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July 2025 Ultimate Blog Challenge #1

Who am I?

I am a blogger who hasn’t written consistently on this blog for quite some time. I think my last post was back in January.

I am a writer who writes every day for work and in a weekly writing community.

I am a returning UBC-er (Ultimate Blog Challenger)coming back after a brief hiatus, because, as my blog title suggests, we are living in times without a manual. Some people have thrown the manual out the window. Others never bothered to look at it in the first place. And yes, I am speaking politically. But I promise that not every post will be of a political nature. I don’t have that kind of energy. 😅

On the days that I feel so moved to speak out, you are welcome to skip those posts. I understand if my views aren’t your cup of tea. And if you would like to comment, please be respectful.

I am a proud Jewish-American who puts my Star of David necklace away in mixed company or if I’m going somewhere unfamiliar. I’ve never had to do that before, and I am jealous of those who don’t have to worry about wearing their faith in public. I have a lot to say about what it’s like being Jewish in 2025.

I am a Gen-Xer firmly planted in the “sandwich” generation. I love to see the humor and irony in this stage of life. There is plenty of both. I’ll share those stories with you as well.

I am a small business owner, a storyteller, an avid reader who loves to write book recommendations, a wife, a mom of two fabulous children, and a dog mom. You will see it all in my writing.

I am happy to be here and look forward to all of your posts.

XO,

Elisa

Reading Goals Reality Check

Two people in an independent bookstoreAren’t reading goals kind of silly? Honestly, I just want to read good books. Lots of them. That’s the goal. At least, that should be the goal. Right?

Last year, I was quite specific about my goals, and now I’m looking back at them and laughing my ass off. Here is how my year went:

Goal # 1 – Read 40 books in 2024.

Reality check – In September, I lowered my Goodreads goal to 35, then 30, then 25. Knowing I’d never hit 25 this month, I lowered it once more to 20 books. Then, I kind of cheated and added the last book on January 1st. I figured I earned that last book in 2024 because I had two chapters left to go, but you are supposed to count only when you finish. So, technically, I ended up with 20 books read in 2024 and finished my first book of 2025, “Be Ready When the Luck Comes,” by Ina Garten.

Side Note – I don’t consider myself a competitive person, except when it comes to reading. I can’t explain it, but I long to be one of those readers who can read 50 books in a year. But, while I’m a fast reader, I am concerned I’ll be too worried about finishing the book rather than enjoying it. How many books did you read this year?

2025 Goal – Read 40 books in 2025. (Yes, I’m a glutton for punishment regarding books).

Goal #2 – Complete the backlist book challenge, which means reading any title not published in 2024.

Reality check – I didn’t do too bad on this one. Half the books I read were from a backlist.

Side Note – I’m not a fan of official book challenges in any shape or form. They feel like another to-do list I must complete. Instead of motivation, I feel pressured to succeed. How do you feel about book challenges?

2025 Goal – Read the books I want, preferably more nonfiction.

Goal #3 – Track books on a Google spreadsheet to remember where I heard about different books, where I bought them, how I consumed them (actual book, e-reader, or audiobook), and why I liked them.

Reality check – 🤣🤣🤣

Side Note – This is too much work. I’m tracking my expenses, steps, calories, salt intake, water consumption (or lack thereof), word counts (in blog posts), LinkedIn connections, and much more. Maybe someday I’ll dig into my reading habits, but counting the books I finish is all I can manage for now.

2025 Goal – Take note of (not track!) where my book recommendations come from. I would like to know my best sources so I can focus on their content and listen to fewer book-themed podcasts.

Goal #4 – Buy less books. Borrow more.

Reality check – I’d have to look at my credit card to see if I accomplished this goal. I can tell you that I borrowed more from the library this year than ever before.

Side note – I love our local library. They can get any book for me. The question is, how long do I want to wait for it to come in?

2025 Goal – When I want another book, look on my bookshelf to see if something else appeals to me instead. If I still want the book, check the library before the bookstore. When all else fails, check Spotify Premium for the audiobook.

