Lonesome Reader is 10 years old!

I started this book blog back in 2013 on a whim, but updating it and becoming involved with online bookish activities has become a daily part of my life. Not only has it given me the opportunity to articulate my thoughts on what I'm reading but I've had so many meaningful interactions with other readers and received many great book recommendations. To my surprise, it's also opened opportunities to interact with the publishing world from reviewing newly released titles to being closely involved with book prizes to interviewing favourite authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Zadie Smith, Richard Powers and Martin MacInnes. Though it's time consuming to write posts and make videos about books all this activity has spurred me on to read even more than I did before blogging.

As a fun way of celebrating my blog's birthday I set myself the goal of picking a favourite book from each year of the past decade. Here you can watch me reminisce about some of my top readers from the past ten years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1edH0pNkZ14 It's a pleasurable (and slightly tense) process!

I still like to write about individual books in blog posts but recently my time has been largely taken up with the online book club I started a few months ago. It's been wonderful that so many readers have joined leading to lots of casual chat and close reading of our monthly book club picks. The murky world of online life and social media certainly has its pitfalls, but mostly it's been a positive experience full of energetic discussion and meaningful exchanges about literature. Reading is a necessarily solitary activity but all the activity and relationships which have grown out of this blog has shown me that being part of a community of readers means that I won't ever be lonely.

LonesomeReader is Eight Years Old Today!

I know it's self-indulgent to celebrate a book blog's birthday, but I take a little pride in saying that something I started more or less on a whim eight years ago is still going today and that it's opened up so many opportunities for me. If I were more organized and ambitious I'd probably have started a literary review or became a book reviewer for other publications, but I like the fact that I can just do my own thing here casually writing about whatever books take my fancy and engaging with so many great readers across the world. Some book bloggers I know who have gone on to work in publishing or mainstream media have found when reading becomes a job it loses a bit of its magic. So I figure it's probably best if I keep all the booky stuff I do online as a passionate hobby. 

The thing I enjoy most about it is the opportunity for personal reflection and literary analysis it gives me as well as the ability to connect with other readers. It really enhances my reading experience seeing a variety of responses to new books that are coming out or engaging in discussions about book prizes. And it's still the best feeling when I get a response to a passionate blog post I wrote years ago because that reader has just experienced the book I discussed and loved it just as much and wants to share that feeling with someone. It affirms my understanding that reading is a solitary activity, but it connects us to other readers across time in quite a profound way.

For most of the year I've kept up the habit of writing about a couple of different books per week, but this month I've been a bit slack about blog posts because I had a bad cold for a while and currently I'm on holiday in Lanzarote. Of course, I always bring a big pile of books with me on holiday but inevitably I end up doing fun activities with my partner which means I have less reading time than I do in a normal week. There are a number of books I've read recently including new fiction by Rabih Alameddine and Elif Shafak and some books that were listed for this year's Wainwright Prize which I haven't had time to blog about yet.

Since we're on a Spanish island I've also been enjoying reading some stories from The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories edited by Margaret Jull Costa. My partner and I have been reading a number of these aloud to each other which is such an excellent way to make reading a joint activity. Naturally, there's a real variety of styles and subject matter in these stories which span the past century but it's tipped me off to some writers whose work I'd like to explore more including Pío Baroja, Mercè Rodoreda and Elvira Navarro. The volcanic earth of this region makes it such a curious landscape but a lovely spot for some quiet reading time.

As always, thank you for following my blog and discussing books with me. I'd love to know about what you've been reading recently or what you're looking forward to reading.

LonesomeReader is Seven Years Old Today!

It's hard to believe I've only been blogging about books for seven years when it feels like I've been doing it my whole life. Not only is reading a pleasurable daily activity for me but now being on many different online platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and GoodReads there's barely ever a day when I don't have some form of online interaction with other readers. This is so different from my childhood and college years when I'd spend ages reading and thinking about books and had no one to discuss them with me. I'm thankful for people who are interested in my thoughts about books and I'm especially grateful for the opinions of other readers. Whether their ideas are aligned with my own or greatly differ, my perspective on many books is usefully challenged and shaped by our great virtual community of bookish folk. 

I’m going to sound like a broken record, but with the special challenges this year has presented I really don't know what I'd have done without books to provide much-needed solace. Of course they’re often entertaining, inspiring and informative. With the stress of the world and this extended period of time largely confined at home, I've also grown to value the sheer comfort books provide even more. While many readers have understandably found it challenging to concentrate on reading during this time it's also encouraging to know we can still discuss our zeal for books and connect online.

