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Friday Five – Off Days

Posted in Alive, Books, Friday Five, Fun, Health, Quiet, Work, Writing on August 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Welcome to August! The staff have been in training this week, and today was their big breakfast, so I went in early to cover the office so they all could go. I am glad I went in this morning, but after treatment, I was even happier to go home, have a leisurely lunch, run some errands, and check in with my stylist to tame these cute little tufts that are forming all over my head. 

I’m at the point in my treatment where the end is in sight. So even though I still feel fatigued and itchy and constantly on the verge of infection (I’m assured I’m fine – it’s just part of the fatigue – but I’m taking a ridiculous amount of vitamins and treating it like a precursor to a cold anyway), I’m starting to notice again how much I’m missing out on by just not having the energy to do more than the bare minimum. 

I don’t subscribe to a lot of paid Substack accounts, but Roxane Gay’s posts are well worth the small fee I pay each month for it. I get access to her book club discussions, and essays on things like learning to write again from a seasoned writer and educator. I feel like I’m learning to write again as well. I’ve been journaling, but it’s not the same as losing myself in fiction or poetry, and I’m pretty rusty. It’s been a bit of a slog, and I’m grateful to hear that this, too, is common and overcomeable (a word? I don’t think that’s a word. Welp, it is now).

Here are some other things I’ve enjoyed reading this week:. 

  • It is so hard to find a therapist. I feel this post in my soul. Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is one of my main go-to sources for practical advice when it comes to self-care and rest. She echoes a lot of my own struggles in this piece.
  • I love Joy the Baker’s team and their Let It Be Sunday posts, and this past Sunday’s edition was especially good. I particularly enjoyed the pieces on how to cope with the social exhaustion of work (and I have needed these tips this week with all the training) and tips on travel (which is something else I may be interested in as I come out of my treatment fog. Maybe. We’ll see. Got some ideas for my birthday next March.). 
  • Mountain Ash Press is having a submissions contest. I don’t project having a manuscript that’s ready to submit by August 31 myself, but if you do, check it out and see if it’s a good fit!
  • The longlist for the Booker Prize is out!
  • I love the post from Modern Mrs. Darcy about one of my favorite mystery series. If I were to name a place in literature I’d like to visit, Three Pines would be at the top of my list. If you haven’t read any Inspector Gamache, here’s a good Louise Penny Starter Kit for you.

I hope that your week has been OK and that you have a good and restful weekend. Take care, friends!

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August 2024 TBR

Posted in Books, Reading Challenges, Resolutions, Work on August 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I love a good reading challenge spreadsheet. Especially when it starts having more highlighted areas than blank areas.

August is our busiest month at work. It might seem like this would curtail my reading habits, but it usually accelerates them instead. Once I finally leave work, I don’t want to go anywhere else or do anything else or see anyone else. I just want to go home, take a shower, put on something comfy, and read. Or sometimes stare blankly at the wall. But mostly read.

Here’s what’s up next on the TBR.

Book Clubs

Reading Challenges

July was a good reading month for me. I finished Libro.fm’s Audiobook Champion Challenge (by reading 50+ hours – 60.5, to be exact – via audio), and I am about ⅔ of the way through the National Book Foundation’s Summer Reading Adventure. These short challenges really help out with my reading goals for the year. Noted. 

Summer Challenges

It’s going to take a lot of reading to finish the 52 Book Club’s Summer Reading Challenge. I’ve decided I’ll be happy if I finish it by the end of September. I’ve barely begun the books for this challenge that I planned for July. But here is the last group:

  • Team pursuits (featuring a group of friends) – A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
  • Cross-country (title or theme related to the word endurance) – Night by Elie Wiesel
  • Handball (author shares the last name of an Olympian) – The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (same last name as Tom Dean, swimmer for Great Britain)
  • Football/soccer (a double letter in the word title) – The Wedding People by Alison Espach
  • At least four Olympic ring colors on the cover – Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
  • Author who hasn’t released a book in the last four years – Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle
  • Memoir/biography about an Olympian – 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi with Scott Douglas
  • Volleyball (set in a country that wins a 2024 Olympic gold in Volleyball) – We won’t know which country this is until later this month or early next month, so I’ll keep you posted!

I’ve enjoyed everything so far that I’ve read for the MMD Minimalist Challenge. When I finish all the books on this list, I’ll post an update!

