No New Novels, Only Classic Literature

Keep a blog. Delete the blog. Get back on Bookstagram. Stay off Bookstagram. Should I recreate a BookTube channel... no it is a waste of time.

2022 conclusion: time for massive changes. Not just in my reading life, but in my life as a whole.

2022 was one of the worst years of my life (it isn't over yet), but I can see the light at the end of this long long long tunnel.

I found myself reading with almost every second of my free time. While some will say, "That was a healthy way to get through a rough time". I know that I neglected other healthy habits like exercise and yoga. Mentally I was so exhausted, but having a HUGE roster of "read" books, doesn't supply me with a good feeling.

I have some unconventional reading goals coming for 2023 and I have decided to do my best to keep this blog as a space to share my love the novels that have truly changed my life. Novels that have shaped me.

I'm going to have a much more balanced year coming up, and that includes being MUCH more select (as I was before) with any novel I choose to spend my time with.

small organic latte + reading in the early morn

What I've learned about myself

I don't enjoy reading most contemporary literature. Watching BookTube gives on a feeling of FOMO. You feel you're missing out on keeping up with the Booker Prize long list (though I don't go and read most of the books), keeping up with new releases, readathons, book clubs, etc.

There is a direct correlation between watching BookTube and weird feelings with my reader identity. I honestly didn't think I would be susceptible to these feelings because I was so aware of how consuming social media affects us (hence my NOT being on Bookstagram and definitely not BookTok), but alas here we stand.

Changes I've Made

I've accepted that this hard year has opened my eyes once again to how short this life is. I want to focus on reading mainly classic literature and some nonfiction books for all of 2023.

I asked myself, "What I focused on great literature only? What happens when I stop watching BookTube channels who cover all new releases and prize lists (to avoid FOMO- or anything that feels like it)? 

I have a long list of classics to reread, but also a list of classics I've had my eyes on but didn't make time for in lieu or reading literary fiction novels that disappoint me 50% of the time.

I'm an e-reader person. My vision is helped by e-ink, but my absolute favorites (I'm looking at you Anna Karenina), I like to reread and annotate in physical form. 

No need to wait until the new year, I've already deleted some of the "must read" (as recommended by others) literary fiction and genre fiction from my kindle and downloaded a few new, well formatted classics and began my rereads.

I thought ending the year reading a few of my favorite novels would be a great way to go out of 2022. 

Don't Box Yourself In as a Reader- Trying Different Genres/ Types of Novels

 

I'm curious about this novel. I'm not sure why, but I am.

The coffee is hot and the stakes are low. What does it matter in our relatively safe world if we explore other genres of fiction in the safety of our homes and kindles?

I hear so much from readers about how they "just don't read that kind of stuff" (define stuff in any way) and while it's great to know what kind of reader you are, and what your true tastes are, if something intrigues you... give it a try.

Society attempts to box me in enough, I don't do anything to lend a helping hand.

Life is short, and I want to experience as much of life as I can, and with the cards I have been dealt (an ill child and an ill mom), that oftentimes means that my vehicle for exploration lies in books and documentaries.

I don't lament this. I am grateful that I live in a world where I am able to download books within seconds to this tiny device called a Kindle Paperwhite. I wish we lived in a world where access to books wasn't so expensive and was more equitable, but we can all keep working to keep libraries free, accessible and safe. 

I digress, I'm excited to start this historical fantasy novel for Tome Topple 17 and to share my experiences with it here.

Happy expanded reading my slow living friends. 

Update (3 weeks later)- I tried. I did NOT conquer it.

Life's Too Short - DNF City Over Here & Time to Delete

🎶 Know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away... 🎶 

Time to go

It will totally come as a surprise if you've been here before, but I DNFed Clarice Lispector's Complete Stories. I also DNFed Anita Brookner's The Debut. Yes. Yes. I am shocked.

I had to rant to a friend about both of these, so now I can just put in simpler terms how I felt. 

There are too many books that I am eager to read to force myself to continue reading ANYTHING that isn't moving or entertaining. 

I do like..

I enjoy discussing my take on books- what I love about them, and all the things, but I'm finding that blogs are just not the space for that.

