Time for Short Books

The book blog for people who have no time for books.

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Filling Up with Sugar (Sawanishi)

Filling Up with Sugar (Sawanishi)

If you’re looking for something different… you’ve found it. Yūten Sawanishi’s Filling Up with Sugar is a short story unlike any I’ve ever read. Though, I’m hoping that’ll no longer be true once I’ve made my way through more of The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories.   This is a simple short story featuring various, universally recognisable themes: love, loss, disease, caring for a loved one,…

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~ Re-introducing me ~ Hey guys, this is me. My name’s Meg, and I am: - a freelance writer and editor ✍🏻 - a UCL English grad 🎓 - a London lover ❤️ - but a Southampton girl at heart 🌊 - a book blogger 📚 I’m also much more than those things. Fun fact about me: my second name begins with ‘Le’ and as a result - a silly amount of times - real, smart people have thought my first name was actually ‘Megle’. It’s cute but no, I’d rather my professor called me Meg (or even Megan) thanks. 😂 If you’re wondering why I’m telling you this now - well, I’ve updated my ‘About Me’ page on the blog! The blog started as purely short story reviews, which I am still standing by. However, I continually see more links in what I’m doing to my mental health, and how reading helps me with that. So, I thought I’d be a little more honest and explain that some more. Hopefully if there’s anyone out there, reading this, who is struggling, you’ll feel a little less alone now. So much of the time, we are all scrabbling to make time or space for the things that we love. It’s understandable that sometimes we don’t manage that. Sometimes I feel like my head is going to explode as there is so much going on in there - that’s not really the time to whack out War and Peace, regardless of how much I like reading. 😂 I’m trying to make it more of a priority, but I’m also trying to make it more accessible and achievable! This has been a long caption, so if you’re still with me - thanks for reading! I’d love to get to know people better here on #bookstagram, so please do introduce yourself in the comments if you feel up to it. ❤️ It’s been lovely meeting you. #📚 #booklover #bookbloggersuk #bookblog #blogupdate #aboutme #whoamI #mynameis #calm #mindfulness #citylife #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHhjzZZA2Ku/?igshid=11jxas6jq57r2

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This lovely copy of Wide Sargasso Sea was given to me for my birthday by my almost-as-lovely boyfriend. 😘 It gets a little shout out in today’s blog post about Good Morning, Midnight - the first Jean Rhys novel I read. I seriously love Jean Rhys so I really hope that comes through in the post, and you enjoy it! Let me know what you think... have you read any Jean Rhys? Alternatively, do you have any of these beautiful Penguin Classics editions? 😍 #📚 #beautifulbooks #bookishthoughts #bookstagram #penguinclassics #jeanrhys #shortbook #quickread #blogpost #newblogpost #bookblogger #bookbloggersuk https://www.instagram.com/p/CGnNPuIg9vq/?igshid=1st4i483t573d

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Good Morning, Midnight (Rhys)

#newpost - a review of Jean Rhys' Good Morning, Midnight. One of my all-time favourite books, I hope I've managed to do it justice. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

This short novel is a must-read – in my book at least. (See what I did there? Book! Eh, eh?) Jean Rhys’ prose is frank and beautiful; Good Morning, Midnight is simple to read but leaves a devastatingly complex impression. What more could you ask for? Of course, on this blog, you can definitely also ask for a quick read– well this is that too: only 157 pages long, you can get through this little…

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Who else has been binging @emilyinparis? ...who am I kidding; everyone has. I have fallen firmly back into my old 16-18 year old ways of obsessing over romanticised french culture & it’s beautiful capital. These photos are from a trip I took to Paris in 2017, when I was freshly 18 - this was, then, at the height of my love for Stephanie Perkins’ ‘Anna and the French Kiss’, as well as the peak of my french language skills (aka post-A-levels). 🇫🇷 It truly is a beautiful city; especially for those like me who could eat bread and pastries for every 👏 single 👏 meal 👏. But you got me - I will be reviewing neither ‘Emily in Paris’ nor ‘Anna and the French Kiss’... the Paris vibes I welcome over on my blog will be evocative of the so-called ‘French Ending’ mentioned by Luc in @lilyjcollins’ @netflix hit: Jean Rhys’ ‘Good Morning, Midnight’. If you’ve not read Jean Rhys before, brace yourself for heartbreakingly stark representations of feminine interiority. If you’ve not heard me talk about Jean Rhys before, brace yourself for sickeningly extreme enthusiasm. See you on the blog! #emilyinparis #lilycollins #stephanieperkins #annaandthefrenchkiss #paris #romance #holiday #memories #alevelfrench #jeanrhys #heartbreak #goodmorningmidnight #blogpost #comingsoon #bookish #📚 (at Paris, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhHqc4gOH7/?igshid=1gmgkgqx6ue1s

