A Year of Resolve : Real Books & More

2025... is my year of resolve. 

In February this year, I wrote a post on slow living. I was feeling overwhelmed with the pace of life, the influence of social media, even the slow life is being romanticised unrealistically. With the rise of AI, we are in more danger of losing our jobs, skills, talents, original thought and ideas.

I keep seeing people pushing how you can use AI to generate whole books and courses with just a few prompts. Well my question is, where is the real connection that the reader forges with the author through the ART of storytelling through their unique command of words and language?

Are we entering another 'dark age' without realising it? An age where we hand over original thought and talent to AI and stop thinking for ourselves altogether? Where we stop creating and rely on AI generated art, books and stories?

I am not a complete luddite, I do see how these things can be helpful and beneficial, but I fear that we will lose more than we gain. There is no going back, we have no choice but to hang onto the train of progress for it is moving forward whether we like it or not and we are going to have to fit in.

But I think this is precisely all the more reason to live with resolve. To be purposeful in how we choose to live life. In being purposeful in our choices and remaining grounded enough to not lose sight of the importance of old-fashioned skills and slow ways.

All this fits into my year of resolve. A purposeful return to gentle things, real things.A purposeful relationship in faith with Christ. A purposeful return to the gentle art of homemaking. To learning new skills and returning to the gentle rhythms of the home.

Real Books

I mentioned in this post that I intended to read only 'real' books this year. Well, that resolve quickly grew and it seems to have taken on a whole new wonderful momentum.

I am enjoying visiting my local library, browsing the shelves and choosing a great big pile of books. What I'm enjoying more, is building my very own library at home! 

You see, visiting the library and seeing all those wonderful books seemed to awaken something in me. I've always loved reading books. My dad used to call me 'Horizontal Harriet' because I was always lying on my bed or under a tree reading a book.

What I love about them (books) are the worlds authors create.  I am transported into a land that is simply quite magical and I get to share in the adventures with the most marvellous characters, who become lifelong friends.

As a homeschooling family we have always had a deep love for and a lot of books. At the moment, most of our books are in boxes. I'd love to say it's down to our pending move, but it's not. 

They have been in boxes for a number of years because I have not made space for them. I have not been mindful and purposeful in giving them a home since our homeschooling days drew to a close.

Typing those last few sentences actually made me quite sad!

My latest acquisitions for my home library

So I am glad that my simple step of going back to the library initiated this new journey...a journey to curating a home library and writing.

I have been purposefully seeking out new titles, buying real books - hardcover if possible, I prefer hardcover. 

In our new home we have a lot of space, space to have a home library, not just a small corner, but enough space to have a couple of floor to ceiling bookshelves.

I've treated myself to British Library Crime Classics subscription. Each month a box arrives with a new classic crime book and a beautiful vintage print which I plan on framing once I have a set of 6 for my home office.


A Writer's Almanac

The momentum continues...

At age 9 I submitted a story I wrote to a competition the local newspaper was holding and won! Right then and there I knew that I wanted to be an author. 

I've always loved writing. I am a writer. I write here on my blog. I write for a homeschooling nature study publication. I have a huge bag full of journals that I have kept over the years. I keep a nature journal. I am a writer.

I realised that I need to write to be happy. To be who I was created to be. To make sense of this world we live in. To create. 

And so I am.

I've been exploring letting go and embracing new beginnings. I've started a dedicated writers blog/newsletter on Substack, a platform for writers. You can read my first post called New Beginnings Are Hard.


I've rebranded my YouTube Channel to be more in keeping with who I am. A woman of faith, a writer, homemaker, observer of the seasons and nature lover.

At the moment I'm uploading short videos and plan on creating longer content videos after our house move. The content will not be solely focussed on knitting as it was, it will be much broader. 

I plan on taking you with me on nature walks, giving you behind the scenes peeks into my nature journal, my writing, my seasonal living and home, and so on.

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel HERE, and to my Substack here. If you are on Instagram, you can follow my writing account called @shirleyannvelswriter

Anyhoo, I think that about wraps up this bookish post. If you are fellow bibliophile or writer, I hope that you will join me on my journey on any of those channels. If not, I shall see you back here very soon.

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