Me…
Hello! My name is Amanda, I’m 46 and I am The Muddled Reader. Until I was around 16, books were my world. Saturday mornings would consist of going to my local library and delightfully choosing the books that would get me through my week. Somewhere along the way books were abandoned, however, thanks to Book Tok I’ve rediscovered my love once more. I have so many books to catch up on! My favourites so far have been Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Kristin Hannah and Lisa Jewell are the two authors I’ve read the most by.
Why?…
I created The Muddled Reader blog as I have nobody to talk to about books! My life situation is pretty unique. I am full-time carer to my 16-year-old teen who is autistic and is currently pretty much housebound due to agoraphobia, emetophobia and OCD. This means I am pretty much housebound too and live a very quiet life. We live in a bubble, my husband Frank, our 2 dogs, our tortoise, our teen and I! Frank works from home, Jaye doesn’t go to school, and I don’t really leave the house a lot.
My love of reading the past year has changed my mental state for the better. This has been the most surprising thing for me, and I want to share this with people. Reading keeps my brain sharp, gives me clarity, teaches me empathy and makes me inquisitive about the world, which at 46 is an amazing feeling.
What to expect from The Muddled Reader…
I will be writing “The Mini Muddled Review” for each book I read. I will also be writing longer blog posts on aspects of books that interest me and that I think we could discuss; storylines, characters etc. I will always warn you if there are spoilers in my posts.
I also want to share my story, for therapeutic reasons, to help and connect with others, and simply to spread awareness.
As I grow, I want to be able to create lists of recommended books for different life situations, bibliotherapy style!
Things I love…
Obviously books! My favourite genres are horror and psychological thriller but the more I read I realise how much I love “Up Lit” books too. I love horror movies! I also love furniture upcycling and nearly went into business doing this several years ago until I became a full-time carer. I love baking! I also adore The Beatles, which I’ve only discovered the past two years. My teen is an amazing musician, and they got me into them. Jaye plays all their songs on guitar and bass I’m slightly obsessed to be honest!
