Copywriting | Feature Writing | Hobart, Tasmania
I love reaching the end of a year and taking a moment to look back through the books I’ve read.
Starting my @ruthreadsbooks Instagram account that I use as a reading diary has been a bit of a game changer. I still keep a notebook to record everything I read each year, but having the visual prompts of the front covers is a great way to jog my memory about the books I’ve enjoyed the most. Continue reading “2021: a year in books”
Despite everything that happened in 2020 – or perhaps even because of everything that happened – I’ve managed to keep up a pretty good pace of reading this year.
There’s still a week or so left in the year, but to date I’ve read 107 books. Ten less than last year, but still not bad.
The split was 48 fiction, 48 non-fiction, 8 poetry and 3 mixed anthologies. Three of them were audiobooks, and four of them were e-books that I was sent as a volunteer reader for the Highland Book Prize. The rest were hardcopy, sourced from a combination of new and second hand bookshops, op shops, loans from friends, and free little libraries.
Additionally, I started three books that I didn’t finish – but I tend not to name and shame when that happens, because reading is such a personal thing. Message me if you really want to know…
I thought I’d share my favourite fiction and non-fiction reads, along with a couple of poetry recommendations, in case you’re looking for some reading inspiration over the holidays. (Or perhaps a last-minute Christmas present!) Continue reading “2020: a year in reading”
I’ve been meaning for months to write a blog post about the benefits of reading as self-care. For obvious reasons, now seems as good a time as any.
Reading has always been my go-to activity.
Worried about something and need to know more about it? Read a book.
Worried about something and need to distract myself from it? Read a book.
Need to shut out the white noise of the world and remind myself how to focus on one thing at a time? Read a book.
Heaps of time to kill – at home, in a waiting room, while travelling? Read a book.
It has been clear from watching the stress levels rise across my social media feeds and in-person communities over the last few weeks that not everyone has tuned in to the life-changing magic of books yet.
That’s reasonable. We are living in exceptional times – for those working in frontline jobs, on casual contracts, or as freelancers, there are financial pressures that accompany the COVID-19 pandemic that can’t just be wished away. For those personally affected by the virus, there are even more pressing things to think about.
But for every one of us, for our own wellbeing and mental health, it’s important to have a way of taking the occasional break from the strangeness of it all – from the pressure, the panic, and the 24-hour news cycle. Books are one of the most accessible ways of doing that. Continue reading “Reading as self-care”
Have I mentioned before how much I enjoy reading? I think I might have! Once… or perhaps twice.
2019 has been an absolute cracker of a year for good books. My targeted approach of only buying and borrowing books that are on my wishlist – rather than lucky dipping from the sale table – seems to paying dividends. I’ve not encountered many duds this year at all.
We still have a couple of weeks to go, but my reading stats for 2019 are:
Books read: 117
Books started but abandoned before the end: 6
(I don’t like criticising books publicly because reading is such a personal thing, but message me on social media or email me if you want to know what they were!) Continue reading “My Top Reads of 2019”
The inaugural Weekend of Reading took place in Hobart over the weekend. It was a fantastic three-day event, organised by Kate Harrison and Jane Rawson, which kicked off on Friday night with the announcement of the Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prize shortlists.
I was really pleased when Kate and Jane – who work together under the banner of Read Tasmania – asked me to take part in one of the panel discussions. Along with fellow Hobart writers Peter Timms and Ruth Quibell, I tackled the question ‘Do you need to own books to love them?’ Continue reading “Do you need to own books to love them?”
Quite accidentally, I seem to have found myself reading a lot of motherhood memoirs recently.
My own son is now ten years old – the drudgery of sleepless nights is well behind us – but the tears and laughter that have been prompted by my recent reads would suggest that the memories of those early days are still quite raw.
I thought it would be useful to compile a list of my favourite reads about motherhood. Others may well disagree, but I always found fiction, memoir and poetry to be far more useful than how-to manuals and parenting guides. Sometimes all you need to know is that someone has else lived what you’re currently living, and come out the other side of it alive. Continue reading “The Best Books about Motherhood”
It’s no great secret that I’m a big reader. I’ve published several posts on this blog about my favourite books, and over on Instagram I run an account called @ruthreadsbooks which functions as a visual reading diary.
You can imagine then how pleased I was to find this recent study, which concluded that reading makes you a more empathetic person.
I’ve long-believed that being a keen reader makes me a better writer, and developing empathy is a key part of that. Whether you’re writing creatively and trying to put yourself in the position of a reader who wants to be engaged and entertained, or whether you’re writing copy and trying to make sure what you deliver keeps your client happy, the ability to see other perspectives and viewpoints is crucial. Continue reading “Reading makes me a better writer: here’s why”
I’m just back at my desk after three weeks of travel with my family in Europe.
We started with a fortnight in Scotland, visiting friends and relatives in the Outer Hebrides and Edinburgh, and then to break up the long trip back to Australia we spent a few days in Helsinki. What a wonderful city! We loved the friendly people, the beautiful food, and the fantastic architecture. I’m definitely keen to visit again in future.
If you ever find yourself in Helsinki, we would highly recommend the hotel we stayed in: Hotel Katajanokka. A converted prison, it is well situated near the ferry terminal, and is within easy walking distance of the city centre. If you don’t fancy walking, there is a tram stop right at the front door. The hotel also has a wonderful restaurant, spacious rooms and a fascinating history – it was a great find!
Travel is always so much fun, but as a bit of a homebody I’ve got to confess that I love sleeping in my own bed again, and cooking in my own kitchen. I’m even enjoying being back to work and slowly sifting through a very full inbox! Continue reading “Helsinki… and a whole heap of books”
There’s a great meme doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment, where people share their 10 life-changing books. I’ve loved seeing the diverse range of books my friends have included in their lists – you all have great taste!
My friends and fellow writers Penni Russon and Becky Goddard-Hill both tagged me to take part, and while I haven’t shared mine on Facebook (frankly I didn’t think even my immediate family would have the patience for a post from me 10 days in a row), I did share them over on my bookish Instagram account (@ruthreadsbooks). I posted my last book this morning, and then thought it might be worth collating them into a blog post.
I would love to know your own choices – feel free to leave me a comment below!
1. The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy. In my final year of high school, I had a fantastic English teacher who introduced our tiny class of six to Carol Ann Duffy. We read Anne Hathaway from this collection, which is still one of my favourite poems. The World’s Wife was my first, gentle introduction to feminism and the moment when I realised how many stories have another side to them – so often a woman’s perspective – that is never told. It took a good few years more before I started to intentionally change my reading habits to include more women writers, but I’m still grateful for the ‘ah-ha’ moment this book prompted in my late teens. Continue reading “10 Books that Changed my Life”
My husband and I were lying in bed reading the other night and I could feel him giving me a sideways glance.
“Is that another new one?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Why?”
He made a face at me.
“You read so much. It’s like… it’s like an OBSESSION.”
I can’t understand is why that’s supposed to be a bad thing, can you?!
I read much in the same way that I eat: quickly, and with great delight. But I’m much more choosy about my reading material than I used to be. Whereas I used to wander into a bookstore and choose whatever was included the 3 for 2 offer, now I only let myself buy things from a carefully curated wishlist. Life’s too short for bad books.
So far in 2018 I’ve read 28 books: 18 fiction and 10 non-fiction; 21 by women, 4 by men and 3 anthologies that were a mixture of both. Two of the books were slightly disappointing – not because they were bad, but because they weren’t what I was expecting – but the others have all been fabulous. I thought I would recommend some of my favourites here.
Continue reading “My Top 10 Books of 2018… so far”
Ruth Dawkins Freelance Writer 