What Book Am I Reading?

 

I asked Carin from A Little Bookish to choose me a book and wrap the front and back cover up so I couldn’t see or tell what I was reading. I don’t know the title or the author. I have no idea if the author is male or female, I’m not sure of the genre (although at a quick peak I can guess) and I don’t know what it’s about.

I’ve wanted to do this little experiment for a long time now just to see what effect reading a book blind like this will have. I am a bit of a cover-judger – and well we all are to a certain extent. Usually we read a book because it sounds interesting, or other people have made it sound interesting, or the front cover looked pretty in the bookshop, or something at least attracted you to pick it up.

Can anyone really say that no matter what – they are not affected by the cover, the title, the author, the subject, the genre, the setting, – whether it is prejudiced for or against these things. Can you ever really read a book without forming some sort of pre-judgement no matter how small or subconscious these thoughts may be.

So what would it be like if I didn’t have all of that? How would it effect the way I read an enjoyed a book?

I have in the past taken part in mystery book swaps where I committed to reading a book before knowing what it was, but even so I still got to see what it was by the time I received it so I could already form an opinion about that book even if I didn’t know it.

For instance, a while ago I took part in the ‘Crazy Book Swap’ hosted by Wallace at Unputdownables a couple of years ago where she sent me Midwives. I hadn’t heard of Chris Bohjalian the author before and to be frank as soon as I saw the title I felt sceptical. I didn’t want to read about families or babies. The book cover was a plain and boring and the description hardly lit a fire in me either. Yet I’d committed to at least attempting to read it and so I did. I ended up really enjoying it and have become a fan of Christ Bohjalian. So ultimately I am able to overcome my prejudices when I am forced to.

This experience however there will be no prejudices. I can’t judge it for a second on anything other then what I will soon be reading. I won’t know whatsoever what to expect until I start reading. I can’t go on Goodreads to log my progress and so I can’t read any reviews or any of the other little things I’d usually do before starting a book. I will have to wait until the unveiling at the end to find out what book I’ve been reading. Most likely by that point though, I bet it won’t even matter.

I’m predicting that after the initial novelty of not knowing that these little anchorages will probably not mean a thing. I’ll either like it or I won’t depending on the writing and how the story pans out. I’m not expecting a major change in how I read or enjoy a book, but what I think I will get from this experience is freedom. Freedom to read a book for itself, to see only the words and the story and for it not to be chosen for any particular reason. For me to have no scepticism or doubt over whether it is ‘my type’ of book. Maybe it will help me let go of all that and become a less judgemental reader?

I have also sent Carin a mystery book in return. I can’t wait to try this experiment out so I’m going to toddle off now and read…

Readers’ Workouts

Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy over at Joy’s Book Blog every Tuesdays, for bookish people who also happen to like exercise (or rather, who exercise like it or not).

Anyway, today I didn’t actually go running because I had book group instead where I sat scoffing toffee flapjacks whilst talking about A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (note to self: must complete review).

I suppose you could say the fact I walked about 4 miles instead, one way lugging back a bag full of books I picked up from the library. (So much I suppose for keeping my library books down as I said I would). I’m sure that counted for exercise especially as once again today, it was bloody hot.

I like a nice sunny day but lately it has just been too hot. So running has not been so comfortable. Since my last post I did go for a three mile flap on Thursday with my running group and my knees finally decided to quit whining and by the last 0.75 miles or so I managed to speed up.

On Sunday I took myself for a four mile run and just felt so horrid and over-heated. I hadn’t drank enough beforehand and so I felt really thirsty and hot. Despite that I still seemed to do it in about the same time which confused me as I felt like I was going really slow especially towards the middle. I even wasted a few minutes removing my earphones and trying to stuff them in my pocket. I guess I wasn’t going as slow as I thought, either that or I raced the first half in record timing.

