Well, it’s been quite a long break since I last posted anything on here. Last summer I was trying to write a review of a collection of short stories by Jean Rhys and struggling to find anything new or interesting to say without the review turning into an academic essay. And the longer I left it, the harder it was to get started again. I’m not sure that I am cut out for a career as even an amateur book reviewer – how to say anything meaningful in a couple of paragraphs, beyond recounting the plot and whether or not I enjoyed it? I often need to read a book several times to decide how I feel about it – hardly very practical if one wants to post on a regular basis. However, I am still drawn to the idea of writing about books and the discipline imposed by posting online, even if my thoughts are read by only a few. Rather than reviewing specific books (although I may still do that if I have something I want to say), I have decided to write more generally about books, the thoughts and feelings inspired by reading and about the influence books have had on me – in short, I want to write about being a reader.
The Provincial Reader 