why & so

By means of beginning, I want to explain why I've started this blog and what I hope will come of it. But first a rough introduction: I am Isaac John Stovell, twenty years old, living and studying in Sheffield [England], and I expect that many more details will be shared and explained in future posts. I don't want to write a blog about my life because (aside from marginally higher degrees of pretentiousness and eloquence) it would be almost indistinguishable from most other humdrum lives. However, other than random events occurring in my everyday life (which I already tweet and facebookpost about if they're interesting enough) or my reactions to current events (which likewise), the only consistent reliable source of interesting things for me to say is my reactions to my reading material.

   So this blog is going to be about books that I've read; which hopefully will be enough to supply a regular stream of posts. I've read a lot since early childhood, but don't give myself enough opportunity to properly digest and derive meaning from books - which is a shame, because books contain a lot of digestible derivable meaning. So I'm forcing myself to (the date of publication is no coincidence - this is part of my New Year's Resolutions and it's easily the most fun part, give me a bibliophile's blog over jogging and sleeping patterns any day) think about the books I've read, by writing a reflective post about each one as soon as I've had a chance to think over it once I've completed it. These aren't intended as mere reviews of whether or not I liked the book and why; I want to properly get my nails into themes, concepts, meanings, characters, genres, dramas, philosophical implications. I'll try to be as reasonably opinionated as possible, for I am a man of strong opinions and strong reasons for holding them. I'll also commit to posting links for obtainment or discovery of each book that I discuss in case I somehow sway your interest.

   Hopefully through writing this blog I will become more in tune with my thoughts and the thoughts that I imbibe through my bookshelf. Hopefully also through reading this blog (if there are any readers; I'm not bothered if there aren't as this is more of a therapeutic personal thought-process, but if people want to read what I've written about what I read, fair enough) you will become provoked into reading a particular book and thinking about something that may enchant, enrage, enamour or otherwise enlighten you.

   So, rules to keep me blogging nicely:

1. Every book I finish from January 2014 onwards, I will write a post about it, as soon as possible after finishing it.
   1.1 Every book, that is, which I read recreationally. Therefore discounting the large array of books I have to read for wider course research and understanding (I'm currently partway through a degree in economics and philosophy); also excluding my regular Bible readings (if one day I should decide to sit down and read through the whole of it, I'll do a post, sure, but habitual devotional readings aren't quite the same as recreational reading).

2. Posts should ideally be somewhat interesting and try to critically engage with the book at least more than a bit. My responses may be excuse-laden but I'll try.

3. Posts should contain as few non-book pop-culture references as possible.

4. Posts should contain full author/title information and links to Goodreads or Amazon or wherever in case readers want to read the books I've read.

5. No spoilers, if posting about fiction. This will be the most difficult rule, but I'll limit myself to books' introductory and thematic elements instead of ruining the endings.

6. Should these standards fail to be kept, any reader who cares enough is encouraged to contact and rebuke me.

   Hope you enjoy reading any of my posts and any of the books they're about.

      Cheers for now,

         Isaac Stovell