Hello, my name is Ella, and I'd like to welcome you to my very first post on my new website, 'A Blog of One's Own'!
Some of you may know me by my Bookstagram name @bookishly_ella where I post about being an introverted, queer and neurodivergent book enthusiast who likes drinking tea.
To properly welcome you to my writing space here, I thought I would start my blog by sharing my take on some of the most frequently discussed bookish questions.
How long have you been a reader?
I have always loved books, and I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading! Some of my earliest memories involve me sat in a circle of books, enthralled by the magical worlds conjured up by the sentences. Libraries and bookshops have always been my safe spaces, especially as I have grown older; the plethora of stories I have yet to discover never ceases to amaze me!
Physical or electronic books?
Now to address the question all bookworms love to rant about: physical or electronic books? I am renowned for my unwavering loyalty to physical books, which I like to frequently remind people win every time. (Sorry Kindle lovers!) For me, there is just an extra special something about holding a print book in my hands; the comfort of inhaling their ubiquitous scent of paper and ink, the whisper of pages turning beneath my fingertips and their anchoring presence as I carry a stack of them with me. Physical books absorb your life story as well as their author's- most of the books on my favourites list are on there because of the way they helped me grow and progress through the particular life period when I was reading them as much as for the narratives themselves. Personally, electronic books don't give back in the same way.
Pristine or dog-eared books?
As for spine cracking and turning down page corners? Not under any circumstances! I will forever hold the book open as little as possible rather than risk damaging the spine, and bookmarks are a must (collecting these is a separate hobby, of course).
Colour coded or alphabetised bookshelf?
I am someone who loves a good bookshelf organisation system, so the colour coding versus alphabetisation question is one I haven't quite managed to answer. Currently, all of my books are in alphabetical order, probably determined by the fact that I have an extensive number of novels by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and Agatha Christie; keeping all of an author's works together somehow seems very important. However, this is subject to change, as I also love anything and everything rainbow, so watch this space for a potential colour co-ordinated bookcase in the future!
Team Bronte or Team Austen?
I would describe myself as a firm fan of both, but despite it being a truth universally acknowledged that I will never turn my nose up at an Austen, I must admit that the Bronte sisters win this one for me! My favourite book (or one of my many favourites!) is Jane Eyre, however the Bronte I connect with the most is Emily.
Although I love the haunting quality of the sisters' prose, their struggles and frustrations which shine through in their writing make me really reflect on how women throughout history have consistently been denied the environment and opportunity to thrive; I always wonder if and how the Bronte's writing could have been different had they not lived in a time and place of disempowerment and oppression.
To conclude my first post, here is a short quickfire round of my favourites...
My current favourite five books: A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The Night Circus by Erin Morgernstern, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My favourite genres: Queer and feminist dystopia, dark academia, murder mysteries, classic feminist literature
My favourite three things about books: The sense of comfort and safety they provide people with, the way they enhance your life by helping you open up to new ideas and possibilities, collecting them!
My favourite three books I like to recommend to others: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this insight into my bookish brain! Subscribe to receive updates about my latest posts and follow me on Instagram @bookishly_ella. See you there!
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