Happy New Year, Happy New Books!
Happy New Year!
In shocking news, I’m breaking with my own traditions this January by not making any resolutions. Nope, not a single one. As the world hurtles towards oblivion, it feels pointless to embrace all things Spartan and miserable until a few weeks hence, when my willpower succumbs to the pull of all the kettle chips. Instead, for the foreseeable future I intend to party like it’s 1999 (well, for as long as the seams of my purple trouser suit hold out, what with the kettle chips, and all).
Hopefully, you’ll all have received a nice stack of new books from Santa. I know I did. These were the gifts I received
although admittedly I did wrap up the Proust and Women’s Football books for myself!
I’ve picked up some good secondhand finds recently too. I found these at a charity clothes swap, of all places – once I’d spotted the stack of books in the corner I didn’t even glance at the clothes!
These ones I found in Haverfordwest Oxfam. I thought I was pretty restrained but I got told off as I’m meant to be shedding books as part of a major de-cluttering exercise at home -oops!
Have you made any New Year’s resolutions, or set yourself some reading challenges this year? What will 2019 bring I wonder?
Lucy
Sarah
I’m with you Sarah – 2019 will be challenging enough without giving ourselves further sticks to beat ourselves with. I’d invest in raspberry beret for Prince-themed partying, and eat kettle chips to my heart’s content 😉
Lovely book haul – I adore The Driver’s Seat! Totally bonkers and totally brilliant.
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You can never go wrong with a beret, can you? Turning dirty old man mack into undercover agent chic in one jaunty angled swoop, I plan on wearing one all year. I will keep my raspberry one behind a glass case for ‘only Prince can save us now’ emergencies, of which I fear there may be many!
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What an impressive selection of titles. Who needs resolutions when you’ve got reading like this ahead?
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I know – I struck bookywook gold this Christmas!
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Yay Westwood! I had 15 books come in but then decided to buy one for myself that I’d bought for Ali and wanted for me!! My only resolution is a vague one to work less and read more. And I have my ultramarathon in July so I need to resolve to train well for that and do it. Ulp.
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Working less and reading more is a great resolution – one I could do with adopting, although I’m finding that it’s my blogging that is suffering the most!
Good luck with your training – I’ll be following your progress eagerly (from the comfort of my sofa! 😉 ).
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Ooooh, nice finds – and all justified in my view! Few challenges from me, just reading what I fancy! 😀
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Reading what you fancy is so liberating, isn’t it?
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What a lovely haul! I am particularly interested in your Paintings in Proust – I have vowed that 2019 will finally be the year when I dip my toes in Proustian waters, and Karpeles’ book sounds like a great companion piece.
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I can’t recommend Proust highly enough – just take it really slowly with no necessary end in sight. I wish I’d got the ‘Paintings’ book sooner as the second half of volume one refers to a great many paintings, so I’ll have to go back and re-read those bits again!
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What a lovely stack of books! I wrote a list of aims/plans for the new year rather than strict resolutions. And I’m giving myself a year to reach those goals, January ain’t the month for being in a hurry 😉
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To be honest, what with working more hours, and filling in job applications, I’m feeling sleep and time deprived and can’t remember my name from day to day let alone capable to take on a challenge! A job has come up that I really really want, (fingers, toes, everything crossed) but monumental fear of not getting it has set in and I’ve taken to the stress-related obsessive learning of random things to soothe me. Flags are my latest craze, and sadly utterly useless in my quest to be more interview savvy. *sigh* So I’m going low maintenance this year, reading what I can manage and making do, but don’t be surprised if a few ‘Ooo, here’s an interesting flag’ posts start cropping up!
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I properly lolled at flag craze. I had a flag book when I was a kid and would tell people if their living room colour scheme echoed a country. Auntie Myra just needed a two headed gold eagle and her living room would have been Russia. But oh! Crossing everything for the job. if it’s meant to be for you it will be 🙂
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Ooo, I wrote the introduction for the Chinese version of Days of Reading! That is a wonderful haul you have yourself there, especially the matching Steinbeck’s, nothing is more satisfying than matching covers.
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Wow, that is majorly impressive! I’d not be able to let a day pass by without wearing a cravat and informing every person I encountered of my fame. Matching covers are a boon, aren’t they? I had to have them even though I already had some of them in different editions. And that, right there, is why I’ll never earn any prizes for minimalism.
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Minimalism on a bookshelf is abhorrent to me. The more (and the more diverse) the better! I do like to drop in the introduction at random times, the cravat though is sadly lacking, I am looking for a beret though.
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It looks like you’re going to have to go on a little Steinbeck stint!
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I am indeed! 🙂
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