coffee, candles, and blank pages- planning autumn reads

 

It's early in the morning. very early. The only thing on my mind is hot coffee + oat milk and ignoring today's responsibilities.

Alas, I'll march on and do what needs to be done, but in the meantime, I am going to journal deeply and read a few pages in Sense and Sensibility. I am rereading it before the new film adaptation next week. 

This Autumn I am of course reareading endlessly. When the sun doesn't come out, the appointments are plentiful, and it gets gloomy outside- I reread ALL my favorites.

This year, I do have a few "never been read before books" on my tbr, but we will ignore those for now

Upcoming in no particular order...

1. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy the GOAT
2. Sense and Sensibility (almost finished)
3. Within a Budding Grove by Proust (usually I reread Swann's Way in December, but I'm called to book 2, so that's the choice)
4. Jane Eyre- because would I even be me if  I didn't read this at least once a year?
5. Beloved- Toni Morrison's 1987 novel

Those are the rereads. There are so many other reads on my list AND I have a ton of work I'm doing for school. Seems like I need to turn off the late night K-dramas in favor of reading, but I'll let you know how that goes. 

I have a meeting tonight, my candle is lit and my tea is hot. 

As Fall comes sliding in, it will find me in cozy socks, sweaters, and with a stack of books next to me.

Happy reading. ☕️ 

books, plants, early mornings before autumn & reading superiority

messy and slow mornings

This time of year pulls at the heart to slow down, and pulls at me to re-read my favorites. I've been finding myself rewatching my favorite book/movie adaptations and drinking extra hot beverages although the temp is regularly 88+.

Sacrilegious temperatures aside, I've noted a trend happening online. So many judgmental videos being made about what/how other people read. I guess it's a product of what I call our "comparison culture", but it's gross all the same.

It should be perfectly okay whether someone binges audiobooks at 10x speed, or reads ONE Dostoevsky novel per season. This "right/wrong" dichotomy in the reading community is just gross. 

Treating reading an exercise in superiority is truly wild. We are all on ONE team. Team Read More Books and keep libraries alive.

It shouldn't matter what you read nor how often.

It shouldn't matter if you vlog, blog, photograph it or not.

It doesn't matter if you track it online or in a physical notebook like I do. 

There's truly enough division in the world without adding the division in the bookish community to that list. 

Although I'm writing about it here, I stay far far far away from debates on line with strangers. It's futile, useless, and not good a job way to spend my energy or time. But, I wanted to use my small, quiet space to remind anyone (if you even need reminding) that you're doing fine in your reading life.

Living great books is far better than bragging about them or using what you've read to compare to other people. 

I live myself between the chapters of great and moving novels. I literally can remember what was going on in my life based off of what I was reading during certain periods. This means that I don't have time to worry about what others think of how or why I read.

There are periods when I downloaded 4 cozy mystery audiobooks from the library to get through a weekend of intense. These books "kept me company" so to speak and I regret nothing! Sure, I can't remember all the characters or the real point, but who cares? I was entertained and accompanied for long hours in my storage unit reorganizing holiday decor.

Other times, I am hunkered down on my couch (customary) with a necklight (always ) while reading and re-reading passages from Brookner novels. Or more likely, I have a stack of 10-12 books at my bedside and I read a few pages from each. Who is going to tell me I'm wrong to read this way? And even if I did, I'll ignore them and my advice is that you ignore them too.

Consuming so much content about what others think, and how others do things, has gone way too far. It embeds tiny little fragments of how things are supposed  to be done inside of our heads and before long we are defending things that don't need to be defended, or participating in discussions about how others are doing things "incorrectly"

All of this to say, let your reading be a free liminal space.

Allow your reading life to be dictated by your current circumstances and to whatever is actually calling to you during this phase of your life.

The only thing that matters is that you feel called back to the page.

I'm rooting for you that your reading life will be what shapes your heart and calls to your soul.

I know mine is.

