Category Archives: Bookish Things

Gift Ideas for Christmas

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Christmas is coming. I mean, some people have had their decorations out all month. And I know that gift lists are already being shared. If you are looking to add to your list or are looking for a gift idea for someone else, I may be able to help. I have read a lot of books this year (and some in years past) that I think are very noteworthy and would make great gifts

For the kid selections, I will preface this with the fact that these books are based on my own experience of having a toddler. Here are some of our favorites this year.

I try to buy a new Christmas book every year, and this year my favorite children’s book author released one in September called All The Colors of Christmas! In a nutshell, it’s a beautifully illustrated, beautifully written book full of nostalgia and the real meanings of the Christmas season listed by color.

The Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson is a double murder mystery set in an elite boarding school. Each of the three books in the series reveals a little more of the clues of each mystery, one set in the 1930s and one present day. The character growth and inclusion in this series is stellar. I wrote about the first one here.

Neal Shusterman’s The Arc of the Scythe series is a bit more science fiction. It faces the ideas of death, mortality, love, and humanity in a three book series. It also strives to be inclusive as well. While the ending wasn’t what I expected, it was still a fun ride. The first book’s review is here.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton, which is more of a straight historical fiction based on a hurricane that Florida in 1935. It follows three different women as they are searching for different things within their lives, defining what freedom really is in a post-WW1 America.

For a literature friend, or someone who loves Jane Austen books, The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner is an absolute delight. There is the trigger warning of pregnancy loss, but I felt that it was appropriate and well done. I wrote more about it here.

The last three are my favorite authors, so any from them I would recommend, but here are a few ideas.

Deborah Harkness who wrote the All Souls Trilogy. She is a professor and historian which comes across in her books in a beautiful way. I first read Discovery of Witches back in 2014 and wrote this review.

VE Schwab, or Victoria Schwab, is also an amazing author who writes YA, Adult, and Middle Grade. There are so many I could recommend. Most of her books are in paranormal or fantasy genres. Her middle grade series starts with the City of Ghosts which is excellent, and the next (and I think final) book in the series is coming out soon, so it would be a fun series to read straight through!

Erin Morgenstern hasn’t written as many books, but the ones that she has are amazing, lyrical fantasies. I would recommend Night Circus first, though her books are not connected. I just felt like the Night Circus was a little easier to follow for someone who hasn’t read her before.

This year there have been a lot of books about race and racial justice, and a lot of suggestions in this category from years past. I haven’t read nearly as many as I would have like, but if you have someone in your life who is reading these topics, I would recommend How to Be Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi. It follows his own journey in social justice, people who inspired him and mistakes he made.

Another book in this category that leans more towards history, particularly within the church is The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby. I learned a lot about the evolution of the church in America, both white and black.

And finally, Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski has to have been my all time favorite book this year. It changed the way I saw stress and how I was contributing and sabotaging my own life. Game. Changer.

There are so many books that I loved this year, that it was hard to suggest just a few books. What are some books you have enjoyed this year?

A Recent Find

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When I travel, my go-to activity is to peruse a used or independent bookstore. I like going to independent bookstores for several reasons. First, the owner or the staff will talk about their love of books for hours, which is something I’m very comfortable doing as an introvert. I usually find a new friend by the time I leave. Second, each store is unique to its community. There are always events going on, even the book selection can reflect what that particular community reads. And third, I always walk away with a new book to read.

This year, we haven’t done much traveling. I feel like that is a common thread among a lot of people. But we did manage to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas this month to a lake house for a week. It was secluded enough for my anxiety, but there were still activities my family could do that were pretty socially distanced (like hiking and exploring nature).

Even the one day we ventured into downtown Hot Springs, we were still pretty careful. But as I was preparing for our trip, I learned a very sad truth. There are no independent bookstores in this town. So, I wasn’t expecting much that day, which led to a very pleasant surprise.

I only entered two shops. The first shop for a Christmas ornament commemorating our singular trip of the year. And the second a toy shop called The Toy Chest (because we had grandparents with us who wanted to spoil our kid just a bit). When I entered the toy shop, it was stacked with toys, but in one little corner were about six shelves of children’s books.

I spoke with the cashier who said that the shop had been open for over 20 years. In that time, the husband who, along with his wife, founded the store had been in charge of the book selection. He was a bookseller. When he started talking about the books, his love became infectious. Sadly, he passed away last year, but the family still lovingly chooses the books placed on those shelves.

The first book I purchased was Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights. I want to add cloth bound books to my collection and this one was beautiful. I’m not as familiar with the other tales from the Arabian Nights, so I look forward to reading all of them.

