My first blog post was about some of the books that have changed my life. I have also made it known that I rely on audiobooks to help me reach my reading goals. (BTW, as soon as I finish my current audiobook, I will have met my goal for the year.) I know there are endless podcasts and playlists and other things that I could be listening to… but I often find myself returning to some of my favorite audiobooks time and time again. Naturally, I love fiction audiobooks. Some of my family’s road trip picks have been Mary Shelley’s Read More
Author: admin
Excellence is Not an Act, It’s a Habit
This adage from Aristotle gets kicked around a lot. We all want to be Excellent, right? Then again, some of us want to spend a lot of our time watching Star Trek reruns. I have to believe that there is space in my life for both. At my previous job, I had this quote posted at my desk. I had that job for a long time, so I am not sure when my fascination with habits started, but I began following James Clear and Gretchen Rubin several years ago. I just finished the audiobook of James’s new book Atomic Habits. Read More
Working with Lunar Cycles
Balance I had been working with the lunar cycles for several months when I saw the theme for October’s New Moon: Balance and Harmony with Polarity. This theme was about balancing masculine and feminine. My current state felt as if the masculine was so prevalent that I wanted to do the opposite of balancing – I wanted to squash it. I witnessed my resistance to this theme and took this to mean that I had some work to do in this area. I didn’t commit to earth-shattering change during this cycle. I made the minimal commitment to “Look and Listen” Read More
A Discovery of Witches
Empty Nest Update I have been in a reading slump. You might remember that I spent most of the year preparing for an empty nest. I was really worried about what life held for me when I no longer had kids at home. When the time came, I took it pretty well. This was largely due to prepping and planning and important connections with people who made sure I had plans on my calendar. The kid, on the other hand, did not fare so well and will be moving home in December to consider Plan B. Disappointment happens. I went Read More
Judge a Book by Its Cover
Everybody does it. Given Context is my way to blog about the books I read and how they fit into the larger context of my life. Sometimes there is an uncanny connection with something in a book and something in my life. Other times it is not that straightforward. Today I want to talk about judging a book by its cover. This post is over a year in the making. Last year one of my book clubs decided to try judging a book by its cover. It was a great idea from our leader to pair a beautiful book with Read More
Girl, Wash Your Face – When Rachel Hollis met Emerson
A spur of the moment selection I know that Rachel Hollis is a blogger and lifestyle guru. Well, I know that now, after reading Girl, Wash Your Face. I don’t remember ever hearing of her before I picked up this book in the airport on my way to my first-ever solo vacation. I tend to be a bit of a worry-wart, and the only book I had was on my phone, and the only boarding pass I had for my connection was on my phone, so I worried about draining the battery and decided to buy an actual paper book. Read More
How to Walk Away and the Literary Canon
What Everyone Else is Reading I saw How to Walk Away recommended in one of the many emails I receive about books. I checked the library app for the book, and it was not available, so I put myself on the waiting list. It is usually a good sign when everyone else wants to read a book. There were several people ahead of me on the list, so I had high hopes. A lot of what I read is science fiction or classics, so I might not have heard about this book if it wasn’t for that email. If I Read More
Artemis by Andy Weir – Written for the Big Screen?
When I read a book for Book Club, I like to save my final review and blog post until after the Book Club meeting. Sometimes discussing the book with other book lovers can drastically change my perspective. Occasionally, I feel a warm, gooey love for a book, and then my club-mates poke holes in my favorite parts and bring my final decision down a few notches. More often, a book doesn’t click with me and the discussion at Book Club helps me see the merits of a book I would have panned otherwise. Artemis falls somewhere in the middle. Perhaps Read More
Wool and My Own Story in Context
I liked this book. My book club was a bit up in the air on it. Some felt it dragged, but most enjoyed the story. It took me 2 months to read it, but I don’t feel like it was dragging… I had to put it down sometimes and go read something less depressing (like a retelling of Alice in Wonderland with sexual violence and cannibalism.) Don’t let that turn you away. This was my problem, not the book’s. It was a rough patch for me, and this book just took me deeper into that… in a literal sense. Given Read More
The Subtle Art of Deciding Which F*cks to Give
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is my favorite new non-fiction book. I listened to the audiobook twice from the library then bought the hardcover book. This is one self-help book that I find very helpful. And it says the F word a lot, and I’m an overgrown 8th grader, so, yes, I am thrilled. Cussing was SO not allowed in my house growing up. Until a certain age, I thought “fart” was the F-word. Mark Manson’s book is full of actual good advice that feels very relevant to me as I enter a transitionary time. I’m about Read More