Welcome to “The Book Shelfie Blog” – I’m Holly Jayne a 28 year old marketing graduate with a passion for collecting books and an enthusiasm for advertising.
I thought I would give you all a little further insight into the girl behind TBSB. 2016 was a life changing year for me. A car accident changed my life in ways I never thought I would experience, especially not in my twenties. I wont go through the finer details, as I struggle to accept it, let alone talk about it, but 3 years on my life is still a challenge, both physically and mentally.
My psychologist suggested I write a blog. A way in which I can openly communicate about my day to day life, mental health battles and living with disability and chronic pain. Louise thought how I had coped and adapted, as well as what I had been through would help others going through similar situations. However, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It put me too far into the spotlight and if you know what its like to suffer with anxiety, depression and ptsd you will know that is the last thing you can bring yourself to do. I hope one day I will be able to help others, and freely write about the challenges I have experienced and lived with. I guess my biggest fear is being judged, because god knows I judge myself all the time.
Why am I telling you all this I hear you ask! Well 4 weeks ago I decided to create an instagram account solely for the purpose of something I loved; books! That was a huge step. It was public, they were my thoughts, people could judge me…but I was able to hide behind a screen, it wasn’t personal and no one could see me. Suddenly I found people who connected with me. I suddenly didn’t feel like someone with a disability. I no longer felt lonely. I felt like I belonged. I had a place where I fit in.
It wasn’t until I found bookstagram that I realised how many likeminded individuals were out there. My little quirks of finding comfort in smelling the pages of a freshly bought book, or ensuring I purchased the one from the back so that it was not dog eared or damaged, allowed me to connect with others in the community. Here I was amongst people who did the same very things.
Those past 4 weeks have given me something to look forward to, connect with and a purpose. So I decided to take Louise’s suggestion and create a blog. Albeit not what she had in mind, but no doubt will please her when I next see her.
Books have always been my passion and my stress reliever. After the accident I wasn’t able to read which had a big impact on me. Fast forward to the end of 2018 where I read my first book since the accident. It was wonderful! I’m not an audio book lover, so that was never an option for me. I just cant seem to connect with the story in the same way as reading it for myself. I have set myself a reading goal (thank you good reads) of 50 books this year.
My favourite genres include:
- Mystery, Crime & Psychological Thrillers
- Young Adult – Particularly Dystopian
- Sci-Fi & Futuristic Worlds
March 2019 is now upon us and here I am, nervous rambles and all, writing on this first page. If you have stumbled across my little corner of the world, I hope you’ll stick around. I may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but one thing is for sure, you’ll get nothing but heartfelt honesty here.
2019 for me is all about finding my way again, learning to love myself, flaws and all, and getting to the end of the year feeling like I have accomplished something.
My word for 2019 is PURPOSE!
Please do say hello – I am just another book nerd living in a fictional world.
Lots of Love,
TBSB x