I am loving StoryGraph so far. The app hasn’t had records of a few of the more obscure books I’ve read, but the graphics alone (they have pie charts!) that help you see what you have read and what you are likely to enjoy are excellent. I am participating in their onboarding challenge that is designed to help readers learn several of the app’s features, and here’s what I’m reading for that challenge:

  • Read a book from the five-star section of one of your similar readers – The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (finished)
  • From StoryGraph’s list of “out of your comfort zone” – Emotional Inheritance by Galit Atlas, PhD – this was the book they listed that was closest to the prompt. Others? Not so much. I would be interested in seeing how the StoryGraph algorithm generates this list. I mean, to be fair, not much is out of my literary comfort zone. But still.
  • Reading challenge random number game – One thing I really enjoy about this app is that you can track the reading challenge(s) you’re participating in. It allows you to search for challenges, and this game asks you to pick a number, go to the genre in the list that corresponds to that number, and read a book that meets a prompt in that challenge. Sounds complicated, but I picked 5, which corresponded to “Book Clubs, Podcasts, and Publications” section, which includes the Penguin 100 Must-Read Classic Books challenge, so I’m reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. 
  • Read a book from your to-read pile that starts with the first letter of your name – Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
  • Read a book you discovered via the Buddy Reads or readalongs page – Cheating a little with this one, as there were no books listed that I “discovered” here (I’d at least heard of all of them), but I am enjoying reading Quiet by Susan Cain with a few other people.
  • Read a book from your Up-Next suggestions – Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

2024 Challenges

Next up on the list for my year-long challenges:

10% Happier by Dan Harris 

  • Read at least ten minutes of an audiobook every day for a month (Libro fm)

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

  • Nominated for the Booker Prize (52 Book Club)
  • Listen to an audiobook by an indigenous author (Libro.fm)

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

  • Listen to a banned book (Libro.fm)

Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus

  • Read an audiobook discussed on the Libro.fm podcast (Libro.fm)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

  • An author “everyone” has read except you (52 Book Club)

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

  • A book that’s been adapted into a movie or TV show (Nowhere) 

And if that wasn’t a lot already, I’m also finishing up a couple of books that are due at the library this week:

I hope you get a chance to get out of the heat (or rain, or social obligations, etc.) and read some fantastic books this month!

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Not-Friday Five – Reading Boosts

Posted in Books, Food, Friday Five, Mental Health, Reading Challenges on July 21, 2024| 2 Comments »

I know it’s not Friday, but it’s July so all weekdays – Fridays especially – are out of control. So here we are on a calm, rainy Sunday, coffee in hand, eating maple whipped cream out of a bowl with graham crackers, leisurely letting you in on what I meant to post Friday.

A busy schedule means I need to be more intentional about downtime than I usually am, and nothing relaxes me and puts my whole life in perspective more than reading. So this week, I have been drawn to ways to boost my reading and give myself a little extra challenge. Maybe your reading needs a boost, too? If so, see below!

  • “Gratitude is not a solution to the problem of pain.” I love that quote from this short clip of Kate Bowler. Gratitude is a useful tool for perspective, but it is not The Answer. Also, enforced gratitude is the worst. Even if telling other people how to feel could make them magically feel that way, it’s still controlling and manipulative and I hate it so much. A while ago, a friend recommended Bowler’s book Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! (specifically for coping with cancer treatments). And now I’ve bought it. It’s been refreshing and comforting.
  • I love musings about friendship, and this one on the medium friend is particularly good. I especially like this part – “Medium friends can thus be seen not as inferior to best friends but as delightful and beneficial on their own terms: a well-matched tennis partnership; a bond over breast cancer; a mentoring dynamic; a rediscovered childhood chum; a gamer buddy abroad. Relieved of the pressure to be ‘good,’ the friendship can flourish and serve each person as it is.” 
  • The National Book Foundation has a summer reading adventure. You click on the things that you do, fill out the short form below it, and submit by August 31, 2024. Since most of these activities fall under what I’m already doing, I’m in! Are you?
  • Also, if you love audiobooks, Libro.fm is hosting an audiobook challenge that goes until the end of this month. I am always up for winning more books and perhaps a mug, so I’m pretty stoked about it.
  • I always wanted a solid layer of pineapple on my pineapple upside-down cake, and this one delivers. My favorite line in this whole piece is “Like revenge, it’s a cake best served cold.” For the record, I would buy her cookbook so fast.