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Who else has been binging @emilyinparis? ...who am I kidding; everyone has. I have fallen firmly back into my old 16-18 year old ways of obsessing over romanticised french culture & it’s beautiful capital. These photos are from a trip I took to Paris in 2017, when I was freshly 18 - this was, then, at the height of my love for Stephanie Perkins’ ‘Anna and the French Kiss’, as well as the peak of my french language skills (aka post-A-levels). 🇫🇷 It truly is a beautiful city; especially for those like me who could eat bread and pastries for every 👏 single 👏 meal 👏. But you got me - I will be reviewing neither ‘Emily in Paris’ nor ‘Anna and the French Kiss’... the Paris vibes I welcome over on my blog will be evocative of the so-called ‘French Ending’ mentioned by Luc in @lilyjcollins’ @netflix hit: Jean Rhys’ ‘Good Morning, Midnight’. If you’ve not read Jean Rhys before, brace yourself for heartbreakingly stark representations of feminine interiority. If you’ve not heard me talk about Jean Rhys before, brace yourself for sickeningly extreme enthusiasm. See you on the blog! #emilyinparis #lilycollins #stephanieperkins #annaandthefrenchkiss #paris #romance #holiday #memories #alevelfrench #jeanrhys #heartbreak #goodmorningmidnight #blogpost #comingsoon #bookish #📚 (at Paris, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhHqc4gOH7/?igshid=1gmgkgqx6ue1s

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Thinking about #mentalhealth today, and the benefits of reading. My blog is something that genuinely makes me happy - I started it because I just love reading, writing, and thinking about books. Yet still, I often feel that I’m too busy to work on it. I follow a lot of mental health/wellbeing related accounts, and this is something that often comes up - the importance of making time for yourself and the things that make you happy! If you think about it, that really is the only sustainable way to live. If you’re like me, and you love to read, but struggle to ‘find time’ for the things you love - prioritise yourself today! Go read something fulfilling. 🥰 And remember, there are always recommendations of short stories on the blog, for when you feel like you have no time to read! 📚 #timeforshortbooks #mindulness #wellness #wellbeing #lookafteryou #timetoread #timeforyou #timeforbooks #happy #bookish #reading #readinglife https://www.instagram.com/p/CGch5OegNxJ/?igshid=5i343v6ytf4z

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Thinking about Jean Rhys this morning...

the first time I read Good Morning, Midnight I rushed through it ready for a seminar later that day; the subsequent time I read it in one day, just because I wanted to; the next time I took my time to notice new things and appreciate the beauty of Rhys’ writing, ready to write an essay on it.

Each time was as powerful as the next ❤️

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I challenge you to look at this photo and not be overcome with nostalgia... That’s my first ever pet, Welly (i.e. Wellington Boots - just look at those little white paws). And, incase this wasn’t obvious: this photo was taken before I was born. These nostalgic vibes are exactly what I got from the short story ‘Spring Cleaning’ (mentioned in my blog post ‘5 Quick Reads in Translation’) in which the protagonist spends the lockdown cleaning out the past, and ends up perusing old love letters. Go check out this post (and hopefully this story!) under the recommendations tab on my blog (link in bio). 📚 📚 📚 #firstpet #kittensofinstagram #kitten #gingerkitten #cats #meow #retro #retroaesthetic #nostalgia #translation #covid_19 #lockdown #memories #quickread #blogging #writingcommunity #bookishthoughts https://www.instagram.com/p/CGPK3bxg95B/?igshid=cz2mtjl5trx6

