This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Steph is originally from Kentucky in the USA – home of horse racing, bourbon and bluegrass music, but makes her dwelling in London with her British husband. As well as reviewing books for Judging Covers and taking care of her own website, Steph works in events, though she dreams of a career in publishing, where she can be surrounded by books for a living.
Aside from reading in the bath, my second favorite place to read is in bed under the quilt that my grandmother made me ten years ago when I left home for college. You can just see it off to the side of the photo.
My husband and I live in a pretty small studio flat in London, so space is a commodity. For that reason, I’ve got a teeny tiny little bedside table where I keep my ‘to review’ pile. These are books that I’ve been sent by brilliant publishers, but this doesn’t even begin to touch my actual ‘to read’ pile, which is massive right now. Currently, I have The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver, A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke and Labor Day by Joyce Maynard making their home on my nightstand.
Also on my bedside table is my Kindle which, I have to confess, I don’t think I could live without. Like a lot of people, I completely eschewed the idea of an ereader originally, instead opting for the feel and the smell of books. And then one Christmas my husband bought me my first Kindle and I was forever changed. I still read and buy physical books, but my Kindle is just such a handy reviewing tool, giving me access to sites like NetGalley.In the pocket of my Kindle holder, you’ll see a little note. I’ve had that note for going on eight years now. When I went off to college I was only two hours from home, but it was still my first time away. My grandmother wrote me letters and sent me newspaper clippings each week, which was always really sweet. My second year in college, I went through a really rough patch and my grandmother wrote me this letter that helped me get through everything. I’ve kept it on me every single day ever since, whether in my wallet or, like now, with my Kindle.
I love my lamp. I know it’s silly, but I do. It’s a touch lamp which appeals to my extreme laziness first thing in the morning and last thing at night. All I have to do is tap the base and I’m good to go.
Next to that is a little dish where I keep my rings and necklace when I’m not wearing them. When Nick and I went on holiday a few years ago to Fuerteventura, we stayed in this gorgeous hotel. On one of the last mornings, Nick swiped a bunch of these little dishes from the breakfast buffet. “They’ll be great for measuring out spices,” he reasoned. We’ve never used any of the dishes for spices. Instead, they’ve been cluttering up a shelf in the kitchen – except for one which I took for my own purposes. I suppose I should stop nagging him about them as at least one has been useful!
Lastly is my alarm clock, which is a recent addition to my nightstand. Nick gave it to me as a gift for Valentine’s Day this year. I have this thing about alarm clocks; I suppose you could call it minor OCD. Before I go to bed each night, I check the digital alarm on Nick’s side and I have to check that the alarm time is both correct and actually on three times. If I’m interrupted, I have to start over. I have actually worn out a few of the buttons on the clock so Nick got me my own clock to mess up!
Thanks, Steph!
If you’d like to share your bedside table with Novelicious readers, drop kerry@writingtipsoasis.com a line for some guidelines.