Happy reading ☕️ 

 

let september find me reading and resting

my autumn desktop

In an effort to consciously eliminate all pressure and stress from my life, I don't give myself lists of books I have to read, nor force myself to participate in any readathons/groups that don't really call to my soul. 

With that in mind, the end of the year is approaching. I don't ever have any set number of books to read for the year, or book goals, or anything like that. Reading is truly a wellness activity for me. It's less about what and how much I read, and more about making the time to read and how I feel when I read, reflect, and write about what I read.

Autumn is the second January.

A time that feels like a fresh start and a new beginning.

Personal curriculums are all the rage right now, and I am a huge fan of them. I do love formal education and spaces to share ideas with others and be strengthened and challenged, but making sure to stay focuse don what you most want to focus on is critical

In our idea consumption culture it's easy find yourself doing things without any reflection time on whether you actually want to do it or not. Do you really want to read the entire Booker Longlist, or does it seem popular and like what literary readers do? Do you really like following Fall readathons, or have you always wanted to read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in the Fall?

My nudge is only for you to slow down, reflect, and decide what would make you the most satisfied come the end of the year.

i love this cover

For me, it's finding time to re-read Sense and Sensibility seeing as the new screen adaptation is coming out October 16... adding a 1/2 re-reading of Jane Eyre, a re-reading of something by Hardy (yet to decide) poetry by Hardy, reading more of the Letters of Gustave Flaubert, of course Anita Brookner, and so much more.

• Sense and Sensiblity
• Jane Eyre
• A Hardy novel
• Letters of Gustave Flaubert
• Proust

vegan gluten free sweet potato brownies

Of course for me Autumn means even more baking. New recipes that I create or mix-n-match that I find online. The scent of cinnamon in the air signifies extra cups of coffee and lots of slow living.

As I walk through towards the end of the first week of September, I'm taking with me a few things: my continued anti-AI stance, even if means I'm "left behind", a love of re-reading, a desire to work through a few of the unread books on my shelves, a new semester, and a true belief that reading, writing, and learning is the secret magic of a good life.

I hope you'll join me on a slow and easy September. Happy reading ☕️ 

life in between the pages of books: urging in autumn and taking 6 months to finish one book

 

early morning table

I have been reading Monsieur Proust for about 7 months and I just finished today. I have realized that no matter what I do, so long as I have a great book sort of sitting in the background of my life, I have something to fall back into as the world continues to spin around me. 

I have spent less time watching others' reading lives, but as the autumn inches closer I am ready to watch and possibly create some vlogs that center slowing down and sinking into stories and novels. 

This is the time of year that I re-read the exact same stories and books. It's important that I slow down and spend time with stories that I am familiar with that I love. 

As much as I don't love the lack of daylight that is coming mid-September, I can feel myself needing to slow down and the quiet, dark hours will help me with that. 

My next major read will only be the continuation of Gustave Flaubert's letters that I've been working on for 8 months. I am only about a quarter of a way through, and I am loving them, so I need to just focus on them. 

I'm off to write in my physical book journal which houses my book reviews, as I quietly reflect on this biography. I absolutely love Proust and I have been reflecting on my reading of The Search and the yearn to re-read Book One or Two... It seems to call every Fall. Maybe I'll answer it again.

Happy reading ☕️ 

photo clearly missing the coffee that is present

augtober- judge if you must, ready for silence

 

don't mind if i do: early morning coffee + literature

Yes, I said Augtober. I'm exhausted both physically and emotionally.

The heaviness of the world lands on deep souls in a way that leaves a residue that literature helps to alleviate. 

I can admit that I chose books over people and while some call it a pathology, I don't care and I can't hear them between the pages of my novels anyway. 

Lately, I've been writing about what I read in my book journal. I love it. It's a simple set up. Nothing fancy, and nothing truly noteworthy. Just a simple black notebook with a photo of the Mona Lisa on the cover. I downloaded and printed that cover after reading ...

loved this

I still think about this biography from time to do. Anyway, I'm still very slowly making my way through The Letters of Gustave Flaubert. I love this collection, but I am so slowly going through, though I pick it up several times per week. It's something so easy to dip in and out of when I struggle with which of my 10 current reads to pick up.