I think last week I said something about eating and drinking. I have tried to drink more fluids, in particular water. I’m a bit of a tea drinker which apparently dehydrates you which I find hard to believe as nothing quenches my thirst quite like tea. But anyway, who am I to argue with a bunch of scientists? So I did try but I doubt I even drank half enough. So tomorrow actually must make a serious effort to drink more.

On Thursday I think I am going on an out of town run thing hosted by the running group and somehow may have agreed to another 6 miles… hopefully the weather will have cooled down by then. It probably will because I bought myself some new, more suitable running tights that I will probably wear once before it gets cold and murky again.

Anyway, that’s my exercise update for the week. I miss it when I don’t get to go but I enjoy book group and flap jacks too.

Next Tuesday we’re doing the 5k timed run thing. Last time I did that I came in at 28.30 so hoping perhaps to beat it next week!

Another Book Ban

 

Actually, this looks like heaven. I would just love to have a house full of books but that isn’t exactly possible at the moment. if I had all the money in the world though I would just cover my entire house in bookshelves. I love those quirky bookshelves too like the one below but I’d rather just go for space saving shelving that maximises the available area for books.

I’d have them up the stairway, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the loo downstairs (maybe ones with glass doors to keep them dry and germ free). You see I’ve already thought about this way too much. I’m going to become one of those hoarders from Hell and they’ll start creeping out my back door and down the garden path….

So I thought it was about time to put myself on a book ban.  I need to actually say it to make it official so then I’ll actually have to stick to it

I currently have (or will have when the two I ordered from Hive and Waterstones arrive on my doorstep) 499 books which includes ebooks.

That’s one off five hundred if you can’t do your maths. And I intend for it to stay that way! Five hundred would just be too many.

I need to go on a significant ban to chisel this pile down to something respectable… I’m not going to pull a number out of the air. The moment I say that I’ll just start panic buying. I am going to take this on a month by month basis and see where I get.

My first goal will be to get through the rest of May and to the end of June without buying another book.

My second goal is to stop getting so many library books out. Of course the library is a useful tool when I do want to read a book I don’t own, but the fact is it won’t do anything to get my TBR pile down from 499 if I read too many. That said however, I should probably try reading the ones I do get out because I do feel a bit of guilt for keeping these books here when other people may have wanted to read them especially as they are public property.

I will report on my progress at the end of June and see how good (or bad) I have been. I’ve never really been able to take bans that seriously in the past. I have done about two months before but usually end up having a massive downfall and completely undoing whatever good the ban actually managed to achieve.

Is anyone else on a ban, or would you like to join me by putting yourself on one?

Readers’ Workouts #3

I did my first bout of speed training last Tuesday and I think I am still experience the after-effects. My legs are still stiff and horrid feeling. I woke up this morning, a week later and my left thigh violently protested at being moved. It hurt every single part of my body – my legs, my shoulders, my sides, my feet. So I’m sure it must have done be so good if I feel this dreadful.

 

Last Thursday my legs were still feeling stiff but I did actually have a burst of speed towards the end so I did start to think that that speed training had done me some good. I think I paid for that spurt by feeling like a wooden pole over the weekend. I didn’t go out from my solo run which I planned. So much for increasing the number of runs I do a week!

Today the sun came out of no where. We have had terrible weather here in the UK and now that they have announced the drought has come to an end, the sun comes out and scorched everything. I think it must have been about 25C today and not a sea breeze to be felt anywhere.

I felt dreadful. I wore my new sleeveless top which was really comfortable and I’m sure helped me feel a little cooler, in my mind at least, but it just felt oppressive. My legs were killing me – I’m going to blame speed training again. They just wanted to stop and I think because I was running slower then normal that didn’t help either. It’s easier to run a bit faster – not so much heavy pounding of your feet against the concrete.

So today was definitely a hard run and the heat was a bit daunting. Maybe next time I’ll be more prepared. I think part of today’s problem as well was the fact that my eating has been slipping. I didn’t eat much today and I didn’t drink enough so I’m sure that effected my energy  levels.