And the second book I purchased was Julie Andrew’s Treasury for All Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year (yes, that Julie Andrews). I had been searching for poems and songs to share with my kid throughout the year. Some months had been quite difficult, so I’m excited to have this collection. Although, there are some holidays that have become problematic in more recent years (we will more than likely skip those poems), there are a lot of selections that are perfect to share.

Thanks to this toy shop, my tradition continues. I look forward to sharing these stories with my child as he grows up. As well as growing my collection to support independent bookstores and how important they are to their communities, as well as those who are just passing through.

A Simple Request

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Last fall, my family took a trip to Illinois. Part of our trip was in the Chicago area, where we each got to do something fun. My pick was to travel to Evanston to visit the Page 1 Books store. I like to visit independent stores whenever I travel, and I had been following them on Instagram for a while.

Page 1 Books started (and still is) a subscription service where you give them a list of books you have enjoyed and then they send you a surprise book that you might enjoy. You can also order books through their store, bookish goodies, or a little of both in some of their book bundles.

When I visited their store on my trip, it was the most magical experience. The store is nestled in a quaint row of shops. As I stepped in, I was pulled into the pictures I had seen on their Instagram. Quotes on the wall, books on the shelves, even the sweet little kids section. I was a total fangirl.

Then, I met Brandy, the owner, who was just as awesome in person. We talked for a bit, took pictures, and then something magical happened.

I knew I was going to buy a book. That was something I did any time I visited an independent bookstore. Brandy offered to help me decide. I talked about some of the books I had read recently that I really enjoyed. I was skimming the shelves as I talked. There were several books on the shelves that I thought might be interesting, but nothing seemed to be just right.

I had been reading books about books and bookstores, really enjoying this niche genre of sorts. That’s when Brandy opened drawer in the shelves and pulled out the book that was sitting by itself, Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay. Not only did it fit what I was looking for subject-wise, but it took place in Evanston, the perfect souvenir book for this special trip.

Like many, many other small businesses, Page 1 Books had to close its doors to the public due to social distancing. You can still purchase bookish goodies and subscriptions on their site. And you can also purchase books as well through Bookshop.org. But because of this pandemic, they are still struggling to make ends meet. That’s where we can make a difference. Here’s Brandy with more:

Click here to donate and help Page 1 Books bring the magic of books to many more readers.

Don’t forget those businesses that made a difference when you walked through their doors. Whether you order delivery from the local restaurants, or purchase gift cards at your favorite shops, you can make a difference. This whole experience has opened my eyes, and it’s changed how I will purchase things in the future. Not just in books, although let’s be honest, that’s where most of my money goes!

Do you have any favorite small businesses? How is everyone holding up?

Books and Bookish Goals

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Last year, I made a goal to read 44 books.  I knew I would have an unpredictable year, so I gave myself a goal of reading 4 books a month with a month of margin.  Apparently, I needed that margin because as the year ended, my life became very busy!  I managed to just barely eek out the last two books in December (though both were wonderful!).

But this year, while predictability is never going to be a thing in my life again, I want to challenge myself by adding a few books to my goal.  I also know that my schedule is going to shift a bit this year in favor of a little more space.  One example is removing the phone from my bedside will free up the time I spend mindlessly scrolling first thing in the morning or last thing at night.  I can replace that with more reading time.

So, this year, I’m going to try to read 48 books.  That is about 4 books a month, which I think will be doable. 

I also want to curb the book collecting binge that was 2019.  I was receiving books from family, free books from the library, and all the new releases and occasional trips to Half Price Books.  So, I have a lot of books waiting to be read on my shelves.  That being said, there are still a few books that I will probably preorder this year.  My favorite authors have books coming out this year, so I can’t say I won’t get another new book this year.  But I will definitely be cultivating my personal library, purging some of the authors I no longer read to make room for the favorites I will read over and over again.

In addition to what is already on my shelves, I plan to continue with the two book clubs I joined last year.  Life’s Library and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club.  Life’s Library sends a book and some bookish goodies every six weeks. There is a Discord conversation that you can participate in as you read the book, and the money goes to support combating maternal mortality in Sierra Leone.  The MMD Book Club is a monthly subscription. They don’t send you the book each month, but I generally can find them in the library. It also includes a lot of discussions with the authors as well as little bookish “classes”.  Both book clubs have expanded my reading tastes, helping me to hone what I love in literature (and sometimes what I don’t).

I’m really looking forward to where reading will take me this year.  Even though I will definitely try my hardest, I may not reach that goal.  Life tends to be erratic that way.  Still, at least in this case, it really is about the journey, not the destination.  And I’m going to enjoy this journey, one book at a time.

A Little Reading Chat

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The Autumn season tends to bring up thoughts of cozy blankets, big arm chairs, a large mug of tea, and a good book.

