Many of my favourite books float somewhere in the intersecting areas of a huge Venn diagram comprising YA fantasy, dystopias, post-apocalyptic worlds, old-school feminist sci fi, mythology and contemporary spec fic. I've read a lot of it, but I want to read more!

If you’re an author, please feel free to take these three tips and write me an amazing story. If you're a reader, feel free to leave me a recommendation in the comments.

I like magic, but I read enough sword and sorcery as a teenager to have got it out of my system. I don’t (usually) want to read about magic that is “gifted” to the (un)fortunate few. I want to read about the magic of everyday, magic that is practiced, refined, explored, tinkered with, evolved, corrupted.

I’m not saying a book can’t have a university of magic (tell me about interdepartmental politics and the pressures that acamages face trying to juggle research, publication and teaching) or individuals who teach/learn their magic within a complicated master/apprentice power dynamic (tell me about the psychology of codependency and how the rest of the world reads their relationship).

But what I really want to read about is the magic of the masses: the magic that is hummed to the wind, grown on a balcony, kneaded and baked, danced in a round, played as a sport, walked through city streets, painted on skin or chalked on pavements, spun, woven, sewn or sculpted. I like magic that is, literally, an art or craft.

An exhibition hosted by Hastings Library throughout October allows visitors to listen to life stories from people in Sussex living with HIV.

Speaking Volumes aims to combat misconceptions and ignorance about living with HIV. Participants attended creative art and storytelling workshops before their stories were recorded. These 15 recordings form the centrepiece of the installation, with each “volume” displayed in a hollowed out book on the Speaking Volumes bookshelf.

The project highlights the diverse experiences of people living with HIV: men and women, aged from their 20s to their 70s and 80s, parents and people with disabilities, hailing from the UK and around the world. Each volume is broken into a number of chapters, or audio tracks, based on themes such as diagnosis, treatments and side effects, sex and relationships, work, spirituality, isolation and support.

The installation at Hastings Library marks the project’s first East Sussex exhibition location. Abigail Luthmann, Equal Access Manager for ESCC libraries, saw the installation in Brighton and was so impressed that she asked if ESCC libraries could host the exhibition. “For libraries, stories are what we are about - factual or fictional,” she says. “Listening directly to someone’s own story is a very powerful way to understand a different perspective and experience of life. As some of the participants are East Sussex residents we are particularly pleased to be able to host it.”

Speaking Volumes Project Manager and Director Alice Booth notes, “The project was particularly relevant to Sussex as it's an area where there is higher prevalence of HIV than the national average - especially in Brighton and Hove, but also in Hastings.”

The project was inspired by “human libraries”, where people who have encountered some sort of stigma or oppression can be “borrowed” to talk to a member of the public about their experience. “I thought this was a great idea and would be a brilliant thing for HIV positive people to do,” says Alice Booth. “But I was aware that the stigma associated with the condition meant that lots of people who would like to share their story would be reluctant to appear in public.” The format of Speaking Volumes allows participants to be as identifiable or anonymous as they wish.

One of the overarching themes to emerge through the stories is the extraordinary change in attitudes towards and treatments of HIV over the last three decades.

People diagnosed in the first few years of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s saw partners, friends and communities dying around them. Elfrid Walkingtree, who was diagnosed HIV+ in 1989, comments that, of the support group he attended at that time, “I am the only person alive today. Everybody is dead.”  

One participant became ill in the mid-1990s and started on anti-retroviral treatment, which had become available only months before. Two of his friends died that year, choosing not to try the treatment. “I know now that if they had started anti-retrovirals they would very likely have lived,” he reflects. “But at that point we’d had maybe eight, nine years of different research medication, different trials and nothing had worked for anyone for longer than six months with lots and lots of side effects - so why think this would be any different?”

These decades of ignorance and shot-in-the-dark trial medication seem to have come to a close, with many participants diagnosed HIV+ in the last few years receiving swift, respectful and effective treatment, as well as greater understanding and support from friends, family and support groups. Scott, diagnosed in 2013, thanks those people who were “guinea pigs” in a process that has allowed his diagnosis to lead to him feeling healthier ever before.

“The general public, I feel, still do not realise that HIV is no longer a death sentence,” says Scott. “They need to be educated. . . people need to know.”

This is not to say that everything is rosy for people living with HIV.

