On My Nightstand March 23, 2024

a stack of books teetering on the edge of my nightsand

It’s a cold and rainy Saturday to start spring break. I have a lot to do, but this day just calls for reading under blankets so we’ll see. Maybe I’ll split the difference.

I have some time off this week so I’m hoping to get through a big stack of books! I’m finally seeing the end of Brothers Karamazov in the distance, and I want to make some progress on my challenges. March has not been an easy reading month for me. Hoping for better things in April.

Have a great week!

Quote of the week

“Opportunity did not knock until I built the door.”

— Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

What I’m Reading This Week

On Kindle - Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb - Sometimes you just need a cozy mystery to get past your concentration issues you know?

On Paper - The Physicist’s Daughter by Mary Anna Evans - For a book club. So far so good.

On Audio- The Stand by Stephen King - I’ve been wanting to re-read this for a while, and found out I had the audio version hiding on my phone.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday February 21, 2024

I spent some time in Charlottesville, VA over the long weekend. I walked more than I had in months which was a great feeling.

I’m about to start The Longest Line on the Map by Eric Rutkow. I’ve been in a bit of a slump so I’m hoping some good old geography will knock me out of it.

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We're Halfway There

We’re halfway through the year

We’re halfway there guys. While I gave up on my 2020 reading goals long, long ago I didn’t stop tracking and I’m surprised to say I’m not actually doing too bad.

This year I set three goals:

• Read 200 books (around 16 or 17 books a month) - So far I’ve read 102 books this year

• Read books that take place in 20 different countries - I’m at lucky 13 right now

• Read 20 new to me cookbooks and cook at least one recipe from each one - This has been the hardest one considering my lack of access to specialty ingredients, but I’m up to 6.

Of my 102 books 16 have been re-reads, 33 have been audiobooks, and 26 have been non-fiction. (Some of these categories overlap.)

I must admit that there are a lot of books I read in March and April that I barely remember. But around May I started loving books again. I never buy books, but this month I have been, probably more than I’ve been reading. Buying books from independent stores, books by BIPOC authors, and buying books that will give my kids something to do feels like a positive step I can take to help the world. So I’ve been going with it, and dropping them in local Little Free Libraries when I’m done. It’s part of my COVID-19 routine now. And this week my library opened again for curbside pickup. I got some of the books I put on hold in March, and while those books don’t appeal to me much now I was happy to see my library again. I hope they feel okay about working again, and that they feel protected.

On Friday I’ll tell you my favorite books of the year so far.

How To Escape A Reading Slump

When I go on vacation I usually pack books before clothes. So when I didn't have any ideas of what I should read on my last vacation, and ended up reading The Thorn Birds just because it was part of a reading challenge and long enough to occupy me all week I knew something was off. I was entering a reading slump. I've been back a week, and it's still going on. I haven't had one this bad since I was pregnant, and it took all my brain power just to remember my PIN.

I'm trying not to fret. I'm trying not to push it. But the truth is I can't engage in anything, and I've been abandoning books like no one's business.

This too shall pass. In the mean time, here are a few strategies I use when I'm in a reading slump:

• Read magazines
• Read cookbooks
• Read short stories
• Listen to podcasts
• Reading just my favorite parts of my favorite books

What do you do when you're in a reading slump?