It’s Tuesday, so time to subject you to a few more bits and pieces from life in the past few weeks…
I’ve noticed that my life does not really change in rhythm when summer begins. I cannot remember who all has posted about the change to “summer life” when kids are out of school. I know Elisabeth has mentioned it, and I know it’s what I experienced as a kid. But now, life is more constant. I don’t mind that, but when I forget it? When I realize that summer isn’t going to be what it was (too many) years ago? There’s always a bit of, well, deflation.
However! I have been able to do more (non-work) things, and even better, read a lot more. I’m more willing to take a break in the middle of the day, or pause my incessant dive into the news to listen to an audiobook. I’ve connected twice with Engie, and once with Birchie. I’ve plowed through books – both e-books and audiobooks. I’ve had lunch with friends. It’s been… good. Not the same as playing Legend of Zelda with my brother all summer (no, seriously), but really good.
In that spirit, a few things that grabbed me recently…
From Mary Somervell, a writer from New Zealand whose Substack newsletter I found somewhat randomly: “Imagine setting out on a voyage without a destination. That’s life. You never know what lies just beyond the horizon. If you think you can get there, you probably can. Are you moving away from or moving towards something? Downsizing or rightsizing? Retiring or rewiring?” (emphasis mine)
This idea of moving away or moving towards is a fascinating one, and something I need to think about for my own life. I feel like I’ve been moving away from who I was for a long time, and now I am moving towards who I want to be. In big ways and small. How do I want to shift into the second half of my life? The first half was pretty darn good…can the second half be even better? Time to find out…
Switching topics completely, I am a mood reader. I am fascinated by Stephany’s structured approach to her TBR. For me, it’s literally what feels right to read (or listen to!) at that time. Case in point – I was slogging, really slogging, through a thriller that was not grabbing me 10% in, and was debating giving up. I had a long and tiring day that meant I was up and wired later than usual (which is to say, not very late…), and I just needed some evening distraction. By chance, I read about Erica Bauermeister’s book The Scent Keeper in a blog post, and decided to give it a try. Friends, I was pulled into that book so fast you could see the (virtual) pages ruffling as I zipped through it. I haven’t been so, well, captured by a book in a long time.
And it reminded me of moments I had as a teen reader, as a young reader, when I would, as I still say, fall into the story. It may not be a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, or one that gets great ratings, but if a book grabs you like that? You follow.
The same has happened with nonfiction, but perhaps that is a post for another day. 🙂 In the spirit of what I just wrote, a quote to send you off into Tuesday. Be well, my friends.
“The one thing I regret is that I will never have time to read all the books I want to read.”
― Françoise Sagan
Are you a mood reader? What books have grabbed you recently? How do you see your future unfolding, in terms of moving away from or moving towards something?
I am absolutely a mood reader. I always have a lot of library books around so I can read whatever I want, whenever I want. It’s also why I have a lot of reading goals so that I don’t just mood read only romance novels!!
I’m curious though, how do you square the reading goals with the mood reading? I mean, what if you’re only in the mood for romance novels but your looming goal requires a SF read? Do you pick and choose which goal to go for that day/week/month based on your mood? (Maybe I’m reading – ha – too much into this? Probably?)
I just always have lots of options. So, let’s say I have to read a non-fiction book every month. I will have three or four non-fiction books available to me. That means that sometimes (frequently, even) I return books that I haven’t read back to the library. That’s okay! I can always take them out after that. And, honestly, if I’m in the mood for a romance novel and it doesn’t fit one of my goals, I’ll read a romance novel! It’s just that I rarely allow myself the privilege of reading several romance novels in a row.
I kind of thought that’s how you did it. And – other than the goals/challenges – we have much the same approach. It’s just that you make much better use of your library than me. I have a vast collection of a) audiobooks on hold and tagged with “want to read”, and b) ebooks that (with rare exceptions, see: JD Robb, Nora Roberts) I only buy when they are $0.99-2.99. Since I don’t pay for a streaming service or anything like that, it’s my sole “entertainment”, so I figure it’s worth it. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself, lol. 🙂
I tend to see books I want to read, order them in and then it takes months for them to arrive at the library and I completely forget who suggested the book/where I heard about it and why I wanted to read it. Sigh!!! I’m not very organized, but then I’m not nearly as big of a reader as people like Sarah and Engie.
Summer is also my “down” time for reading. Ironically, I read almost no books over the summer. As a kid it was the opposite – summer was prime time, but now I just feel like I’m busy with other things and just rarely make time to read.
This is exactly it, Elisabeth – our experiences of summer are SO different. It makes me think of the phrase you and Lisa both use, the “season of life” that you’re in. I do miss those days of endless reading in the summer. I would come home from church in the morning, have lunch “with my family” (while reading), then often just sit at the table for HOURS reading on. Ah, good times.
I never remember whether someone recommended a book, either. I may have a vague memory – say, of Nicole posting about it, or Stephany – but I can almost never make a direct link.
I remember many years ago the moment my stepsons figured out that adults don’t get summers off. They were devastated;-). Hey, we don’t get the time off but we still figure out how to bring non-work things into our lives.