Although Scott’s story is largely positive, it took several misdiagnoses from his GP before he decided to get tested for HIV. In the meantime, he had become seriously ill and, as a result, had lost his job. Other participants speak eloquently about negotiating diagnosis and treatment in the workplace, as well as the shock, disbelief, relief, grief and numbness they felt following their diagnosis.

Questions about if and when to disclose HIV+ status to colleagues, family, friends and partners also continue to play a big part in the lives of people living with HIV.

Angelina Namiba was “closeted” about her HIV status in her first relationship post-diagnosis. “Of course, we practised safer sex. But it was quite difficult because I couldn’t be myself in my own house. I had to hide any literature about HIV, you know. It was really hard - being a stranger, almost, in your own home.” Now, she says, she would disclose sooner rather than later. But “it’s a bit of a dilemma,” she adds. “Sometimes I like someone to get to know me so that they know me as Angelina, rather than Angelina-the-virus.”

First of all, while I’ve never met a person who wouldn’t want cake delivered to their doorstep, how did you come up with the idea of a cake delivery service?

We have a customer who regularly comes up with schemes and things for us to make, do and sell. They are usually very silly things. This time we thought, “Actually, this is a really good idea!” so we went for it. We launched our Cake Club in August at the London Vegan Festival, and the first box went out on the 12th of September.

And how does it work?

It is just like a veggie box delivery, but for cake! Subscription boxes are all the rage at the moment – think Graze. People hop on our website to buy a trial month or subscribe for 6, 9 or 12 months. The first month was mostly trial boxes, but people are beginning to subscribe now.  It costs £12 a month, including delivery to mainland UK. Customers can tell us their preferences – like if they hate fruit cake, have allergies, or want a gluten free cake – but each month’s cake is a surprise. We send four good sized portions each month… what we call the “Hastings Slice”.

You said it’s a surprise, but do you have any hints about what kinds of cakes subscribers can expect?

Well, we ultimately choose the cake but subscribers are encouraged to issue “Cake Challenges”, where they suggest a style or flavour of cake for us to make. If we accept a Cake Challenge we will give the challenger that month’s box for free. It is too early to have had any challenges through Cake Club yet, but challenges via our shop have included gluten free Eccles cakes, vegan lemon meringue pie and Pimms cake.

Where’s the furthest you’ve sent a cake? And has anyone subscribed who could’ve just walked down to the shop and bought one, because that sounds like something I’d do?

I think Manchester is the furthest our cakes have gone so far. We haven't had any orders we can hand deliver yet, but one customer has threatened to order when she moves from Hastings to St Leonards!

Finally, do you think there’s a need for more vegan food in this area? What’s your favourite vegan thing to do in Hastings?

There is always a need for more vegan food in Hastings as I am a colossal pig and am also vegan. There are loads of businesses who cater really well for us, in part I think because it's so common here.  I think, my favourite thing to do on a Sunday is go to Foyles for a nice vegan pie and mash, then to the Jenny or Crown for a pint. There is almost always someone about to chat to, or a nice bit of music to listen to, before taking a little post-pint waddle home again.

Richard Long’s land art makes me think new things, or think things in new ways. His walking pieces are exciting because they offer a space to reflect on the nature of both walking and art.

Rather than analysing his works (there are plenty of places you can find analyses, and Long is also articulate in his artist statements), I will simply link to some of his pieces, along with some of the questions they raise for me. I highly recommend you click the links and have a look!    

These questions are not abstract. To me, they are deeply connected to the physical, mental and emotional experiences of walking. They encourage me to think of different ways to map, record, approach landscapes and conceptualise my experiences.

I have no idea what Richard Long's opinion might be regarding the ‘penis runs’ recorded by Claire Wykoff in San Francisco, but I like to think of Wyckoff as the latest in a long line of people engaging with and interpreting the landscape in new ways!

Walking holidays with my partner are one of my favourite things to do, and planning them is part of the joy! I love bringing all the pieces together – route, accommodation, location, transport – to make a great holiday.

When I talk about our walking holidays (i.e. frequently), people often ask, "How do you know where to walk?" and "How do you find these places?"  They seem uncertain how to even start planning such an expedition. Well, this is how. I hope sharing these tips encourages others (who are able) to get out and do multi-day walks, too.

