I sit here after just over a year of silence and I wonder what I should write. I am currently sipping a lovely pomegranate green tea as I contemplate a title and direction for this post.

Last year I read almost no books. I’m not totally sure what happened, I just never seemed to find the time to read, it always seemed like too much effort. It was possibly the biggest reading slump of my life. I suppose I need hardly mention that it has been a tumultuous few years. I have been feeling off balance, guilty and not myself for quite a while, but I am now coming out the other side. I have read four books this last month, the same amount as I read during the entire of last year.

In times like this, I find it helpful to return to comforting, well know reads. I am a lover of young adult fantasy, my bookshelves are stacked with it, and I often return to these books. It feels to me like coming home.

I am now almost done with The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, perhaps some of my all time favourite books. Reading them has been like a warm hug. I know the characters well, I love the world in which they live and even now the books still keep me captivated. I was fortunate enough to receive the latest book (Elinor and Terciel) for Christmas, which I devoured before new year, so I cannot count it towards this year’s total.

I have set myself a goal to read 22 books this year, over on Goodreads. I would also like to get back into reviewing and writing. I got 44,000 words into my first draft of my novel last year and totally lost motivation as the end drew closer. I think its time I started doing more of what I enjoy. Watch this space, if you are interested, for new reviews this year. I might even review The Old Kingdom books, though its not hard to guess from this post what I might say about them.

Anyway, this is is a rambling way of holding myself accountable. I will write this year. I will read this year. This tiny corner of the vast and seemingly infinite internet is my witness.