It was truly momentous for me to get to interview my favourite author Joyce Carol Oates about her life and writing this year. Who'd have thought such dark circumstances would provide an opportunity for a long, enriching zoom chat?! For the past few months I've also been preoccupied with reading entries for the First Novel category of the Costa Book Awards. Judging a book prize is an enormous time commitment and I take it very seriously so want to give each book submitted a fair chance. But this presents a dilemma for me as a blogger since I can't discuss everything I've been reading here since that obviously wouldn't be fair to the judging process. It's meant in the past few weeks I've been more quiet on here than I have been in years - ironic that I've been reading more than ever lately but also blogging less than ever! Nevertheless, I'm so excited to be part of this process and to share the shortlist my fellow judges and I come up with later this year.

I also think it's healthy not to feel it's necessary to analyse and comment upon everything you read. Sometimes I feel guilty when I've read a book and not blogged about it. This could happen for any number of reasons. Sometimes I simply don't have much to say about a particular title I've read or find it too difficult to articulate my thoughts about it or I might just not have the time to write a blog post. I made a resolution at the start of the year not to stress too much about this. The true pleasure of reading is in the act itself and it's impossible to ever fully capture the experience of that. Any reflections I post about here are just my geeky musings. But thanks for following along and I hope you're reading something good!

LonesomeReader is Six Years Old Today!

I’ve been wondering lately: why keep blogging when no one reads blogs anymore? Of course, that’s not completely true because you are reading this now. I still get nice comments occasionally – even on books I posted about months or years ago from readers who have just experienced the book and want to discuss it (these are the best!) And probably most people who read blogs do so passively without commenting at all which is totally fine and understandable.

I guess I feel that no one reads blogs anymore because when I started blogging six years ago many of my “contemporaries” who used to regularly update their book blogs only post occasionally or not at all these days. Certainly there are still great bloggers I read regularly like JacquiWine, ALifeInBooks, Books & Bao and Years of Reading Selfishly. But many people only discuss what they’re reading on social media by posting a picture with a few words about it. For instance, the wonderful writer Max Porter will occasionally post a picture of a pile of books and write nothing more about them than “Good books.” This sometimes seems sufficient and it’s good that people pay attention to these posts because he has impeccable taste.

Many bloggers have also moved on to host events at literary festivals, open bookshops or publish their own books – which is all wonderful to see! And here I am still geekily posting about what I’m reading week after week even though no one may be reading it. So, in a way, I feel like the guy who hangs around at a party long after it’s over looking for someone who will finish a bottle of wine with him. This has created a different kind of loneliness to the one I initially felt when I first started this blog and had no one with whom to discuss what I’m reading.

I continue to have this yearning sensation and hope for a connection with other readers when I put my thoughts out there. I’ve just a memoir by Tove Ditlevsen and in describing her feelings of isolation in childhood she writes “I always dream about meeting some mysterious person who will listen to me and understand me.” I guess I still long for this. Though I’ve had many wonderful discussions with readers online, digital connections are often fleeting.

Certainly any social eco-system functions in this transient way – especially online ones. Groups of people connect for a period of time and then gradually disperse, grow apart, move onto other things. And new blogs still pop up all the time. And the media keeps changing – I’ve certainly enjoyed the pleasure of being part of BookTube and Bookstagram in addition to blogging. And there are always new readers hungry to discuss a good book. This is lovely and encouraging. But I still get a solemn feeling now and then that all I’m doing is talking to myself – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The best thing about keeping a regular book blog is that it demands I sit down (often for hours) trying to articulate exactly what I think and how I feel about a book. There’s a deep pleasure in doing this rather than letting that rich reading experience disintegrate and be forgotten. In the six years since I started this blog the internet has grown even more fast-paced and consequently our attention spans get shorter and shorter. But writing blog posts and reading them demand extended contemplation. Good blog posts give much more than a simple star rating and I value bloggers who still thoughtfully write out their complex reactions to books. Because the experience of reading a book makes us think and feel so many things I believe they deserve a more nuanced reaction than a simple thumbs up or thumbs down.

That’s why I value this space for quiet reflection as well as the room it grants for meaningful discussions with other readers. So thank you for reading and thank you for being a reader.

LonesomeReader is Five Years Old Today!