In the UK, we’re spoilt for choice with accessible countryside and long distance footpaths. You could choose to hike a purpose-waymarked route, explore a national park or AONB, follow a canal towpath, or hop between visitor attractions such as stately homes, peaks, museums and cider farms. Or you might want to do something more conceptual and abstract like Richard Long’s walks, or Nicholas Crane’s intriguing journey in Two Degrees West. The choice is yours!

My partner and I have done multi-day walks on National Trails, long distance paths, self-designed routes, dismantled railway lines, canal paths, coast paths and combinations of the above. You might decide on a far-flung corner of the country, or go for something closer to home to save on transport time and cost.

The length of most people’s holidays is constrained by work/life commitments and money. My partner and I prefer to stay at B&Bs (beds! hot showers!), which usually cost us £60 to £80 a night, depending on the area. Hostels and deals on budget hotels are sometimes cheaper and it’s cheapest of all to camp.

We also know how far we like to walk in a day. For us, 16km/10mi is an easy day over everything but the hilliest landscape, even with a full pack. 20km/12mi is a good day for us and we wouldn’t aim to do more than that if the going was rough. 25km/15mi is about our upper limit for a comfortable/pleasant day of walking, especially if it’s a week-long hike in the short daylight hours of winter.

It’s worth factoring in rest days if you’re doing a longer walk, so you can explore local attractions, wash your clothes, edit your photos or stay in bed all day if that’s your thing. Everyone’s capabilities and preferences are different.

If you’re following an established trail, there might be a guide book that breaks it into daily sections with notes about accommodation and transport.  If you’re creating your own route, you'll probably need to start by mapping the course.

In the UK, Ordnance Survey 1:25000 maps (Explorer range) are the best for walking. If you're not sure how to read OS maps, here are some keys.

To plan a walk, I usually use the Walk Highlands GPS planner (it’s free to sign up and access the 1:25000 OS maps there). Sometimes I plot a straight line between my start point and goal, then gradually put in mid points; sometimes I start with straight lines between towns/villages about 10-20km apart (more likely to have accommodation) and see where I end up before zooming in to the 1:25000 map and plotting a course along public paths, permissive routes and minor roads.

To find B&B accommodation, I zoom in on an area in Google Maps and search for “B&B”. I find this gives a more accurate indication of location than a text-based search on a site like TripAdvisor (you don't want to turn up in a town at sunset only to realise that the B&B is another three miles away). If you’re camping/hostelling, look for those icons on the OS map or check Cool Camping for nice sites.

Finding accommodation providers is generally pretty easy in the UK, but sometimes everything in a village is booked out (and frequently B&Bs will have a minimum two night stay on the weekend). If this happens, I start rearranging the route. For this reason, I always book the first night of the walk first and don’t book the next place until I’ve reserved/paid a deposit. The days of rocking up unannounced and finding a bed have pretty much disappeared anywhere other than major tourist towns or cities – we always book ahead.

I am the princeling of over preparation, both because I believe in being safe rather than sorry and because I find preparing for a journey almost as fun as taking it! 

• Maps:  I like having weatherproof hard copies (e.g Aqua3) as well as a GPX file for the phone - sometimes we buy them and sometimes we hire them from the Ramblers (if you like walking in the UK, consider becoming a Ramblers member - I am).
  
• Transport: Get tickets and/or timetables for public transport, car park info, relevant taxi numbers, etc.
  
• Accommodation: A list of phone numbers and addresses for all accommodation, along with payment info (deposit paid, amount owing, whether they take cards). I usually call the week before to confirm, especially as we have extra requirements (we’re both vegetarian).
  
• Clothes and accessories: I’ll re-waterproof my boots/jacket if needed and maybe write a packing checklist – I don’t want to be stuck without spare socks after a downpour!
  
• Gear: Have you got everything you need? Is it in good nick? This might include back pack, first aid kit, thermos, devices and chargers, poles and camping gear.
  
• Info: You could buy/borrow a trail guide if you’re on an established way, or research places of interest and create your own booklet (nerds unite - I love doing this!).

• Distance: Do a day walk covering the longest distance you’ll be hiking during your holiday – if possible, over similar terrain – so you know you can do it.
  
• Endurance: Do two reasonably long day walks back to back, so you have some idea of what it feels like to get up and go when you’re still a bit achy. (Camp overnight if you’re planning this on your walk so you can fix any issues with your set-up.)
  