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

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July 2024 TBR

Posted in Books, Health, Reading Challenges, Resolutions, Spiderweb on July 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“Radiation is going fine. No side effects. Just a little tired.” Except we’re a good bit into July, and I’m just now posting my TBR. And it’s a big one! Fortunately, my reading is still on track, so I’ve finished a couple of these and started several more already.

I have the Dewey’s Reverse Readathon (reverse in that it starts at 8:00 p.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. like their usual readathon does) coming up at the end of the month, but I also have some use-it-or-lose-it comp time to eat up at work, so I’m looking for other days to do my own little reading staycation at some point. 

In other words, plenty of time to read all these books.

Book Clubs

Reading Challenges

I am juggling so many reading challenges I’m not sure which books I’m reading for what anymore. I just pick the top one off the stack and dive in. So far, it seems to be working out just fine.

First the summer challenges:

Adding some that fit specific prompts for the other challenges:

  • 52 Book Club
  • Libro.fm
  • POPSUGAR
    • Wolfpack by Abby Wambach (a book about women’s sports and/or by a woman athlete)
    • The Bees by Laline Paull (a book from an animal’s POV)
  • Book Riot
    • City of Ghosts by V. E. Schwab (read a middle grade horror novel)
    • Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo (read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA character)
    • The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (read a book about books – also my beach read selection for Follow the Reader book club this month)
  • Overeducated Women With Cats
    • Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño (a novella under 150 pages)
    • House Rules by Jodi Picoult (a book with a neurodivergent protagonist)
  • Nowhere
    • Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford (2024 debut release)
    • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (book that came out four years ago – also my fantasy selection for Rise and Shine book club this month)

Well, that’s a lot. But many of them are short, so maybe they’ll be quick reads. I think I can make a pretty big dent in this list if I get to put aside all the time I hope for this month. Wish me luck!

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Friday Five – Delight

Posted in Beauty, Books, Food, Friday Five, Music, Nostalgia on June 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

This week has been hectic both at work and in my personal life, but there have been so many things that have delighted and pleased me. Here are a few:

  • I am fascinated that such a thing as a happiness expert exists (I’m a fan, to be clear), and I enjoyed this article on their daily habits. 
  • Roxane Gay is saying goodbye to her column Work Friend, and she wrote a beautiful send-off to it. 
  • Dorie Greenspan of World Peace Cookies fame (and baking in general – the cookies are just how I was introduced to her) wrote a lovely piece on getting out of a personal rut/funk entitled “A book that’s bigger than you are.” 
  • Speaking of books, my favorite book I’ve read this week is The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff. It’s the follow-up to 84, Charing Cross Road, and it is just as charming. 
  • I love the Gaia Music Collective (I want to sing with 100+ people!!) but I especially loved this arrangement. I played this song for my piano recital the same month my childhood friend Ginger died, and it always reminds me of her. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of all your favorite things and people!

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Summer To-Do List

Posted in Books, Food, Health, Mental Health, Seasons on June 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I could eat my weight in cherries. I won’t (probably). But I could.

When I typed the title of this post, my gut reaction was “Nothing. Not a damn thing.” I feel like my plate is already full for this summer. So rather than come up with a lot of extra things to do to feel like I’m getting the most out of this season (the worst season, to be clear…it’s so, so hot…I just want to lie in a bucket of ice), I decided to limit myself to four doable things as a reminder that there’s no need to get ambitious.

  • Finish radiation treatments – When they start in the next week or two, this is going to be a 5-days-a-week-for-7-weeks ordeal. The silver lining is that it’s paid for, thanks to the generous (and fast!) funding of my GoFundMe!
  • Eat low-maintenance meals – We’re talking meals that look like small charcuterie boards (fruit, raw veggies, cheese, nuts, crackers, bread, jam, pickled things), sandwiches, and salads. Maybe the occasional breakfast burrito or fried egg on toast. Sometimes pasta or a quick stir fry. But if it takes more than 10 minutes to make it, I don’t want it.
  • Indulge my sweet tooth – I’ve been so careful with sugar this year to give myself the best chance of feeling good and not crashing. But sometimes, I just want something sweet, so I’m going to give in a little bit now that feeling-good days are happening more consistently. I’ve already ordered the key lime bundt from Nothing Bundt Cakes to pick up this afternoon.
  • Read and attend book clubs – I missed all my book clubs in May due to health issues, and it definitely put a damper on the month. I also haven’t read as much this year as I intended, due to a lack of focus, which is understandable, I guess. My goal for summer is to keep feeling good enough that I can get back to my usual bookish self (or a close approximation).