I would say that my biggest shift of the past few years is becoming disenchanted with work and I’m hoping that my future will include much less of it. I’m betting that the second half will be an improvement on the first.
The Scent Keeper is going on my TBR!
Oh, I’ll be SO interested to learn what you think of The Scent Keeper! I loved it – but I have no idea if our taste in books overlaps?
That is hilarious about your stepsons. That devastating moment when you realize adulthood…requires adulting. What a downer. 😉
You have had HUGE shifts in your professional life – and I agree, you certainly seem like you are on an upward trajectory. I hope that the New Job is still holding up, a month-ish in?
Sometimes we move away and move towards at the same time! I find that fascinating. Ah, life. It’s such a journey and who even knows what shape it will take.
A book that grabbed me recently was Peacocks of Instagram. It was absolutely wonderful.
Life, indeed. I find it fascinating to look back and try to remember what I THOUGHT my life would be like by now.
I never predicted this, that I know for sure. I also know that I really like my life. I tend to believe that, even when life throws hurdles and detours (and even, well, u-turns) into our paths, we tend to end up where we are supposed to be. Even if we never would have predicted it as, say, 20 year olds.
Peacocks of Instagram? Sounds interesting – I’ll have to look it up!
I have been thinking a lot about “summer” here on the blog-o-sphere too. This summer feels like a “summer” to me but I’m not sure what that means… I think it’s because I’m on Maternity leave and my oldest kid is finishing his first year of school which means he has a summer. Before he was in full time childcare that also covered summer. So now I know it’s a change for him, as well as being off work untill after summer (although Maternity leave is way harder than work, so I don’t know what “off” means). Anyways, I guess my thought is that summer is something we talk about as if it means one thing when it can actually mean a lot of things… or nothing. I don’t think I really thought much about summer before this year.
I have recnetly gotten into “summer reads” which are classic chick-lit. I realized I cannot listen/read any thing self improvement-y in the summer. I haven’t been able to get into nonfiction. But I do tend to hop around whatever comes through on Libby without much thought (although I can’t do more than two similar books in a row usually)
Your life has changed SO MUCH, Rachel. So much. Think of where you were even a year ago. My goodness. It makes perfect sense that this summer feels like summer – maternity leave, as daunting as it is, does not require logging in and work tasks and meetings… It seems as though you’re getting a bit more summer, too, because your life is so kid-centered right now. That would seem to lend itself to a summery “feel”.
I actually get into ruts until, well, I HAVE to change. With that thriller I ditched, I switched from mysteries/thrillers to chick-lit. Right there with you. 🙂
I love that question, about moving forward vs moving away from. Hmmm. I need to give that more thought.
As for the reading question, I am 100% a mood reader. It is nearly impossible for me to slog through a book I’m not into! Good thing I’m no longer in school!
And they can be simultaneous, too. I think I tend to fixate on the moving away from and fail to have much of a, well, forward perspective. It’s past time for me to start actually anticipating what will come instead of thinking of it as a black hole (lovely imagery, I know…).
I’m so glad to know that I am not the only mood and/or random reader! I thought I was the only one. Whew. 🙂 And yes, no to the book slogs. The perfect term!
I am not a mood reader! I am at the whim of my holds list and I exclusively borrow ebooks so I need to read them within 3 weeks as there is always a wait list. I will sometimes defer a book that I don’t feel like reading when it becomes due (another reason I love reading ebooks through the library) but once I decide to check something out, I’m will read what I’ve checked out in their order of due date (I typically have 2-3 checked out at a time). I will abandon something if it’s not working and move onto the next – unless it’s a book club book. Then I try REALLY HARD to not abandon it.
I have to think more about moving away versus moving towards someone. I feel like I’m kind of a like a caffeinated squirrel that is just jumping from one ask to the next in this stage of life…
OMG, Lisa, your “caffeinated squirrel” description is spot-on. I’m right there with you. Do you feel like your brain just never stops jumping and skipping around? Mine never stops – so that whole idea of “meditating” is laughable, to me. I’d love to know how people break out of it, though, because it can be exhausting.
That is fascinating that you are solely at the whims of your holds list. I have a LONG list of holds (almost always non-fiction, always audiobooks) and I do defer them as they seem to come in bunches. I’ve tried to get better at DNF’ing but sometimes, like with the total fluff book I’m reading now, a protagonist who was not doing it for me suddenly… does? It’s odd, but I’ve started sticking with some books longer just to make sure it’s not going to shift.
Also a mood reader here… this is why I am reluctant to join (or start) any book clubs. I like to be able to read whatever I feel like at any given moment 🙂
Sometimes, I don’t know I am in a mood for a certain book until I actually start it. It’s a bit of a Catch 22, isn’t it…
Does it ever happen to you that you are in the mood for something that hasn’t been written yet???
TOTALLY get the no book club thing. I do make an exception for Engie’s CBBC, since we vote on the limited selection of books and I know they’re usually all strong choices. So far, so good. A silent book club would be perfection – just read what you want, in the *silent* company of others? Sign me up!