• Strength: Fill your backpack with your gear or equivalent weight and take it out on your day walks, both to get used to the weight and to get a feel of how to pack/adjust your bag.
  

These suggestions are really just to make your walk a more pleasant experience – but if  going out without any idea of whether you’ll make it to the end in one piece is your idea of a good time, feel free to ignore them.

Good luck and happy walking!

In September, this blog had 182 sessions originating in the UK and 136 in Australia. Honourable mentions include the USA (28) and Canada (10). The only other countries with more than one session were Norway (3) and Vietnam (2) – I’m pretty sure I know who these people are! On average, people in the UK also spent a lot longer on the site than anyone else. About 70% of sessions used a laptop or desktop, while 23% were on mobiles (mostly iPhones) and 7% on tablets. A third of sessions used Safari, just under a quarter used Chrome or Firefox.

What am I going to do with this info?
I’m going to tell the 2% of you poor fools who are using Internet Explorer to try a better browser. Other than that, nothing. The content I’m posting is mainly focused on the UK, so it makes sense for British people to visit my site more. However, if you’re one of my Australian friends and you are annoyed that the UK is beating you at something, feel free to share my blog more frequently with your own Australian network. I won’t complain about the free publicity!

The majority of visits came to the blog via social media (67% of all visits). Over half of social media referrals were from Facebook, and a third from Twitter. I initially thought my non-social media referral stats were too high (10% of all traffic), but digging down I found the majority of these people came via the blogging platform Dreamwidth, with six coming via links in comments I made on other blogs. Only three people found my site through internet searches (this amuses me, since I do SEO for other websites as part of my freelance work).

What will I do about this?
It’s interesting that Facebook is responsible for so much traffic, because I’m far more active on Twitter. This might be because Facebook updates can have a longer life-span than tweets, especially if people continue to like or comment on a post. I’ll continue linking my updates on all sites, and I’ll see if these stats change next month (my last few updates were all but ignored on Facebook).

In terms of searches/SEO, free Weebly blogs have limited options. However, they’ve just given us more metadata fields (i.e. SEO title and description – yay!), so I will fill that in for all my posts and see if it makes a difference.

My most visited post is my first post about tea, followed by foraging in Norfolk then, almost equal third, un-beet-able chocolate mud muffins and the future of Hastings. The most popular landing pages (i.e. the page that someone first visits when they come to the site) are also tea and foraging in Norfolk, followed by Special K's brand identity and tiny houses. The days with the most traffic were, in order, Monday 1 September (Tea), Tuesday 23 September (Special K) and Tuesday 9 September (Norfolk). I suspect that the Special K post went almost as well as the tea and foraging posts because I hashtagged the bejeesus out of it on Twitter, where a few fellow social media marketers, brand nerds and comms people probably picked it up.

My least popular post was about The Secret of Kells. (What’s wrong with you ? Go and look at that cute movie!)

What does this mean for the future?
The most obvious pattern in these data is that not as many people are reading my weekend blog posts. That  could be due to the content, because I promote things differently on social media on the weekend (I don’t think I do) or simply because not as many people are online.

If I was a proper marketeer, I would spend the next month only writing about food, only "sharing the love" if it was a recipe and only posting on weekdays. Instead, I am going to keep posting mainly as I have been. Then, starting in November, I will change my posting days to Monday and Thursday (instead of Tuesday and Saturday) and see if that makes a difference to my audience (i.e. you).

In September, my blog had a bounce rate of 70%. That means that for every 10 times someone visited the site, 7 people left it without looking at more than one page. This is a pretty high bounce rate! Most ‘real’ visitors (who stayed longer than a second or two), stayed between 1 and 10 minutes.

How can I make you stay?
I probably already have. I’ve linked to a number of other pages throughout this post, so chances are that more than a third of you have clicked on those links. Sneaky!

Actually, there are two reasons I’m not currently worried about the bounce rate. First, this is a blog – not a website that’s asking you to buy or donate or sign up to something or trying to inform you in-depth about a specific topic – so by its nature, people will be arriving to read the most recent post then leaving again. Second, it’s a pretty new blog, so there isn’t much to see. The more posts there are in each tag, the more likely people will be to stay and read them.