when i was in australia, i was a reading machine. i felt like reading, i did lots of reading, i had fun with reading. i was all about reading and it was all good (except for the eye-popping expense of books over there, that is).

but in the last month, i’ve read just two teeny books and tried to read a further nine — all of which now have sad little bookmarks hanging out of them somewhere between pages 10 and 93, like flattened, depressed dogs. i just don’t seem to have any reading mojo. i can’t concentrate, my mind is racing too much. tv is better, less demanding and easier to engage with, and my new addiction is buying box sets. maybe this is the start of my TV years… shame about that english degree i registered for, huh?

but regardless of my ability to read books, i still seem able to write about them (ha, you knew a plug was coming, didn’t you?) and so have done so. again.

i’m promoting the burning of books (ooh!) on the guardian blog today (big thanks to keris and helen for the background info on this — ha ha — hot topic) and i’m also recommending some thrillers and offbeat reads for handbag (which was such fun, i have to say), but the whole books special is well worth a look, even the bits i didn’t write!

take a look… and read one for me, would you? thanks.

i had great fun blogging for the guardian about book covers last week — it’s a topic that really seemed to engage people (including the telegraph and my good friend keris). [UPDATE: i got pwned by galleycat and — are you ready for this? — jezebel (jezebel!!) not only discussed my piece but called me “The Guardian’s Diane Shipley”. Ha. And…Salon’s wonderful blog for women, Broadsheet, also talked about me, i mean, about what i wrote. even though both places mentioned pink, i actually wasn’t getting at pink: just homogenisation, which is more often, in the UK at least, cream with swirly writing. anyhoo, as a serious journalist i’m not a bit excited by all this publicity. yeah right: i’ve never been so famous! (or so tired btw, man i need a nap).]

so! i’m blogging for the graun again today, this time about teens, sex and TV: no sex, please, they’re teenagers. does this make me a sex blogger? (ahahahahha)

what else? oh yes, my words blog bossy is no more, at least for now: there’s a lot of great language-related stuff to say, but i think i’m going to wait until nearer the start of my english degree to say it.

i’m not cutting down on blogs though: i’m currently working on a suuuper secret, suuuper special pet project that is going to be so.much.fun. (for me at least). and i bought a domain name and got an official email and everything.

it’s a good job i’m passionate about online content, as next year i’m going to be doing this. it’s okay if i start hyperventilating planning now, right?

sorry for the lack of a proper post. this one will probably be most of interest to my fans relatives.

a couple of guardian blogs i wrote recently:

the great chick lit cover up

and

the talented ms lipman (since it was published, the book and movie release dates have both been pushed back… ah well, i tried!)

i’m also still popgadget-ing away (and loving it).

i have some more articles to link to, but haven’t uploaded them yet… soon. and expect a blog post in flowing sentences… also soon. perhaps.

i can’t believe my time here is coming to an end. i have less than a day left at my dad’s - somewhere i’m rather sad to leave - and just a month left until i’m back at work. (okay, that’s quite a while, i know!) i haven’t got as far ahead with my ‘travel log’ blogs as i’d hoped, but look out for two more to pop up (as if by magic) while i’m away.

you can also, if you’re that way inclined, read a couple of things i’ve written recently…

i’m a bit late with this but here’s a review i did for trashionista: i like you - hospitality under the influence.

also, my feature on the resurgence of crafts (yes, another one) is in this month’s prima, out now! or you can read it here, here and here… it’s a bit long.

my plan now is to spend as little time online as possible over the next four weeks, and to do NO.WORK.WHATSOEVER. for the rest of my time in oz. i can’t quite believe i just typed that…