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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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Better Book Challenges for 2023
Every year, I see New Year’s resolutions that focus on reading more. It may surprise folks, but I think the idea of setting yourself a goal of “reading more books” isn’t actually a great idea, especially if you are setting a number goal that is significantly more than you normally read. In fact, although I do faithfully put in my Goodreads reading goal and follow my own reading challenges, I usually set my goal to be a little less than I read last year, and I often add additional list challenges later in the year only when I realize I have already almost completed them. I don’t “challenge” myself, as…
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Exciting Books Coming Out in 2023
While I have made a concerted (and fairly successful) effort to read more back-list books over the past few years, when I look at my book statistics every year, close to 40% of the books I read are published in the current year and the year before (I can’t resist shiny things!). Below are some of the books I am most excited about digging into this upcoming year. Many of these are books by authors whose work I have already read and loved, but only one of them is a sequel, so there is plenty for everyone to enjoy! Realistic Fiction February – I Have Some Questions For You by…
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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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Bookish Connections: Travels around Great Britain
I always love it when things line up suddenly, and today, I have a fun story about a surprise book connection, and with it, a couple very back-list books that may interest you. To start with, when I was 13, my family moved to England for a year as part of a Fulbright teacher exchange. As was usual for me, I read everything I could get my hands on, and as we traveled that was often whatever books were at the rentals and places we stayed. Somewhere in our travels, I picked up an old trade paperback called The Kingdom by the Sea, which was written by a travel writer…
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What I’ve Been Reading Lately: Deep Connections
I have spent the last couple months trying to figure out a way to get “back into” my blog, and I think the easiest way is to simply dive in with a general update and a sense of what I have been reading lately! This past summer, my husband and I spent 5 months hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, which was the experience of a lifetime. We documented it over on Instagram at @emma_mike_pct if you want a little more about that, and I do have a book related PCT post in the works! It was impossible, wonderful and generally the hardest and best thing I have ever done. Nowadays,…
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Whoops – An Unexpected Hiatus and A Further Pause
Hello everyone, First of all, I’m sorry for the (almost a year now) unexpected pause, and I’m actually here to note that for a while at least, this will need to continue. I think, if I remember, I was doing a great job of balancing work, life and writing until last spring, when the added pressure of trying to find someone to fill my job was just a little too much – I don’t even think I read much more than L Frank Baum last summer! We are now currently in Southern California, awaiting the beginning of the next adventure, which is that I am about to hike the Pacific…
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Miss Marple: 4.50 From Paddington
Hello everyone, Sorry for the late post. I am going on vacation this weekend, forgot my personal computer, and didn’t get this out in time. Instead of a 5 fun things this week, please enjoy reading about my latest Miss Marple book! Miss Marple continues to be the BEST. Today’s installment is great, but I have to say this is the first time when my clear favorite was not the book but one of the TV adaptations (and it was amazing). The book I have today is called 4.50 From Paddington (also sometimes called What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw). The Book Overall, this was really enjoyable. One of the things that…
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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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March 2021: When characters are more important than plot.
Hello everyone, This past month, I read (or listened) to a LOT of books, but most of this was books I either have or will talk about elsewhere on the blog (including one which I am VERY excited to share with you all), so I don’t have a ton to share with you all for the month. A lot of these were Tamora Pierce books, who wrote my favorite childhood stories which still hold up, and should be at the top of the list for every parent/adult who ever buys books for kids! I do have a few books to discuss, all of which have a fun connection – these…
because stories are important
