If you only read the books on your TBR pile...

Sharing some bookish thoughts and taking a leap

«If you only read the books on your TBR pile - how long could you go without buying any books»  she asked me, I kid you not, I did stop in my tracks, my mind instantly going to the books on my shelves and my two boxes of unread books in storage. Hesitating a bit I finally answered honestly «Probably a year, maybe longer» 

In Norwegian we have a saying «å møte seg selv i døren» that could roughly be translated to «meeting yourself at the door» It is basically realising or acknowledging that you have acted incorrectly in a given situation, or that you are confronted by your own prejudices or attitudes. It is always a bit uncomfortable, being confronted with something about yourself that is not necessarily pretty. In this case we were discussing unread books, buying new books and spending habits. 

And the honest truth is, the irony of telling a friend that she should just not spend more money on new books and read what she has on her shelves - when I, myself have two (almost three) boxes of unread books in storage and yet continue to buy new ones - was not lost on me. I definitely met myself in the door at that moment.

I could spend the next year and more reading through my unread pile. My average reading number per year is around 30 books, and I know I have more than a 100 unread books in storage. It was a very fun and interesting walk and talk, and we both concluded that we do indeed live for the books and the joy they give us. 

Nevertheless, the thought of actually having so many unread books that I technically could go more than year without buying new books kept resurfacing - which then prompted me to take a closer look at my shelves again. And setting up a date with myself this weekend to go through the boxes I have in storage. What exactly I am looking for, is a bit early to tell, maybe I’ll end up with another reading project or change up my reading list for 2024. I’ll see where it takes me. 

What I have read this month 

May was a roller coaster of a month emotionally - but I am climbing that mountain and luckily my reading mood and habits have been a way to wind down and ease into the evening with a newfound joy. 

This months main book was for me Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, the second book in the Wolf Hall trilogy. Oh, how I have enjoyed this one! I was so pulled into this book as we were getting closer and closer to the demise of Anne Boleyn - that I found myself struggling to stick to the slow pace reading. In the end I decided I was enjoying too much to only read a little every week that I let myself just enjoy it and read as much as I wanted. It was a marvellous read, and I am already working on my notes and thoughts around it. I will spend some time digesting this book and reading the weekly posts by

Simon Haisell

to really dive into the material, before I pick up the final book: The Mirror and the Light. 

In many ways it does feel like I have been climbing mountains lately and there has been a need to understand my own coping mechanisms. The Mountain is You, is one those books I have seen pretty much everywhere so I decided to give it a go. It is basically a book about self-sabotaging, how we do it, why we do it and how to (hopefully) stop doing it. I always find it a bit tricky with books like these, as you never really know what kind of education and background the authors have. As far as I can tell Brianna Wiest is an author and poet - frequently shared on TikTok and other social media platforms. The book itself is not bad, I actually found some things to resonate and be more gentle reminders of strategies that can be useful when you find yourself in a negative pattern. However, it is a book that I would not recommend if you are really struggling with deeper issues. For us who sometimes just need a gentle reminder and a pause to look at old pattern, it is fair enough. 

Last week I talked about the books about art that I read - one of my favourites being Art Matters by Neil Gaiman, since then I also finished

Austin Kleon

second book: Show your work. This little book combined with

Madeline Mills

wonderful post love notes 07: how to fall deeper in love with reading prompted me to do the scary thing and post one of my short stories.

To give a little background, I play Dungeons and Dragons, and from 2020 - 2023 I played in an amazing campaign with a group of friends that was titled Clouds over Kindred Maw, in a world created by a friend and our DM (Dungeon Master). My character was Ashlyn «Ash» Quinn, a half orc fire genasi, with a complex backstory. In creating her, I would write short stories of her background, to figure out how to play her in the game. These stories were sometimes shared with my dnd group and sometimes just kept for myself. Spending more time on Substack, writing, reading other writers amazing work, and quietly participating in prompts - I have found myself writing more and rewriting old stories, and now I am just taking that leap to share it out here. 

Welcome to Tal Nareth is the first short story I have chosen to share as it is the very beginning of a beloved character and a deep dive into a game that has come to mean so much to me.

Until next time,
happy reading! ✨