So goal #1 for this week is eat better. Which means I should quit skipping breakfast and eat more for lunch that includes green things. I did go through a bit of a good phase this week actually by getting broccoli and asparagus but I need to continue with this and find easy, but healthy recipes that contain vegetables, lots of protein and that will be varied enough I don’t get bored of them.

If anyone can suggest me some no-brainer recipes I’d be very grateful. How about a recipe for couscous? I have some that’s about to go out of date in September so I need to do something with it. The only restriction is mushrooms – I can’t stand the things. Yuck.

As I seem to be posting music after each of these reader work out posts, I will continue to do so. Here is some music to chill out to after your hard work out.

One Love by the amazing Playing For Change organisation. They always succeed in lifting my mood and relaxing me.

Dearest

 

Readers’ Workouts (#2)

The weather in the UK at the moment has been absolutely crap. The moment they announced a drought the heavens opened and it didn’t stop raining for about a month. In fact, they predicted that the drought would last until Christmas.

Hah! Do these people not know England? Every time someone mentions a drought, it rains. To give them some credit, it didn’t rain very much during Autumn and Winter last year so I suppose we do have low water reserves, but it is just so typically British and ironic for us to have a drought whilst it is raining. It has been, as the newspapers keep quipping – simply the wettest drought ever.

Despite this actually, I have been quite lucky not to have had to run in a pouring downpour but the last couple of runs have been decidedly wet and windy.  It has always been a case of “is it going to rain, shall I take a water proof, do I actually want to run in that?”

Last Thursday someone decided on a route that took us down the front along the bay. Living near the sea, it’s quite blustery enough down here without actually needing to run along it, but run along it we did. The first two miles or so straight into a nice little headwind which would usually knock the breath out of me but I seem to have conquered that little hurdle. Along with this wind came the sea – lifted up in the air into as a wet mist and thrown in my face so that I had to run around with one eye closed. I could taste the salt water. It was actually quite exhilarating in a way to be running through the elements.

I felt quite proud that day that I managed to face that wind and beat it, but also maintain a decent pace along the way. It was a five mile run and I’m getting better at them. So that is one good achievement for the week.

On Saturday I ran six miles. It’s the furthest I have run yet. I said last week that I was planning to run six miles – well tentatively but really in my mind I think I’d already decided by then that I was going to do it and I did. I ran 6 miles in about one hour and five minutes which as far as I’m concerned, isn’t bad. It might have been a bit more though as typically… I forgot my watch! Blast it.

It was a bright sunny day and I admit I’m not used to running quite so early in the day – my running group meets at seven when it is usually cooler anyway. I kept on going despite the heat and my protesting body. After about a mile and a half I did start wondering if I should just turn up a different road and just do a three – but fortunately I just ignored that part of my brain and decided to see what would happen. I felt like I was going slow, very slow and I’m sure I was huffing and puffing and looked generally more awful then I usually do.  The whole point of running isn’t to look good. Does anyone really look good when they’re running around, tired out in the heat, all sweaty and disgusting?

I felt very much like a stumbling warthog and I find running on my own to be fairly difficult actually. It’s hard to pace myself and for some reason I feel that my breathing gets out of control more. Perhaps it is because I’m more worked up and nervous because I’m not used to it. Running with others is relaxing and talking distracts me from the fact my body has turned into a lead weight, my heart jabbering around in my chest and my brain complaining every mile that I should stop and sit down when I don’t actually want to, thank you very much.

However, I am so happy that I can say I’ve done 6 miles. I’ve done it and I can do it again but for now distance is going to be put on hold and I’m just going to get better at my running technique –build up stamina and not get quite so puffed out by the end. I feel that I get to the end and my body kind of gives up. I have the energy I just don’t use it. I think I allow my brain to take control. I read an article a few weeks ago and if I find it I’ll post it next week, that your body is capable of doing more but your brain makes it think it should stop earlier – to prevent injury but that it is somewhat over cautious. I think I just want to push myself a little more and concentrate on doing shorter runs – 3 to 4 miles again and just get better at it.