I actually found autumn creamers in the grocery store yesterday. I was so shocked to see them, but I did buy one- nondairy (of course) maple brown sugar. 

The more cozy the better for me. My soul is desperate for silence and solitude and the older I become, the more I settle into this very natural way of being for me. 

Off to cull my reading list before the true Autumn spirit descends and I start rereading everything I love.

Happy reading ☕️ 

a summer of silence and reading

It's funny how easy it is for reading to take up all of your free time. 

I am always reading 6-10 books/novels/non-fictions at one time, so it's easy to be wrapped in reading without finishing anything. Finishing reading is never my goal.

To be reading the books is the goal for me. To be in the middle of the works is always the point for me.

It's why I read and re-read poetry over and over again. 

This summer's responsibilities have me wanting desperately to slow down. Like, live even slower than I do right now. 

Struggling with how much humanity and the people I know continue to be a constant source of disappointment. Alas, Marcus Aurelius tried to warn me- I work on heeding his advice about the disappointments that await us each day we wake up. I'm sure that seems pessimesstic, and I don't mean it to be, but thank God for literature. 

brookner and coffee 

I am loving Altered States by Anita Brookner. She continues to be one of my favorite novelists. She has a way of writing into the marrow of human psychology in a way that I rarely finds consistently with other authors. 

This book has encouraged me to start writing book reviews here on the site. I can't wait to finish this one to write all about it. I've prolonged finishing it because I am really loving living with this story. It's beautifully true of human nature- but, I'll stop writing here before the review is done!

homemade latte + morning reading

Early morning finds me between the pages of multiple books + doing morning pages + drinking several lattes. Of course I wanted the summer to be filled with finishing off a few novels, getting "things" done, etc, but instead, I rested more- slept more- exhaled deeper.

I have a stack of novels bedside that I'd love to work through this month. I may create a TBR in order to organize this sporadic & chaotic reading. I'd at least help me to curate a finishable list of books.

There are 3 weeks left in August and whether the temperature is 80 or 60 degrees, I consider September 1st as the ramp into Autumn and nothing can change my mind- therefore, I want to have a clean Autumn reading slate.

I'm extremely interested in reading my physical library though I always have multiple ebooks going between my old kindle and my new kobo- but I love seeing my physical TBR shrink a little. I have no intention of a book buying ban, but I am being intentional about every purchase which has made me "wait 72 hours" before purchasing new books which more often than not means I won't purchase it.

non-dairy creamsicle matcha + iced coffee

So as this silent summer starts to wrap up, I am intent on continuing to practice learning the two poems I've committed to learning this year, recreating a TBR to wrangle in my reading, reading in bubble baths, and writing poetry and short prose.

Wishing you a calm end to the summer season (yes I know it's early) and happy reading. ☕️ 

busy, rereading, making coffee, and poetry

Of course the compulsion to read lives in my bones, but with graduate school work (mid-life student), and all my caregiving duties, I find myself incapable to reaching for the 10 novels/books I am working on. 

Poetry always eases me back into the written work, and I sometimes read and re-read the same poem for 15 minutes deciding how it will land and live in me.

morning cup and reading

I don't spend too much time editing posts or editing my life. 

This is the reality.

Caregiving is hard. Going back to school again in mid-life is hard. America is hard to live in right now.

This combination makes me yearn for re-reads. Familiar stories. Books that I can pick up, or turn on audio and know that meeting these characters again soothes my heart.

I don't use Goodreads... or Storygraph.... I do feel quite isolated in my reading life and may return to BookTube to rectify that, but for now I let myself swim between the pages of books I adore and new stories that don't feel like a waste of my limited reading time. 

I do have a feeling I'll emerge from this intensely focused time in my life with a renewed sense on all things, but for now, my head is down...  I'm chipping away at small and large goals, and finding comfort in the chapters that have carried me before.

