It really varies on mood, I don’t have any set targets for myself. I’ll have a kobo book on the go that syncs to an app on my phone so I’ve gotten into the habit of reading while I’m waiting for appointments etc instead of scrolling through social media. I listen to an audiobook via my library’s app when I go out on my little daily walk. If I’m sitting to chill ill consider reading as my first choice activity but if my brain is fried or I need a breather from a heavy book I’ll just watch tv instead, no biggie. Sometimes I’ll feel done after a chapter or two, sometimes I reach the end of the book with the dawn chorus twittering outside my window. Who can predict where my mood will take me.

Glad it helped! I’ve done some self guided CBT and gratitude journalling to switch my perspective back round which I personally found helpful.

Sometimes I have a lot of empathy but if I’m struggling with low mood myself I don’t feel I’ve improved myself by putting myself in the shoes of others who are struggling. Like Beekeeper of Aleppo - really harrowing and what did I learn? That immigrants are deserving of support? I thought that anyway! I’m not saying these books are never worth reading - novels set in wars give a feel of what the country is like from a local’s POV, books about predators gives me an idea of how insidious the grooming or love bombing process can be, books about assault can be eye opening in terms of getting legal justice afterwards.

I work in a job where I see child abuse or domestic violence or human trafficking come through on occasion. When I’m in a good state of mind I can go home and feel chilled and think “that person was awful.” When I’ve been in a bad state of mind I’ve ended up thinking “the world is awful,” and got fearful doing very normal things like walking to the gym on my own in daylight. That’s when I need to go back to my dragon riding enemies to lovers joy reads.

It’s left intentionally vague so I don’t KNOW. I think that she was killed. I think she was too well known a personality/too family oriented to have stayed in hiding on her own. If she was alive and met up with the Covey, anyone who knew her from the Games or the local performances she did would have given her up, even if accidentally. The Capitol took pains to try erase any record of her, I’m sure they would have kept an eye out for any further signs of life. I think she never made it to full adulthood so no ancestry links to anyone from the initial trilogy.

I’ve recently finished Beloved by Toni Morrison and yes, I had to take several breaks reading it. Sometimes because it was too much - themes of slavery, infant death, violence. But also sometimes just to think about it - if someone near to me disclosed some of these recollections, how would it change the way I view them? I’m glad I didn’t rattle through, I feel like this book has really soaked in bone deep.