Today I did speed training and I felt like a slug. I pushed myself too fast early on and then towards the end I felt knackered out. It was good though – nice change from the norm and I can feel some of my muscles that I haven’t felt in a while have actually been used. So I think I will do that more often from now on – maybe every Tuesday or every other Tuesday because I do miss going out for a nice run.

I’m looking forward to Thursday now, to do another proper run I think I will just do a quick three miler and then maybe another one on Saturday. I am actually also thinking of adding in an extra day of running a week. So far I am running 3 days a week (since about 2 weeks ago) so maybe I might throw in a 4th but I don’t know. We’ll see. I might one day see what the whole deal with hill training is about at some point (not this week) is too.

Total Miles Run: 75.76

Number of  miles in current shoes: 28.56, which means I have 471 more miles until I need a new pair. Yes, indeed I have this all worked out.

On a sub note: I am terrible when it comes to eating vedge but over the last couple of days I’ve eaten a couple of mounds. A little vedge can actually go a long way. I will have to be more creative with my meals and make sure it contains a variety of good stuff. I’m not a fan of unhealthy foods, but I don’t like cooking and prefer something I can just bung in the oven.

So a long term goal for me is to basically be better at feeding myself. I’m not running to lose weight, I’m probably slightly the opposite way – but I have noticed that since taking up running I am more aware of what I am eating and trying to eat more and better things.

Anyway…. thanks for all your music suggestions last week I added quite a few to my playlist for my 6 mile run. Some of them weren’t exactly the best taste in music but it got me running – Milkshake by Kelis for example. Ack! I did re-disocver Nelly Furtado.

I particularly liked this remix of “I’m a Bird” as I have always liked Indian or eastern music influences mixed with western styles.

And Rammstein also I found to be really good to get me moving.

 

That’s my Readers’ Workout for today folks, I look forward to reading and catching up with the rest of you!

Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy’s Book Blog

Rhubarb, Rhubarb

 

Today, I fail.

I wrote a ramblingly long post about reading journeys only to realise that I’d rambled myself into a hole so feeling discontented about it I deleted the thing. I just wanted to talk about how seemingly minor things can lead you into a whole chain of books that you otherwise may never have thought of reading. I’ve probably rambled about it before.

I realise this is not the most updated blog ever, partly due to the fact I am a slow reader and I usually only read one book at a time, maybe with a second buzzing in the background that never gets completed. I think I ought to do something about this and try to be more confident in what I blog about. It is just that I feel that I’ don’t have enough to say, or everyone else has already said it and a lot better. I am basically a very quiet person – both in person and it seems online as well. I go through the occasional burst of being extremely chatty etc. but eventually I burn out or just go back into my little shell.

I will try in the future to keep this blog a little bit more active in the future and come out of my snail’s shell every now and then. For now just a few updates…

I am reading two books: No Name by Wilkie Collins and Several Strangers by Claire Tomalin. The latter has gone on the back burner a bit because I am simply loving No Name and I’m sure it will become one of my favourite books. Don’t you just love it when that happens? Every time I open this book I feel like two arms are coming out and reaching out to me. I love the way Collins’ writes – in fact I think I prefer him to Charles Dickens who I find rambles on too much for his own good.

I have picked up my cross stitch bookmark again. I enjoy cross stitch but I prefer reading – but today I decided to pick it up again and do a little more. I really should try completing it and then moving on to a different pattern.

Coming up I will be reading A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood for my library book group, and a mysterious book a fellow blogger sent me… more about that later!

Hmm… and my TBR has crept up to 495 books. I should go on another book ban… honestly I’ve only bought one (okay, no actually three) books recently which is I suppose pretty bad. Another ban is in order. I was going to ask anyone if they had any recommendations but I think for health and safety reasons I better ask you to keep them to yourselves.

I hope everyone has had a lovely Sunday – and happy Mother’s Day to all you Mum’s out there!