Books/Collections/Stories I return to over and over:

1. Giovanni's Room
2. Anna Karenina
3. Anything by Mary Oliver
4. Everything by Audre Lore
5. Pride and Prejudice
6. Jane Eyre
7. Anything Doestoevsky
8. Toni Morrison's Sula
9. BBC Radio Adaptations of my favorite classics

Now, let me go and make another light roast pour over, and get started on my school work.

If Spring is finding you floundering... ignore all of the pressure to perform and live through great works of literature. 

I'll meet you there.

Happy reading ☕️ 

the days have been long, the nights longer: currently reading

 

paperbacks, journals, so milk, same ol oats

The older I get, the more I realize exactly how basic and boring I love my life to feel.

Long gone are the days of thrill seeking (okay I was actually never that person), but there is a steady hum under my life.

Caregiving humbles you in a way that nothing else can. I've been caring for my disabled daughter since birth, but adding an adult to care for to the mix has rocked me in ways incomprehensible.

Burnout is real. And, it extends to my reading life.

I've been indulging the re-reading bug that bit me as a young child, and making my super slow way through other works.

Returning to grad school put a pin in my "extra" reading time (if such a thing existed), and has me turning on the tv much more often than I used to. I am finding that the thought of reading even one more page of something has made me want to rip my hair out... hence tv shows. Nothing good, just veterinarian shows, documentaries about elderly shop owners in Tokyo, etc.

I have decided to return to my tiny corner of the internet and share my reading- even if only to have a diary of it for later reflection. 

Burnout is why I haven't posted here more. Just the thought of doing one more thing has sent me into a deep spiral of heaviness. I am sure this feeling will pass as spring enters the chat and makes way for the illusion of sunnier days internally.

This may sound morose, but honestly I am doing well. Accepting what I can't change, but giving myself space to feel exhausted by it all. Life. The state of America. The state of the world. 

I've never been a fan of change, and it just keeps coming near me- it's a work in progress.

and currently....

Currently, I am being turned inside out by Audre Lorde's Cancer Journals. Yikes... powerful punches in every entry. I expect nothing less from this legend, but geez I have to put it down so often just to let the words marinate through me.

Dostoevksy's Humiliated and Insulted is entertaining and a popcorn read. Ever the philosopher, I stop to see myself in the story and get lost in my thoughts.

Existential Monday is a thickly dense, dense, dense read. I am understanding about 55% it, but that hasn't stopped me yet. One more essay to go and I'll be done. 

Poetry has been a dear friend of mine this year.

I'm learning Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare and reading Mary Oliver and Audre Lorde daily. I'll post about those this week. 

This poetry project is really rewarding. They say poetry is the possibility of language, and I always feel poetry more than my intellectual mind comprehends it. There's magic in poetry and I intend to enter that magical world every day for the rest of my life. 

Hopefully 2026 has begun on a solid note for you, but, if like me you've had a rough go of it, pick up your favorite novel and go straight to your favorite parts. Remember that nothing is new under the sun, and live the great works. 

It will all be okay. And, if it won't... that's also okay.

Happy reading. ☕️ 

reading without full comprehension on a slow sunday

 

current table view

I’m doing a slow read of this book, and deeply working through the philosophical points that are made. I thought I’d throw up a quick post in case anybody else does the same thing…

I don’t always understand every single thing I read when I read it for the first time. That’s certainly true of this work.

It won’t stop me from continuing on. Some believe it’s a waste of time to read things that you don’t fully comprehend on the first pass-through. But, I disagree. Some of the beauty is in feeling my mind being stretched through the work as I make connections to other works that I’ve previously read. It sets me off down a rabbit hole, which can be quite fulfilling.

My cup run it over, and I’m busier than I ever care to admit… I’m not a person who glorify busy and I longer await the days when I have more time for deep rest and relaxation, however, I still don’t consider it a waste of time. I’ve enjoyed every second of it.

