Hello guys and dolls, I thought it was time for a life update, considering how sporadic my posts have been of late. I will no longer be uploading my ‘living through COVID-19 pandemic’ posts. I think I have done enough now to show how I coped during the strictest parts of the pandemic. Even though the pandemic isn’t over and we are now heading into the second wave and parts of the UK are beginning to move into new ‘Tiers’ to follow, I am sure you are as bored with the posts as I am with writing them. It has got to the point where I struggle to remember to write about what has happened or I struggle to make it enjoyable and not a ‘deep dive into the depressive mental health of surviving through the pandemic’.

So, those posts will stop.

I have, as I’m sure you realise, not read a lot of books since July. It is something that has weighed heavily on my mind because I have felt guilty and anxious over it. This is not just because I’m surrounded by a large pile of tbr books!

Life outside of books, has been incredibly busy. On Wednesday 21st October, I exchanged on the flat that I put an offer in on in August. I complete on the 6th November and should be moved in by the week of the 16th. This has taken up much of my time because, as you can imagine getting your first mortgage and picking a place to live is a very stressful experience. Over the course of two months I have filled out more paperwork than you could possibly imagine and I have felt all levels of anxiety.

With the stresses of moving and the prospect of having to pack everything up, you can understand why I have not had much time for books. However, there is more.

I run a small business that I launched at the end of last year. It is just me that runs this business, so as you can imagine, I have been incredibly busy since September, trying to get my Christmas stock ready in time. The hours of the day that I usually read in have now become my craft hours to prepare my shop.

I have also gained back a more regular work schedule, with bigger projects with longer timescales. I am also studying for two courses, the first in Lean Management and the second in Basic HR Fundamentals, so that can take up a lot of time as well.

I am determined not to worry about what I’m reading and when I’m reading. I am trying to push aside the guilt of not reading.

However, you must know that I have still been buying books…as I just can’t help myself! Let me know if you’ve read any of the below or if they’re on your tbr list!

• I am The Night by Ethan Cross
• The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
• The Puppet Boy of Warsaw by Eva Weaver
• My Life with Murderers by David Wilson
• Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
• The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar

That’s it from me. Can’t promise what posts will be up in the coming weeks, but I promise there will be some and there will be a variety to them.