Happy we made it to the end of January and a hello to you all,

Now that Christmas seems a lifetime ago and we are well and truly into 2023 I wanted to return to the blogging world. I thought about doing it at the beginning of the year, right in the middle of all the buzz of resolutions and promises that we are all going to make drastic changes to our lives. But we have got the end of January’s 98 days and are still going strong, or are just still going, and this seems like a good place to start. I’ve tried hard this year to not make massive resolutions that I might not be able to maintain and then feel like a failure, I’ve seen quite a few people online choose a word for the year and I’ve decided to opt for that, which I’ll delve into in the next bit. But I just wanted to say I hope you are all doing well and even though the festivities have now been put away for another year, I hope you all had a lovely time and I look forward to the journey of 2023.

Better

The word I have chosen for this year is better. I just want to be better. I guess you could take this and look at it lots of different ways and it can change throughout the year as well, just like you will and just like your goals will. So, we can shift the focus as and when we need to, because let’s be honest, we set all these goals on January 1^st for the year, and we have absolutely no idea what the year has in store. Meaning that we can get to September and laugh in the faces of naive January us for being so silly.

Being better to me is being better all around but also, being better to myself. Before Christmas I was quite poorly and I have a terrible habit of thinking “ah, I’ll get over it” so don’t necessarily do anything to make it better – yes, I know I’m stupid. But it wasn’t until I was in so much pain that I couldn’t really do the fun everyday activities, like walking the dog, that I thought I should probably stop and listen to my body. I could pretend that I would’ve got this ill regardless, but I know that I made it worse because I didn’t take care of myself when I needed to. Self-care is important and I’m not just saying that you need to run a bath and light a candle, although I’m a big fan of both, but you need to find what works for you. I’m still struggling from time to time with pain so I’m learning that sometimes I need to clear a couple of evenings in the week, have something for tea that I can just pop in the oven with no faff, be in my pyjamas early and watch television for the rest of the evening whilst trying not to stress about my recent knitting project (I’m attempting a cardigan, for anyone wondering) and then have an early night. But when the nights are lighter, an easy self-care evening for me might look a lot different.

I could ramble all day about how else I’m opting to be better but that would take a while, so maybe I’ll reflect on it towards the end of the year.

What I’ve read in January

My reading habits ebb and flow, as life does, but January has seen me read 5 books(!!!) which I’m really impressed with and am now going to pause to do a little happy dance. I set myself a Reading Goal on Goodreads to read 20 books this year, I decided on 20 because my goal last year was 15, but I read 17 so 20 felt like the nice little next step up. I’m currently ticking books off on a Reading Challenge with my Mum, which I’m really enjoying as I usually struggle with what to read. I’m too indecisive and get very overwhelmed by the size of my “to be read” pile, so I love to have a nosey on Goodreads at what everyone is reading – if you’d like to have an extra friend on Goodreads, then please add me, click here.

Here is what I’ve read in January and my opinions. I consider these little snippets of reviews as I’m hoping to do some fuller reviews in a later blog post.

My first tick was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and oh my gosh, I loved it so much. As I turned the last page, I just sat there for a little bit not knowing what to do with myself now it was over. I was so pleasantly surprised because I’ve picked up the odd classic romance before and never had the patience to follow along, but I was hooked from the first page. At one point I found myself stood stirring some soup that I was heating up and quite literally not being able to put the book down. I am not sure how I have lived for almost 24 years without ever reading it.

Book number 2 was Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, and I firmly believe that you cannot go wrong with an Agatha Christie. There’s nothing better than cosying up with a cup of tea and joining Hercule Poirot in solving his mysteries. I really loved how this was written in different parts too.

How to Live when you could be Dead by Deborah James was book number 3, I think that Deborah James was a spectacular human being and loved how her positivity shone through the pages of this book. It was real, the words she said were so real and hit so hard and the book was just full of gentle reminders that we are alive and tips on how we can make the most of it. If you don’t read books like this often you are probably reading this thinking that it’s a book of mumbo jumbo, but I can assure you it isn’t and if you’re feeling a bit like you aren’t making the most of every day then I encourage you to read it.

Book number 4 was Girl on the Train by the quite simply amazing, Paula Hawkins. I’ve had this in my bookcase for a good few years and often gone to pick it up and thought “I just don’t know what could be so interesting about a girl on a train” and let me tell you something, I was wrong. Once I got into this book I was hooked and had to keep reading, so much so that once I did put it down to go to sleep my mind was racing and when I walked the dog in the morning, I thought I going to get murdered. Typical, right? But if I read it in the daylight, I absolutely loved it and would recommend it wholeheartedly.

My final book of January, Beatrice goes to Bright by M. C. Beaton. I’ve never read a book my M. C. Beaton and loved how much of an easy read it was and would read more books by her. I’m adding Agatha Raisin books next to my list.

January

Before Christmas I bought a book called The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 by Lia Leendertz and I’d be lying to you if I told you that I bought it because I wanted to read it. I bought it because the author’s name is Lia, and my name is Lia. And as someone who didn’t grow up spotting their names on novelty souvenirs this was my equivalent of seeing my name on a magnet. But I was excited to flick through it and found that in January she basically talks about how the world is still recharging and getting ready for spring and that we should do the same. It sounds really simple to say it out loud, but we all set our resolutions and then go straight into the New Year all guns blazing, but I’ve actually used January to do some preparing for spring and the next months and feel so much better going into February because of it. I look forward to reading through February’s and seeing what’s in store.

It has also been a gentle reminder to start looking at the ground a bit more, not too much so you trip up over your own feet but enough to notice that spring flowers are starting to pop up. I’ve noticed some snowdrops around and, in the supermarket, we have daffodils and tulips and they brightened up my weekly shopping trip. I’ve decided that I’m going to buy some daffodils to ensure there’s a constant source of sunshine in my kitchen window. If you haven’t yet experienced the pure joy of having daffodils in the house then please go and buy a bunch, or two, from the supermarket. It will make your day ten times better I promise.

All my love,

Lia x