2017: Year of the Five-Line Book Review

Memes floating around the internet suggest that 2016 was a pretty rubbish year for most. For me, it wasn’t celebrity deaths or world politics that made the year so difficult (although I am deeply saddened by the resurgence of blatant prejudice and divisiveness), it was mental illness. I was the sickest I have ever been, and that while managing a third pregnancy. My creativity was all but destroyed and my motivation was used up in the essential tasks of getting out of bed and being a parent. Amongst the things that fell by the wayside were two things that form much of my identity: writing and reading. I wrote very little, perhaps 15 000 words in total for the year. I read only a handful of books. So I ended 2016 feeling like I wasn’t really me.

I am determined to be me again. This is not a New Year’s resolution; it’s a return to prioritising things that I love. I’m not setting a goal for a number of books to read per week or per month, or a particular word count of writing to do. I don’t know what the year will hold and how much I will be capable of. But I have two targets:

1. Write. Write regularly, whether they are words you will use or not, whether it is a sentence or a chapter, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Write like your characters are friends who you love and want to spend time with.
2. Review the things you have read. Just 5 lines. Keep the blog going.

In happy twist of fate, I also get to start this year by sharing a publication with you all! One of the few things I did write last year was a personal account of my battle with an eating disorder while pregnant. You can find it here and please, share with your friends and family to help bring some awareness to a side of mental illness they might not have thought about before.

Wishing you all a happy 2017 and as always, keep reading!
Xo Gabi