I read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell over a decade ago, before I kept any regular record on Goodreads. I picked it up for a reading challenge–the prompt was a book longer than one you’d usually read–and also because I had been intrigued by the reviews. Magic and fantasy are not typically my thing, but... Continue Reading →
20–okay, 10–books of summer
For book lovers, at least for those of us who follow book blogs, 20 Books of Summer, hosted by Cathy at 746 Books, heralds the start of summer. The last time I tried to participate was in 2019. Things...didn't go well. And then there were two summers that went--wait, where did they go? I've been... Continue Reading →
2021: My Reading Year
Well, I think it's safe to say this year has been kind of strange for all of us. Here in the Netherlands, we were in full lockdown for the first half of the year, and now we're back here again until mid-January. I won't even begin to pretend that the pandemic hasn't affected my reading,... Continue Reading →
Writers & Lovers
Writers & Lovers by Lily King"I can’t find one moment, one sentence, that’s any good. Even the scenes I’ve clung to when all else seems lost—those first pages I wrote in Pennsylvania and the chapter I wrote in Albuquerque that poured out of me like a visitation—have dimmed. It all looks like a long stream... Continue Reading →
Freestyle Friday: In with the old, out with the new…
Okay, everyone. Get ready for a ramble! I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts on both the past reading year and the reading year ahead for several months. I had a pretty decent year in reading for 2019, clocking in at 51 books, and for the first time ever, I completed the 20/15/10 Books of... Continue Reading →
Favorite books of the last decade, and a little musing on the new year
Happy New Year! I cannot believe it's already 2020. It didn't even hit me until mid-December, but when it did, I immediately started to think about my favorite books of the past ten years. I compiled this list on New Year's Eve by scrolling through Goodreads and the blog and then posted it on New... Continue Reading →
Another #10booksofsummer update and other bookish things
We’re right at that part of the #10booksofthesummer challenge where I start to lose momentum. So far I’ve read seven out of the 15 books I chose to give myself a variety of options. Ha, variety. I know the books left in the stack are all probably all range from good to great, but I... Continue Reading →
#10BooksofSummer Check-in
Hello All! I hope your summer is going well. I figure we’re somewhere around the mid-point of #20BooksofSummer (but am too lazy to do any actual counting), so I thought I’d check in and share how things have been going so far. I’m happy to say that I’ve read five books on the list: Oral... Continue Reading →
10 Books of Summer Challenge
Well, hello there! Nothing like getting back into the swing of things like joining a challenge. I've been itching to get back to the blog, so when Cathy at 746 Books announced her annual 20 Books of Summer challenge, I decided this might be a prime opportunity. Now, I've failed to complete this challenge before,... Continue Reading →
Reader’s Journal: Train Dreams
Train Dreams is one of those books that has seemed to crop up on "Best of" lists at the end of each year for the last few years. I first had the chance to read Denis Johnson in graduate school when I was assigned to read Fiskadoro for a class on the post-modern Twentieth century... Continue Reading →