Off to get a few things done, but I hope you’re having a restful and calm Sunday   

Happy reading ☕️

early morning table: writing and reading

my morning table

I have had a pretty rocky start to the new year, but it's just forced me to do more internal reflection. 

My daughter gave me some Mary Oliver poetry books for Christmas and I've really been enjoying starting my day with the poem. I have some literary goals for 2026 and by the end of the week I'll make a post about them. 

I've been so utterly exhausted that I've only been taking time to calm down my central nervous system, and read when I can. 

I started this year off with about seven current reads… I'm learning every year just how valuable I find this way of engaging with my books. If you've been here for a while, you know that I don't chart my reading, and any digital way. I'm never aware of how many books I've read in a month, or season, or a year. 

What's funny about that is I really enjoy watching people wrap up their books! Maybe I'll change and go back to counting some in the future, but for now, it feels really easy to just have as many books as I won't going at a time. 

I let the novels tell me what demands my attention. If my heart feels pull to a certain story, I'll stay with it for a while. 

Although I haven't been able to get much sleep, my morning, start very much like the photo above. The kitchen table with steaming, hot light, roast, coffee, my journals and agendas, and my common place notebook, a few e-readers… And a stack of books (not pictured).

I'm off to have a pretty intensive day of academic work, caregiving, cleaning, cooking and reading… I hope and pray that your new year is off to a great start and that you're able to find what touches your soul in the books that you read this year. 

If this next sentence resonates with you, I challenge you to accept it… Ignore everything you see on the Internet, including me. 

Read whatever calls see you.  

Happy frosty January reading, ☕️ 
 

happy 2026 and a note from rumi

my homemade vegan apple cheesecake

I know that at this time of year most bookish people consume loads of "favorites" list and "goals/plans" content.

I'll just say...

It doesn't matter what you read this year or didn't read... you did amazingly.

There's been a real call to arms to slow down and I don't know if it's performative or not, but my INJ soul has to live slowly lest I die. 

I'll post this week (starting tomorrow) all about books I loved this year, reading plans for next year, etc, but for now listen to the wise words of Rumi and let this help you as you plan 2026 if you choose.

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Rumi

 

It doesn't matter what you think is wrong or right about how you have read and lived this year. You're doing the best you can, and that's enough.

My recovery from burnout (still recovering) has truly shown me that slowing down is the best medicine for an overactive mind.

I hope to meet you in the field where whatever we read, and whatever we do, we're fine.

Happy reading and thank you for spending some of your finite time in my bookish world. ☕️

28: voltaire and complete quiet (researched voltaire- dnf)

 

my macmillian collector's library edition

update a day later: researched a bit about voltaire and found some heinous things! I will not finish candide and will toss this gorgeous copy. 

Source: Crush the Despicable! Voltaire’s Enlightened Racism

"Voltaire’s arguments sat at the extreme end of the spectrum of Enlightenment attitudes towards race."

The year is coming to a close and I can feel the weight of things undone... stories unfinished...

I realized that this weight comes from watching so many "best books of 2025" videos. I do love those honestly, but it's been a bit exhausting to consume so many in such a short amount of time.

I love every book that I am currently still in the middle of, I am grateful for every book I dnf'ed, I love it all.

It's all a part of a reading life, and yes I am adding new titles to my collection and to my reading list. I am not bogged down with bookish community conventions like "finishing all books by the end of the month", or "reading Goodreads reviews before picking up a book."

Nothing is wrong at all with either of those things, but I simply don't do them. I am content to live the great works and share about the books (yes), but more so the process of being a dedicated reader. 

As this year winds down and I start thinking about 2026, I have oh so many quiet plans that I intend to share in the coming days.

If you need a reminder here it is: quiet is where peace lives. Grab a book (or 6) of your choosing, settle down and let complete silence envelope you.

When you emerge from the pages of the book, reflect on how it felt to sit and be with one thing at a time. 