It takes a great amount of time to write and upkeep the blog. I'm going to turn this site private so that I can have a digital space to keep up with what I'm reading and how I feel about it. 

Now that I have gotten back on Goodreads, I may feel this space (even privately) is unnecessary.

I've also recreated a spreadsheet to keep my books on. I used to do this for years and years and stopped in August of 2022, but will begin again with a new spreadsheet style in January 2023.

Maybe...

Maybe I'll return to BookTube. Maybe I'll return to Bookstagram @CoffeeAndCopyrights - maybe I'll open this blog again? I'm reflecting... 

Day 10: What Am I Reading This Weekend?

This weekend I am taking it easy. I have a few planned nature hikes, extra cups of organic pour overs with thick vegan creamer, and fuzzy socks on the horizon.

This is the time of year that my central nervous system begs me to slow down, and this year I will listen. 

It's time to take a look at all the books on my Kindle Paperwhite and decide which need to focused on.

Currently I'm reading The Debut by Anita Brookner. Up next, I'm also working on d Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. 

THEN for the week of Christmas, I have some light, short KU novellas (before my KU expires), and am in the mood for a short holiday historical- which does happen sometimes at this time of year.

I have read some amazing novels in 2022, and although this was one of the hardest years of my life (and that's saying a lot), I am excited to end the year on a light note.

I truly believe that literature should either transform you or entertain you, otherwise, what's the point?

I have been moved by some great literature this year, and I want to finish this year off with a solid plate of good reads that will entertain me by the Christmas tree light.

If you can, try to infuse your reading at this time of the year with cozy feels:

• grab a hot cup of coffee and settle in with a few chapters
• wear fuzzy socks and turn in early to read
• put your phone on do not disturb mid day and read a chapter or two

I'm definitely taking my own advice. 

Happy reading my cozy slow living friends.

Day 9: Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente : Book Review

 

Goodreads book description:

Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect.

It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze...

But everything is perfect. Isn't it?

My feelings + review:

Where do I even begin? I absolutely LOVED this stunning little novel. I honestly didn't want to put it down.

I'm not even sure how to describe it, but it's part fantasy, part retelling, part mythical-ish with a contemporary feel.

See? I can't describe it at all, but the journey this novel took me on was feminist, poignant and so so so so so accurate to old established world order of what it meant/means to be a woman, a wife, a neighbor, a "friend". 

You will find yourself shaking your head with how much of Sophia sentiments you agree with. It's astounding- though not surprising.

I thought about this novel all night after I read it and added another novel of hers (she writes a lot of Children's literature so I steered clear of it) to my TBR.

I've added Deathless to my 2023 reading list and it is listed as historical fantasy and I've found that I get on well with that genre most times. Natasha Pulley's novels helped me to cross over.

Happy expanded reading my slow living friends. 

Day 8: I Love My Kindle Paperwhite

 

The dark early mornings are my favorite part of this time of the year. The coffee is hot, the Christmas lights twinkle and I just get to sit and be still.

This morning I reflected a bit on my life and some recent DNFs (which I won't recount here), but as the year winds to a close it's easier for me to DNF novels, because I don't want to make myself give books more of a chance than I have time for.

Some books go on the "A Little Later" bookshelf, but others just get deleted. There are too many books to read, too little time, and too many great authors I have yet to discover.

This leads to today's topic: The Kindle Paperwhite

I love my Kindle. It has seen me through several surgeries for my daughter, cancer treatment for my mom (ongoing), plenty of waiting time in between clients, and it helps with my minimalist perspective on living life.

I have 3 kindle paperwhites- 2 of which I use on a daily basis. One travels with me and the newest edition stays home safe and sound.

I LOVE going between books RIGHT ON MY KINDLE, at any given moment.

If I'm reading 3 books, I just do a chapter in each and move on to the next and it is a rewarding experience not to have to carry loads of heavy books.

Sure there are things I miss about physical reading and I can read physically anytime I want (or my eye sight allows). But, to me nothing beats having all my books with me at one time.

I don't subscribe to the "you're better if you read physically" camp of readers. It's elitist, unnecessary and a foolish argument. 

