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March 2023 TBR

Posted in Books, Home, Reading Challenges, Resolutions, Work on March 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

It’s Staff Appreciation Month at my job, and I’m choosing to be appreciated in the form of taking a lot of fun classes and a lot of time off. Yay – more time to read!

Book Clubs

In my Rise and Shine book club this month, the theme is science and technology, so I’m mostly gathering suggestions rather than choosing a specific book to read. I mean, I have some science fiction recommendations…but I’m not sure that’s what they mean.

TBR

I start compiling these posts two or three months in advance, so there’s plenty of shifting by the time I actually post it. And by shifting, I do mean the occasional “no, on second thought, I don’t really have any interest in reading that at all” but mostly “hey – I want to read that, too!” And thus the TBR expands. This section was four books…until the last couple of weeks.

Collection

I have multiple Girlxoxo selections for this month, and they are all from the collection at home. 

Have you read anything exciting lately? Tell me about it!

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Friday Five – Anxiety, TV, and Books

Posted in Books, Bookshops, Fiction, Friday Five, Mental Health, TV, Work, Writing on February 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

After what was a glorious spontaneous week off due to an ice storm in Texas, we came back to work, Land of 10,000 Emails, this week. That has been less than glorious. But here are some things I’ve enjoyed despite being so far behind at work I may never catch up.

  1. Speaking of emails…“Hi, anxiety is a fucking prison that I can’t escape and now it has literally been ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE WEEKS SINCE YOU EMAILED ME…” is the solidarity I need right now. Thanks, Jenny Lawson.
  2. So you know how everyone has been talking (for a couple of years) about how Only Murders in the Building is super cute? They’re right. Just a few episodes in, and I’m hooked.
  3. There’s nothing wrong with your personal library.
  4. Yep. Definitely hiring someone to lug around the boxes and boxes of books I own next time I move. Although, that was a pretty good workout….
  5. I finished Marissa Meyer’s Gilded last night. This is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, and I really love what Meyer does with it. I had three versions going – ebook for reading on my desktop at lunch, audiobook for listening in the car, and a hard copy from the library for at home. Because once the story got going, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I’ve already checked out the ebook of Cursed in anticipation of this need for the second part of the duology. Fantastic. Highly recommend.

Saturday, I’m performing some microfiction at a show at Deep Vellum. You should stop by if you’re in the area.

I hope you have a great weekend!

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Alphabet Challenge – Update 2

Posted in Books, Reading Challenges on February 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Time for another update! Here are some micro-reviews of the books I’ve read recently. Those listed as just titles were reviewed in my previous post. 

For the main list of book titles I’ve read for this challenge, see this post.

A

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – So good! Such a hopeful story, and I love the audio version. The main character won me over early, and I loved cheering her successes throughout the book. Also, it made me so hungry and inspired me to cook, which to me is the ultimate mark of good foodie fiction. 

B

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke 

C

The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton – It was OK. Disclaimer – I have read a lot of wartime historical fiction, due to one book club’s proclivity toward such things and the fascinating discussions they lead to. It’s not one of my favorite genres, though. But since I have read so many, I was disappointed that this one didn’t really stack up to the rest of them. There were good moments and some interesting elements, but overall? Meh. If historical WWII fiction is your jam, you’ll probably like it. If you just want to dabble, stick to things like The Nightingale and Code Name Verity. 

D

Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith – This memoir recounts the couple’s visits to all 58 (now 59, as they added in one of the last chapters) national parks, as told to their friends Bob and Sue through emails. If you enjoy visiting national parks or hiking or being outdoors a lot, I think you’d really enjoy this book. My favorite part was their humor and their relationship. Reading it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books about running – My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso and Kathleen Parrish. Both books were full of a whole lot of entertaining stories I am content to hear someone else tell and never, ever personally experience. 

E

Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro – I mentioned in the January TBR post that I feel like I grew up with Laurie Notaro because I read and resonated with a lot of her books in my twenties. This one is no exception. I wheeze-laughed. There were a few parts that I could have done without (e.g., I often bristle at kids-these-days commentary, so those small sprinkles fell flat for me), but most of it? I howled in solidarity. Recommended for anyone whose body is starting to betray them or who is now or will ever go through perimenopause.