Happy reading ☕️ 

20: stack of hardbacks, tree lights, reading several books at a time

my book stack

I love a good stack of books. 

Something so wonderful to just look at them.

Truth is: I am a reader who can dip into and out of books over and over and keep going. I am capable of keeping the threads of the story together and I really love.

I do not enjoy finishing books that I love. As weird as that may seem, I love reading them, not finishing them.

That may be why I struggled a bit with being on BookTube (though in 2026 I am coming back ;-)

I have several bookshelves. They aren't huge ones and I am sure I could use one or two more, but they are filled with novels I have read or am very excited to read.

I am not a book collector. Sure, I have several editions of my favorite novels, but I generally keep books that I am desperate to read and then I pass them on in one way or another. 

Reading several books at a time allows me to keep pace with my internal heart that longs for great literature. I use books to help me live a fulfilled life and while I do demand a lot from the literature I read, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I have zero judgment for anyone. It seems fashionable now to judge people for what they read, how much they do or don't read, and elitism runs deep within the book community.

I, on the other hand, can truly see the value in every reading style. For me? there is a certain complexity I demand from my literature and from the stories I consume. 

Every time I try to read more contemporary or lighter literature, I personally feel like I've eaten a lot of cake. It starts off great, but 1/2 way through I am sick to my stomach. I am longing for mashed potatoes and lentil stew. This was a horrendous analogy, but you get my point!

Now I'm off to organize these stacks of books and put together all of the books I bought myself this holiday season. 

Happy multi-book reading ☕️ 
 

creatively deciding what bookish advent plans i will make

One of my life mottos is, "Let it be simple". 

That applies to my reading life as well. In that vein, I have been thinking of what I can do that's bookish for advent. 

My daughter is creating a poetry advent plan for me. I gave her a few poets and she chose some as well. I will read one per day with tea at night. 

I bought a few Penguin Black Mini Classics on kobo and will read one per day as well. 

these were only a few dollars each!

definitely looking forward to these

I am sitting surrounded by a stack of books (typical night time activity) and pondering what I will do to end my reading year.

I'm not a huge fan of rushing to read a certain number of works before the end of the year. I don't have judgment about those who do these sort of challenges. I think it's quite fun to watch videos of people doing this! I demand a lot from my literature, so that normally doesn't work for me, but these new additions are a way for me to engage with something similar.

I will definitely make posts for the books I intend to read before the year's end, as well as, what coffee I will be consuming.

I'm blogging myself reading Crime and Punishment and Lolita as a re-read and it's so crazy how much I have loved re-reading this season.

I am wishing you a calm and peaceful weekend filled with coffee and warm socks. 

6 am coffee:: writing and reading

the way I start each morning

It almost feels like the dead of night when I wake up before 6 am to make my coffee and clear my brain for the day ahead. 

Nothin quite feels like that liminal space. 

I've taken to reading one of Gustave Flaubert's Letters with my coffee each morning and it is honestly such a great ritual. At this rate, I will finish the letters for another year! That's okay, it's a wonder feeling to have the company first thing in the morning.

my beloved copy of his letters

Is there an author you don't mind spending a few minutes with as you wake each day?

I really want to challenge the notion that we have to start and immediately work through any written work. We can create a dance with literature that ebbs and flows based off of our reading tastes and emotions.

Anyone come to mind?

Happy reading ☕️ 

the magic of reading several books at once

I've been dipping in and out of my current reads for a few months now. I don't digitally track my reading, and instead use a small hardback notebook to track. When I am done with this notebook, I will start another. I enjoy being able to physically glance at my list of reads and it does make me quite emotional to see who and where I am in the process of these novels.

reading this as an audio + text combination

I didn't think I would enjoy Pillars of the Earth because I don't read much historical fiction. I am really loving this story. It's intricate, emotional, and very detailed. It is beneficial to have a novel or two in the rotation that just read easily and that has a story that flows by.