And don't get me started on the book smell crowd. I love the smell of a dusty old library book like the rest of the world, but I won't let that dictate when and how I read a book.

I'll close this post by saying reading on Kindle has helped me to read more, read longer novels without wrist strain, aided in my eyes not burning in the sockets after reading ALL day for work and pleasure and helps me to live more minimally. I wouldn't trade my kindle for all the physical books in the world.

Happy kindle reading my slow living friends. 

Day 7: A Glance At My December Reads

We are only a week into the month, but it IS the last month of the year. 

It's a time when we all take a glance at what we've read, what we want to read, authors we love and authors we are done trying. 

Well, let me make sure that what is on my reading plate this month reflects novels I want to sink my teeth into as the year closes.

I'm always talking (not really) about how my reading tastes reflect my personal true reading desires now that I'm not making BookTube videos or content online.

I find that I am more settled in my reading and I don't have that, "OH I have to buy/read/review THAT book" feeling anymore. There's nothing wrong with this, but for me it was tedious and a bit exhausting. Couple those feelings with my hectic life, and reading wasn't that fun anymore.

But I digress.... As I refreshed my kindle to the start of Anita Brookner's The Debut, I'm reminded of the giddy and excited feeling that I get when it's time to read yet another great novel.

My December is of to such a great start, and this is the feeling that I'll carry over into 2023;
Less books, but much BETTER books. Better for me. Better according to what I want to get out of literature. And ever so often, I want to pepper my deeper readings with historical romances (I read a few per year), contemporary novels, and nonfiction of all sorts.

Upcoming on my reading plate (but not all at once) I have

Yes, I'm still doing Tome Topple. Yes, I'm taking my time diving into these novels, but there are about 4 weeks left in this year. If I dedicate myself to these possibly transformative works, it will be plenty of time well spent.

Wishing you a great start to your reading month. Be well. 

Day 6: Book Recommendation- You Are Eating An Orange, You Are Naked by Sheung-King

 

Goodreads Description:

A young translator living in Toronto frequently travels abroad—to Hong Kong, Macau, Prague, Tokyo—often with his unnamed lover. In restaurants and hotel rooms, the couple begin telling folk tales to each other, perhaps as a way to fill the undefined space between them. Theirs is a comic and enigmatic relationship in which emotions are often muted and sometimes masked by verbal play and philosophical questions, and further complicated by the woman’s frequent unexplained disappearances.

You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked. is an intimate novel of memory and longing that challenges Western tropes and Orientalism. Embracing the playful surrealism of Haruki Murakami and the atmospheric narratives of filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, Sheung-King’s debut is at once lyrical and punctuated, and wholly unique, and marks the arrival of a bold new voice in Asian-Canadian literature.

Why you should read it

This is just one of those novels that pulls you in and you can feel alongside the characters. I was so in the moment for those relationship conversations and I could really sense the translator's confusion about his partner's behavior. It just gave space to those "unsure" moments most of us have felt while communicating with others in close connection.

I adore Sheung-King's writing and I highly recommend this one. 

Day 5: Tome Topple TBR for Mid December

Ahhh I'm not a readathon person normally, but I love toppling a good tome. 

Tomes make up 50-70% of my reading anyway.

I don't care about finishing books each month, but I do like to start the year with every book completed unless it's a mammoth that I've already begun. 

This December as I reflect on my reading and design a reading plan for the coming year, I see a few things I would like to get to.

There are two works that I want to focus on for the Tome Topple:

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Complete Stories by Clarice Lispector

I'm excited at the thought that I will walk into 2023 with a clean slate for short stories! I love Clarice Lispector and those stories seem to carry a bit less of her witchcrafty voice, but are still deeply moving so far. (Update: DNFed the short story collection).

If you've been considering toppling a tome, now's the time.

Happy tome toppling my slow living friends. 

Added something to my Tome Topple TBR because I took Lispector's short stories off after making it through about 20 stories. 

Trying out diverse fantasy

A la recherche du temps perdu: Wrapping Up My Reading of Proust

It has taken me over a month and a half to try to wrap up this novel. I am forever changed after reading In Search of Lost Time. 

I now understand what people who have finished mean when they say you have to read and finish it to "get it". And now I do.

Memory. Flashbacks. Pulling to the front of the mind what has lain dormant for decades. The power in this process. ALL of this and so much more is explored in this fantastic work of Marcel Proust.

I didn't expect to cry while reading the last 10 pages. Maybe the tears were because I could feel myself about to summit this masterpiece, or because of the tenderly beautiful things Proust urged me to think about regarding time and how we try to capture it, and if it's even possible to capture it or not.

Wow. Volume VII is a real treat. All of the treads of this work began to come together and it was so nice to revisit most all of the central characters, and see how they've changed (some into ugly old hags- I paraphrase- according to Proust). 

"Is there still time?" (p. 446)

How I remember. How I process my life are forever affected. After closing my kindle after the last words, "in- Time". I cried a river of tears and felt so accomplished.

THIS is the feeling that reading great literature gives you; part accomplishment + part sublime. 

I now stand n awe os what Marcel Proust managed to accomplish with this work and within his life considering his health ailments.

I find myself evermore mindful of drinking my hot coffee in the morning. Perhaps one day when I'm much older my involuntary memory will bring me back to a perfect cup I've made and unlock a hidden world of secret memories for me. 

Volume VII

Proust has encouraged me (not for publication), but for my daughter to start writing a novel of sorts for her where I take time to call to mind every memory from as far back as my mind goes. 

Something from Proust's work has lodged itself forever inside of my bones and as much as I was thinking during Volumes III and IV (and I loved both volumes), "My gosh this is long", I'm almost ready to start reading it again.

I've reread the last 5 pages over and over as I let this novel slowly settle into my bones. I'm finding more and more to love about it.

I thought of including a plethora of quotes, but decided to end with this quote and on this note: If you've even thought about reading Proust, pick him up. Start with Swann's Way. Ignore whatever you've heard (that hasn't been positive), and go into the novel with an open mind and heart. 

Moreover, that we occupy place, always growing, in Time is something everybody is conscious of in this universality can only make me rejoice, it being the truth, the truth suspected by each of us, that I add to seek to elucidate not only does everybody feel that we occupy a place in Time, but the simplest of us measures this place approximately, as he would measure the one we occupy in space. 

I am so happy that I committed ten and half months to the daily reading of Proust. I'm not one of the people who would ever tell someone "how to read Proust". 

Pick up Swann's Way and read it however your soul calls. Proust will dictate the manner in which you can consume his work.

Trust me... you'll never be the same if you commit to finishing it- either in a year or 10.

Happy Proustian reading. 

Day 3: All The Classics I Want to Read in 2023

 

I am always working on reading classic literature. It's my favorite "genre" to read from and no matter what is going on in my life, I glean wisdom and truths about the human existence. I absolutely love classics (I'm looking at you Tolstoy).

In 2023, I will be slowing down my life and my reading to a great extent. I'm excited to say that I don't mind if I am able to get to all of these, but they are all on the pile of choices I will have for 2023

I really love reading the stories of female protagonist. Thomas Hardy does this well in his novels, my favorite being Far From the Madding Crowd. 

I read my first Trollope novel this Autumn, and I am happy to say that he gave me a Hardy world, with a lighter edge (much lighter) to it. It was a delightful cast of characters and I felt utterly wrapped in the world of Barchester. 

As 2023 opens, I want to begin the year reading George Eliot. I adore Mary Ann Evans (her real name), and have had Daniel Deronda in my sights for quite some time. 

I love taking my time with classics and this tome will be no exception.

Classics to read in 2023 

1. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
2. Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
3. Keynotes and Discords by George Edgerton
4. Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
6. Another Country by. James Baldwin
7. Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope
1. The Warden -November 2022
2. Barchester Towers
3. Doctor Thorne
4. Framley Parsonage
5. The Small House at Allington
6. The Lasts Chronicle of Barset
8. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
9. Adam Bede by George Eliot

Now's the time

If you've been toying with the idea of reading or rereading more classics, I highly suggest you do so in 2023. There's no time like the present to be transformed by these great works of literature.

Happy classic reading my slow living friends.