F

G

H

How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur – If you loved “The Good Place,” you’ll probably also enjoy this book, as it addresses the same general topic and is written by one of the show’s creators and thus employs a lot of the same type of humor. Added bonus? Some of the cast members read the audiobook. I was taking notes for book club through most of it, so I stuck with the ebook version. It also gives you a pretty decent overview of Philosophy 101 without having to slog through Aristotle and Kant and Sartre (no offense to those dudes, but Schur works in TV. It’s basically his job to be entertaining.). And it sparked a really lively book club discussion, so…solid read!

I

J

K

Writers & Lovers by Lily King 

L

Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach 

M

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire – Oh my gosh, the author reads the audiobook, which I usually don’t like, but it’s fantastic. I love the back story of these characters that we met in the first book of the series. Excellent character building, and I’m very excited to read the next one. 

N

O

The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson 

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki – I actually started this one a few months ago. It took longer to finish because I savored it, which takes a little while to do when a book is 500+ pages. Perfect story for book lovers and mental health advocates with some charming magical realism elements. I gave it five stars on Goodreads.

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

X

Y

Z

Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian 

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February TBR

Posted in Books, Home, Reading Challenges, Work on February 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

This is Day 3 of this year’s (hopefully only) Icepocalypse. So far this week, I’ve slept in, talked to my mom and dad on the phone, made biscuits, submitted several articles for my writing job, started cleaning out the coat closet, and done some strength training. Right now, I’m cozied up with a cup of tea in my most comfortable chair. We have already received notice that the university is closed tomorrow as well. 

I’m so glad I bought coffee on Sunday.

I have also finished three books and plan to finish two more by the end of tomorrow. So I’m making an early dent in this month’s list!

Book Clubs

An issue that I vaguely foresaw when I made my reading goals this year is where to categorize the ongoing massive overlap of titles. Technically, everything in my collection that I haven’t already read is on my to-be-read list. That’s why I own them – for reading. So really, they’re all TBR. And I’m never sure whether to include ebooks and audiobooks as part of my TBR or my collection. I mean, I have purchased them, but I still think of them as TBR, as they’re not physically in the limited space of my home, with their own spot on the shelf. 

I guess the deciding factor is “Can I loan it to you (without violating the stingy fine print I agreed to when I signed up for the subscription)?” Collection – yes. TBR – probably not. So there we go.

Of course, all of this is a moot point this month anyway, because except for three of the books listed above that I will own as soon as they arrive, I’m focusing solely on the TBR.

TBR

I have a lot of library books out, and they’re all just sitting there on my shelf, begging for attention. Reminding me that someone else could be reading them if only I wasn’t selfishly hoarding them (someone else could also put a hold on them if they really wanted to let me know they’re dying to read them right away, so it’s possible this is all just a problem I’ve made up in my head). When Rory Gilmore chastised herself for not taking a book back to the library on time because it robbed someone else of the pleasure of reading it that week? I felt that. Anyway, this month is going to be a heavier focus on reading through most of those and getting them back into circulation where they belong. Fortunately, they’re all on my TBR list (which is why I checked them out to begin with), so I can do this without it pausing my goals for the year.

I’m so excited about this month’s reading list. Never fear, library books – I’ll be with you shortly!

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The Return of the Friday Five

Posted in Books, Friday Five on January 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

That’s right. We’re back with the Friday Five. Five things I read/encountered/stumbled upon this week that I want to tell you about. This year, I’m still going to post links to things I found on the internet. But I’m also going to include snippets of the books I read that didn’t fit the alphabet or Girlxoxo or (later) the MMD summer challenge (and thus won’t get a snippet in those updates). 

