End of Summer Blues...Well Kind Of

Finally (is that even the correct word? Maybe I should perhaps change it to 'regrettably'), what seemed like a never-ending summer has started to give way to chilly mornings and blustery showers. Autumn is on its way, along with everything that comes with it. This is one of the reasons why I love the UK - I could not live anywhere that didn't exhibit at least a hint of the four seasons...although global warming, if true, could put a stop to this worldwide! I love nature's colourful display of burnished oranges and golds, accompanied by crisp mornings and the first frost. I am a knitter so naturally indulge in the opportunity to make any item of warmth, as well as being very partial to a pumpkin spice latte or marshmallowy hot chocolate. Jumpers and scarves take up well over half of my wardrobe. Definitely a cold weather person here! Not that I don't enjoy summer and not freezing my arse off on the commute to uni. However, there are some bloody awful things about this time of the year too, mostly to do with rain and sludge. I don't want to get out of bed at 6am and leave the house whilst it's still dark only to get back well after nightfall! And don't even mention the Scaling an Icy Hill to get to an Exam incident. I actually feared for my life.

Anyway, to welcome the season in, I've started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series and embarked on a new knitting project of making a Slytherin scarf for the bro. Double Knit weight wool is a little bugger. I've also stocked up on stationery things for the new academic year (I'm an addict) in an attempt - however futile - to organise my life after the months of being at home. The first book (A Game of Thrones) is reading very well so far. I'm actually quite surprised that I enjoy this type of book because I was convinced that it was going to be very Lord of the Ringsy (even though I haven't even attempted to read the trilogy!). However, the language and the layout of the book is pretty different and also satisfies my over-active imagination by being set in a fantasy world with all sorts of weird creatures and lands.

Most of all though, I'm really looking forward to starting third year. I can't wait. My aims for this year are to be involved more in my societies and I'm even toying with the idea of setting my own one up. The prospect of having some hard work coming my way seems to excite me, probably because I'm slightly bored of bumming around with no concrete plan for the majority of the summer. My house this year is just beautiful and full of period features: high ceilings, fancy plasterwork and stained glass. Not bad for a student house! Of course I will miss my family and pets greatly (saying goodbye is usually a messy affair for both parties...definitely an occasion for the good old waterproof mascara) but I suppose that this is an unavoidable inconvenience of living away from home. Thankfully, I have a lot of things to be looking forward to back at uni so it kind of makes up for the gut-wrenching feeling of leaving home!

What I'm Reading: August

Considering that August is the only month where I'm completely free to read whatever I want, I haven't made much progress with my growing list of books to get through!

Earlier, I read Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. Now, I must confess that I'm a complete Dan Brown addict so obviously enjoyed this book very much. It was focussed around a different character than in the da Vinci series and had a more modern twist, which was a nice change. Even my mum commented that I had turned into a book recluse whilst reading it...it was extremely gripping!

Then I tried to finish The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. For an unknown reason, I'm really finding this book hard to get through. It's an interesting book but I just seem to get distracted or too tired. Here's to hoping that I'll finish it before uni starts again!

As I've been spending more time with my horse, I've been refreshing my knowledge of equine behaviour by dipping into Kelly Marks' Perfect Partners & Perfect Manners, as well as  Monty Roberts' From My Hands To Yours. Fantastic books if you're into horses. Some of the points mentioned in Monty's book about body language and herd behaviour are absolutely fascinating.

So yes, I've still got a backlog of books but I'm making a little bit of progress!

What I'm Reading This Month...

Now that work is about to calm down slightly (last exam of the year on Friday!), I wouldn't mind getting on with a bit more reading. I used to be a prime example of a book worm, but the ever increasing workload of a pharmacy degree has gradually stripped me of this title. Saying that, I have read two very good books this academic year: Captain Corelli's Mandolin and The Glass Blowers by Daphne DuMaurier. There's something about DuMaurier's work that makes it near impossible to put down. However, books seem to be collecting on my shelves at the rate of knots, so here is a list of my 'to read' list, along with several other titles.

1. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. I purchased this book after jumping on the bandwagon at a book-signing after a lecture presented by Ben at my university back in March. I am hoping that it will prove to be a useful read, seeing as I've tailored my uni modules next year to favour Epidemiology and Drug Safety. The book basically exposes how the Pharma industry is ripping people off (and perhaps risking peoples' health) for profit, carefully hiding any dodgy clinical studies and trials. Sneaky.
2. Mere Christianity by C S Lewis. This book isn't very substantial in quantity, but a lot more so in quality. As the title suggests, it is a Christian book mostly outlining Christian morals and the reasoning behind them. Do not expect to be bombarded with backless wardrobes and various talking animals: this is a serious book. So serious, in fact, that I'm struggling to finish it. I'll have to chivvy along a bit though, because I'm sure the friend who lent it to me will want it back before the end of the semester!
3. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Again, I started reading this book a few months ago when there was a lull in workload. The beauty of this book is that the chapters are relatively stand-alone, so it can be dipped in and out of. It is a fascinating view into the life of a post Second World War midwife and kind of makes me want to travel back in time. 
4. Under the Jewelled Sky by Alison McQueen. This is my Aunt's new book which is set in India around the time that British colonialism was falling apart. From what I've read already, it's a lovely flowing read with a spark of romance, and very accurate on the historical part too.
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. A birthday present from my house, in addition to the lethal food blender (0-fingers hanging off in 4.5 seconds).

There are various others, but this should stand me in good stead for at least the first part of the summer holidays, and will be an extremely welcome break from the (easily) foot high pile of textbooks sat next to my desk.