Reasons to read several books at once

1. I always have a fountain of choices depending on my mood
2. Re-reading is never a chore. It easily slots into new reads by giving the space to scaffold your favorite re-reading alongside them
3. You never have to "wait to start" a new book that you are excited about it

Reasons to caution against it

1. If you struggle with the ability to pick up the strands of multiple stories
2. You enjoy a singular focus
3. You confuse characters or storylines
4. You're interested in finishing books as quickly as possible

I am often reading between 6-10 books at one time, but mainly 4 is a solid amount that I can pick up every single day.

Types of books I read simultaneously

1. An audiobook (typically a classic that is a re-read)
2. A classic
3. A contemporary classic
4. Page turner (always changes)
5. Literary fiction
6. Non-fiction biography
7. Non-fiction psychology/neuroscience
8. Letters of some kind
9. Poetry book
10. Something in translation 

As the days become shorter, and daylight leaves us, I find myself wanting to finish my academic work earlier in the day so that I can focus on documentaries and reading where my personal care duties are limited.

Deep rest is becoming a true value of mine again, and reading plays an intricate part in resting for me. 

If you've never read multiple books at once, I really encourage you to at least try it. If it doesn't work for you, it's understandable. There are a few times a year where I focus on one book until it's done, but that is extremely rare. 

There's so much to read and I love spending my life and all that it contains between the pages of great literature. 

using reading to calm my anxious mind: america you disappointment

There aren't enough words to describe how heartbroken I am with what is happening in the United States right now.  Anxiety has had me watching TV shows (I don't even like television), eating snacks (I am not normally a snack eater), and staying up late (and normally I love my sleep).

I love reading and I have to use this wellness practice to get me through the tough times that America is facing and will surely face in the future. 

Sitting in my reading chair and making a cup of tea has been a nightly meditation for me. It is a form of active resistance that allows me to calmly approach the end of my day. I won't give my every waking thought to doomscrolling, news, media information that just reminds me of how far the entire world has to go in making equitable change for all. enough of that...

an ambience room I love

How I'm anticipating reading being a saving grace

1. Setting an alarm to stop working/cleaning/cooking/caregiving as I can for the day and making a cup of tea.
2. Preparing a stack of books and e-readers to go through
3. Sitting for no less than an hour or two in that position and read
4. Book journal and record my thoughts from what I'm reading
5. Read what my heart calls for even if it is another year of re-reading

busy nightstand

Teas that I love at nighttime 

1. Chamomile
2. Peppermint
3. Lavender
4. Cinnamon
5. Ginger

a novel im considering purchasing

Books I'm considering purchasing

1. Wintering by Katherine May (link to description at author's website)
2. Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction by Samantha Dawn Schalk (link to description at Duke University Press)

im excited to get this one
i love sami schalk

I am going to go into February with a new clear mind. I'm focused on prioritizing my well-being and mental health. That includes lots of reading and focus on slowing down.

Sending warmth and healing energy to all who need it.

Happy peaceful reading ☕️ 

returning to a spreadsheet for book organization

I had a wonderful trip to new york, and while I didn't visit any bookstores (no time), I had some of my favorite coffee and took a long, slow stroll through central park thinking about my life.

favorite cortado ever

I sometimes want to just scroll through my book titles and ponder which books to add to my currently reading list. I am all about current reads. NOT what I have just finished,  but what I am currently reading. With that in mind I am always rereading my favorites even if it is a super slow stroll through them again (hello Jane Eyre).

I have cycled through phases of using Goodreads to organize my reading, and I am kind of sick of it. I had a Goodreads account for about 12 years, and hundreds of followers on it, but I deleted it. I started to be bothered by the thing that doesn't seem to bother anyone else, and that is comments on my current reads.

"OMG, you will love the second half of the book!" ; "This ending will surprise you!" 

This wasn't on the fault of anyone. They weren't trying to spoil the book in any way, it's just the nature of seeing someone who loves a book engage with someone who is going to read it. It started to feel a lot like work and I already struggle with social media (something I am going to work on in 2025).

