“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
– John A. Shedd
The Year of Reading Religiously
My thirties have made me a different person.
I used to find the thought of being heard and seen on video terrifying. Now, I am fascinated and excited by the idea of starting a vlog – most likely through TikTok, though I have also been looking at the benefits of a more serious BookTube channel.
I used to despise the sound of my voice, thinking it too soft, thinking it obnoxious. I am still uncomfortable with the sound of my voice, but know that my ability to speak will improve with practice.
If you are on TikTok and would like to say hello, follow me by clicking here.
It will be a wonderful adventure to meet new friends there. I have been working like a bird in the spring, gathering the bits and bobs necessary to create a cozy reading corner.
A microphone, a cookie-shaped pillow, a string of fairy lights. Everything must be perfect.
Learning to Speak in Different Tongues
Something in me is awake, and wants to branch out to different forms of media. I’ve spent my life cultivating my writing style, burrowed in the comfort of the written word, letting it fill me like a warm cup of vanilla chai tea.
Now, I want something different. Now, I want to be heard. But I couldn’t expect to grow a serious following if I did not take the project seriously, so I have gone to a thrift store. There, I found the lighting that I need. I arranged a corner of my library to be the spot from which I will address the world.
There is so much that I want to say. I don’t even fully know what it is yet. I sincerely think that, when I sit down on that chair and open my mouth, I will discover things about myself that I did not know.
I hope that you will join me.
What’s New at the Tearoom
In other news, there is quite a lot going on at the actual Tearoom – the one on Ensorcell Avenue, which can only be found on Substack. This week’s free post just went live, and I would love to discuss with you.
I have written an article for my newsletter about a matter that’s been present in my heart for a while. I answered the question: why do books make me so nostalgic?
Why do I feel, when lost in a story, that I miss something I once knew?
What is the reason for this bookish nostalgia?
Perhaps you have answers of your own to these questions. Read the article and leave a comment; I would love to read your input.
What I’m Reading
I have just finished reading The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald.
Having written a lengthy review of that excellent novel in my reading journal, I then reached for The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick.
I am also reading, on the side, The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel.
What are you reading? Comment and let me know!
-Mariella
Mariella Hunt & the Tearoom 
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