Happy New Year everyone. As ’tis the season, I’ve decided on a couple of things to help me spend my time well this year.
I can be quite good at this- in 2013 I determined that I would learn to run. It changed my life. Last year, I liked the idea of a “word for the year” – I chose “embrace.” I had spent so many years fighting and crying (inside and y’know, actual hot tears that make your eyes sore) about archaeology and my place within it and the academy and failure and on and on and on. I was tired of that. Done. I needed to embrace the changes in my life and who I was- stop making comparisons to others and just be. Write. Be a parent. Run around. Love the landscape I live in. It kind of helped. When I got sucked into comparing myself to others I gave myself a metaphorical kick up the arse and reminded myself to embrace my own life. I’m definitely in a better place. And I can be a bit tougher on myself. My word for this year is “FINISH.” I cannot tell you how many half done projects are sat on my computer. Let alone that damned barn conversion lurking outside the window. I’m going to get shit finished and let go of in 2018.
And, because that’s all a bit businesslike and severe, I also want to challenge myself to read 52 new books this year. Archaeology and not. But books I haven’t read before, otherwise I will be wasting all this breastfeeding reading time reconsuming the same old crime novels and regency romances my mushy brain requires at 2am.
I have a bit of a list already growing, but would like suggestions too. I have already read this year:
Mary Beard’s Women and Power
Naomi Alderman’s The Power
Robert MacFarlane’s The Wild Places, The Lost Words and Mountains of the Mind.
On the absoultely have to-read list:
Whitney Battle Baptiste’s Black Feminist Archaeology
Josephine Quinn’s In Search of the Phoenicians
And my parents got me the Booker nominees, so there’s those.
But yes please, send me your suggestions, particularly early career scholar books, books by women and authors of colour, books you’ve loved and books you want someone to rant about with.
Speaking of which, I feel some reviews might be coming on of the first five. But for now, back to editing this everlasting Ferrante paper second draft. It has a second draft! Now… FINISH!
Happy 2018.
lucyshipleywritesthepast 