I originally wrote this five years ago, at the start of 2017. A lot about my own reading habits and perspective have changed since then, and while most of what I wrote still applies, I’ve updated the article to focus more on supporting independent bookshops and libraries, rather than Amazon. I still use my Kindle…
Book Review: Swing Time by Zadie Smith
I finished Swing Time over the weekend and I absolutely loved it. It was such a multi-layered novel that incorporated much more than I would have ever imagined (race, family, wealth, poverty, charity, motherhood, celebrity, white-saviorism, music, dance, ambition, marriage, female friendship, even cyberbullying). I’m so impressed with Zadie Smith’s ability to make such a…
My Home Coffee Bar Must-Haves
If you know me, you’ll know I am pretty religious about coffee. Iced coffee, hot coffee, cold brew, espresso, black coffee or with milk, I love it all. So naturally, I set up a little coffee bar for myself in our apartment, which has been getting even more use lately now that I’m working from…
Book Pairing: Fly Girls
In my last post I introduced a new series called Book Pairings, where I share two books to pair together to expand your knowledge and enhance your reading experience. [This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. All opinions are my…
Book Pairing: Royals
This is the first post in a new blog series I’m introducing where I’ll be suggesting two (or maybe more) books to pair together. I was an English major in college, and I always loved studying books that complemented each other, expanded on a topic, or provided different perspectives on the same theme. Even just…
How to Spend Less Money on Books
Reading can be an expensive hobby, but there are tons of ways to get access to cheap or free books so that you can read as many books as you like while still also being able to pay your bills. Here are a few of my tips to save money on reading: [This post contains…
10 Ways to Read More with Audiobooks
Until I finally tried audiobooks, I thought there was no way listening to a book would ever work for me. The first books I listened to were the Harry Potter series because I wanted to try listening to a story I was already familiar with in case I got distracted. It was an amazing experience….
How to Get Out of a Reading Slump & Fall Back in Love with Books
For the last few weeks, I’ve been in a horrible reading slump. I haven’t been able to focus on any books, and I’ve started a few books just to stop reading them the next day and not pick them back up. For awhile it felt like I was forcing myself to read just so I…
Books for Adults Who Love Harry Potter
Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Like many others who grew up with the Harry Potter series, the fact that it has been twenty years since Harry was first introduced to the world has made me feel both very old and very emotional. If you’re…
Book Review: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
The first book I read in 2017 was Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, and I’m finally getting around to reviewing it. Long story short, I loved this book. “So this, I believe, is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures…