I've just realized that 5 out of my last 8 posts have been book reviews, which obviously means I've had far too much spare time on my hands lately - nobody should have time to read these days, what with all our technological advancements and being constantly 'on' and all our modern fandangled social media demands, right?! I've had a run of great books recently though, and I've got to the point now where I feel utterly lost if I don't have a book on the go - I'm chain-reading like nobody's business and have started to read in the evenings when the day has settled down, rather than watching tv or doing 'more productive' bits and pieces like being hunched over my computer sending emails or cleaning out the bins. I like this new development!
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Every year on the 18th of February I have to pinch myself and say 'Has it really been [insert number of years] years since I started writing here?'. Way back in 2012, when I published my first post, I never thought I'd be pottering away on this website seven years later - and still enjoying it as much as I do. It's funny; I've noticed over the last while that blogging has evolved to the point where it's almost not recognizable as blogging any more. Instead of normal people writing about things that interest them because they Just Want To Share, blogging now seems to be an incredibly commercialized pseudoindustry and sadly vapid - websites are all shiny and homogeneous, with Lots Going On and many, many pictures of the blogger in an array of flattering poses, but they don't say very much underneath it all. I think there's been a massive erosion of authenticity, and innocence in a way, and it's all about monetization and advertising and sponsored posts - seriously, what a shame! I'm probably considered very old-fashioned within this context, and Instagram seems to be the new way to go; traditional blogging and long, rambling blog posts don't lend themselves to effective self-promotion, especially in this age of short attention spans and insincerity. Anyways! As I didn't start writing here to make money (I write for pleasure; for myself and whoever happens to stumble across the site), I think it's highly unlikely at this stage that I'll succumb to the lure of Instagram and its ilk. That kind of stuff just exhausts me and I worry about the people who insatiably consume social media rubbish, completely oblivious to the damage it's doing. Although I enjoy being on social media on one level - for keeping in touch with friends and family, and I also quite like the nice side of Twitter - I can see the absolute necessity of keeping it at arm's length. Not having a smartphone (are they still called smartphones?! Maybe they're just phones now) is essential to maintaining this distance, and it's something I'm becoming increasingly militant about (nobody understands my lack of smartphoneness).
It's February! We're experiencing something of a cold snap at the moment (out of nowhere; the weather had been so mild over Christmas and for most of January) but it's bright and sunny with it, so we can't complain. I've also been reading a lot lately, and here's one of my recent favourites:
Like his previous book The Spinning Heart, one of our earlier book club excursions, Donal Ryan's 'From a Low and Quiet Sea' can almost be read in one go. I love this author's writing style; it's so natural and thoughtful and sensitive, and I found it fascinating to see how it has evolved in the intervening years since The Spinning Heart was published (The Spinning Heart was written in 2012 and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013 while From a Low and Quiet Sea was written in 2018 and longlisted again for that prize in the same year). |
About my blog
Really, it contains a little bit of everything, from a celebration of science and the English language to the joys of travel and the Shipping Forecast. The title ('Meanderings') is a fairly accurate description of its content: I write about different things as the mood takes me, but hopefully there's something in here for everyone... Categories
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March 2021
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And on another note... |
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