When I started this blog I never thought it’d become such a big part of my life. Barely a day goes by when I’m not posting about a book or responding to a comment or email or chatting with someone on social media about books. I’ve written 452 book reviews for the blog thus far and met countless readers – some of you I’ve even met in real life! And I really value all the chats about books we’ve had. 

Of course I’ve always been a reader, but keeping this blog and interacting with other readers online has given me such a deeper appreciation for what a social activity reading is rather than seeing it as a strictly solitary act. It’s not an accident that so many avid readers are introverts - although, certainly not every reader could be classified this way. But I am someone who enjoys solitude and the process of reading demands this. So much alone time can cause a creeping glumness where I feel too disconnected from other people and I think this is partly why a sense of loneliness can overwhelm me at times.

I clearly remember a summer in my teens where I took a month off from working and school. For whatever reason, I was lucky enough to have freedom at that time to mostly sit at home and read. So I ardently read Dostoevsky and Faulkner for hours on end day after day. And one afternoon I looked up and thought: I AM SO DEPRESSED. Ha. Of course I was! Yes, it’s important to go out in the world now and then, but I think if I were online then interacting with other readers it would have made me feel a lot better. Hearing opinions and book recommendations from other readers and getting involved in so many bookish activities goes a long way to alleviate this occasional sadness and recognize how empowering solitude can be. So thanks for chatting with me about books!

I keep quotes from five wonderful authors in the side column of this blog to remind myself about the distinction between loneliness and solitude. It’s important for readers to remind themselves that there is a strength and connectedness that comes with the activity of reading when we’re alone. Since you’re also a keen reader I’m glad you understand what I mean. Thank you for being here.

LonesomeReader is Four Years Old Today!

I started this blog exactly four years ago. In a way it feels like my little safe haven away from the noise of normal life where I can mull over what I’m reading to my heart’s content. I’m truly grateful for people who want to engage with me discussing what they’re reading too. Now that I’ve built up quite a back catalogue of reviews one of the best things is when someone has just finished reading a book I read years ago and comments on that old post. Suddenly, my thoughts and feelings for that book come rushing back to me while we have a discussion in the present. Having that sort of connection helps assuage the feeling of loneliness which always goes with reading and makes it much more fun. It’s a lovely thing.

Since I like to mug for the camera and come up with creative ways of photographing myself with what I’ve been reading, I’ve also built up quite an album of book selfies. So here’s a selection from the past four years. Thanks for reading my blog and watching my Booktube videos and let me know what you’ve been reading lately… I always love hearing about what good books I’m missing out on.

LonesomeReader is Three Years Old Today!

It’s hard to believe three years have passed since I first started this book blog. I’m amazed at the opportunities it’s opened up for me to engage with other passionate readers, interact with authors personally and celebrate literature I love. Some highlights from the past year include being a judge on the Green Carnation Prize, joining rambunctious reader extraordinaire Simon of Savidge Reads to form the Baileys Bearded Book Club, fabulous feminist Naomi of The Writes of Women in shadowing the Baileys Prize and insightful reader of classic fiction Jacqui of JacquiWine’s Journal to organize a Jean Rhys Reading Week. It’s also been interesting starting a booktube channel recently to speak about books on video and finding on Youtube a whole new community of readers to interact with online.

It was a pleasure and thrill being asked to interview Zadie Smith about her excellent forthcoming novel “Swing Time” at the beginning of August. This coming week I’m looking forward to chairing an evening with Baileys Prize and Desmond Eliot Prize winner Lisa McInerney alongside other prize winning authors Andrew Hurley and Jessie Greengrass at Waterstones Tottenham Court Road. Details and ticket info are here if you’d like to come along! It’d be wonderful to see you there. I’m also being commissioned to write articles about literature for publishers. So these things mean I’m earning a bit of money for the first time by talking about books and writing about books. This blog has always just been a passion project I do in my spare time so it’s a nice extra validation to be getting this work.

However, the biggest honour this year and probably the biggest honour of my whole life was when Joyce Carol Oates dedicated her new book “Soul at the White Heat” to me. If you’ve read my blog much or know me at all you’ll know she’s my absolute favourite writer. She’s a supreme artist and genius so it’s truly humbling receiving this dedication. It’s also particularly poignant that this is a collection of nonfiction about the writing life and Oates’ own passion for reading classic and contemporary fiction. Readers are kindred spirits and though reading is a solitary act just patiently engaging with a book connects you to a whole community of invisible readers.

