WHAT'S IN STORE FOR SEPTEMBER?

September is an exciting (although at times, daunting) month. In England September means two things: 

1) the end of summer

2) BACK TO SCHOOL FOR THE LITTLE CHILDREN MUHAHAHA *cough*

 Or in my case, onto my second year at university as an english lit undergraduate. YAS. 

My first year at university was the loveliest year of my life. I became friends with likeminded people who inspired me with their intelligence, open mindedness, and refreshing sense of adventure. I loved pretty much every minute of my degree (apart from the poetry module... those lectures were so excruciatingly boring I'm sure they could be categorised as a form of torture). My campus is cosy and welcoming, and there's just so much to explore in the surrounding area too!

Of course, this time last year I was a nervous wreck, but I knew that no matter what, university would change my life somehow. And it has. So far for the better, and I can only pray it stays that way! 

In September 2014, I had pretty much no interest in politics. Actually I just preferred to live by the 'ignorance is bliss' philosophy and the only things I read were fantasy, and classics. Nothing wrong with that of course, but I am thankful that my degree, and my friends helped open up my mind to so many different topics that I was oblivious too. Now, postcolonial literature is one of my favourite things, in fact I chose it over a module that basically consists of everything Jane Austen! The 15 year old version of me would've never believed it. 

I'll always have a soft spot for everything fantasy, YA, and the classics but when I realised how much I DON'T KNOW about the world and how much reading I have yet to do... it made me wish I could devour a whole library of all the knowledge. 

Last year we didn't get to choose our modules, but this year we did and there were SO MANY OPTIONS. After weeks of going back and forth I finally managed to pick 5.

The modules I'm taking this year are:

• Arthurian Literature from Geoffrey of Monmouth to Game of Thrones 
• Victorian Fictions
• Postcolonial and Global Literatures
• Black Writing in Britain
• James Baldwin and American Civil Rights

Having to limit myself to five modules was a frustrating task tbh, there were soooo many interesting options available!! *sobs in despair*

I'll share some of my university books with you guys soon (once I've bought most of the books I'll need for first semester) but until then, look out for a review/discussion of the first book off my reading list: Doris Lessing's truly timeless novel The Grass Is Singing. 

This summer has been really lovely. I know I'm using the word lovely far too much but it just seems like the most fitting description. When I had my last exam on May 11th, I was worried about HOW I would survive four months at home. The thought of endless days of boredom was sickening to me, but luckily, this summer was the opposite of what I had anticipated. My first year at uni had kicked the book addict part of me back into action and suddenly I wanted to read ALL THE BOOKS just like I did in my early teens :') so reading, and this blog became the perfect little things to fill up the long summer days. A few weeks into summer, my cousins from Pakistan came to stay! Our families share a bond as close as siblings, and it was lovely to spend time with them before they jetted off to Washington for a year. And then of course, the opening of my family's restaurant. We'd been working on this project with anxious anticipation for almost a year. It was a HUGE leap for us, and my siblings and I have been working there almost every day for the past six weeks to help make my family's dream a reality. We're all incredibly emotionally attached to everything related to the restaurant because it is a symbol of hope, and the start of something new, something better for my family. But more than anything, we want this restaurant to be a success for my dad's sake. He's been through more than I like to think about, and he deserves some real goodness in his life. 

I've read 11 books in the past four months, and I'm currently reading the 12th (Jane Eyre). Definitely not as much as I would've liked but I'm taking baby steps back into the book world, and life suddenly became ridiculously busy in the past few months too. So bear with me book blogger friends! 

I'm excited, if not a little nervous for what September, and the rest of this academic year has in store. I'm hoping to keep up with the blogosphere, as well as become more of a regular blogger myself! (no clue how I'm going to manage it alongside uni BUT HERE'S TO BEING OPTIMISTIC).

Until next time, friends!

How was your summer? Did you manage to get a lot of reading done? What's the best thing you've read this summer? And finally, what does September have in store for you?