Oooh, the idea of being in the mood for something not yet written? YES. Or, I want an author I love to write another book, and… I obviously can’t “make” them. But often I’m looking for a type of book, and I never know til I open one and start it if it’s going to do it for me.
Hehe – I live and die by my structured TBR! I have tried to be a mood reader, but it feels so disorganized to my brain. I try not to keep too many of the same books on my TBR, though, so that helps.
I feel like I am in the beginning stages of moving away from certain things in my life that have been so set in stone for me. It’s an interesting concept!
I KNOW you do, Stephany, and it boggles my mind! Hey, it takes all kinds, right? 🙂
I am in that same stage, and have started to think more about “What are the stories I tell myself?” and then… “Are those stories true (anymore)?” I think it’s an approaching-midlife thing, which is… weird. And sobering.
I was going to say, aren’t we moving away from something and toward something new all the time? At least, it feels like this for me.
I am absolutely a mood reader – if I can’t get into a book, it might not be the right time for it (and I usually pick spontaneously from my to-read list and whatever is available at the library at the time).
Totally agree, San… I feel like the balance shifts, though. Some times in my life, I’ve been all about forward movement and leaving things behind. Right now, though, I feel kind of stuck in “looking back” mode, which often leads to regret and all that comes with it. I’d like to focus more on what will be, and how I can shape that, if that makes sense?
How often do you think you hit on a book that works for you with the first option? Just curious!
Hi Anne! I’m a little late in commenting here, and I also read the previous post which I missed commenting on. I’m glad you wrote about the political situation, and I was interested to read the comments as well. i just have one thing to say about the recent events of the weekend… so close, and yet so far. I know- that’s terrible but I’m just SAYING IT. It’s what we’re all thinking, right???
On a lighter topic, I do feel the changes of rhythm in the summer, because I still have school-age kids. But- my daughter will be done with high school in three more years, and it’s gradually dawning on me that I’ll have a whole new phase of my life. I’ve started thinking about what that could look like, and I’m definitely trying to frame it as moving towards something.
Sorry I’ve been such a slacker about commenting on your posts- I’ll try to rectify that from now on!
Oh, Jenny, I am so far behind on your posts that I haven’t been commenting, so no apologies are needed. I read them all, but I am just now reading about your sister’s visit! That was like a month ago. I may need to just skip some so that I’m kind of up to date on what people are actually doing…
The political situation is causing me so much angst. I don’t even know what to do anymore. The last 3 weeks have been… a lot. That’s all I’ll say.
That’s right! College and high school – such good years. I’m glad you are enjoying them now – especially your son being home! – but yes, things will change when your daughter moves on to college, too. Well, actually, the entire rhythm of your life will! Can’t wait to see what you do with it. 🙂
I’m not much of a mood reader, but I definitely am a mood re-reader. Some books I just want to read over and over again, and I get that mood and nothing else will do. They tend to be books I read when I was young. A Little Princess, Little House on the Prairie, Gone With the Wind, A Wrinkle in Time. Sometimes they are books that I read later, like The Unbearable Lightness of Being or Mists of Avalon. Sadly some of them are horrible in many ways, and don’t stand up well to time. And sometimes learning about the author just breaks my heart. Most recently on that score is Alice Munro, and that one hurt.
I am the SAME WAY. Right now I have a strong pull to read Wrinkle in Time (they defeat IT, after all – some hope in our current situation? sigh…) and/or HP #7 (same deal…). I know there are shudder-inducing historical… perspectives, shall we say, in many of them, and that makes me sad. On the other hand, for those, I try to look at the time period in which they were writing. JKR and Alice Munro, though (even though I have not – and now will not – read Alice Munro)… to me that is different. Just my perspective. And wasn’t the Scent Keeper odd but unbelievably compelling? So glad you enjoyed it, too!
I forgot to mention, I really enjoyed The Scent Keeper. It was a strange book in many delicious ways.
A perfect description, Julie!
(BTW, I am still reading and loving your blog but have had no time to catch up to the point where comments are still open on the post that I am reading. I know. It’s ‘summer’. It’s not, really, though – somehow, it’s even busier. This is… odd. Sigh. I’m sorry.)
I don’t know how I missed this when you posted it, Anne! I’ve been flailing though July, it seems. I’m definitely a mood reader. I don’t know if it’s because of all the “forced” reading I had in undergrad and grad school, but I have a hard time reading something “on cue”; it’s why book clubs aren’t always my vibe (the CBBC notwithstanding!!) and I get a little stressed when my library holds come in. I’ve been trying to challenge myself by participating in a reading challenge this year which really has pushed me to read stuff I’m not 100% in the mood for in the moment so far.
Oh, Lindsay. Oh, my friend. I am right there with you on the flailing. I love reading as a mood reader – and my brain always always surprises me with what sounds good and then hits home at that moment. Sometimes, I think about what it means to have picked that book at that moment for me, but most times? I just enjoy the ride. What have you been reading, lately? I’m on an odd memoir/essay kick, but I’ll take it for now! Oh, and the CBBC book, of course!