Books
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Don’t Miss Out on The Rooster’s Tournament of Books!
Whoops – we have been moving this past week, so there are a few things that have fallen by the wayside, including writing a blog! This week is my annual plug for my favorite bookish award/competition of all time (although I still miss Food 52’s Tournament of Cookbooks, which was also sublime), the Rooster’s Tournament of Books, which is almost 20 years old, and is the perfect mix of bookish fun, light competition, and thoughtful writing about what makes a good book. The Tournament takes a series of about 16 books and pits them against each other in a March Madness style competition. Judges are asked to take on a…
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My Year in Books 2023: Book Slumps, Cozy Reads and More
This was a weird year for me. It started strong, and even through a very busy spring, I still managed to read through an incredible amount of books. However, in the latter half of the year, for whatever reason, I had one of the biggest book slumps I have had since grad school almost 10 years ago. The reality is that for the last 6 months of the year, I just wasn’t finding a lot of enjoyment in reading. I think this, more than anything, was a part of why I stopped blogging – reading felt like a slog, and there were so few books I was liking well enough…
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A Recent Book Award Wrap Up (and I’m Back!)
I’ve fallen off a bit on blogging over the last 6 months, but am making a commitment to myself to start again in 2024! I’m starting with a few BIG blog posts, since not blogging for over 6 months certainly means I have a lot to talk about! Today, I’m looking at recent book awards from the second half of 2023, including some books you likely have heard of, and quite a few that you may have not encountered yet! Next week, I have a look at my reading year in 2023 (and looking forward to March, we have my favorite event of the spring coming up, the Tournament of…
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June Reading: Some Great Fiction About Children and Childhood for Adults
Hello all, It’s been a busy couple weeks, but I am taking some time this week to settle into summer. After a summer spent hiking 20+ miles a day last year, I find it hard to fully articulate the level of joy I take in having summer days to sleep in, get on the water, get a good dinner and still sleep in my own bed! Today, I will be sharing two of my best books of June with you. Unintentionally, they both have LGBTQ+ characters and themes (which feels fitting for pride month), but also, they both do something I find really compelling, which is that they approach themes…
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Summer Reading: What Makes the Perfect Road Trip Audiobook?
I am fascinated by the idea of “summer reading”, mostly because I don’t quite know why it is such a big deal. It feels like this time of year, more than any other, is the time when adults (and children) are inundated with book lists and reading challenges. Is it a holdover from our years in school, when summer was our time to take a break? I find that as an adult, summer is often when I am at my busiest and have LESS time for reading. Personally, I am the most interested in books are in the fall and winter, with a cozy fire, blanket and tea. My favorite…
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May Reads: Revisiting a Beloved Classic
This past month I read some good books, but the book that truly transported me was actually a classic I haven’t read for years! I feel like A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles flew under the radar when it first came out, but it is truly a masterpiece that I wish had received more attention when it came out. With this book currently being turned into a show, I’m hoping more folks discover it soon! A Gentleman in Moscow is the story of Alexander Rostov, who through a series of fortunate/unfortunate events, ends up living out his life under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow during the…
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Exploring Books, The Pride Edition: Transgender and Non-Binary Stories
Welcome to June! May has passed by way to fast for me, but I certainly am enjoying the longer days, the warmer evenings and dreaming about fun weekend adventures. With June being Pride month for the LBGTQ+ community, this year especially, with the trans community being so viciously targeted across the country, it feels especially important to highlight some books that help explain or process the trans and non-binary experience. I’ve worked to include books for people of all ages and I have mostly chosen books I have read or am familiar with, but there are so many more books out there! Choosing books for this is NOT easy mostly…
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When Books Win Multiple Awards, Does That Make Them Better? A Book Award Round Up
Hello! Today I have a few books to share with you, including a couple books that seem to have made some waves this year, winning multiple awards. I’m never sure if winning so many awards means books are truly great. Sometimes I really love them, and sometimes I wonder if everyone jumping on the same train has more to to with marketing than with quality? I also feel like authors work so hard for minimal reward, and when one author wins so many cash prizes, it can feel unfair. What do you think? On the other side of the coin, there was a double award for the Pulitzer this year…
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March and April Reads: More Sweet and Happy Books
Whoops! The past month and a bit got away with me, and before I knew it, a few Saturdays had blown right by. However, I am back to get on the right track today, and wanted to share some of my March and April highlights with you all. True to form, when I get overwhelmed, I particularly love nice happy novels that make me feel good. I also have a memoir to share that, while not cozy, is certainly lovely and inspiring! Fun Middle Grade Novels: I love listening to good middle grade and young adult novels, especially ones I have read as I go about my daily life and…
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Happy April Fool’s Day: It’s Tricky Puzzle Book Time!
Happy April Fool’s Day! Quite honestly, I am not much of a prankster, although I do love seeing what people pull off as long as it isn’t directed at me. The community I live in has a tradition of high production pranks (think UFO on the local lake) that I have helped with in the past, and I do enjoy those! In honor of the “holiday”, I wanted to explore a fun, odd book niche with you all. Today, I am sharing a few puzzle books that set out to trick readers or need to be “solved” in some way. “Puzzle” mysteries and books told in non-traditional ways are fairly…
