My book love story

I have loved to read books for as long as I can remember. I think my earliest book related memory is of me standing in the garden getting so excited as Mum and Dad gave me another Enid Blyton book. I loved the ‘Adventures of the Wishing Chair’ and ‘The Faraway Tree’ series in particular. I went on to devour John Marsden’s books, and from there, I found a love for a wide variety of genres. These days, I enjoy literary fiction, magical realism, historical fiction, poetry, non fiction, health and wellbeing, dystopian fiction, fantasy – basically I will give everything a go (though I am not a big fan of romance). Some books that are currently high on my favourites list are:

• ‘The Dream Daughter’ by Dianne Chamberlain
• ‘The Huntress’ by Kate Quinn
• ‘The Corset’ by Laura Purcell
• ‘This is Going to Hurt’ by Adam Kay
• ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak
• ‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon
• ‘The Bone Clocks’ by David Mitchell
• ‘The Gracekeepers’ by Kirsty Logan
• ‘Church of Marvels’ by Leslie Parry

I also love writing, and again, have done so since I was a child. I remember creating a story while in my pool about cats, which was probably one of my first. I submitted poetry and short stories into the newsletter at primary school frequently, and was told I was ‘the best at comprehension in the class’ in grade 4 – something that kept my childlike enthusiasm for writing going strong for years!!! Towards the end of high school, although I continued to write poetry and stories in my own time, I lost some confidence when I felt that other students were so much better at it than me, despite them having no intention of pursuing it further. I knew I wanted to write after school, but I also wanted to enter the health industry, so I eventually chose to study nursing (a move that I do not regret at all). However, there was always that tug to do something related to writing. When I became unwell and unable to work, I took the chance and am thoroughly enjoying studying creative and professional writing at university. My writing style suits short stories, and I enjoy poetry too. I would like to try to write a novel sometime. The dream is to publish some of my work down the track. I am discovering that I enjoy editing, so perhaps doing something in that area would be good too.

I want to share my love of books, reading and writing, and so it seems natural to incorporate it more into my blog. I would really enjoy talking to people about it all, so please say hello!