Light And Thread by Han Kang

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

I love Han Kang's writing, so I'm excited to read her latest book. It's a nonfiction collection of essays, poems, diaries, and photographs titled, Light And Thread.  I love that title, and I love the idea of getting to know her through these personal pieces of writings. How exciting!

Currently reading...

One of my favorite authors has a new book out and I am slowly devouring it in the mornings. Talk about reading bliss. 

Wishing you all a lovely week! Happy reading! 

Day 1/100 of The 100 Day Project Challenge

The 100 Day Project starts now! Woo hoo! I'm really excited to participate in this year's challenge. Here are the three projects I will be working on:

1. Read a paperback set of Jane Austen's novels that I recently purchased. I'll be starting with:

2. and 3. I'll be writing and art journaling in my new Louise Carmen notebook cover:

I'll be sharing all about my projects throughout the next 100 days. Wish me luck!

2024 Bookish Resolutions

Happy New Year! Wishing you all the very best in 2024!

It's a new month in a new year and that means resolutions! Or at least it's supposed to. I always set out to write a list of all the bookish things I want to accomplish in the new year and I never manage to cross any off the list. So, you would think that I would stop making resolutions, right? Well, that's not happening. In fact, I have a few.

Here goes...

1.  Read.  

2. Buy the books.

3. Join the challenges that intrigue me.

4. Create my own challenge.

5. Post on my blog.

6. Post on IG.

7. Keep track of all the books I read.

8. Stop buying notebooks and planners - use what I have.

9. Write.

10. Have fun.

Yeah, I had to include that last one, because blogging hasn't been fun lately. I mean, I stopped blogging months ago and didn't miss it. It was only towards the end of the year that I realized I did miss writing about the books I was reading and sharing what I loved about them. So, I decided to reread my old posts from when I first started this blog - talk about feeling inspired. In 2024, I am going to just read and write and that's it. No more feeling obligated to post about ARCs or trying to post more often to keep up. Instead, I will just write as often or as little as I want. And, I will write about books, journals, music, life, etc. I will just enjoy this blog for what it was meant for...sharing about my bookish life. 

And now, I am off to cook lunch. We're having a New Year's lunch and I am the chef - wish me luck! Hope you all have a wonderful day and are enjoying a great new read. Cheers!

Vanity Fair's Writers on Writers, edited by Graydon Carter

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

Since its inception in 1914, Vanity Fair magazine has been a beacon of literature, attracting the most influential writers of the last century. An ode to those impactful storytellers, VANITY FAIR’S WRITERS ON WRITERS edited by Graydon Carter; introduction by David Friend, is a collection of the magazine’s forty-one best pieces about accomplished writers by accomplished writers.

What did Christopher Hitchens think of Dorothy Parker? Or what did Salman Rushdie think of Christopher Hitchens? How did meeting e.e. cummings change the young Susan Cheever? What does Martin Amis have to say about how Saul Bellow’s love life influenced his writing? Collected here for the first time are essays about novelists, poets, journalists, and publishers. From James Baldwin to Joan Didion to James Patterson, VANITY FAIR’S WRITERS ON WRITERS is an assembly of the very best of these essays, giving readers a look into the lives and psyche of some of the world’s most esteemed writers.

my thoughts:

Talk about the perfect book for book lovers and writers!  A superb collection of bookish essays about some of the BEST writers, written by some of the BEST writers - how awesome does that sound?  It sounds like bliss to me.  Fortunately, it was.

I am a huge fan of books about books.  So, believe you me, I was thrilled to read a book about writers writing about writers.  I just loved settling down with this delightful tome and dipping into essays about Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway, and Truman Capote.  And to top it off, the essays were written by Jacqueline Woodson, Martin Amis, Dave Eggers, and Nadine Gordimer.  Who wouldn't want to read their thoughts and opinions about their friends, colleagues, and inspirations?  Especially, if the stories they share are personal or their critiques are less than polite - now that is a fun time.

