After having discovered Sky Arts' coverage of the Hay Festival, I've recently rekindled my love of reading - anything and everything.
Throughout the coverage they had so many interviews with so many amazing authors, who all added to their list of books to read before you're 21. Now, turning 21 in a few mere months means that isn't at all going to be possible. Unless somehow I develop some sort of superhuman reading ability. And so, superhuman powers aside, I thought I'd at least share the list with you all.
I'm certainly going to be adding these to my list to read.
At the moment I'm reading Crime and Punishment, purely because it's seen as something which ought to be read. But I'm finding it really enjoyable, gripping in fact. The only thing you need to get your head around is the Russian names - which my Wordsworth copy handily has a list of at the beginning of the book which you can refer to if you get confused between Lebeziatnikov and Lippevechsel.
Here's the list: http://thebookshow.skyarts.co.uk/homepage/634033/books_to_read_before_youre_21.html and it's certainly worth having a look at.
At the moment my (ever-growing) list is looking like this:
Crime and Punishment (obviously)
Wuthering Heights
Marie Antoinette: The Journey - Antonia Fraser
The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
The Once and Future King - T.H. White
On a completely different note, I found out today that I got my first choice of honours project for next year. Which I'm over the moon about. It isn't a lab-based subject, which is a pretty bold move being a biochemistry dissertation, but I'm certain that I will do far better - and enjoy it much better - doing a literary review than actual laboratory work. Reading around a subject and collating that information is what I'm good at. I enjoy more the actual learning than the endless repetitive experiments.
Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you're all having a great day. x
Things Have Happened
So exam season is over. But to cut a long story short (mainly about stress) I missed two of my three exams, and I have a resit from last semester. So three resits to do in August. Which is NOT a good place to be in third year. And it's stupid because I know if I put my mind to it I can ace them. But I just didn't.
It's been a pretty rough ride the last couple months. In fact third year altogether has been rough. If you could call it my third year, because I very rarely went in. But instead of sitting here and getting myself all stressed out again I'm just going to focus on the positives and what I need to do.
What I'm going to do is make a list (gotta love a list) of all the things I need to do, and break it down into little things that I can work through. Like get a job. Study. Learn to drive? Read (I'm trying to work my way through the classics, right now it's Crime and Punishment)
I just need to get back some balance in my life. Last year I just lost it. It was either study or nothing. I'm going to get myself back into a routine, try to reconnect with the people around me, start doing the things I used to love doing again.
I realise this isn't a very interesting post, but it's quite therapeutic. And there's a procrastination element, I'm supposed to be packing up my stuff (I'm moving back to my parents). Which I suppose I should be getting on with.
And on the moving back to my parents house. It was a pretty snap decision. But I was pretty convinced it was the right one. I missed my mum (I'm terrible with communication via phones, email, blah blah) not to mention my sister, and dog. And it's SO, so so so, much cheaper to commute in to Uni on the train.
Which, I'm weirdly looking forward to. I've always loved the train - especially between Edinburgh and Perth which goes along the coast and it's GORGEOUS. And also I figure I can use the commute time to keep up with my studies or do some reading. Anyway, so I thought moving back in with the parents was a good idea.
However, I've realised why I preferred living away.
My dad. I just can't seem to get on with him at all. We're either far too different or far too similar, I can't decide. I won't go into details, but it's just tough sometimes.
Anyway, which I think I've said far too much in this post, I should get back to reality. Reality being packing.
Coffee break over.
I'll get back to you guys soon with my master Summer plan. That's what I'm calling it, overlooking how ridiculously cheesy that sounds. But sometimes you've just got to embrace the cheese.
That's possibly one of the weirdest things I've ever said.
It's been a pretty rough ride the last couple months. In fact third year altogether has been rough. If you could call it my third year, because I very rarely went in. But instead of sitting here and getting myself all stressed out again I'm just going to focus on the positives and what I need to do.
What I'm going to do is make a list (gotta love a list) of all the things I need to do, and break it down into little things that I can work through. Like get a job. Study. Learn to drive? Read (I'm trying to work my way through the classics, right now it's Crime and Punishment)
I just need to get back some balance in my life. Last year I just lost it. It was either study or nothing. I'm going to get myself back into a routine, try to reconnect with the people around me, start doing the things I used to love doing again.
I realise this isn't a very interesting post, but it's quite therapeutic. And there's a procrastination element, I'm supposed to be packing up my stuff (I'm moving back to my parents). Which I suppose I should be getting on with.
And on the moving back to my parents house. It was a pretty snap decision. But I was pretty convinced it was the right one. I missed my mum (I'm terrible with communication via phones, email, blah blah) not to mention my sister, and dog. And it's SO, so so so, much cheaper to commute in to Uni on the train.
Which, I'm weirdly looking forward to. I've always loved the train - especially between Edinburgh and Perth which goes along the coast and it's GORGEOUS. And also I figure I can use the commute time to keep up with my studies or do some reading. Anyway, so I thought moving back in with the parents was a good idea.
However, I've realised why I preferred living away.
My dad. I just can't seem to get on with him at all. We're either far too different or far too similar, I can't decide. I won't go into details, but it's just tough sometimes.
Anyway, which I think I've said far too much in this post, I should get back to reality. Reality being packing.
Coffee break over.
I'll get back to you guys soon with my master Summer plan. That's what I'm calling it, overlooking how ridiculously cheesy that sounds. But sometimes you've just got to embrace the cheese.
That's possibly one of the weirdest things I've ever said.
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