Welcome to Litsy!

August felt weird, temporally.

Glad to be in a new month, though I hope there are still a few beach days left now that we‘ve entered the quieter off-season here in Rhode Island. 🌊

I had a few writing projects this past month, which diverted my focus away from reading. Now, it feels like a slump may be looming. But anything‘s possible! We‘ll see what September brings.

#AWreads2025
#personalreadingtracker

July was my slowest reading month yet, and that was absolutely because I downloaded the Scrabble app. Don‘t worry: I‘ve since deleted it and have taken back my life. 😅

Death Valley was my favorite July read followed by Blue Sisters. A strong fiction month, which has been rare this year!

#AWreads2025

June ended up being more about quantity than quality. I‘m still surpassing my reading goals but I didn‘t LOVE anything this month (other than Anne, of course, which was a reread). Cunning Folk seemed like it was going to really do it for me, for a while, but it fell short stylistically.

Better luck next month, me!

#AWreads2025

Did May feel extra-long to anyone else?

Idle Grounds was my favorite! Sneaky & feverish.

Nettle & Bone is a *magical* listen.

I Hope This Finds You Well was a delightful change of pace.

Unraveling, though a reread, was spun as well as I remembered. Fascinating & timely, in a world that desperately needs more climate justice.

Marmalade is great in small spoonfuls. Dip in & out.

My heart is still recovering from Juno Loves Legs. It‘s visceral.

The variety encapsulated by my reading month makes me happy. It‘s a pretty accurate snapshot of my literary life as a whole.

StoryGraph tells me I‘m 14 books ahead of my reading goal. It‘s possible I set the bar too low but it still gives me a flush of pleasure!

My March reads, roughly in order of enjoyment (from least to greatest). The bottom row features all of my favorites.

I keep shocking myself with how many books I‘m managing to read each month. Either this is my new norm, thanks to deleting my social media accounts (and what a confirmation of my choices that would be!) or it‘s going to taper off at some point. With the gradually warming weather, I‘m starting to let myself dream of beach reading…

I‘ve felt sort of scattered and dissatisfied lately; I think those feelings have transferred to my reading life, too.

For the second month in a row, I read more than I typically do. But the vibe is off. 🙈

I did read two books I absolutely adored: Moominland Midwinter and Giving Up the Ghost. I hope that same passionate energy guides me and focuses me in March.

I‘m still reading the last two. But I‘ll be done before the clock strikes noon!

Using these monthly graphics as another way to track my reading.

I read 9 books in January, which is high for me but January always skews high. I credit the motivation of a New Year and my commitment to #AuldLangSpine! Three of the books were fairly short, as well.

The Witching Year was my favorite. Hard to beat that premise in terms of my interests, and her writing is clear, fun, colloquial, and sometimes poetic. Fire Exit was also a stand-out!