We’ve all seen the lists of books that “you must read before you die” or that “you should have read in high school.” I’m personally not a believer in placing too many “shoulds” around our reading lives—my thinking is that you should read what you want to, and not feel any guilt about the books… Continue Reading
It’s been said that there are two categories of people in the world: those who like to categorize people into groups, and those who don’t. I’m an unapologetic categorizer. I like to put myself in boxes, and have no problem doing the same with others. So here’s a bookish classification question for us to ponder… Continue Reading
One of the best aspects of choosing a new word each year is that it gives me a fresh lens through which to view the world for the next twelve months. In past years I’ve found myself spotting my words in everything from life experiences to movies I’m watching, and this year with Grace is… Continue Reading
A new year calls for some new reading goals! You’ve probably figured out by now that reading is my very favorite pastime. I need zero prompting to pick up a book, or to get through as many books as possible. However, I do need a little external motivation to guarantee that I’m making the most… Continue Reading
We did it! We made it through our journey through literary history! At the start of the year I set out to read one book from each decade of the twentieth century, as well as one book published before 1900, and one published since the year 2000. I set this challenge in order to push… Continue Reading
I’m approaching the end of my reading journey through the twentieth century, and this month I landed in the 1990s. The ’90s are a decade very near and dear to my readerly heart because it was during those years that I became an independent reader and truly fell in love with reading (beyond just picture books). Many… Continue Reading
I’ve had a lot of fun with my personal Reading Challenge this year, and the literary snapshots of decades past have given me a better understanding of the the world as it existed before my time. This month’s category is A book written during the 1980s, a decade with which I have personal experience. . .… Continue Reading
My literary journey through history is inching ever closer to the 21st century, and this month I visited (through books) the 1970s. Though this decade is closer than all the previous ones to my own life experience (obviously), I feel like it’s the decade I know the least about. When I turn my brain to… Continue Reading
As hard as it is to believe, we are down to the final third of 2017, which means that my 2017 Reading Challenge journey through literary history is inching closer to the 21st century. This month’s challenge was to read a book written during the 1960s. The “turbulent but creative 1960s” were an outward expression… Continue Reading
My journey through literary history has taken me into the 1950s. Thanks to television and movies, and to having parents who were born in the ’50s, I feel as though I have a better understanding of this decade than previous ones. When I think about the 1950s, I envision a fun, carefree era dominated by… Continue Reading