Ending August On a Literary High

my vegan + gf strawberry lemon cake

I've been reading some great books lately.

I think this is because I DNF anything that doesn't feel like it will be a 5 star read or 5 star reading experience. 

I am still trying to figure out a way to wrap up Lolita. A top read of the year for certain. I DNFed it 3 times before finishing it this time. Powerfully biting and extremely uncomfortable. 

I have some Fall reading plans that make me so excited. I have a heavy set of circumstances right at my front door, and anxiety has had me reaching for the remote control rather than my kindle.

That will change as September rolls in. 

I finished the month reading Lolita + Mistress and Maid. They are both very very deeply moving books for varied reasons.

As I walk into the end of this year, it's a great time to remember that it is important for me:

1. Reading is a deep wellness practice
2. Participate as much or as little in readathons as allows me to stay true to my reading taste
3. Community is always great when it comes to reading

Off to design my September TBR :) 

Victober Musings: Wrapping Up October

This is a snapshot of my entire month
Coffee, pizza, candles (and books)

I love a good readathon, but I loathe following prescribed lists. With that said, my Victorian October reads were all over the place-  like my hair on windy day's run.

This month, I recreated a Goodreads account. I know I know. I've gone on and on about how I didn't like the interface and I don't really like other people commenting on Goodreads about my reads (weird I know), but storygraph kept crashing on my phone. THEN, I moved back to paper journaling for my books and it was really inconvenient. I was out at the hospital and could not remember what other books I said I would read next, and so I created a private Goodreads account- and the new interface if better. Trash, but better.

October was filled with sleepless nights, loads of anxiety, and massive change. In other words, enter the escapist fiction.

I spent a lot of cool nights with Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton. I was so overwhelmed with sorrow as I read that novel. That is one sad book. I adore Gaskell's writing and the worlds that she creates, but I decided to put a hold on Ruth by her and save it for lighter times.

Mary Barton definitely had some Tess of the d'Urbervilles vibes, but I fear Ruth may actually have MORE.

Classics from this month

Classics I finished this month:

1. Volume IV: Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust - he really starts this one off with a bang
2. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell - loved this book. Broke my heart. 
3. Victorian Ghost Stories by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Elizabeth Gaskell -creepy
4. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen -thousandth reread. LOVE it.
5. Volume V: The Captive by Marcel Proust - 2 volumes left

Cozy Mysteries I finished this month:

1. A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery Series (enjoyed every one)
1. Apple Pie a la Murder
2. Trick or Treat and Murder
3. Thankfully Dead
2. Pumpkin Hollow Cozy Mystery Series (enjoyed these a little less, but still enjoyed)
1. Candy Coated Murder
2. Murderously Sweet 

I also read

1. Obsession by Clarice Lispector (a short story) - loved
2. Verity by Colleen Hoover (with the additional chapter) - hated

This month I downloaded all manner of books

I picked some classics by Anthony Trollope, Elizabeth Gaskell, Dinah Mulock Craik, Kahlil Gibran, Cute Christmas Stories, Novels by Simone St. James, a few steamy Harlequin category romances, etc.

This has been a month of deeply remembering how vital my reading is to my well-being. My life is so stressful, and I need a balance now of intense classic literature + literary fiction, interspersed with romance novels and a few cozy mysteries.

I have to work on not burning out on cozy mystery series, and am just taking my reading as it comes. Now that I'm back on my private Goodreads, I am able to better track (or should I say more easily track) my reads, so my wrapping up November should be a bit easier.

As I craft my November TBR, I am filling the slots around my Reading Template. I'll post my TBR tomorrow. 

Happy reading and slow living.