Books

The other morning we were sat in bed with our tea and books while the local radio station presenter whittered on about not being a reader. Not read a book in 2years! Unbelievable.
Just had a look at my library account on line.  In 5 years I have borrowed 633 books. Plus 10 or so brought in charity shops or received as gifts.

That is about 3 books a week!

Currently I have a detective novel on the bedside table, an art book in my hobby cabin where I am taking time to do some art lessons, on the settee there is a non fiction book on taking photos for Instagram which I browse when bored with TV.  On my tablet I have another novel open but I am struggling to engage with it and have dipped in and out when on line in the afternoons.

My husband can get through 2 novels in a week and can't sleep unless he's had 15 minutes with a book. He let's me choose books but often complains! He hates going to town to the library on the bus. If I get the "wrong" ones and runs out of a good read before I go to town, he downloads his free book each month from Amazon prime to the Kindle. So there's another 12 books a year we read!

Do you think we have an addiction problem?

On her last visit my 5 year old granddaughter saw my husband reading and asked why he was doing that. Her mother explained he was reading a story which he played in his mind like one of her TV programmes.  I hope that inspired her to read more by herself when she gets to that stage soon.

January reading

Like everyone I have a stack of library books to keep me happy indoors during the cold weather. I have "gobbled up" my Lee Child's Jack Reacher book and moved on to Mike Carter "One man and his Bike". A journey round the coast of UK exploring and observing modern life.  So far I am inspired to visit the coastal area of Essex!
I quite like these kinds of books and have read several over the years, I can't remember all their details but some of the ones I most liked were:

• a journey across middle England on a milk float  (Three Men in a Float)
• Harry Enfield's father's cycle ride across France - 
• Journeys by canals - Narrow Dog To Carcassonne and Narrow dog to Indian River (we met the author and his wife at a folk/canal festival some years ago and they were lovely. The dog stayed home because it was raining and he did not like to get wet)
• Nicolas Crane did a great book when he walked down the longitude line of 2 degrees west down the UK
• Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast areas
• a journey down the River Trent by boat - Tom Fort - which has been made into a BBC4 programme (still on iplayer)
• THE ICKNIELD WAY:a hike across southern England following one of the old track ways and ending in east anglia. Robert Macfarlane

Do any of you bloggers have any recommendations?