New 2025 Reading Goal

In general, I want to heighten my reading experience by carving out a half an hour to read every day. I want to sit by a fire and read in the cold weather. My patio will be the place to spend an afternoon in the spring and summer. I’d also like to seek out places to hang out and read. To that end, we have a membership to Longwood Gardens, a botanical marvel located about an hour away from me. My friend and I keep saying that we are going to go there one day, walk around, grab lunch, and read our books. We haven’t done it yet, but this is the year we will make that happen. In what ways do you enhance your reading life?

2024 Reading Highlights

On a positive note, I had some terrific bookish moments in 2024. Here are a few:

  • I discovered a new indie bookstore – Capricorn Books, in Jenkintown, PA. It’s small but packed with all the latest reads. It’s also 15 minutes from my house. My daughter took me there on my birthday and bought me a bunch of books. I hope that’s a tradition we continue.
  • I attended one author event and remembered how much I love going to them.
  • I had another successful “No Book Buy July.” I bought clothes for vacation instead.
  • Shout out to my book club for picking some fantastic books this year. I finally read “All That Is Mine I Carry With Me,” by William Landay. It’s still a terrible title, but a great read.
  • I DNF’d a lot of books. I gave it 50-75 pages, and if I didn’t like the book, I gave up. Why waste time on books that aren’t my cup of tea?
  • Favorite nonfiction book of the year – “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me,” by Whoopi Goldberg. It’s an excellent memoir. I recommend listening to it. She narrates it, and it’s like sitting in her living room as she shares her life story.
  • Favorite fiction book of the year – “Family Family by Laurie Frankel.
  • Least favorite fiction book of the year – “The Sequel,” by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I loved her first book, “The Plot,” and was so disappointed in this one. (I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I’m sticking to it.)
  • If you are new to my blog, I write a lot of book reviews. I’ll be diving into a few of them this month during the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Stay tuned.

Last thing. I canceled my Audible Premium Plus subscription after learning that Spotify Premium offered better books and more of them for $5 less. I thought I’d pass that on.

Okay, it’s your turn. How was your reading year? Do you set reading goals? Let me know in the comments.

XO,
Elisa

My Notebook Addiction

Writing in a notebook

My daughter told me that I have a serious obsession with buying notebooks. No, not obsession—a sickness. And she’s not wrong.

While helping me reorganize my home office this weekend, she was taken aback by the different types of notebooks I own. I keep them in random baskets and desk drawers. And I know there are more. If we were cleaning out my bedroom closet, she would have found maybe a dozen more. Those pages are mostly filled with old blog posts and stories I only share with certain people. In my defense, they are keepsake journals, which are entirely different notebooks and shouldn’t count in the grand total.

I’m just sayin…

From pretty journals to practical notepads, I admit to having a nice collection. And by collection, I mean a plethora of notebooks. I can’t help myself. Sometimes, when I want to support an indie bookstore and know I don’t need another novel, I buy a notebook instead. This way, I don’t leave the store empty-handed. I’ve accumulated others that came to me as giveaways at workshops and conferences I’ve attended over the years. I tend to save them, but they don’t collect dust. I scribble down ideas that come to me at 2 am that I know I’ll forget in the daylight hours. These are my “in case of emergency” notebooks for when I have nothing else to write on.

I can’t say that I’m loyal to a particular brand. I was a big fan of Moleskine’s classic notebooks. They are sleek, high-quality journals that come in various sizes and colors. I’m still a fan and often tempted to buy them, but they are expensive. So, I switched to yellow notepads and CVS scratch pads. Soon enough, I worked my way back up to less costly but more appealing bound notebooks with bold colors and inspiring quotes on the cover. My latest purchase is a beauty. The colors are gorgeous, and the quote is from Vice President Kamala Harris. “Dream with Ambition. Lead with Conviction.” They are certainly words to live by.

At this point, I’m sure I have enough journals to write my life story. However, my work life has overshadowed my writing time lately, and the blank notebooks accumulated with only my good intentions to fill them. But eventually, I hope the stories that go into those notebooks will be of great value for generations to come.

I’m glad that my “sickness” is out in the open. Maybe someone will read this, see me at a Barnes & Noble in the stationery section, and pull me away before I make a purchase. When you do, please remind me of the notebooks sitting at home waiting for my pen and my words to grace their pages.

XO,

Elisa

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