Hello, and welcome.
I’m Lucy. I live and work in the city, which means I spend a significant portion of my life rushing, commuting, and staring at screens. Books are how I wind down and return to myself, and they always have been.
This is The Bookish Rambler. I created this blog because I needed somewhere to put all the thoughts, feelings, and opinions that accumulate when you read a lot of books.
How I read
Last year I read 53 books, basically one a week. That sounds impressive until I tell you that I often only manage a few pages a day. Life gets busy for all of us, evenings disappear, and some weeks the book on my bedside table barely moves an inch. But then a a book grips me by the collar at 11pm and suddenly it’s 2am and I’ve finished the whole thing and I have no one to blame but myself.
I usually have three books on the go at once – a physical book, an eBook, and an audiobook. The audiobook is for walking, which is one of my favourite things to do while reading. The eBook is for the commute or the moments where carrying a hardback is not practical. The physical book is for everything else.
I like reading at home, in bed before going to sleep, outside in the garden on a summer afternoon, or on holiday when I can get through five books in a week and feel absolutely no guilt about it whatsoever.
I read slowly when I can and quickly when a book won’t let me do otherwise. I read widely: literary fiction, historical novels, fantasy, thrillers, classics, contemporary fiction. To me, the best kind of reading life is one without too many rules about what belongs in it.
What I read
You can tell a lot about a person from their favourite books. Some of mine are Rebecca, The Princess Bride, The Book Thief, The Hobbit, Emma, and Piranesi. What they have in common – if they have anything in common – is that they all made me feel something. That’s the only criterion that has ever really mattered to me.
I’m not a harsh critic. I go into every book wanting to love it, and I usually find something to appreciate even when I don’t. I believe that a finished book represents an enormous amount of someone’s time, thought, and courage, and I try to remember that when I’m writing about it.
What this blog is for
The Bookish Rambler exists because I needed somewhere to put all the reviews, the reading lists, and the recommendations that fill my head. This is a space for readers who love books as much as I do.
I hope for you it feels like an escape. From the pace of things, the noise, and the endless scroll. You’re not here for hot takes or controversy. You’re here because books matter to you and you want somewhere quiet to talk about them with people who feel the same way.
So – welcome. I’m very glad you’re here.
live slow, read more.