I really thought 2021 will be better than 2020. But it isn’t, at least when it comes to my focus on the blog. I think it’s because I expected all the worst from 2020, once the pandemic broke out, and then from that perspective it wasn’t so horrible (again I’m speaking of my personal experience here). But for 2021 I had high hopes, the vaccines were coming, everything would be fine. And there’s nothing worse than dashed hopes (as confirmed by multiple clinical trials). So 2021 is not my favorite year so far. 

In the first quarter, I struggled with the third lockdown, which was tougher for me than the previous two. Then waiting to be eligible to get the vaccine took 4 months longer than I originally expected. And then the third quarter was blurry of finally being allowed to travel again and constantly figuring out what the testing and entry requirements are in various countries and how to make sure I will be allowed to board the flight. 

In all this, I managed to keep reading, even if it was lacking focus and some books I struggle to remember, but writing fell completely by the wayside. Which is why I am in a way happy for the autumn, the comfort of longer evenings in rather than the constant urgency to be outside, because the good weather will end. 

Last Saturday was the first proper autumn day I could focus on and experience. Cloudy, rainy, coldish, and it was a pleasure to stay at home, take time to do things. Finally, be able to organize my desk and my thoughts. And then in the evening light up the candles, read a bit, then watch Midsomer Murders and crochet for a bit. It’s nice to be allowed to do ‘old people stuff’ in the autumn after all the hectic activity of the summer.

I hope my writing mojo will come back now.

Reading was a mix of function and non-fiction, surprisingly in about equal parts. And then at the end of my August vacation in Poland, I fell down the rabbit hole of rereading The Witcher from start to end, which altogether is eight books. And it was fun to come back to, complete escapism, and also the sense of going back to my teens, which is when I read it first.

I also managed to read 20 books for the 20 Books of Summer challenge hosted by Cathy at 746books

Here you can see the whole list of my summer reading

1. Season of Storms – Andrzej Sapkowski
2. The Lady of the Lake – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
3. The Tower of the Swallow – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
4. Baptism of Fire – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
5. The Time of Contempt – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
6. Blood of Elves – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
7. Sword of Destiny – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
8. The Last Wish – Andrzej Sapkowski (r)
9. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb (r)
10. Inna Dusza – Łukasz Orbitowski (r)
11. Death’s End – Cixin Liu (r)
12. A Shadow on The Lens – Sam Hurcom (r)
13. The Inland Sea – Madeleine Watts (r)
14. Free Will – Sam Harris (r)
15. The Artist and the Eternal City: Bernini, Pope Alexander VII and the Making of Rome – Loyd Grossman (r)
16. Lajla Znaczy Noc – Aleksandra Lipczak (r)
17. Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng (r)
18. Contact – Carl Sagan (r)

Photo by Violetta Kaszubowska