This reminder to slow my roll was technically for me, but maybe you need it, too? If so, consider this a gentle, caring nudge from me to you to confirm that you are already doing enough so maybe just sit in front of the fan and relax for a minute.

Hope you’re having a good day!

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Friday Five – Busy Week!

Posted in Alive, Beauty, Books, Feminism, Friday Five, Health, Joy, Quiet, Work on June 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

This week was a lot. First week back to work after surgery, and it went pretty well. We had two Freshman Orientation sessions this week, so our team was running around everywhere between tabling, talking to parents, giving tours, and answering the phone that kept ringing off the hook. And next week’s schedule looks the same.

So this weekend is all about relaxing! I’m gonna DoorDash some dinner tonight (and maybe breakfast tomorrow, too) and read to my heart’s content. Well, read until I fall asleep. I am not sure there are enough hours ever to fully reach my heart’s content when it comes to reading.

Links for this week:

  • I finally broke down and started a GoFundMe for my medical expenses after learning how much I would have to pay out of pocket for my upcoming radiation treatments. But this is the last major phase of treatment – it’s all just ongoing prevention and checkups after that!
  • I’m very excited for my friend Andi who recently signed a contract with a publisher for all her books! I also really like her YouTube channel.
  • Lessons in Chemistry is one of my favorite books I’ve read in the last few years. Easily top five. This interview with author Bonnie Garmus makes me love it even more. Success really is the best revenge.
  • Welp, I did it. I subscribed to Archer and Olive, and I just got the notification that my June box was delivered. So I have that to look forward to later this evening!
  • Finally, I love the Quiet Life community Susan Cain has created, and one of the neatest things they do is the community art project.

I hope you have a great weekend!

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June 2024 TBR

Posted in Beauty, Books, Food, Health, Home, Mental Health, Quiet, Reading Challenges, Resolutions on June 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Happy June! I am nearing the end of my post-surgery convalescence. I have had a few doctor’s appointments and dealt with a nasty bout of nausea last week, but otherwise, I’ve pretty much been spending the past two weeks eating, sleeping, and reading. In other words, living my best life. I won’t go so far as to say it’s been a vacation – healing from surgery isn’t my idea of a good time – but it’s definitely been restful and quiet.

I’ve become a fan of DoorDash. I just ordered an omelet this morning, and it was on my doorstep by the time I put in a load of laundry and made coffee. I could get used to this. 

Another wonderful thing is that I’ve regained some of the focus I lost during chemo. I’ve already finished several books this month, and I have ambitions to finish many more. My reading lately has been cozy and homey with a nod to Pride Month sprinkled in, and most of my selections for this month seem to continue this trend. 

Book Clubs (which I may actually be able to attend again soon!)

Reading Challenges

I’m definitely making up for my lost year with the number of reading challenges I’m attempting. It’s been a fun way to choose what to read next. This month, I’m mostly focusing my efforts on the summer reading challenges. My yearly favorite is Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. As a Patreon supporter, I have access to the whole guide in all its glory, but I’m working through the books that are out so far from the Minimalist list first:

  • Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis
  • skin & bones by Renée Watson
  • The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
  • There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Adurraqib
  • Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan (already read and…maybe my last Kevin Kwan. Or maybe I try reading only print copies, because I really did not enjoy the audio of this one or Crazy Rich Asians. Or does he write any books about people whose biggest problems aren’t gaining or maintaining ungodly wealth and prestige? Because he’s a good writer – I might enjoy a story of his if he wrote about characters I could actually sympathize with or if I could care at all whether they get what they want in the end.)

In addition to its year-long challenge, the 52 Book Club also has a summer mini-challenge. For extra kicks, I’m going to try finishing off these prompts in the order they’re listed. June’s selections include:

  1. Set in Paris – The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery 
  2. Flame on the cover – How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims
  3. Go for gold – Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis (I get a little thrill when books satisfy more than one challenge)
  4. 100 M Spring (a short story collection) – Bobcat by Rebecca Lee
  5. Longjump (audiobook is 15+ hours) – The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
  6. Steeplechase (character is a spiritual leader) – The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  7. Boxing (a strong opening hook) – The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
  8. Wrestling (a heavy read) – The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde
  9. Fencing (dialogue with witty banter) – Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

A lot of these also fit prompts from some of my year-long challenges, so bonus!

