Tag: bookish

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For National Book Lovers Day, 5 Reasons to Read

For National Book Lovers Day, 5 benefits of reading

For National Book Lovers Day, 5 benefits of readingThe bookish interwebs are buzzing today with fun and funny tributes to National Book Lovers Day, celebrated on Aug. 9 each year.

For some of us (like me!), every day is book lovers day. But I feel the spirit of setting aside one day a year to acknowledge and celebrate what you treasure. I mean, if grilled cheese sandwiches and yo-yos get a day, then books deserve one too, am I right?

To honor the occasion, I offer five great reasons to cultivate a love of books and invite you to share yours in the comments! Continue reading “For National Book Lovers Day, 5 Reasons to Read”

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Reckoning with #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks in June

#ReadMyOwnDamnBooks has challenged me to think about my reading habits and patterns as well as what I want for myself as a reader and what is realistic for me as a person.

#ReadMyOwnDamnBooks has challenged me to think about my reading habits and patterns and what I want for myself as a reader and person.We’ve arrived at the halfway point of 2016, and for me, that means the halfway point of my commitment to read my own books this year.

When I’ve done reading challenges before, they’ve been numbers based, along the lines of “I promise to read 100 books this year.” The numbers game hasn’t led to much reflection for me. Mostly, it’s led to anxiety about keeping up. #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks is the first yearlong challenge that has pushed me to think about my reading habits and patterns as well as what I want for myself as a reader and what is realistic for me as a person. I’ve reflected on these before, of course, but not in the context of an explicit challenge. In the process, I’ve learned quite a few lessons about reading, and myself. Continue reading “Reckoning with #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks in June”

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Dewey’s Readathon Wrap-Up

My Readathon staples: A full mug of coffee and fully charged Nook
My Readathon staples: A full mug of coffee and fully charged Nook
My Readathon staples: A full mug of coffee and a fully charged Nook

Before Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon started, I set myself the goal of enjoying the experience, no matter how many books and pages I read and how many hours I lasted. Since this was my first go, I knew I’d be figuring things out and exploring the social media communities. For me, the point of participating was to engage not only with books (which I can do on my own anytime) but also with the awesome book people participating.

I had a chance to do that and adored it. Readathoners are the nicest people on the Internet (if not the planet). Full stop. One of my other favorite parts was doing mini-challenges. They gave me a little break from reading to process my experience. Next time, I will try to organize my time in advance. I don’t want to be too regimented but do want to make sure I’m giving myself structured time to engage, read, and write.

And now for my end of event survey and (at the end of that) my perfect reading day (another mini-challenge after my heart): Continue reading “Dewey’s Readathon Wrap-Up”

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Bookish Literary Characters: A Baker’s Dozen

We have quite a snowstorm underway here in New England. Outside my window, it’s all blankets of white draped across the landscape, swirling winds and snow. It makes me think of gingerbread houses encased in a snow globe.

In other words, it’s the perfect day to curl up under a cozy blanket with a good book and a steaming mug of hot chocolate. And if that book were to feature a bookish literary character, the kind that feels like spending time with a like-minded friend, well, so much the better. Continue reading “Bookish Literary Characters: A Baker’s Dozen”