But here in Texas, it is just getting to that point. I mean, I was in shorts just three days ago. It’s been ridiculous. And maybe that has contributed to my reading slump.

Maybe it was the vain attempt to finish a book I wasn’t in the right mindset to read.

Maybe it was the collection of really good shows that just came out on Netflix. (If you have Netflix, and you haven’t seen Raising Dion, you need to remedy that ASAP).

Maybe it was the our new weekly family schedule that began this fall.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep I’ve been getting lately because the boy hasn’t been sleeping well either.

Maybe, and most probably, it is all of the above.

By the time I crawl into bed at the end of the day, all I want to do is crash. And I do get up pretty early in the morning, but whatever energy I have managed to cultivate overnight has been dedicated to my Mom’s group bible study workbook (which is about false gods, that I talked about last week) or my continuation of reading the entire Bible in a year (I’m so close to the end of the year it would be crazy to stop, but Jeremiah is heavy material, ya’ll).

I guess I am reading. And I do have two books I’m reading right now when I get a few minutes here and there in my day. Also, it’s kind of adorable that every time I pull out one of my books in front of my son, he finds a book that he’s desperate for me to read (so, really, if you count all the kids’ books I’ve been reading lately, I’ve hit my year’s goal and then some).

I just started watching “Living With Your Self” starring Paul Rudd on Netflix. I don’t know if I like it yet or not, I’m just in the second episode, but if I were cloned, I would definitely use that opportunity to read more books. Although if I were to be honest, I would rather have a time turner because I’m sure my clone would get totally jealous of my reading time.

So, maybe I wouldn’t call this a slump, per se. More like just a busy season in my life. But it’s a good season, full of happy memories being made every day. And now that it’s cold, we have all the fun activities like, snuggles on the couch and that sensation you get when you’ve been outside long enough to get your nose red and then come back into to a warm house. I much rather would go from being cold to warm than the other way around. But that’s just me.

I hope wherever you are, you are staying warm and reading well. Enjoying life and making memories. Have a happy Tuesday, everyone!

Have you ever experienced a slump? How did you deal with it? (And it doesn’t have to be a reading slump!)

TBR lists and why I’m taking a break.

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For those of you who may not recognize the acronym, TBR stands for To Be Read. It means the list of books you plan to read in a given time period, usually a month but it could be a year or even a season. I haven’t really done a TBR in a while on this blog. I’ve been having a bit of a hot-cold experience with my monthly TBR books for the last few months. (I’ve been sharing that TBR list on my Instagram feed instead of here on the blog). So I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and forgo the monthly TBR stack in exchange for a book by book reading. Here is why.

My reading life has evolved since the beginning of the year.

At the beginning of the year, I wanted to broaden my reading life. I was trying to read an adult fiction, YA, nonfiction, and a classic. At the time, I didn’t count the book I was already reading for the Life’s Library book club, and since then I have joined the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club. Just these two book clubs alone have given ample opportunities to broaden the books I usually read.

Plus, I buy books throughout the year. Books from the backlists of my favorite authors, books that are recommended to me, books with pretty covers (what? sometimes I have no shame). And when I finish a book, sometimes I want to read another just like it, sometimes I want to read something completely different. Having no TBR will allow me that freedom.

I’ve gotten really caught up in trying to finish all of the books in the stack that I’m actually getting into reading slumps.

This happened last month. I was desperately trying to finish a book on my TBR that felt like I was walking through quicksand. There was nothing inherently wrong with the book. In fact, I really enjoyed the content, the writing, even some of the points in the book were things I’ve studied in the past that I found interesting and convicting. But right now, I need to put the book down. I need to read something different – a different format, genre, author, something.

So, not making that TBR will give me the freedom to say, “I will finish this some other time.” I don’t have to feel the pressure to get it done within a certain time frame. And maybe after finishing another book, or time passing in general, there will be a right time for me to pick that book back up and finish it.

As the end of the year approaches, I will have less time to devote to reading.

There have been some rumblings of chaos in my life lately. Typically, the last four months of the year are my busy season. This year has been a little crazier than usual, so I can only imagine that the next few months are going to get interesting. I’m really excited to experience everything, but I also need to realistic with my time. So, giving myself some space to do so will only benefit my reading life, instead of the TBR that will just belabor it.

So, instead of a TBR, I’m taking a page out of my new, more relaxed, blogging schedule and just share the reviews of a book when I complete it. I will also probably share what I’m reading in the moment on my Instagram, so again, if you don’t follow me on there, you will be missing half of the story.

All of that being said, there is a book to the left of my computer right now demanding that I open it. I’m so excited to read this one as it was recommended to me recently (and I couldn’t help myself, I already read a few pages a couple days ago). So, I’m off! Happy reading everyone!