  1. Almost every year, I read The Little Prince on New Year’s Day and jot down quotes or phrases that particularly stick out to me at that time. “When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey.” “I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.”
  2. The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan – I read this book because foodie books were the theme of our Rise and Shine book club in January, and this is one of the ones that were suggested. It’s a novel about a baker during WWII who finds a way to feed both the soldiers who require it of her and the people she loves. It was…ok. I might have liked it better if I had read a hard copy instead of listening to it, but I’m not interested enough in revisiting it to find out.
  3. Ijeoma Oluo’s “My Biggest, Fattest Year Ever” was the piece I didn’t know I needed to read right now. I am struggling with reconciling all the things my body can do with how it looks. I feel like I’m constantly having to re-learn how to dress it. This piece was a soothing balm.
  4. Two of my book clubs are also subscription services from Nowhere Bookshop. Well, they have a third one now – Nightmares from Nowhere. As horror is not really my thing, I (probably) won’t join this one (although the February book The Spite House looks really good), but I know there’s someone on my list for whom this is right up their alley. If you want a spooky book-of-the-month shipment and also opportunities to talk about it with other people who read it, give it a try!
  5. Did you know today is National Chocolate Cake Day? AND Mozart’s birthday. AND Lewis Carroll’s birthday. AND my friend cm’s birthday! What a great day!

I hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

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Before and After

Posted in Beauty, Books, Getting It Together, Home, Resolutions on January 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I recently rearranged part of my living room because, once I put my Christmas decorations back in the closet, I couldn’t bring myself to move the recliner back to that corner. I like it where it is. So instead, I moved the small table with my record player over. 

It works better there. It’s easier to access, and I use it more often now that it’s not hidden behind the couch and a bookshelf and some throw pillows.

Eventually, though, I want this whole wall to be tall bookshelves, so it and the records will need to move to one of those. I’m running out of space for records anyway. And I want more bookshelves on the opposite wall. Get rid of the couch. Add reading chairs and a lamp in its place. My plans just snowballed from there.

This small move inspired me to take pictures of all four of my main rooms – living, dining, office, bedroom. That way, I have “before” pictures. 

But y’all. They are a MESS. The picture above is literally the only one I’m willing to post on the intrawebs. And I’m annoyed with it, too, because why is the diffuser in the middle of the floor. Ugh.

I get used to the clutter when I live in it every day, but looking at it in a picture that I am considering showing other people makes it more real to me. On the one hand, that’s moderately motivating enough to inspire a few tidy sessions in the days that follow. But once that motivation passes, it will most likely just leave me overwhelmed and make me even more hesitant to ever invite people over. 

I keep reminding myself that this is a process. But it’s difficult to stay optimistic because I know not only my vision of what I want it to look like but also how very, very many steps it’s going to take to get it there. I yawned and daydreamed about taking a nap just typing that sentence. 

So maybe I’ll delete most of those pictures, and I’ll wait to take new ones until I have visual confirmation of having completed one of the steps toward my end goal (like the picture above). Proof of a small move in the right direction is more likely to inspire further plans and their enthusiastic execution than thorough documentation of my overall chaos.

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Alphabet Challenge – Update #1

Posted in Books, Home, Reading Challenges on January 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The year is starting off pretty strong, and I’ve already enjoyed most of the books I’ve read. Here are some brief thoughts on my reading thus far.

For the main list of book titles I’ve read for this challenge, see this post.

A

B

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke – I do like a mystery novel. This was the first in a series, and the main character is interesting. I’ll probably read more of them, since it left a little teaser at the end. Well played, Locke.

C

The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood – This is the 13th of the Phryne Fisher series, and it’s one of my favorites. It introduces Phryne’s sister, and I enjoyed their dynamic a lot. 

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

Writers & Lovers by Lily King – I enjoyed this whole book – the story of a struggling writer who also works at a restaurant, etc. – but it really picked up toward the end. So much that I almost gave it 5 stars. But I recognize that it probably appeals to me mostly because I am a (usually) struggling writer, so it doesn’t quite fit the “everyone should read and love this book” category. The writing is good, and the chapters are short (in case such a factor is as helpful to your attention span as it is to mine). 

L

Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach – I gave this one four stars on Goodreads because it kept my attention and was a decent story, but in my heart, it’s only 3.5 stars. I just wasn’t that invested in the characters until the very end. Solid audio selection, though – great reader!

M

N

O

The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson – This was a quick read. Foodie romance. Slow burn. I wouldn’t quite call it open door – maybe…door slightly ajar? Maybe a little awkward to listen to on a road trip with people you don’t know that well (or maybe a good way to get to know them real quick)? Anyway. The main character occasionally got on my nerves and it was a little too knight-in-shining-armor in certain parts for my taste, but a fun romp overall.

