First lines

I love a great first line of a novel. It’s an opportunity to captivate right from the beginning. I’ve trudged through openings of novels that are weak, boring, or difficult and found reward on the other side, but isn’t it so much better when a novel’s first line is wonderful? A little burst that snaps… Continue reading First lines

On re-reading, and reading extensively vs. intensively

Re-reading seems to be a divisive topic in the reading community. I know some readers who never, or rarely, re-read a book. I’m in the opposite camp: I think re-reading a beloved book is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Last year, of the 62 books I read, 10 of them were re-reads. This… Continue reading On re-reading, and reading extensively vs. intensively

South American Reading List

https://www.flickr.com/photos/websmith/9957220526/

Blue-footed Booby – Galápagos Islands by Dave Govoni // CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Graham and I just booked one last adventure before we settle back down into the real world and look for jobs. We’re traveling to Ecuador and Peru, and we’ll be going to the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon Rainforest, Machu Picchu, and hiking the Lares trail.… Continue reading South American Reading List

Treat yo self

During my recent book purging project and efforts to minimize my material possessions, I scaled my book collection down by about 15%. As a result, I had about 250 books to sell or donate. I donated the majority of them, and the ones that had a bit more resale value I took to Strand to exchange for… Continue reading Treat yo self

Bookshops and Libraries Around the World

There are so many beautiful homes for books around the world. And there’s no shortage of articles compiling amazing photos of them, inspiring wanderlust in even the most home-bodied of book lovers. Here’s 62 of the world’s most beautiful libraries compiled by Mental Floss. Here are the 16 bookstores you must visit before you die, according to… Continue reading Bookshops and Libraries Around the World

2014 Books and Reading Recap

It’s time once again for one my favorite annual post – my yearly books and reading recap. This is the post where I tally up all sorts of nerdy reading stats, discover how diverse my reading selections were, and attempt to decide what books were my favorite this year. My previous Books and Reading recaps: 2013 2012… Continue reading 2014 Books and Reading Recap

Weekend Reading

I’m visiting my family in Michigan for a few weeks, which means a lot of lovely relaxing time to read. (When my brother and I are not watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which we are completely obsessed with.) The ground is already covered in about 4 inches of snow here, with big fluffy flakes continuing… Continue reading Weekend Reading