March 25, 2015, by Tilly Potter

Reading rules the roost

Call me old fashioned, but if I had to choose between books, TV and film, I’d definitely go for books. Books are reliable and always there for you (unless you drop them in the bath), but the others can let you down – the powers that be can cancel your favourite TV programme at the drop of a hat (*cough cough* Top Gear), and watching a series or film can be ruined by slow internet speeds, overpriced tickets, or sitting on someone else’s leftover popcorn.

Sadly when you’re studying there isn’t much time for reading that’s not to do with your degree. However, I’ve tried to be more proactive recently by reading in the time I would normally spend procrastinating through taking Buzzfeed quizzes and watching strange YouTube videos (come on, we’ve all been there…). So here’s some reading I’ve done from the comfort of… everywhere, really (well, within reason).

I’m currently reading One Day by David Nicholls. It’s one of those books I bought about two years ago from a charity shop (where I buy most of my books, as they are super cheap… and therefore far too easy to buy too many of!) which has sadly been doing more collecting dust than being read. It’s a bit like the film Boyhood in that it follows the main characters’ lives over a period of several years. So far I’m enjoying it, but it hasn’t grabbed me – I am only 50 pages in though. I tend to enjoy books written in a slightly unusual format so fingers crossed!

The last book I read was ‘Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage‘ which is a pretty impressively long title. I was lent it by a friend who warned me it was a bit weird, but I actually really enjoyed it (though some of the main character’s dreams were pretty strange, admittedly!). It’s about the life of a Japanese man whose friends cut him off when he goes off to University, and he can’t understand why. I loved the way it was written and I think it’s the kind of book many young adults could relate to in a way. Sadly the ending was a bit disappointing, but the book made up for it by having an awesome cover which came with stickers should you feel the need to jazz it up any more.

However busy you are at the moment, I hope you take a bit of time to relax in your preferred way – whether that’s through books or grumbling about Jeremy Clarkson.

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