Day 2: Reading LESS This Cozy Season and Next Year

This has been one of the hardest years of my life, and I can feel this year coming to a close. While I do still have so many difficult things to complete and do, and the stresses are still on my shoulders, I've found that I haven't been using reading to cope or deal, it has somehow become it's own stressor.

I've identified a distinct correlation between BookTube/ internet bookish consumption and stress in my reading life. 

Yes reading was a comfort. A place to hide while my life was falling apart. But, now it's time to get my head from facing down as I run forward at 100 mph and take a long, slow look around.

Yes, I love books. Yes, I love crafting an exciting reading life. But, I also had other hobbies and they have disappeared. Reading is so easy for me, that I just allowed myself to be carried away with ALL the classics, literary fiction, occasional romances + cozies, and I almost forgot that it isn't a hobby if it starts to feel obsessive.

I've heard others discuss this to some extent, but no one really talks about it. 

I'm acknowledging that it sucks and that I want to go back to how my reading was pre pandemic. Scouring the kindle sales page, watching endless TBR videos, and scanning websites for cool titles isn't fun- it's depressing. I could always feel that I should be doing something else to alleviate some of my life stress.

Things I am intending on focusing on that I used to love before my book/reading addiction

☕️ Baking (I still bake, but I used to bake so much more)
☕️ Homemade body care products

☕️ Photography (completely fell away from this hobby)

☕️ Crafting (tie dying, candle making, etc.)

☕️ Writing (just for fun)

I have written about having a reading template and the need I have to read books that move/change me in some way. I read or entertainment, but that is entertaining to me. 

When Clarice Lispector's witchcraft style writing transports me out of my head and somehow into my body, that is entertaining. As I reread Anna Karenina for the fourth time, I was entertained.

When I read less, I read more deeply. I read better. I don't have an invisible bird on my shoulder telling me that "there are so many other books to read... just get it on audio...hurry and check the sales". 

The only thing swimming in my head is that current read. I miss that feeling and I am setting an intention to return to it.  

How to read less

☕️ Don't have more than 1-2 books going at a time

☕️ Don't make a monthly TBR that has more than 2-3 books on it

☕️ Stop watching TBR videos (yes I did just say that)

☕️ Journal about what you're reading either digitally or in a paper journal. 

☕️ Choose your reads more carefully

☕️ Don't be afraid to pick up a dense novel that you've always wanted to read, but you know will take a lot of "time". Finally pick it up!

☕️ Don't speed up your audiobook if you do audio. 

I'm on a mission to slow every single thing down in my life. I successfully did this about 15 years ago, but recent years have not been very kind to me so it's time to readjust and that starts with my hobbies- the things that are intended to be calming.

Hope it helped. Happy cold and cozy reading.

Day 1: A Cold and Cozy December with Coffee and Great Literature

December is among us. Making one post a day in December (blogmas) is something I'm excited about for so many reasons.

I changed from another blogging site and lost SO much content, and this is a way to put more of my bookish thoughts here on this site.

Today's topic is all about my setting an intention for the reading month ahead. Everyone loves a good and long TBR (I do not), but it's good ti stop, reflect, and decide what kind of reading month you want to have.

I often look ahead at my monthly calendar, see how many hospital visits there are, working obligations, and then plan what mood I want my reading to take,

After a long and hard year (with a hard upcoming month), I'm deeply in the mood for literary fiction and emotional romances. This means I will scour my kindle for translated works I've had my eye on and deeply moving romance storylines.

I've settled on beginning December with these two reads:

I couldn't do the audio
started over on the page and love it

VERY excited for this one

December Reading Intentions

📕 Read less books this month

📕 Reflect on the Classics I've chosen for 2023 and cut the list in 1/2

📕 Recreate a spreadsheet to capture my reading 

📕 Don't read more than 2 books at a time (maximum 3 if one is on audio)

📕 Watch much less BookTube/YouTube 

📕 Overall, slow down in general

I'm wishing that your December is off to a slow and cozy start. Just remember, you don't need to wait until January 1st to enact any change. 

You can stop, reassess and do things differently starting today.

Happy cozy cold reading my slow living friends.