In fact, this book reminds me of a classmate of mine from grad school.  He was always sharing biographical tidbits of the author's or critic's works we were discussing, as if he knew them personally.  He was always fascinated by their personal lives and how it affected and influenced their writing.  He would absolutely LOVE this book.  I admit that it annoyed me at first, but eventually I grew to enjoy the bits and bobs he shared with us.  It definitely made me look at certain writers differently and wonder about their work.  And now, I love books about books and books about writers.

Vanity Fair's Writers on Writers is most definitely a must-read for anyone interested in the 'literati' - you will LOVE this book! I would happily recommend it to fans of the magazine Vanity Fair (these essays were from the magazine) and fans of books about writers.  I just know you'll enjoy it as much as I have.



Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

Every Day A Hope by Marci M. Matthews

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

Through tiny stories and illustrations, Every Day a Hope encourages and empowers readers to examine emotionally difficult issues, while instilling confidence, introspection, and creativity. In each page, Marci M. Matthews addresses familiar concepts in a unique manner, designed to evoke thoughts, feelings, changes in perspective, and the ability to embrace the positive.
 

The concepts in Every Day a Hope are taken from Matthews’ work with survivors of sexual violence and PTSD, but the book is accessible to anyone who wants to find new ways to approach life with a positive outlook. Accompanying pages encourage readers to embark on their own explorations by asking questions and providing space to draw, write, keep lists, and create in whatever ways inspire them the most.

my thoughts:

Marci M. Matthews' book, Every Day a Hope, is the perfect blend of creativity and self-help.  Filled with short stories and drawings, this book provides plenty of hope and positivity with its messages about friendship, speaking to your heart, and so forth.  There are pages that ask you to jot down your own thoughts or ideas about what makes you happy or what you've learned today.  In these passages of self-reflection you are able to see the ways in which you are moving forward with your life.  These exercises are a way for you to begin working on your own emotional state of mind and I absolutely loved them.   

Every Day a Hope is a great little book that helps to open its reader's mind and heart to what they are holding deep within and letting it go.  Its truly a powerful and emotional reading experience.  I love how the author asks us to share our own stories/feelings within the book; thereby making the book even more personal for each reader.  This is definitely a book I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone and everyone interested in working through some of their personal issues.  Every Day a Hope provides its readers with positivity and the understanding needed in order to work towards a more hopeful future.  Such a great book!


Thanks so much to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

Non-Bookish Thoughts...

I'm 36.  It happened earlier this week and I have to admit that it wasn't so bad.  I thought I would be in tears when it happened - crying over getting older - but I wasn't.  Instead, I was too busy enjoying celebrating my birthday with loved ones.  There was lots of yummy food, a delicious ice cream cake (my favorite!), lovely cards and birthday wishes.  It was a very happy birthday.  I even received some books - hurrah!  Here are my new lovelies:

I'm so excited about my new reads that I'm not sure which one I should read first.  Any suggestions?  I'm leaning toward My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff.  Of course, it will probably make me want to re-read Salinger after and then I'll be adding more books to my TBR pile.  Oh, the woes of being a bookworm.


Aside from my birthday, my week has been filled with writing.  I've been writing a lot more lately, but I've also been throwing out a lot of it as well.  Its rather frustrating.  So, I've been watching too much TV, listening to the new Jenny Lewis CD on repeat, and reading to distract myself from thinking about how badly I've been writing lately.  I plan on culling my bookshelves later today as another means of distraction.  Well, the book culling is actually something I've been mulling over for a while.  You see, I'm thinking of only keeping the books that I absolutely LOVE - books by favorite authors and books I will most definitely re-read.  All of the other books will get donated to the local senior citizen's center (the ones that I read and liked, but have already forgotten about).  My only worry is that I will regret getting rid of some of the books, because I think I secretly am a book hoarder (ugh!).  Hmm...what to do?  What do you think?  Should I just keep them all?

Well, Bergdorf Blondes is beckoning me, so I'm off to do some reading. And I'm leaving you with Jenny Lewis, so that you can get a taste of her music.  Enjoy!