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Archive of ‘My Reading Life’ category

Anti-Coronavirus Activities

I’m sick of talking about this virus. Talking about it and listening to the news is like a plague within a plague.

So, I’m not going to write about it either. At least, not tonight. Here are some wonderful distractions to keep me from talking or listening or reading about…well, you know.

Let’s see…

I’ve become quite the competitor on Words With Friends–so much so that I had to delete the game from my phone because I was getting nothing else accomplished.

In other exciting news, I am one entire book ahead of schedule on my 2020 Goodreads challenge. I’m hesitant to recommend any of them to you though. Not because they weren’t fantastic reads, but picking the books you want to read should be up to you. Everyone has their own taste, and there are so many to choose from. Having said that…if you don’t have The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides on your list, you must buy it immediately.

Just sayin’ 😉

if you have followed my blog for a while or are one of my Facebook friends, you know that jigsaw puzzles bring me much joy and a zen feeling many of us might be craving these days because of… oops, never mind.

I’ve lost track of how many of them I’ve done since March. All I can say is that I know I’ve ordered more puzzles than I’ve finished. My TBC (to be completed) tower of puzzles might be just as tall as the TBR pile on my nightstand.

Oh! I was so bored one day that when Staples sent me an email requesting a review of my purchase of Wite-Out, I couldn’t say no. Perfect timing! How did they even know I was a writer?! I told them I’d be happy to. I thought it was pretty creative, but you tell me.

“Seriously? What can I say about Wite-Out? You don’t know you need it or remember that it even exists until you mess something up, and it is literally the only thing that can come to your rescue. Great texture. Same horrible smell. Not too tasty. But, it worked like a dream. Does it really need to come in a two-pack? I only needed one bottle.”  

Sadly, this might be the highlight of my quarantine life. That and spending time with my family, of course.

What are you doing to distract yourself these days?

 

 

Celebrating World Book Day

Yesterday was World Book Day, a day to appreciate reading and publishing. In my life, every day is World Book Day, but I was happy to mark the occasion with the newly-published book “I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf” by Grant Snider. Mr. Snider is an illustrator who I follow on Facebook. He has this uncanny and original way of reaching into my soul as a writer and a bookworm and putting my love of books into his drawings.

I read his book from cover to cover yesterday. You would think it would be a quick read because it is a book of drawings. However, each illustration is thought-provoking as well as entertaining, and I absorbed it all.

And for the record, my bookshelves are real, and they are spectacular. 😉

I only wish I had one large bookshelf to display them all. Right now, my books are in different rooms around the house. I have a small set of nice crates in my bedroom closet that serves as my “go-to” shelf for my next read. These crates are home to trendy novels like “Daisy Jones and The Six”; professional development books with titles like “The Myth of the Nice Girl”; and writing guides which include my absolute favorite “Writing is My Drink.”

Across the hallway in Jenna’s room, I have books that I have read, enjoyed and can’t bear to part with yet. Some of these books include “Tumbleweeds” by Leila Meacham and “Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah. I keep these books are close by so I can visit them and reminisce, but far enough away so as not to distract me from the books on my “to-be-read” shelves.

And then, there are the books downstairs in our home office–the purgatory for my books. These will eventually be donated or given away. Most of them are Dilbert anthologies and parenting books that have served me well. I was a huge fan of Dilbert when the comic strip first came out. It made me feel that I was not alone in the workplace. I still look at them, but my love has faded because now I just nod and say “yep, that’s true.” As for the parenting books, they were wise and witty when my kids were younger, but not much use to me now.

Home organizer and author Marie Kondo wrote in her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” that we should only keep things that spark joy in our lives. I 100 percent agreed with her until the chapter about books. She recommended keeping no more than 30 books in a collection. I understand she has since clarified this statement for us, highly-offended bibliophiles. But now that you know all about my bookshelves, I am sure you can guess which one her book is on.

Reading Professionally

Whenever I head off to a conference for work, I typically leave room in my suitcase – not for souvenirs – but for books. And while I’d love to say the books I buy come from exploring and supporting the local indie bookstores, it is more likely that you will find me in the exhibit hall buying the book of a speaker who just inspired me.

Basically, the better the conference; the more books I bring home.

As a result, I have built my own library of professional development books. And I admit while a few have been read, there are a bunch more that have collected a good amount of dust.

But, not anymore.

I don’t know whether it is the quarantine or the smell of disinfectant wipes that have gone to my brain, but I gave myself another challenge this month.

In addition to the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I am selecting books I’ve purchased at these conferences to read and post articles about on LinkedIn. I might as well put my time to good use. I did pay for them with my hard-earned money after all, and honestly, I could use a little inspiration and career advice right now.

And while I’m typically a fast reader, these books come with exercises to work through in order to get the most out of their message. Therefore, I’m giving myself two weeks to read and work through each one.

If this quarantine has gifted me anything, it has been the gift of time. So, I have no excuses to meet both the UBC and my LinkedIn reading challenge.

If you are interested in these reviews, leave me a note in the comments and I will send you my LinkedIn page so we can connect.

Whatever you are reading during this crazy time, I hope it brings you joy. Happy reading!

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