getting through this book even harder. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to move on tomorrow. For now, I’ve picked a random book tag to entertain you.
I’m going to be honest, my reading this week has been appalling. Supper Club was slow going so I bought another book that I hoped I’d get through in no time. Then I stopped sleeping properly and stopped getting anywhere. So, it’s Wednesday and I don’t have a new book to review. I’d also planned on writing a review of one of my favourite books but I’m so tired. I’ve just not had the energy to do anything tonight. Well, except for giving my blog a quick makeover. I’m not sure what I think about this theme but I am loving my new Motherbooker logo. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for ages and I finally got to the point where I just had to stop thinking and do it. It’s simple but I like it. The problem is, it doesn’t help me decide what I’m going to post tonight. So, I saw this book tag on Naty’s Bookshelf recently and, as I have no other plan, this seems like a good choice. Although, I have an abysmal memory. I’ve genuinely forgotten most of my childhood. The more my family talks about the past, the more I think I was actually adopted or something.
So, I’m not going to lie to you. Yet again, I haven’t finished a book. It’s been a hectic week and I’ve been feeling shit. So, reading has taken a bit of a backseat. I’m away this weekend and I wanted to get ahead with posts so I didn’t have to worry about anything. I’ve been writing and taking photos in every spare second. Because I’m away in London this weekend. I’m finally getting to see Hamilton and I have no words for how excited I am. I can’t… WAIT FOR IT. Geddit? Aaah. Anyway, in the absence of a review and, needing to write something, I decided it was the perfect time to do the Hamilton Book Tag. This is a super old tag but if I’m not going to do it now when am I? I found this on DreamlandBookBlog but I think it was created on YouTube by Maureen Keavy. Either way, I’m doing it now.
We’re only 6 days from Christmas day and I’m feeling anything but festive. Forget one of my dark days, it’s been a dark week so far. I understand that the idea of being completely happy in your job is a lie that we’ve been fed since childhood but I was, at least, hoping the happy moments would outweigh the sad. Not this week. Out of the 4 shifts I’ve done so far this week, I’ve come away wanting to sit in the dark and cry after 3 of them. Which has had a massive knock-on effect on my reading so I’m nowhere near finishing Murder on the Orient Express. It’s a rereading so, realistically, I could still have written a review of it but, to be honest, I just want to go to bed and forget this week ever happened. So, I went searching for an easy book tag to fill in the space in my schedule and even that proved to be too draining. And now I’m sat here feeling defeated and quite pathetic for letting this get to me so much. I hate being the kind of person who constantly moans about work and who gets so upset about it. But, unfortunately, some days there are just so many frustrating things that, instead of washing over my head, they just end up drowning me. Still, I’d hate myself just as much if I didn’t get a post up, so I searched the internet for an appropriately Christmassy tag. Let’s see how this goes.
So, this week definitely got away from me somewhere. I expected to be finished with another book by this point but I’m still reading both of the books I’ve got on the go. I should have Matt Haig’s Notes on a Nervous Planet by next week but, for now, I’m having to find something random to fill out this post. Thankfully, it’s nearly October and I’ve been trying to get into the spirit of Halloween all month. Last week I posted a Nightmare Before Christmas themed post on Instagram so when I discovered this book tag everything seemed perfect. It helps that I love both the book and the film A Nightmare Before Christmas. But who doesn’t? It’s the perfect film to start you off on your journey to Christmas as early as October. Why wait until advent to start watching Christmas films when Tim Burton has you sorted? And why watch the film when you can do the book tag? Yeah? No? Okay. Well I’m invested now.
Last Monday I was lucky enough to see Bianca Del Rio perform in Manchester. It was something I addressed last week in my review of Hurricane Bianca so you may well be wondering why I’m bring it up over a week later? Well, I’m currently writing this the week before I go on holiday so I can schedule it to be uploaded whilst I’m away. It’s a level of dedication I’ve never strived for before and it feels weird. Good but weird. So, I’m still on a bit of a drag high. I mean I’m always on a bit of a drag queen high. I definitely thought I would hate Drag Race when a friend suggested I watch it but I was, as she predicted, quickly obsessed. I’ve watched all but the first season of the show at least three times in the last 12 months. Okay, I’ve not rewatched season 10 yet but Eureka annoyed the fuck out of me. I can’t go through that again. So, yeah, I love a bit of drag. And, as it’s on my mind, I decided to try to see if there was a Drag Race book tag. For one thing, there’s a book tag to do with anything these days. And, for another, I needed something to bosh out quite quickly. Luckily, I’m not the only Drag Race loving book nerd.
Yipee ki-yay, motherbooker 