You know what? A few months ago, I was the first to preach about distancing yourself from social media from time to time, in my post about why I took a break from blogging and social media. However, every night, I find myself scrolling endlessly through my Instagram feed and watching, behind a screen, how perfect everyone’s life really is. Ultimately, that’s what everyone, including myself, choose to portray on social media. It’s not even a question about being fake and showing only the happy parts of our lives. It’s simply because happy moments are what we celebrate – we don’t commemorate sad days by taking photographs and keeping memories. It’s no wonder we get caught up with social media.
I silently made a New Year resolution to myself to distance myself for a few hours a day so I can keep them all to myself. Going to the gym is perfect for this but I want to take it a step further with READING. When I was at University, I used to endlessly complain that I didn’t have time to read the books that I WANTED to read. Let’s make things clear – I came to realise that the books I now WANT to read are, in fact, along the lines of what I studied during my English literature days. However, I’m also interested in lifestyle books (like the ones I’ll be showing you here).
So why is reading so important?
Firstly, I think that reading helps with focus and concentration. In a world in which everything is so passe within the hour, we’ve learnt to skim through articles and books. Back in the day, I was such an avid reader. I’m almost ashamed to say that I’ve slowly started to get impatient with books but I’m determined not to let this escalate any further. I want to bring back my focus and re-learn the joy of reading and getting lost in a book.
Reading also helps with imagination. I feel that a book can leave your mind wondering for AGES. There’s nothing like a good book to give a boost to your creative outlook on your projects. Whether it’s fiction, a lifestyle book, a classic book – it doesn’t matter. Reading can get you thinking in a way that no other medium can.
There’s nothing like getting lost in a literary world. I feel that our generation has replaced books with TV series. While I’m a complete series junkie, I feel that you cannot replace the feeling of getting lost in a good book only to find yourself again by the end of it. So grab a book, mourn your favourite characters and celebrate those happy moments that happen inside a fictional world that you’re holding in your hands.
My February Reading List
Even though I haven’t dedicated a lot of time for reading, I still have a nasty habit of buying books. This means that I have a whole bookshelf of unread books which I intend to tackle one hardback and paperback after another.
I really want to read a classic every month which is why The Great Gatsby is on the list. I’ve read bits and pieces of this so many times but I want to make the time to read it from start to finish because its so beautifully written.
Milkman is my latest purchase and it’s the winner of The Man Booker Prize for 2018. I’ve read the first few pages at the bookstore and I was hooked. I can’t wait to dive right into it. I bought Normal People by Sally Rooney because it was one of the books that caught my attention when I was looking at the longlist of The Man Booker Prize. I started this a while back and I was loving it. I think this is going to be the first book I tackle in February.
The legendary, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. This is a book I’m keeping by my bedside table so that, every now and then, I read a few excerpts. This book is so real and contemporary. It brings out the obvious flaws in our society that you might already be aware of but never fully thought about them. It’s an excellent book for self-reflection.
I’d love for you to suggest what books I should read in March! Let me know your favourite books!