It’s been mostly a good start to 2016 for me. I got through the first week back at work with not only no major mishaps but also no major stresses, which is nice. I’ve got another year older but don’t feel it, which is also good. I’ve just had a lovely weekend away with friends. The only negative is my apparent lack of attention span to any one book. It’s not that I’m not reading, I just seem to have picked a couple of giants to start the year with, and then I got disheartened that I wouldn’t finish a book for several weeks, so I started yet another book. I did finish that one, and I’ll try to review it this week as it has a certain timeliness factor.

I did gain a few books for my birthday, which is inevitable and I am not at all upset about it, but it’s probably for the best that it’s a much smaller pile than I got for Christmas!

So that’s one novel – The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; one historical account – Hotel Florida by Amanda Vaill; and one almost indescribable book – Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky, which is an unusual idea turned into a beautiful object. On the bookish front I also received storytelling dice and a Waterstones voucher, which I am going to try really really hard not to spend for a few months, in the hopes that my TBR doesn’t outgrow my new shelves already!

I am doing pretty well on that front, I think. I may have only finished one book in 10 days, but I did go to a really lovely – and brand new to me – bookshop and manage not to buy any books!

Walkers Bookshop in Oakham, Rutland, is inviting, somehow packed with books but still light and airy. There are some good-looking staff picks and they also have a Thorntons chocolate franchise. Quality books and chocolates in the same shop! It’s possible I only didn’t buy anything because I was too overwhelmed by the awesomeness of this combo. I will have to go back once the book-buying ban is lifted.

How’s 2016 treating you so far?