*sigh* thats pretty much the best way I could think to sum up this month. It has been a rollercoaster of a month for everyone. Just sitting here its hard to think about where to even begin… well I guess its just pointing out that we’re all in lockdown now. At the moment I’ve definitely been taking it one day at a time, some days I’m ok, other days its hard to sit around on my own.
What has helped is being given more time to read. When it all gets a bit much I just take myself away and read for a an hour or two. It is pretty obvious just from looking at my Goodreads list that I had a good month for reading. Most of this came from the first week being able to read on the bus, and they were fairly short books, then when we were locked-down and I had a lot more time.
The final bus trips…
Just before lockdown I was getting more involed in reading on the bus, it was a great way to pass the time and calm myself down before and after work. This is why I chose So Long and Thanks For All The Fish by Douglas Adams as my first book for the month. The wacky-ness of the book helped get over the stress of work; its the perfect book for escapism.
The Escape to Narnia…
Speaking of escaping reality, it was during this month that I finally decided to read the whole Narnia series by C.S.Lewis. Now this is a great series to get away from it all. I was reading these books on the bus (while I could), before bed, whenever I could really. Its something about hiding away in the world of Narnia that made me feel happier and less stressed out by everything going on in the world.
The Magicians Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe were the first books I read (duh they’re first in the series), but i flew through these. They aren’t particularly big books, but I just took every opportunity to read these books. These came at a time where work was becoming more stressful and travelling around Nottingham was no easier. So these books were great for getting away from it all.
Boy have these books been helpful to get me through these weird times. Now with everything locked down I’ve started to read a lot more – this lockdown might actually help me get through the series quicker.
Morning reading…
For me, March was a month where I wanted to cut back using my phone. It was something I’d been trying and failing at for a while, but this time I found that reading in the morning was a great way to keep my off my phone. That way I managed to wake up and get my brain moving through books rather than flicking through my phone.
I started with Sam Smith: The Biography, it was great for passing the first half hour of the day, moving eventually on to The Marvels. I would read each book while I was sat eating my bowl of cereal, it was great to get me started in the day.
What does April have in store?
Personally I have a good amount going on, I’m still able to work from home so I’m able to keep busy during the usual work hours. Any time after that I’m going to try and fill with books and writing; I’m hoping that this time will actually help me finish at least one of my writing projects.
Other than that, I just hope that everyone out there is keeping safe, staying indoors as best as they can!
The Next Big Opinion 
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