May 2017 - Reading and Life Update

It's been an eventful month. I resigned from my job and so I've been at home for a little while.

I have a number of job interviews lined up over the next few weeks, some of which I'm really excited about. I have the luxury at the moment of only having to apply for positions that I actually want, so I'm feeling very hopeful about the future.

My current lack of gainful employment, however, means that I've had a lot of time to read! I'd missed being able to properly settle down with a novel, which I think is evident from just how much I read in May. Let's take a look:

Fiction

Quest for Lost Heroes by David Gemmell

Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon

The French Lietenant's Woman by John Fowles

Wool by Hugh Howey

The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2) by Samantha Shannon

Rereads

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Non-fiction

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematorium by Caitlin Doughty 

I'm not used to getting through so many books in a month! I'm also unaccustomed to being up-to-date with reviews on my blog - I was only inspired to write this post because I felt like blogging but haven't finished my current book yet!

Life-wise, I'm in a good place. I'm glad I got to have some time off to catch up with myself before starting on a new path. I've been careful to keep my days productive, however - I'm always up, showered and dressed by 10am and ready to start my day. I've been keeping up with my language skills (even doing the dreaded grammar drills) and planning Cub Camp with a precision of which even the most dictatorial leader would be proud.

We've also just bought an annual National Trust membership, which is making me surprisingly happy. I've spent ages pouring through the handbook and deciding where we're going to go next. We've already been to Hardwick Hall (pictured). Well, we've been to part of Hardwick Hall, but it was much bigger than expected so we haven't seen it all yet. It was also so hot that we spent  a lot of time just lying in the sun and getting sunburned. Still, with our National Trust membership we can just go again another day!  

It's been a funny year. Changes in relationships (I made some really stupid decisions there), professions and health are all a part of life, I suppose, but at the end of the day, what will happen will happen. In a year's time, the changes and opportunities I have now won't seem like such a big deal and hopefully I can look back and be grateful. 

Mostly for my National Trust membership, obviously.