I Should Read More.

As the title suggests, I've come to the realisation over the last few days that I not only feel like I should but I actually really do want to make the effort to read more. I've discovered the world of Booktubers, which for those of you who are not familiar with the term is basically people who love books, talking about them on YouTube. Simple as that. I started watching one and then found myself binge watching a few and becoming transfixed with how eloquent and charming this collective of YouTubers are. From there I then began adding book after book to my Amazon wishlist and being reminded about fantastic books I also already own but haven't touched in years. The books on my book shelf have well and truly been gathering dust over the last decade and I'm ashamed to say I can probably count on one hand the amount of books I've read in the past couple of years. The thing is I have a habit of starting books reading a chapter and then forgetting about them, I've not shown any type of commitment to reading because in a way I began to view reading as a chore. I knew that once I loved a book and really got stuck into one, then I would remember what was so great about reading, but unfortunately I've gotten lazy and my attention span seems to be shrinking. I don't want to view reading like this though, I want to take great pleasure in picking a book up, I want to read a few chapters and not want to put it down and then be itching to get back to the book whenever I get a moment to. I want to feel enriched by a story in the same way that the wonderful Booktubers I've discovered are. I'm going to try and re-spark that love for literature and reading and so I've got a few books I've decided to start off my reading journey with in March. They are as follows and in no particular order...

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

I know this one will be tough going with the protagonist being a 37 year old man who becomes sexually obsessed with a 12 year old girl. Although this book obviously harbours a lot of controversy it is also considered to be one of the greatest literature triumphs of the 20th Century. I've heard it's beautifully written and I'm looking forward to finding out why it has garnered such high acclaim.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

I want to dip my toes into the world of science and this seems like a good place to start. I think I need to do a bit more reading before I can even think about tackling Stephen Hawking's infamous A Brief History of Time, a friend warned me it's super heavy going, so it's going on my list for the future for now. Carlo Rovelli's book was published last year and received a spectacular response from critics. So apparently by the time I've finished this I should have some understanding of  Einstein's theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, elementary particles, gravity, and the nature of the mind  (here's hoping!!) .

The Art of Asking: How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer

I'm not a Dresden Dolls fan per say (Amanda is the singer of said band and one half of the duo) so this one hasn't peeked my interest from a fan point of view. I saw a review of this one on a BookTuber's channel and it just sounds wonderful and exactly the kind of read I need. Caitlin Moran said of it 'Amanda Palmer joyfully shows a generation how to change their lives' which is a rather bold statement so I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about with this one.

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

As you might have gathered if you read my last post, I love a good coming of age tale and this one comes highly recommended on lots of book lists. Hinton wrote this when she was just 17 and it was first published in 1967, there appears to be an 80's adaptation of it but I've not seen it. The book follows a teen gang 'the Greasers' in rural Oklahoma and the consequences of a violent brawl with a rival local gang. 

I think 4 books will probably be enough for now, I tried to make them varied so that I don't lose interest in reading and keeping this up. Like I said earlier I don't want this to be a chore in anyway, it has to be something I want to do for enjoyment, so here's hoping I keep it up and get into the swing of picking up books again. Watch out for more book posts in this space, I'm really looking forward to getting round to some of the others I have on my list too!