Miscellaneous Reads

As with every month, there are books that I’m reading either because I’ve borrowed them from a friend, they’re due at the library soon, or I just couldn’t resist picking them up. 

I realize this is quite an ambitious list, but at the rate I’ve been reading, it’s not impossible. This is, of course, assuming that my attention span doesn’t crash and burn again, but there’s really no predicting these things. I prefer to keep my plan pretty optimistic anyway.

I hope you are having a great June so far!

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May 2024 TBR

Posted in Books, Health, Seasons, Work on May 1, 2024| 1 Comment »

Welcome to May! The last month for a while when temperatures in Texas are likely to be anywhere near reasonable. The end of the semester. The beginning of summer (including summer training). Surgery toward the end of the month. 

Lots of things going on, but maybe also plenty of time to read. Here’s what I’m planning on this month.

Book Clubs

  • Real Americans by Rachel Khong – I know I haven’t been including my subscriptions, but when it’s both Nowhere’s Fantastic Strangelings pick AND Roxane Gay’s pick for the month, I probably want to go ahead and read it. Also will meet the standard for 52 Book Club’s prompt “A sticker on the cover” and Nowhere’s “A Nowhere Book Club pick.”
  • Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan – Not sure I’ll get around to re-reading it, but it is seared into my brain, so I’m excited to talk about it with friends again! If you haven’t read it, definitely pick it up.
  • The Measure by Nikki Erlick – Another possible re-read, especially as I’m slated to lead the discussion. This was one of my favorite books that I read last year.
  • Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet – A story of hope amidst a sea of existential dread. Same, Dinosaurs.
  • When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill – Historical fiction for Rise & Shine group, a “fiery feminist fantasy.” Sounds like something I would love.
  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – I’m participating in my first readalong through the Audrey app. This should be fun.

Reading Challenges

The Pole by J.M. Coetzee

Funny Story by Emily Henry 

  • Choose an audiobook solely based on your favorite narrator (narrated by Julia Whelan) – Libro fm

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

  • Read an audiobook set in your favorite city (New Orleans) – also Libro.fm

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

  • A book with magical realism (POPSUGAR)

Library Reads

These need to go back to the library soon, so on to May’s TBR they go!

There are several books I’m finishing from previous months, and I’m on a Phryne Fisher kick with my audio selections, so a few of those will likely make an appearance this month, too.

I hope you get some time to read something you love this month!

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Friday Five – Back Issues and Other Exciting Adventures

Posted in Books, Bookshops, Friday Five, Fun, Health on April 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s been a pretty chill week here overall. I mean, my back seized up (due to sleeping too long? Sleeping in the same position? Breathing too hard? Who even knows.) for the first time in my life, and that was unpleasant. I told the nurse taking my labs that it had never happened to me before and she said, “How old are you?” When I replied, “49,” she laughed and told me I was due. I’ve done a casual survey of people I’ve spoken to this week and can confirm that they all seem to think that’s a fair assessment. *sigh* Fine. 

Anyway, here are some things I ran across on the internet this week. Enjoy!

  • Stop everything and go to my friend Shadan’s Etsy shop, HappyHeartsBoxes. I can personally attest that she puts together the best gifts. Let her take the guesswork out of it for you.
  • I am a big proponent of the 3 Drink Theory, and mine definitely follow the caffeinate/alleviate/hydrate pattern. My most frequent trifecta at work is coffee, an espresso milkshake from The Market, and a bottle of water.
  • I’ve added the Aubrey app for more audiobook options. I’m most excited about the prospect of discussion questions included at the end of many of the books (great for book clubs when I’m in charge of leading) and the monthly listen-alongs! I think my first is going to be Alice in Wonderland in May!
  • I love this piece (and these book selections) from Lisa Bartelt. I, too, am (more) drawn (than usual) to dystopian or darker fiction these days.
  • I met Shawn and Maile at a writing retreat in Virginia a few years ago (I say a few, it was pre-pandemic…what is time…) and have followed their writing ever since. I can’t think of two people more well-suited to owning a bookstore and fostering a literary community. I’m so excited for them and their new adventure with Nooks, and if you’re in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, check it out and let me live vicariously through you.

I hope you all have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

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