Recommendations
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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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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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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…
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My 2023 in Books: From Satisfying Mysteries to Quirky Sci-Fi
This was a strange reading year, because hiking the PCT had a massive impact on what kind of books I was reading and how I was reading them. For example, I read almost 20 books on my kindle, which was a new experience for me, and one I didn’t hate, although nothing can replace the joys of paper books. I haven’t opened my kindle since getting off the trail, but the appeal of library books I can’t get anywhere else my end up changing that. Similarly, I listened to a lot of books. This isn’t necessarily new, but the proportion of books I listened to while on the trail was…
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A Holiday Reading Vacation
There is a strange time of year when the “best of” lists have come out, but we still have some time before we actually start the next year’s reading/watching/listening. It means I can blow my Spotify up with Christmas music, watch some of the TV shows that I haven’t gotten to yet, but I when it comes to reading, I don’t always know what to do with December, especially as there just are not a lot of books being released this time of year. Some years, I use this time to “catch up”, to read the books I had meant to read and to finish books that I have been…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: April 16th
Hello Everyone, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been put through the ringer on a personal level this week, but I go into the weekend recognizing the value of the support that I have! There is something about this time of the year that is always hard, and the added stress of the tail end of the pandemic makes this weekend all the more welcome. I hope your week has been better than mine, and that these fun things help kick start your weekend well. This list also has a bit of a theme actually, and I hope you find it “out of this world”! 1.) Apparently…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: April 9th
Hello Everyone, We are having our weird second winter here in Montana, and snow in April is slightly less fun than it is in October! That being said, the past few weeks have been good, and I am looking forward to some fun weeks to come. This week, I have a few fun things for you all, and I hope it sets your weekend up well! 1.) I love authors recommending authors, and this list is pretty amazing. 2.) I have recently developed a deep love for Smithsonian Magazine, and this article is a great example of what makes them so amazing! 3.) This is years old, but I highly…
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A Can’t Miss Author: Tamora Pierce
Hello everyone, In the past month, I have continued to dive deep into some rereads, especially as I use audiobooks to alleviate anxiety. There is something really calming about listening to books you know and love when your brain is going a million miles an hour, and for the past few weeks, Tamora Pierce has been that for me. So today, I want to take some time to explore the world(s) of Tamora Pierce, along with looking at what it is that makes her books SO great. These are absolutely my favorite middle grade/young adult books, and I especially love the way they encourage positive behaviors and normalize diverse identities…
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Irish Stories: Nonfiction, Mysteries, Cozy Books and More
Hello everyone, In honor of St Patrick’s Day (which I think is a much bigger holiday in the United States than it is in Ireland), I did want to share some wonderful Irish stories with you all. Ireland is a country that has a rich storytelling culture and nowhere is that more evident than in their literature! Below you will find great Irish suggestions of all kinds, from highbrow literary fiction to really fun television. I tried to find options from both Northern Ireland and the country of Ireland, and I hope you find something that works for you here! This is by no means comprehensive, so chime in if…
