It is really important to be kind to yourself when setting goals for the year. Last year, I set what seemed like a reasonable goal considering that I had managed 82 books in 2023. 84 books, or seven books per month, seemed achievable. And certainly, for the first three months of 2024, it was. Until I ran into some health issues that made reading, not difficult, per say, but definitely tricky. Did I still finish books? Yes. I managed 58 books in 2024. But this year’s goal is only 3 books a month, because that […]
Books That Stick With Me (2024)
It has been about ten years since I last wrote a list of books that have stuck with me. That’s a long time for a list to stay the same. People change, and so must the books that stay with them. So here, in no particular order, are the books that are on the list now. Squire (Protector of the Small Quartet #3) by Tamora Pierce This one I come back to again and again and again. There’s general advice for growing up (and being a grown-up) buried in there, and sometimes I need the […]
Upcoming Book Releases
There are a lot of good books coming out this year, and I always find myself needing to take a minute and write them all down in my planner so that I don’t forget about them. So here, as always, is my list from my Bookshop.org store front so that you can mark them on your calendar too. Now, because I know that I tend to limit myself to romance and mystery (not because I mean to, but because those are the ones I am personally drawn to and will likely finish), I have also […]
2023: My Year in Books
This year I read 82 books (unless something gets finished in the next 48 hours… which I doubt). Of those, 76 were romance novels. On some level, I have been coming to grips with the fact that romance has just become my go-to genre. But I also feel like a lot of the romance novels I’ve read recently have tried to be more diverse. They’ve tried tackling topics that you don’t necessarily expect to find in romance. There’s been discussion of neurodiversity, deafness, loss of mobility, gender inequality, and so much more. My goal this […]
2023 Mid-Point Reading Checkpoint
I managed to hit my mid-point goal of 36 books over the long weekend, so while it isn’t exactly the mid-point of the year, I figure it’s close enough. That being said, having hit the 36 book mark a full month ahead of schedule, I’m pretty pleased with my progress this year. My reading total took a bit of a hit when I only finished 1 book in the month of February. So far, romance novels have absolutely dominated my reading list. (I have only finished 3 books that were not romance novels.) The books […]
Actually Helpful Books for Parenting
Parenting is hard. There’s no way to explain that. I love my little one. But it is harder than you think it will be, even if you know it will be hard in advance. Which is part of the reason that having some good solid books behind you – especially ones that will actually tell you that you are still a good parent even when it feels like you’ve lost every battle that day – is so very important. Top of my list for go-to parenting advice is Dr. Becky. If you are not already […]
Upcoming Book Releases
New to the Bookshop page is a list of upcoming releases – including the Louise Penny! I was going through and realizing that a lot of my favorite authors have books coming out soon. Yes, that does mean a lot of romance novels – but you should know that if you’ve been following my page. On the list on the page I have included their expected release date and have organized them by that date. ALSO: If you’ve been following my Instagram, Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn was my September Book of […]
Coming in November: A World of Curiosities
Looking forward to November? I definitely am. And not just because of Thanksgiving, and fall, and the onset of winter on the heels of fall, but because Louise Penny’s new book will be coming out. I had set a goal for myself this year to read every single one of Louise Penny’s books. I got hooked on the first one and just could not put them down. By June 13th, I had finished my goal. Well, September 1st is tomorrow, but if you similarly have some catching up to do on Armand Gamache’s adventures and […]
Returning from Maternity Leave
So I am back at my computer, finally with a quiet moment without a baby on my lap, to add a few tweaks to my blog and to catch you all up on what I’ve been reading since my last post. That is one of the nice things about maternity leave – lots of time to either sit and listen to a book, or read it on an e-reader. (No physical books for me at the moment, sadly. I don’t have enough hands.) That being said, while I started A Promised Land by Barack Obama […]
November BOTM
In a twist of fate – particularly after last month’s Book of the Month post – this past weekend was warm. Like, unseasonably warm for November. This was excellent for our tour program at work (since we’re somewhat reliant on outdoor tours in these COVID days). But still, completely unexpected. That didn’t stop me from choosing a book for my November Book of the Month that the judge reviewed as being “a hug in book form”. And if you follow me on Instagram you already know which book that is. This Time Next Year by […]