What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired
In January 2021, my cohosts of this linkup and I decided to read Wuthering Heights together. Nineteen books later, we continue to explore the classics. Here are the books we've read so far, with my personal ratings beside them. What I love about book discussions is that someone's beloved five-star read is someone else's low-star.… Continue reading What’s On Your Bookshelf: Twenty Classics!
This past month, I've managed to sneak in six quality books. I've passionately wanted to discuss each and every one of them. Just ask the poor lady in the washroom stall between WidowBadass and me, where I urgently gushed out my thoughts on "Go Set a Watchman," Nerd alert!! I doubt that poor lady ever… Continue reading BREAKOUT BOOK CLUBS…October Reads!
What’s been on my bookshelf in late August and early September? Sadly, nothing. In August, I was madly scrambling to prepare for our September Camino in Portugal and to squeeze in the last bits of summer activities on Vancouver Island. (If you missed that post, you can find more details here.) In early September, I… Continue reading My (Almost) Empty Bookshelf
I initially struggled to get into The Buccaneers. (I hear that moan across continents, Jo!) However, a third of the way through, I was hooked by Edith Wharton's eloquent prose and well-crafted characters. Regrettably, there was a noticeable shift in language during the novel's final chapters. Even though the ending was something I had been… Continue reading Late Summer Reads
The Three-ish Star Reads: Although I am usually super fussy when selecting reading material, this past month's book haul sadly contained many 2.5-3 star reads. How to Do Nothing (Resisting the Attention Economy), Jenny Odell. Given its title, this definitely was not what I expected. What I hoped would be a light, relaxing read turned… Continue reading What’s On Your Bookshelf – July 2023?
My Five-Star Reads Starlight, Richard Wagamese Knowing that Richard Wagamese passed away before completing this novel and believing that another writer had finished it for him, I was initially hesitant to read it. From the opening paragraph, Wagamese's storytelling was so compelling and distinct that my initial fears intensified. Unable to put the book down,… Continue reading What’s on Your Bookshelf – June 2023?
Just four more days until it is 'officially' Spring in Canada. I must confess that I spent much of early March curled up beside my fireplace reading, writing, and watching snow descend upon Vancouver Island. Although snow in March is just plain wrong, the cold weather did allow me to indulge in some awesome books.… Continue reading What’s On Your Bookshelf – March 2023?
Here are my condensed reviews of the books I have read this past month. I have also included a challenge for you! Just for fun, one of my reviews was completely computer generated (for free) by ChatGPT*. You can find my reviews for each book via the "here" links. Can you tell which one was… Continue reading What’s On Your Bookshelf – February 2023
Blooper! Last week, this post accidentally published itself one week early (I swear it did it all by itself). If you are a subscriber (thank you!), my sincere apologies for the dead link you received. Without further ado, here is the post -- hopefully with a live link this time! Christmas Reads For a quick… Continue reading What’s On Your Bookshelf – My Year in Books 2022
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens: It's that time of year again. The season wouldn't be complete without rereading A Christmas Carol. I find something new to love about this Dickens classic every single time. This year, I listened via audiobook. I couldn't help but banter with the narrator. "Marley was dead.""How dead was he?" "Deader… Continue reading December Reads
Retirement Reflections 