May TBR

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I’m taking a bit of a break this month, which I will talk about later this week, but I still have a TBR list that I’m hoping to accomplish.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This author has been all over my feeds for the last year. I purchased this book a while ago, but had so many others I wanted to read first. Probably because I’m a bit intimidated. Sanderson is known for his long prose, and I’m a little afraid I won’t like his work after all the hype. Elantris was his first book, and even though it’s not his most famous work, it is all set in the same world so I’m good with starting at the beginning . We will see how it goes.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I’m pretty sure I have read this before, but I wanted something on the shorter end because of the Sanderson book this month. They made a movie a few years ago, and it’s on Netflix still, I believe, so I might watch it after reading the book.

Adamant by Lisa Bevere. I got this book during a sale at Hobby Lobby. And I have been wanting to dig in ever since. I don’t know much about the author, but I follow her on Twitter, and there have been a lot of good reviews and responses to this book.

The Wicked King by Holly Black. I read the first book in this series when it came out last year. I didn’t hear much feedback on this second book, but the third book and its cover have already been announced, so I feel like I need to read this ASAP.

What are you reading this month?

April TBR

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I liked the themes I’ve been doing the past two months, both for Black History Month and Women’s History Month. I don’t think I will continue with themes, but I couldn’t help myself doing it one last time. Of course, this has nothing especially to do with April, but I thought I would read some science fiction since I had a book in just about every one of my categories.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.  I have been wanting to read this book for months now, and I finally have it on my monthly TBR. In fact, it’s the book that inspired the sci-fi theme. I don’t know much about the plot other than it’s about a girl who takes a picture of this mysterious robot that shows up and she deals with the fame fallout.

The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD. So this isn’t science fiction, per se, but it does kind of fit into the science realm. It’s one of the books I picked up for parenting, and I’m interested to see what it says. I like holistic approaches, and it seems to be leaning in that direction.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This was a big series in the YA community that actually completed last year with the book Obsidio. The format is really fascinating which is what pulled me to the book in the first place. It’s a collection of notes and emails and other correspondence back and forth. I’m intrigued.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. I think I read this book in school, but I don’t really remember what it is about, other than it probably takes place on Mars. But it fits the science fiction theme, so I’m excited to read it.

What are you reading this month?

March TBR

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Since the books from Black History month worked out so well, I thought I would try to do it again for Women’s History Month.  Of course, I have a lot of books written by women, so I tried to whittle it down to the four books. It was really hard because there is so much I want to read. Here’s my final four.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  It’s funny because before I chose this book, I saw nothing but accolades for it, but after I chose it, I’ve been seeing a lot of harsher critiques.  I’m trying to go in with an open mind and make my own decision.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.  A friend recommended it a year ago and it has been sitting on my shelf for a while, so I’m finally going to read it.  I read a collection of her essays which were okay, but I’m hoping to enjoy her fiction more.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson.  The second book in the Truly Devious series.  I read the first on towards the end of last year so excited to continue this mystery!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  I’m a little intimidated about this book, but I really love Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights so I am interested to see how much I like her sister’s novel.

What are you reading this month?

February TBR

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This year, I’m trying to read four books a month. I completed this goal last month with It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst, Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness, Devian by Shanna Bosarge, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I might do something with all my classic reviews at the end of the year, or maybe towards the middle of the year, we shall see. But the other reviews are linked above.

This month is Black History Month, and I thought it would be interesting to read only black authors this month. So, here is my line up.

For my nonfiction, I’m reading I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. This has been on my TBR since last year, and a friend of mine read it and said it was a good read. Also, I follow her on Twitter, which is really where I find a lot of the authors I enjoy.

For my classic, I’m reading A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. This is my classic pick for the month. I think I read this in high school, but I don’t remember it. I wanted to switch up my classics and read a play, so this was a good match.

For YA Fiction, I’m reading On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. I read her first book, The Hate U Give last year and really enjoyed it. This book takes place in the same neighborhood but follows the story of another girl who faces homelessness while trying to make a name for herself as a rapper. It isn’t pictured above because it comes out tomorrow.

And finally, my Adult Fiction will be Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse. This was a random but fascinating book. I like Sherlock Holmes, and I came across his second book, Mycroft and Sherlock, at the library. When I realized it was the second book, I stopped reading it and placed the first book on hold. And yes, this is the basketball player. Apparently, he is a huge Sherlock fan. I’ve already started this one and it’s already fascinating.

I’m also reading A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit for the Life’s Library book club and Reviving Old Scratch by Richard Beck for another book study, but they are on different time frames. The four books above I will try to actually complete this month.

What are you reading this month?