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.

Becoming a Waterstones blogger

I’ve been invited to join a group of book bloggers who post regular features about new books coming out every month. This is very exciting for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, when I moved to London in 2000 one of my favourite places to regularly visit was the Waterstones in Piccadilly Circus. This was the largest bookstore I’d ever been in and I spent countless hours browsing through their shelves. Plus they hold fantastic author readings and events. So it’s an honour to be recommending new books for their customers now.

Secondly, the group of people I’ll be posting alongside are some of my favourite book bloggers out there. These include Simon of SavidgeReads & TheReaders, Naomi of TheWritesOfWomen, Kim of ReadingMatters, Nina of NotesFromTheChair, Gav of GavReads & AnUnReliableReader and Kate of AdventuresWithWords. Read about their full bios in our Bloggers Introductions on the Waterstones Blog.

My first choice went up on the Waterstones site today and I picked Olivia Laing’s very moving The Lonely City. Today’s post also includes some great recommendations from Naomi.

My brief thoughts on the Waterstones blog: https://www.waterstones.com/blog/waterstones-bloggers-the-lonely-city-the-living-and-more

Read my extended review here: http://lonesomereader.com/blog/2016/2/26/the-lonely-city-by-olivia-laing

So check in regularly at the Waterstones blog to see what we’re all recommending and buy books from this fantastic bookstore.