We all know the comfort of reading an old favourite. You know the characters, the plot doesn’t need much energy and you can relax as you’re reading. I’ve been doing that a lot recently. I think I was in need of the feeling of comfy slippers as recovery from a busy and stressful time in life.
I was delighted, therefore, to find out that September is Read A New Book month. It’s exactly the incentive I need to kick off the old pair of slippers and slip my feet into a pair of glittery sandals.
A book you’ve never read before is an adventure waiting to happen. I don’t know about you, but for me reading is an opportunity to get lost in a different world with new people – whether they’re friend or foe. It’s an opportunity to be challenged whether through fiction or non-fiction and to stretch your mental muscles. I’m sure I’m not alone in having a pile of books-to-be-read but I recently I just couldn’t find the necessary energy to get started on something new and unfamiliar.
For the next months, I’m going to make a concerted effort to read only new books – or at least those that are new to me. I’ve made a start already by taking on The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths. It was the perfect way to break into my new reading pledge. Normally I don’t like books with lots different viewpoints but in this story it worked. It meant that you’re fed the plot by different people, each of whom knows something the others don’t. It’s not an easy way to write but Elly manages it well. At one point I thought I’d figured out who was the killer but I was completely wrong! It has just the right amount of ghosties and murders to keep the reader happy.
At the end of the month I’ll report back on the other books I’ve read.
Next up is The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie!
What will be on your list for Read A New Book month? Pop your recommendations in the comment section below.