This week started off with basketball camp for my son and getting in one final day of work before I started a week of vacation! After we celebrated Christmas, we packed up and flew to Texas to be with my parents for the week. Now we are looking forward to spending time with family, ringing in the new year, and indulging in our favorite Texas cuisine: BBQ, Whataburger, and Mexican food.
This week I’m sharing: my husband’s 2024 reading recap, thoughts on being “a bit much,” book recs from my friends, read 25 in 25, and the most meaningful (to me) East Bay Bookshelf posts from this year!
His 2024 Reading Recap
After I introduced my husband to the Libby app in December last year, he really got into audiobooks and listened to them on his commute to work. Sometimes I would get into his car and immediately be launched into some plot with an alternate universe. We have wildly different reading interests, but I love hearing about what he has been reading (even though I will probably never read it!). He said his favorite was The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (we did watch the series on Netflix together when he was finished.)
A Bit Much
This year I gifted A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush to several of my girlfriends. I know I’ve written about her work in a previous post, but I’m here to say again that I love it. I think that all women have been told they are “a bit much” or similar at some point in life. Her poem redefines the phrase. So…to all the women who are a bit much, I’m so glad you are and I’m so lucky you’re here.
(the link below is to her poem on Instagram, so you may need to click on it to read!)
Book Recs from my Friends
I recently asked my friends for their favorite books of 2024. I have not read any of these and I think it just points to how diverse literary tastes can be even among friends!
Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff – immediate added to my TBR after reading the summary!
James by Percival Everett – A reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; I have heard so many good things about this book!
Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman – I’ve read the first in this series and I also loved it! The remaining books are also on my TBR and I just saw where the fifth book is expected in September 2025. If you are looking for a cozy mystery, start with this series!
Read 25 in 25
One of my reading resolutions for next year is to sit down and read a physical book more often. I love audiobooks and e-books for their convenience, and I recognize that I would not read nearly as much without them. (And for anyone wondering, I 100% believe audiobooks count as reading). However, I also know that I absorb content so much better when I can get lost in the pages of a physical book, especially one that I own where I can highlight favorite passages and write notes in the margins. It’s an added bonus that physical books don’t send me push notifications. So, while I probably already average 25 minutes of reading on most days, my goal for this 25 in 25 is to sit down and do what they call “close reading.” I know it won’t happen every day, but if I can accomplish it 2 or 3 times per week, I’ll be satisfied. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and include which books I’m reading closely!
Sidebar related to close reading: I’m finishing up Season 6 of Gilmore Girls and this is one of my favorite lines from the entire series so far! Jess explains to Rory how he “borrowed” her copy of Howl and Other Poems to put some notes in the margins for her. (This is a great article that explains the interaction!)
2024 East Bay Bookshelf Round-Up
As I’m reflecting on the year, I have to mention how grateful I am for this little corner of the internet where I’ve been sharing about my reading life for the past 27 weeks! I’ve been thinking about writing for so long and this year it finally happened; thanks to everyone who supported me along the way. Here are some of the posts that are especially meaningful to me:
- My very first post. I had no idea what I was doing or even really what I wanted to do at this point with East Bay Bookshelf. I just told myself I could come up with 5 things each week to write about. We all start somewhere!
- When I found my style. When I first started writing, I didn’t want to include any pictures, but my good friend told me she liked it better with pictures and I’m so glad she did! With almost every post, I also feel like I’m getting better at sharing more about the reading life (and other things!).
- When I started sharing with friends and family. I posted quietly for a few months before this because I needed to believe that I could deliver on a weekly basis. This is a hobby for me and I make exactly zero dollars from it currently, so I wanted to know if I could stick with it. I was nervous about sharing with friends and family, but so many people have subscribed to my weekly Friday email and click on the links via social media each week. Thank you!
- My longest post. My ultimate goal as a writer would be to publish multiple times per week (maybe have some posts behind paywalls) and then email my “5 on a Friday” like a summary newsletter of the content available. While I have plenty of time to brainstorm and write down my ideas, I don’t always have a ton of what I like to call “butt in chair” time (aka serious writing time). I know that longer posts are not everyone’s favorite to read, but they are some of my favorites to write because it means that I have something to write about…which means I may have enough material to post multiple times per week!
- My favorite post. I love to read, but I also love to talk with other readers. My very first Sunday Spotlight featured my friend, Amanda. I’m so excited to have more Sunday Spotlights in 2025 with a few already lined up for January! I highly recommend interviewing your friends and family about their hobbies because you will learn things you never knew about them!
I’ll be back next Friday with my 2024 reading recap along with my reading goals for 2025. I’m hoping to finish The Frozen River and After I Do before the end of the year, but we will see. Maybe I can resist the airport bookstore during my travels (probably not). Best wishes in the new year!
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