To twist a famous phrase by Virginia Woolf, it’s important to have a virtual space of one’s own. Now more than ever before anyone with access to the internet can make themselves heard by creating a blog or starting an account on social media. It’s important to say what you think and express what you’re most passionate about. It’s also vital that we really listen to each other and exchange ideas instead of closing ourselves off to opinions other than our own. This week I read Donal Ryan’s brilliant new novel “All We Shall Know” and in it he writes “People get wicked vexed unless you agree away with them. There’s no countenancing argument any more.” It feels increasingly that people in politics and the media shout things and want others to simply agree with them. But we need to challenge each other and be challenged ourselves if we’re going to really converse and grow. Otherwise, it’s just noise. 

Thank you for reading my book blog. So, have you read anything good lately? 

LonesomeReader is Two Years Old Today!

Two years ago I started this blog without any expectations about what it would turn into. I didn’t even have confidence in my ability to continue updating it. I’m grateful that people have read it and appreciated what I have to say about books. Conversing about books and reading what other people say about their own reading has only fuelled my obsession for reading more. And it is an obsession. Although I read more than most people, I sometimes feel quite down about all the books I don’t have time to read. Recently someone very wise said to me that I feel this way because I want to be on the inside when there is no inside. It seems to be an inevitable state of being for me and many other readers who tend to be more introverted to perpetually feel on the outside of things.

In writing this blog, I’m continuously trying to investigate the state of loneliness. It’s a kind of loneliness that can’t be assuaged by engaging with other people. Feelings of being an outsider, disconnected from the rest of the world, lost in one’s own thoughts. They are a state of mind which can only be settled by connecting with humanity through good literature. I really appreciate the distinction Joyce Carol Oates makes in her recent excellent memoir “The Lost Landscape” that “Loneliness weakens. Aloneness empowers. Aloneness makes of us something so much more than we are in the midst of others whose claim is that they know us.” It’s a sentiment echoed in quotes by May Sarton and Marianne Moore that I’ve put in the sidebar of this blog. Because only in this state of solitude can we live unencumbered by the judgements and projections of other people. That’s not to say I want to live like a hermit on a mountain (as appealing as this sounds from time to time). But I want to find strength in my self when I am alone and faced with a book that allows an entire world to unfurl inside my head.

So my fanaticism for reading more and more hasn’t waned. It’s been fascinating reading books for the Green Carnation Prize recently as it’s made me pick up types of books and genres I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards. This encourages me to not be so methodical in my reading in the future, to let my hand grab books out of sheer curiosity as I used to when I was a teenager wandering through used bookstores. There is a perpetual sense of excitement about where a book might take me when I have no preconceived notions about the author or the subject matter or what anyone thinks of it. But I still love hearing recommendations. Some of the best books I’ve read in the past two years have come from being nudged to read something by readers of this blog or by bookish people on social media.

So what are you reading and what do you think I should read next?

Lonesome Reader is a Year Old Today!

a pile of some of the books I've read in the past year

I’m throwing myself a little blogger’s birthday party because I began this site exactly one year ago today. I wasn’t sure if I would have the stamina to keep it going but now this is my favourite personal project. This seems like a good time to stop and assess why I’m putting so much time and effort into the blog. It was also a little over a year ago that I became a qualified massage therapist – a practice I’ve kept up on weekends and weeknights in addition to my full time weekday office job. I do love the sense of connection and satisfaction I find in body work. Since I don’t earn anything from doing this blog I should really concentrate my efforts into building my practice more and expanding my skills. The thing is I’m not much of a businessman and money isn’t everything. Honestly, I'd rather be lost in a book.

Reading and discussing books is nourishing for the soul. I’ve made some wonderful connections with other bookish folk. And I genuinely appreciate all the lovely people who read and comment here. The blog has opened up some wonderful opportunities for me. I now contribute reviews to the wonderful book site Shiny New Books and review all new Oates titles for the academic journal Bearing Witness: Joyce Carol Oates Studies. I’ve met some brilliant writers I really admire and have even cooked tofu for a current Booker shortlisted author at my house. But what I enjoy most is the world of books that I’ve been introduced to by reading other blogs, communicating with readers and gathering recommendations. There will always be stacks of new books I’m aching to read. Even if I feel overwhelmed at times by the amount of books that are added to my To Be Read List, this isn’t a contest. No one is keeping score. This is about reading with care, giving time to fully appreciate the author’s intention, reflecting what it means to me and sharing with a wonderful community of readers. By necessity, reading will always an alone activity but it's good to share feelings and thoughts afterwards.

Now tell me what you’re reading and what I should read next.