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny – I adore this whole series, but this is easily one of the top five for me. It takes us back to the first case Gamache and Beauvoir worked together.

X

Y

Z

Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian – I’ve been wanting to read/avoiding reading this one for a while because I knew I’d want to be in the right frame of mind to give the topic the appropriate attention. I really love Zebian’s Instagram account, so I generally knew what to expect from the book. A lot of things hit home for me, and I’m grateful for some of the tools I walked away with.

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My Love of Design Books

Posted in Books, Getting It Together, Home on January 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

This is not a commercial for the products pictured above. I was just excited about a bathroom storage solution that I will actually maintain on a daily basis. I really like the idea of a cabinet I can close and hide things away in, but in practice, I know that’s just code for “place I can stuff random crap and pretend I’ve tidied.”

When I read The Organized Home, I was finally able to wrap my mind around an open shelf that 1) holds everything I use on at least a weekly basis and 2) still looks presentable. The best part is that I was able to repurpose the bookshelf by my reading chair that was overflowing and replace it with a bigger shelf that was taking up space in my dining area but mostly going unused. Twin wins for two rooms!

I mean, the book had already won me over when it became clear in the first 20 pages that it’s really just a manifesto on how to shove more bookshelves into your home (my design philosophy in a nutshell). But all it took was one gorgeous picture of a bookshelf in the bathroom to spark the idea, and now the space that has been the bane of my existence since I moved in has stayed organized for over two weeks with absolutely no extra effort on my part. Incredible.

I loooove design and organization books. Because their goal is to make spaces more aesthetically pleasing, their covers are almost always gorgeous. I’m a sucker for a beautiful cover, so it’s inevitable that I will pick them up. And then I start thumbing through, and I get excited about some of the ideas, and ooh – there’s another book, and isn’t the color scheme on the front lovely? Before you know it, design books make up half my library stack that day.

I always think, “Oh, this book is mostly pictures – it will be a quick read.” Ha. No. The actual reading part? Sure. But I am constantly making notes as I go through, jotting down ways to improve some spaces in my home that aren’t quite working for me. And once an idea takes hold that I can apply to my apartment with little to no expense? Forget sitting still enough to read. I’m up and rearranging or revamping, and the rest of the book will have to wait until I’m satisfied with the progress.

I tend to go ahead and buy the ones that match my personal style, because even if some of the ideas in them aren’t useful the first time I read them, I know I will circle back to them later. In the meantime, they look so pretty on the shelf or coffee table.

Do you love design books? What are some of your favorites?

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Girlxoxo Monthly Key Word Challenge #MonthlyKeyWordGXO

Posted in Books, Reading Challenges on January 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

This is the anchor post where I will keep track of my progress for the Girlxoxo Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge this year. Each month, I will list the word(s) that I chose from the list and the book that matches the prompt. 

I will keep track of them here, but my plan is to also post quarterly updates with small blurb reviews.

If you want to join the challenge, sign up with Girlxoxo on their site!

January – Keyword “all” – We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

February – Keyword “book” – People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

March – 

April – 

May – 

June – 

July – 

August – 

September –

October – 

November – 

December – 

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Alphabet Challenge 2023

Posted in Books, Reading Challenges on January 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I want to explore my whole collection, not just the first couple of shelves, this year, and I think this challenge will help me do that. I’ll list books that match each letter (one author and one title for each) as I finish them. My anticipated goal is to update this post by listing the book (title and author) and occasionally (Monthly? Every other week? We’ll see.) post updates that include blurbs of the books I’ve completed since the previous update.

I’ve linked each book to the post where I wrote the review (either the challenge update where I listed it for the first time or, if I write a longer review elsewhere, to that page).

A

Alive at the End of the World by Saeed Jones

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

B

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

C

The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

D

Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz

E

Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro

F

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

G

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Winter Recipes from the Collective by Louise Glück

H

How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

I

The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

J

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

K

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

L

Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach

Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón

M

Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home 

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

N

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

O

The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

P

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Q

Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood

R

A Rhythm of Prayer, edited by Sarah Bessey

S

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

T

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

U

V

Verity by Colleen Hoover 

W

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

X

Y

Z

Welcome Home by Najwa Zebian

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