One of my goals for 2020 is to read more. Towards the end of last year, I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, which has doubled the amount of reading I’m able to do. This is mainly because I have no excuse not to read: I have the Kindle app on my phone so I can pretty much read anywhere. Nothing beats a physical book though. I love book shopping, but borrowing is the best way to get more reading in and is far more practical in economic terms: I couldn’t afford to buy all the books I’d like to read anyway! On the other hand, I do find that if I really love a library book I’ve read, I tend to buy it.
At the moment, I’m reading two books: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I decided on Doctor Sleep as I saw the film a couple of months ago and enjoyed it, so I was curious to see if the book is any different. I’m not far enough along to say; it seems pretty close to the movie from what I’ve read so far, although fans of both book and film have said the ending is different in the movie. I will have to wait and see. The reason I’m reading The Thirteenth Tale is that it was recommended to me through a library book club I’m part of. I had never read the author before and found it to be a slow start, to the point where I honestly feel the first 40 pages could easily be cut without losing anything from the story. However, I’m enjoying it now that the main story is underway and I’m about a third of the way through.
Will I get through both books in January? Not sure. At the moment I’m snatching moments to read in between working on my next novel draft, reading through the Bindweed Magazine submission backlog, full time work and of course family time. But it’s certainly a start!
Leilanie Stewart 