I do miss keeping an organized spreadsheet of my reading however and an analog journal of my current reads. I have a few ideas for how to reignite this and it includes a printer and a glue stick (more in a post soon).

People say the alternative is The Storygraph. I have tried it and I did enjoy the stats feature, but I am just realizing that I don't care that much about the stats. I reread so often that the stats start to feel like measurements that are quite useless for me personally. I doesn't matter to me how many pages I've read, in what format, in what genre, etc. This is a very individual thing for me. I want to be able to look at my own computer or notebook and review my books and remember how I felt when reading them.

time to delete goodreads for the second time

This could easily turn into a conversation about how much I loathe what Amazon has done to the book industry and how Goodreads is more of a way to study how people read than it is to help you organize your bookish life, but that's an obvious statement at this point. It's simply that I want to go back a time when I could reach on my bedside and "see" what I am working on, own my own thoughts, and not have to wait to log into a device to remember what books I'm reading.

It will take a long time to transfer (probably not that long) my books over to my google spreadsheet, and I will continue to work on this for quite some time. In a dream, I'll add the covers to my steady TBR in the spreadsheet and size them to fit, and take time to reorganize my kindle collections so that when I open my Kindle Fire I can see the pretty covers. 

Here are the sections I want to have in my spreadsheet:

1. Books I own physically
2. Digital books I own (that I don't also own physically)
3. List of books I haven't read
4. Sheet for Thomas Hardy
5. Sheet for Anita Brookner
6. Sheet for Dostoevsky
7. Sheet for Tolstoy
8. Sheet for Baldwin
9. Sheet for Morrison
10. Sheet for seasonal TBRs

That is just a starter. I am sure when I am organizing it, more will come to me. 

I am excited honestly. I have a new journal for reviews, a new journal for favorite quotes, and a stack at my bedside. Let the fun begin.

bedtime books

Anxiety has gripped me lately - there are life circumstances that have ushered me right into anxiety's living room that's for sure. 

I've found that I need something light for bedtime. I can't bring myself to pick up The Brothers Karamazov after a long day of stressful events. I am making time to read TBK and other extensive novels when the sun is up. After sundown, it's time to unwind a bit.

I accidentally purchased this novel, and I am glad that I did. Late one recent night, I opened it and I have been enjoying it honestly.

happy accidental purchase

Reasons that bedtime books are a good idea

1. It's a great way to unwind at night
2. You don't need a lot of brain power to consume them
3. It "lightens" things up
4. Feels like reading a tv movie/show

It's all about reading for well-being

I said it before and I will always say it. I don't read to impress anyone. I don't read for challenges or numbers. I read because without reading I would have a full on breakdown.

My life is very stressful, and reading allows me to slow down, focus and enter into another realm/world. It gives me pause from my own. That is powerful for me- and for all who experience it.

I will continue to have bedtime books. I'll seek to source them from my digital library (I read on kindle for sure when it is bedtime). I'll make a list of them in my library's "save" feature, and just see what I am in the mood for as I finish or dnf each one.

For now, it's helping me to turn screens off at night and sink into a novel before bed. I'll report back. 💤 

stealing minutes to read

as the month ended i read these

There are so many "how to read more" videos/list, but that isn't what this is about.

It's more a "how to make more time to do the things that help you to feel sane" kind of thing. 

I carry a small tote/bag with books/journals/kindles/highlighters wherever I go. Period. 

I also keep a kindle in my purse at all times. Nothing will ever change my mind. 

reading in the car in between appointments

I am gearing up for a very busy fall of 2024, and this is my favorite reading time of the year. I am up this Friday night making August reading plans, school plans, caregiver plans, life plans.

Without reading, I would not be able to maintain my sanity. I've been loving my re-reads in 2024. My classics tbr has fallen a bit apart, but I don't mind. :)

I don't mind "stealing" even 5 minutes to read. It's great to have a night to myself with nothing to do, but even 20 minutes during a busy day is sufficient until the night time. 

Happy reading. ☕️