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A year ago today my friends and I got kitted out in our most Gatsby-esque outfits and headed to The Bootlegger for my 21st birthday celebrations... 🥳 I adore the Jazz Age vibes of Fitzgerald’s classic short novel 😍 Checkout my blog post about short stories on the school curriculum if you get the chance! 📚 📚 📚 #speakeasy #bootlegger #jazz #jazzage #greatgatsby #roaring20s #birthday #21stbirthday #ayearagotoday #birthdaycountdown #bookishvibes #bookstagram #bookblog #shortnovel #read (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGM93c_AXy2/?igshid=13bsgc40metvq

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I love Margaret Atwood, but I must admit - the only short stories of hers I’ve read are ones sneakily read in Waterstones whilst waiting to meet a friend... 📚 Have you read any Atwood short stories? What did you think? 📚 The title of this story (second pic) really appeals to me for some reason. 🚮 📚 📚 📚 #margaretatwood #shortstories #shortstorycollection #waterstones #bookshop #reading #bookishthoughts #readinglife #stealthreading https://www.instagram.com/p/CGH2-l5gzio/?igshid=68079hvgxlue

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Me when I say I’m reading... but am actually on Instagram. 👀 📚 Southbank was beautiful today; I love where I live. ❤️ 📚 📚 📚 #london #londonlife #beautifulcity #socialmedia #reading #eveningroutine #lounging #southbank #art #outdoorexhibition #lovemylife (at Southbank Centre, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGDnrO4gh81/?igshid=1mi23uyvo6zxy

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Dystopian scenes on the tube yesterday were brightened slightly by #poemsontheunderground. ❤️ 📚 What’s your favourite poem that you’ve seen on the #londonunderground? Or even better, what’s the most dystopian Covid poster you’ve seen down there? I want to hear them. 📚 📚 📚 #london #londonlife #TfL #poetryofinstagram #poetry #bookishthings #covid19 #coronavirus #socialdistance #emptycity #dystopia #artwork #marketing #adverts #victorialine (at Victoria line, London underground) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF391_-gJ1e/?igshid=1uly92xb8nrgu

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Talking about something slightly different on my blog today and this is the result... LOTS of self-editing! Please do go read my review of ‘Everything Stuck to Him’. I get a little more personal than I have before. 📚 Re: second photo - you can’t have thought I’d let you read the unedited version, surely?! 😉 📚 📚 📚 #carver #shortstory #quickread #bookreview #bookishblog #newblogpost #mentalhealth #mindfulness #relationships #editing #perfectionist https://www.instagram.com/p/CF2PWlLgLQd/?igshid=yto3wxhultci

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Everything Stuck to Him (Carver)

Review of 'Everything Stuck to Him' from 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love' by Raymond Carver #newblogpost

This phenomenally quick read is from the masterful short story collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. What do you talk about when you talk about love? I talk about

…yeah no, we’re not getting into that. This is not going to be some sappy post about ~lurve~. Equally, Carver’s work is no sappy book about love; it’s a book about people, communication, relationships – sure, but…

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Getting cozy to read the column of everyone’s favourite #ModernLove episode - When Cupid is a Prying Journalist (about the founder of @hinge) ❤️ 📚 My nails are coordinated to my blanket, and frankly, I’ve never been more pleased with myself. 💅🏻 📚 The Modern Love book is so great, it may almost be too great... So many of the columns are included that it’s taking me too long to get through it! I may have to rethink this blog post. Watch this space. 👀 📚 Did you watch Modern Love on @primevideouk? Which episode was your favourite? If you didn’t, do you have any favourite romantic short stories? 💕 📚 📚 📚 #whencupidisapryingjournalist #cupid #love #romance #shortstories #lovestories #loveletters #hinge #cosy #cosyaesthetic #bookish #nails #autumn #readingnook #bookstagram #bloggingproblems https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzSbO2Ag41/?igshid=19w90a3b44p2l

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Dreaming of days like this as I sit at my desk writing exam papers... 💭 Forever wishing I had more time to read. 📖 📚 📚 📚 #bookish #bookstagram #booklover #notimetoread #working #dailygrind #reading #lovebooks #campinglife #summer #outside #nature #relaxing #iwish #dreamyaesthetic (at Chideock) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFtpWH1AEyA/?igshid=w8uymcxrpfe9