It's almost holiday time again, and once more I am almost as excited to be choosing books for my trip as for the trip itself. Since I'm only going for five days, I'm trying to hold back on taking too many. So far, I've bought a couple of books from charity shops, including Eat, pray, love - which everyone says is much like the film i.e. not that great, but I thought if there's ever a time to read a find-yourself novel, it's on your first trip abroad by yourself. I've also got Written on the Body, by Jeanette Winterson. I decided it's time to try another one of her books, even though I love The Stone Gods almost so much I can't believe anyone who wrote it could write anything else that compares. It seems a bit illogical, as most people I'm sure would take that to mean that anything the writer has done must also be phenomenal, and so set out to read all their work. I've also reserved The Perks of being a Wallflower, since I saw the film and was incredibly impressed. Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much, but it was so moving, and realistic - even though all sorts of crazy things happened to a small group of people. I've been trying to figure out whether that is a good reflection of real life. I think maybe more people have strange and crazy things happen to them than we often believe, but less than what you see in soap operas, which cannot survive without the drama.
Anyway, I'm also really looking forward to having some time in a different place, on my own, to try and write a lot. I still want to write a book - actually more so now than ever before - but first I feel like I've got so many observations and ideas that I want to get down on the page first. My friend sent me a really helpful guide from the Guardian (How to write a book in 30 days) which I've been mulling over. It offers a lot more structure, which is possibly the less glamorous, but no less vital part of writing.
One last note about my holiday books - because I'm going to a very cold place, and it will be November, I think I've been unconsciously looking for books that incorporate that. Examples include: The Snow Child and Steel and Snow (Game of Thrones book 3). Notice a theme??
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