In my last post of 2021, I listed some disappointments of the year and goals for the new one. Number 1 on the list: Reading for pleasure. Since I didn’t read any books just for fun in 2021, I set a goal of 12 for 2022. I didn’t really count as I went and didn’t […]
Where Do You Retreat to Read?
The past few months have been—how do I put this?—far from restful. Trauma from losing a loved one, an intense workload, and a nagging illness have all combined to force me to do something I’m not that good at: Rest. So I’ve had to learn this art of resting. And part of that has been […]
New Year Goals #Giveaway
Happy New Year’s Eve. It’s an especially special day at our house since it’s our son’s birthday. He’s twenty. How did that happen? Wasn’t it just yesterday that after 2 1/2 months of bed rest, the doctor sent me to the hospital to be induced. Three hours of pain later, a nurse said, “Maybe you’ll […]
When Reading Becomes Unhealthy…
I’ve recently been pondering the question: Can reading be unhealthy? My immediate answer is no, because there are so many good and positive benefits for our mental, emotional, and spiritual health from reading books that feed our hearts and minds. Many studies have shown that illiteracy and being unable to read, listen, comprehend or communicate […]
Comfort Reads
Blessings to you this new year! Chances are, the start of a new calendar hasn’t changed the circumstances we were living in 2020. Although I believe better times are coming, I know I’ve struggled battling frustration and fear with all that’s happening around us. One of the experiences are family had been going through the […]
Making Time to Read #Giveaway
The love of reading inspired me to be a writer. But since I started writing, I don’t have time to read. It’s a conundrum. When I read, I like to focus–to really give my time to the book and read it in two to three days. Over that last several years, I read a book […]
When Life Impacts Your Reading + giveaway
Crazy times we’re living in, aren’t they? As if our world wasn’t overstressed and sending us safe into the escape of fictional worlds already, now we’re facing the uncertainty of a new virus pandemic, quarantine, and a multitude of other new stressors. And many of us are trying to find new ways to cope because […]
Random Ramblings + Reader Poll
I haven’t even started, and I know this post is going to be all over the place, thus the title. I have so much I want to say, and I can’t decide on one specific topic for my final post of the year. I’m glad 2020 is only a few days away (though Christmas hasn’t […]
‘Twas the Night After Christmas
Happy Reading to All, and to All a Good Year! ‘Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the house Not a human was stirring, not even my spouse— The peppermint tea at my elbow did sit; The cat on my lap was too fat to fit. The children were nestled all snug in their […]
What Are You Reading?
I ended up teaching more classes this school year than what I had anticipated, and one thing has become infinitely clear: More classes means more grading. As an English teacher, you’d think I’d have understood this going in. Summer has a way of washing our memories clean, though, so that we forget the parts of […]