A pleasant afternoon read, perfect for curling up with on a cold winter day. But your enjoyment will depend on how much you can bear each author.

50mg Sertraline, taken daily, has lifted a cloud from my brain. While I don’t feel 100% at my best, it’s allowed me to embrace my creativity again. I’m able to plan out a full day of work. I can think again. 

But this ability to function doesn’t mean I’m not still depressed. 

Thank you to everyone who has asked me this recently.

It may not seem like much, but it means a lot to me when people ask me this. Not only is it a sign that people are actually interested in me and what I’m doing with my life, but it also makes me think it’s not so ridiculous to call myself “a writer”.

I picked this up on a whim, worried it wouldn't be as good as I remembered. But I was happy to discover it’s just as powerful now as it was when I read it twenty years ago.

We tend to think of history as another world. As we learn the narratives of the past, those times begin to feel almost fictional. But we walk the same streets, use the same buildings, and live the same lives as those that came before us.

An English Ghost Story is a novel of interesting ideas, poorly handled. There is a lot in here that could have made a fascinating story. Unfortunately, Newman doesn’t deliver on any of these. 

What else can I say about this book, other than it’s exactly what you would expect from something written by Brian Blessed? Just sit back and let yourself enjoy page after page of anecdotes that don’t seem like they could happen to any other person.

I spent a little time figuring out what the exact point for “a year” should be. But I rapidly decided it wasn’t worth the time. There was no one, single moment when it all "happened". Let's just say "it's been a year".

Let’s just be clear about this. This was not “a really bad day for him”.

What happened in Atlanta was a hate crime, perpetrated by a mentally disturbed and radicalised white 21-year-old male.

She was walking home. 

We’ve heard the same thing over and over again in the last few days. And weeks. Months. Years. Longer.

And I have to ask myself, if I believe I’m one of the Good Guys then why aren’t I calling this out more often?

Apparently, my opinions are interesting and people like to hear them. Why do I find this so strange?

By the time I got to the end of this book, I was really enjoying myself. Honestly, the final couple of chapters were hard to put down. But that isn’t able to cover up the fact that the first half felt rushed, oddly structured, and kind of redundant.

A bit of a mix this month. From an absolutely outstanding piece of epic historical fiction to an incredibly lacklustre graphic novel.

It’s been a while since I've read a book I almost literally couldn’t put down. Fall of Giants is Ken Follett at his best. Historical fiction, epic in scale yet filled with individual emotions and events.

It would appear that my depression is making a comeback. I’ve been doing really well for the last few weeks, but everything feels like it’s sliding backward.

This was a book it took me a little while to get into. Clearly emulating the dense, gothic style of the period it is set in, it starts off rather impenetrable. But once I pushed myself through, I found the characters and story emerged, making Affinity an incredible pleasure to read.

I was excited for this book. I absolutely loved Red Sister and had been wanting to get my hand on the second book in the series. However, as much as I still enjoyed it, it couldn’t shake the feel of being Part Two of a trilogy. 

I find it hard to imagine anyone caring about my ideas of what’s going on in my life, and I need to move past that.