The importance of a good book

As part of my January Bucket List I decided that I wanted to prioritize reading and read at least one book during the month. When I was a child I used to always have a book in my hand and used to read book upon book and I loved it! I think it stemmed from my mum as she always had a book that she was reading on her night stand and she always encouraged us as well. I remember fondly finding new books to read and discussing my latest ‘find’ with her.

As I have gotten older my reading habit has diminished but my mum’s never has. She still always has the latest book that she is reading beside her bed and if she is travelling anywhere she always has one in her handbag. And it is always a real book as well – even though she owns a Kindle she still prefers the feel of the pages as she gets lost in the story and she still loves to share with me what she is reading.

The first book that I chose in January was ‘The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins‘, a cult read that I was not able to put down. It has been great to be able to pick up a book rather than my iphone before I go to sleep. I have found it much more relaxing and I have found that I fall asleep quicker. It is something that I have kept up since then and I wanted to share a find with you.

GoodReads

I have also discovered ‘Good Reads’. I joined a good while ago and I have such a feeling that this will become an addiction but of the good kind 🙂 From my understanding it is a place where book lovers note what books that they are currently reading and also rate books that they have read. You can also join ‘book clubs’ and discuss what you are reading along the way. I have joined two Good Reads book clubs;

Our Shared Shelf – this is a book club set up by Emma Watson and where I first heard about Good Reads. I think that her books will be more feminist focused which is not something that I have read on before so I am looking forward to broadening my horizons. Her book club will choose one book a month and her threads seem quite active.

College Prepster Book Club – this book club was started by Carly from The College Prepster which is a blog that I have been following for many years and you might remember my interview with here here. I love her preppy style and watching her style mature as the years go on – she is a constant source of inspiration and she also regularly talks about books she was reading so when I seen she had a book club I was intrigued. Interestingly she has actually given a pace for reading which is a great idea for those who want to ensure that they keep up. I am reading their current book ‘The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin‘, however this is from January so not sure if this is still going on!!

Buying Books

Buying new books can be expensive so there are a few places where I buy books to try and save some money. Firstly – check second hand book stores, you would be very surprised at what books people donate and I have managed to get quite a few brand new books for very little.

Upon recommendation from Sharon Levy from Behind Green Eyes I now also shop from The Book Shop.ie – this is an online second hand book store and although I haven’t been able to find the exact titles that I was looking for today – I have ordered quite a few other titles.

Then there is also Amazon but the problem I have is the currency. It can fluctuate quite a bit and sometimes books can work out more expensive than planned. For that reason I do like using The Book Depository. The price you see is the final price including shipping which is so handy. And of course if I am in town then I do love popping into Easons to actually browse through the books.

I really am looking forward to getting back into reading and if you would like to join me on my Good Reads Journey I can be found here and I would LOVE for some book recommendations!