I am 3 books ahead of schedule in my goal to read 40 books this year.  Here’s what I read last month and what I am currently reading now.

Read

• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. I had the honor and privilege to interview Natalie Jenner for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club last month! Insert excited and shocked face emoji! And after talking with the author, I love this book so much! I was struggling with reading words on a page, but I flew through it on audio.
• A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Finished my fourth book in the Inspector Gamache series. And with the weather slowly beginning to get cooler, I will soon be on to the fifth, which is set in autumn. I read this by going back and forth between the digital copy and the audio copy which improved my French pronunciations immensely.
• Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett. My review of this book is going to be biased because I heart Charlie Lovett. His novels are always impeccably researched and he is the master of historical setting. His books are literary tales meaning they are about books and stories and writers, which I absolutely love.  Further, he features two diverging timelines, one in the past and on in the present and I find myself really enjoying those kinds of books.  Finally, I always want to read “just one more page!” This book was all of those things.

Currently Reading

• The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley. Thanks to William Morrow for the Advanced Reader’s Edition. Started this one this afternoon.
• The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth. Anne’s pick from my time as a guest on the What Should I Read Next podcast and the current pick of the Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club.  I am halfway through it  with just one sitting so, yeah, it’s good!
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This is the classic that I haven’t read that everyone tells me I will just love.  I am giving it a go.

You can listen to my episode of What Should I Read Next here and check out the Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club here. If you are a member of the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club, you can check out the interview with Natalie Jenner here.  If you’re not a member, join. It’s so much fun.

Anne also does a Quick Lit post every month discussing what she is currently reading, to which I am linking this post.  If you’re here because of her,  I thank you and her.

What have you been reading lately. And as Anne would say, “Happy Reading”.

enjoy life…

My theme for 2020 is Savor.  While journaling last November, it dawned on me that I don’t fully enjoy anything.  I’m a foodie but I inhale my food.  I love hot showers and warm baths but I use an abrasive wash cloth (not just for the rough spots of my feet and elbows but all over). I am generally not fully present to enjoy anything (and I do mean anything) that happens to me.  This has always been the case.  Last year, I did make gains in this area but I want it to be a focus this year-thus my theme.

Here on the blog, this theme will translate into a recurring blog post that I have entitled Savoring. Here I will feature curated content that I have enjoyed recently and I think that you will enjoy also. I am really excited about these posts.  I have wanted to share things from other writers, articles that caused me to pause, pics that made me laugh, etc.  Plus, this will help me slow down and notice these things – savor them, to see if I want to share them with you guys.  Here goes.

Savoring…

• Anne Bogel gets to preview a lot of books coming out in advance of their release. She reads them and then tells us about them and that, in turn, lets me know whether I might be interested, as well.  In this post she discusses nine titles, releasing in the next few months, that she really enjoyed: four of which I can’t wait to get my hands on.  Can you guess what they are?
• This photo Mindy Kaling posted on Instagram. I don’t have a chair but I have an ottoman. At least, I fold them – most of the time.

• This ad about offline shopping from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It’s very old but it made me LOL.
• It appears to me, from my friends and the people that I follow on social media, that no ones’ January is starting off exactly as we envisioned. That being said, I really enjoyed this post from Cori.  If you are like the rest of us, read it and “give yourself grace”.

Until next time,

enjoy life…