Sorry, T.S. Eliot fans… this is not a blog post about his poem Ash Wednesday, but for Lit class nostalgia’s sake, I will link to a copy of the poem here. This line from Eliot’s poem came to mind while I was having a discussion with my BFF, a fellow English major and participant in one of my book clubs, about books that don’t make you care about any of the characters. I was recently reading one book and listening to audio of another when I realized that I didn’t have the least bit of emotional connection to any of Read More
Tag: audiobook
Adventure 2019!
Do you pick a word or theme for the year? I started this practice several years ago. It is part of an effort to be more intentional and create the life I want to have rather than just letting life happen to me. It started as a casual effort but became a more serious endeavor once I started using the Dragontree Apothecary Rituals for Living Dreambook and Planner (affiliate link.) I love the thought-provoking exercises in the Dreambook section and the practical application of breaking my goals into tasks and scheduling them in my planner. I always feel as though I Read More
Audiobooks I Solemnly Swear to Listen to Once Each Year
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
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
Good Omens: Is it too late to have the Apocalypse?
This may be my year of re-reading books. I decided to cut my reading goal in half this year, because I want to spend more time writing. I also find that what-to-read voice inside my head turning frequently to books I have already read. And there’s another thing… I have an utterly embarrassing love of anything written by Neil Gaiman. This is not the first of his book that I have read repeatedly. I probably shouldn’t be ashamed – he’s really, really good – but it’s probably the literary equivalent of saying that you love The Beatles. But Neil (I Read More
How Alien Ant Farm Helped Me Appreciate the Ready Player One Film Adaptation
Ready Player One is an amazing book. At this moment I have listened to the audiobook twice and have seen the movie three times. I have read some reviews, and I have talked to a couple of my friends. The response to the book has always been incredibly positive- except for the one person who didn’t finish it because there was too much cussing, and y’all can guess my response: “There was cussing?!” F-bombs aside, this book is everything glorious about the 1980’s. Imagine an entire virtual world that revolves around all the things I loved as a kid (and Read More