The joys of reading novels

It’s been a while since I wrote a post for this blog—eight years, in fact. My last was titled “Moving On,” and here I still am, moved on and coming back. In those eight years, I have continued to live with my husband on an off-grid island 100km off the northeast coast of Aotearoa New Zealand, and have continued to write novels and have gone backward rather than forward when it comes to learning how to write them.

The more years that pass, the more workshops I do (mostly as a student, sometimes as the teacher) and, on the plus side, the more novels I read. My old blog posts were about “brains, books and being happy,” but the focus of my new posts will be mainly novels (by both women and men, many recent publications but some published years ago) and why reading them is good for us, from the point of view of someone who is interested in psychology, mental health, well-being, and happiness. All of us, I hope!

I belong to NetGalley, a platform where publishers and authors upload advance reader copies (ARCs) of their books and audiobooks (fiction and nonfiction) months before they are published, and members can request them. If their request is granted, it is hoped that they will review the book and post their review on as many platforms as possible (Goodreads, Amazon, etc.). Any avid reader can register as a reader or reviewer member of NetGalley. There is also a UK branch. So far, I have reviewed 318 books, which marks me as an active member and gives me “Professional Reader” status. Now I often receive e-mails from publishers asking if they can send me a digital ARC.

But, of course, I also purchase many books myself because I am addicted. If I read a great review or listen to one of the excellent author interview podcasts available—the UK Waterstones podcast is my........

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