100 days of my bookshelf

The 100 Day Project 2025

I was doubtful about doing the 100 Day Project (@The100DayProject Newsletter) again this year because I already know I can't commit to making something every day during the coming months, and although of course you can miss days and take longer over it, for me the 'everyday-ness' is part of the appeal. I enjoy the structure the 100 days provides, but I need structure without pressure.

So I thought about what I most want to do more of anyway, what would bring me joy, and among those things is reading, regularly reading the books I've collected for research and inspiration. I know that most days, wherever I am and whatever is happening, I can read a chapter at least; and if that's not possible, I can surely read a paragraph or just a sentence. So today I start '100 days of my bookshelf'.

I'll be choosing books from two shelves - about myth, fairy tales and folklore, home, food and laundry, clothes and cloth, the medieval period, rituals and rhythms - the themes that enrich and nurture me. I've read some of them (once or several times!), others I've started but never finished, and the rest have just stayed on the shelf in waiting patience. I have no idea yet how many I'll read over the next 100 days, but I've picked out two to begin with: Katharine Briggs, "The Fairies in Tradition and Literature", and Hetta Howes, "Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women".

I'll keep a sketchbook alongside to jot things down, thoughts and quotes, and to draw or paint or stick things into, if I want to do that in response to the reading. I may share bits of it along the way but mainly it's for me and I hope it will feed into some creative work, in time. I don't imagine I'll post something publicly every day, but rather as and when something speaks to me. Maybe I'll post a quote I'd love to discuss or one that is beautiful, I'll see how that unfolds.

Who else is doing a 100 Day project this year?