A Big Bookish Decision

As per the title, you have probably guessed it – I have made a big bookish decision for 2021.

I was initially a bit dubious about posting this in case I upset or offended anyone within the bookish community (which is not my intention), but then I figured this is as valid a post as any.

In 2020 I read some amazing books! Whether through NetGalley, from a publisher, or books I ordered, pre-ordered, and borrowed. Throughout the year, I read more books than at any point in my life.

One book I particularly loved was Glorious Rock Bottom by Bryony Gordon. She explains that we are all born with a hole in our soul, but the difference between us is how we deal with it (or at least, that is my interpretation).

There is no judgement or ‘YOU MUST DO THIS’ however, what there is, is an acknowledgement that some of us throw whatever we can at these holes, these ‘emotional CFCs’ (as Bryony eloquently calls them) that we think are helping the hole but are not.

During the Hay Literary Festival online (thank you Hay and thank you Rebecca for telling me about it – eternally grateful!) I asked Bryony and Poorna Bell how one goes about fixing said hole. Bryony said (which was magical btw), that you cannot just fix it, you have to acknowledge it, care for it, look after your holey soul.

So, I suppose this is my very long-winded introduction to my main point, which is that I have been buying books at a rate that far exceeds my reading ability in a bid to cheer myself up.

That’s it in a nutshell. Weirdly, it is not even about 2020, I guess it is everything that has built up over the past 4-5 years, maybe even longer. So, I bought books. It felt so great to be pre-ordering books and supporting new, upcoming, established, and debut authors.

But the book arrives, and I stick it on my ever-growing pile instead of diving straight in. So, I have come to a big realisation, the holey soul needs tending to and it cannot be fixed by buying things.

My drastic decision is to give up buying books entirely this year. This is not a NetGalley ploy, I mean no new books, no borrowed books, none (except for the books I have already and the ones I have pre-ordered, which are listed below).

It is not that I do not want to support authors, publishers, indie bookstores, and bloggers. I will still be supporting all the above and more on Twitter and via my blog.

I will be working my way through my ever-growing TBR pile and championing those authors I am just getting to know and the books I have been meaning to read and have not gotten round to.

Those books waiting to be read are still amazing, they are still shiny, they are just not ‘out today new’ and that is okay!

There are so many great books I have bought but have yet to read, so that is it, that is my big bookish decision. I am catching up on what I have got and giving up consumerism in the process.

In case you are wondering which books I have pre-ordered for the year, here’s the list in order of publication date:

The Push, Ashley Audrain

No Such Thing as Normal, Bryony Gordon

The Shape of Darkness, Laura Purcell

Luster, Raven Leilani

Insatiable, Daisy Buchanan

The Eighth Girl, Maxine Mei-Fung Chung

Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women’s Strength, Poorna Bell

Sista Sister, Candice Brathwaite

I have also supported and pre-ordered several books from Unbound, which is a crowdfunding publisher. This includes:

Financial Feminism: A Woman’s Guide to Investing for a Sustainable Future, Jessica Robinson

The Pyjama Myth: The Freelance Writer’s Survival Guide, Sian Meades-Williams

Glittering a Turd, Kris Hallenga

What books are you most looking forward to reading this year?