Author: Emily

Book-hoarding INFJ who likes to leave the Shire and go on adventures.

Autumn Book Excitement

My Inorganic Chemistry teacher in high school had a very dry, quiet sense of humor. He would spend a few minutes explaining the solution to a long equation and at the end he’d sometimes say, without changing tones, “Now doesn’t that make your socks go up and down?”  I suppose that for some, Inorganic Chemistry… Continue reading Autumn Book Excitement

Fail Fail Again Fail Better by Pema Chödrön

I enjoy reading the occasional commencement speech, especially from authors I admire. I think my all time favorite is the one George Saunders gave at Syracuse in 2013, on kindness. I don’t usually seek out commencement addresses in print, but I made an exception for Pema Chödrön. She’s an American-born Buddhist nun, she’s incredible and wise, and her… Continue reading Fail Fail Again Fail Better by Pema Chödrön

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

The TLDR version of this post is: Run, do not walk, to your bookstore or library and get Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. // At their core, all our reactions to tragedy are about regret. Regret for what happened, even if we didn’t cause it. Regret for an altered future we… Continue reading Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Phenomenal by Leigh Ann Henion

When I started mapping an agenda for my extended travel last year, I planned out a combination of city-based sightseeing and nature-based exploration. I’d spend time sightseeing in European, Australian, & Asian cities, and I’d also snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, see Uluru, and take an expedition to the Arctic circle. I expected that I’d enjoy both kinds… Continue reading Phenomenal by Leigh Ann Henion

A New Beginning

Tomorrow I start at Etsy. It’s my first “first day of work” in over six years. I thought I’d be more nervous, but mainly I just feel excited. I think that’s a testament to how confident I feel that both the role and the company are the perfect fit for me. It’s also probably a… Continue reading A New Beginning

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Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

I don’t normally post stand alone reviews of middle grade or kid’s lit books here, mainly because they don’t make up a huge percentage of my reading, and I also like to pretend my reviews reflect some semblance of a strong identity as a reader. But I guess the biggest reflection my book reviews show is… Continue reading Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead