Around the Corner & On my List | Fall 2023

So many celebrations ahead! Things we're looking forward to, planning for, and would like to do. 

Around the Corner
- Four family birthdays
- SK's 40th Birthday 
- Visit from Mimi and Poppa
- Visit from our friend JH
- Celebrate five years of parenting!
- West Seattle Silent Book Clubs (11/2, 12/7)

Fall Bucket List
- Breaking out our Tuffos and splashing in puddles
- Looking for "Spooky Scaries" in our Neighborhood
- Trick-or-Treating
- Another year of "no-plans November" 
- Friendsgivings
- Christmas Tree farm 
- Luminaries at Greenlake (12/9)
- Wild Lanterns at the Zoo
- Hyak Sno-Park Sledding 
- Host a Winter Solstice Party 

Fall Adventures
- Kirkland playgrounds
- Saltwater State Park 
- Pumpkin Patch
- Kelsey Creek Farm 

Fall Reading List
I hope to finish ten more books before the end of the year! Here's what's on my list: 
Salem's Lot by Stephen King (Book Club, Audiobook)
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (Audiobook)
Room by Emma Donoghue
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann (Audiobook)
Untamed by Glennon Doyle (Audiobook)
Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson 
Emma by Jane Austen 
True Grit by Charles Portis (Audiobook)
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin 
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Leaves on the ground,

- SJW

February Feature: From the Front Porch | Podcast

I was first introduced to Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, a bookstore in Thomasville, GA, on the Little Women episode of Novel Pairings. She shared her enthusiasm for Louisa May Alcott's heroines and character-driven novels in general. In turn, she sparked my interest and I started listening to her podcast, From the Front Porch. I particularly enjoy her monthly reading recaps and conversations with Hunter McLendon. As a modern day Kathleen Kelly, she emphasizes how a book makes her feel over specific page-turning plot points. In short, Annie's a lovely person to listen to and she's skilled at describing books!

The first episode of January 2023 features her favorite books of all time and is a quick way to get a sense of her reading taste.

Thanks to Annie B. Jones, these titles are on my list: 

Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette
But You Did Not Come Back by Marceline Loridan-Ivens
Flight by Lynn Steger Strong
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
The Road by Corman McCarthy 

Podcast
Website

Here are a few other bookstagrammers whose content I enjoy: 
@lizisreading_ -- her 'top 20' stories have lots of great titles
@michellereadsbooks -- like the format of her monthly review posts
@diversespines -- love their mission and corresponding book

Reading every night,

- SJW

February Feature: FictionMatters | Public Reader

Whenever I listen to the Novel Pairings podcast, I'm struck by Sara's insight into books, particularly her focus on themes, style, and structure. Like her, I value writing and language and I'm just as interested in how a story is told as I am in the story itself. Sara's love of literary fiction and mythology draws her to introspective, often dark or weird novels, and she prioritizes well-drawn characters over intricate plots. I appreciate her mix of new releases and backlist titles, and inclination to explore weighty subjects like grief, complex relationships, family dynamics, and race in America.

Sara's reading list is impressively broad, and she often provides "mood recs" on Instagram. If you're ever in a reading rut, just take a look at her stories!

Thanks to FictionMatters, these titles are on my reading list:
Fun Home:A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey 
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Nevermoor the Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The Long Answer by Anna Hogeland
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
They're Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
Zorrie by Laird Hunt

At the start of this year, I joined the FictionMatters Patreon and have enjoyed listening to her members-only "Books that Matter" podcast, as well as the episodes in which she ranks every book she read each month. I never thought I'd pay for bookish content, but I'm happy to support Sara's work and join the community of thoughtful readers she's fostered through her book clubs and other reader-focused events.

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Pausing on Dewey Decimal, 

- SJW

February Feature: Novel Pairings | Podcast

A year ago, my college roommate introduced me to Novel Pairings and it quickly consumed my earbuds. The podcast is hosted by two former high school English teachers that feature classic books and pair them with contemporary titles that contain similar themes, topics, or styles. They often refer to books being in conversation with one another, particularly when one has shaped a genre or led to various adaptations. Tuning in is like eavesdropping on a cozy and intellectual book club between friends -- whether they're defining literary lenses, speculating genres, sharing a 'pick of the week', recommending audiobooks, or sharing personal reflections, the show is an absolute delight!

When first listening, I chose episodes with titles I was already familiar with -- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Little Women, but soon after decided to start at the beginning and listen straight through in order. I genuinely think you could start with any episode, including their current semester of Children's Literature, but I've grouped some of my favorites below. 

Classics I picked up because of the podcast -- these all became favorites!:
Passing by Nella Larsen
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson 
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes (inspired by their J-term covering Not Without Laughter)

High school required reading that I enjoyed revisiting through their conversation:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

'Short Story Club' Episodes that were fun to quickly read and then listen to:
Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler
All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury

Titles I don't necessarily intend to read, but still enjoyed their discussions:
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay
There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset

Episodes I'm waiting to listen to until after I read the book:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Additional titles I picked up from their recommendations:
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott

Their Quarterly Favorites are especially fun and help provide a sense of their reading tastes. I'm often intrigued by Sara's fiction and Chelsey's nonfiction selections. Their podcast helped revamp my reading life and is my go-to resource for determining what to read next. I'm so smitten that I joined their Patreon Community in order to support their work and receive access to an archive of classes, lectures, seminars, and bonus episodes. 

Podcast
Patreon
Blog
Instagram

Effusively gushing, 
- SJW

February Feature: Lindywell | Pilates Instructor

Another February brings another round of February Features! 

I'm kicking things off with a long-time favorite, my online Pilates Membership platform. Originally 'The Balanced Life', the company was rebranded to Lindywell last year. I joined while pregnant with NLW and am coming up on 5 years with the program. It's been a staple in my exercise routine and is the number one way I build strength and flexibility. 

Lindywell's founder is Robin Long, an encouraging, positive advocate for short effective workouts, plus a mother of fraternal twins! Her membership package provides access to an archive of videos and a curated monthly workout plan. Each day I just log in, and click play for that day's video -- typically 10-15 minutes on MWF and 25+ minutes on TTH.  It's realistic, convenient, fun and at just $19/month, fairly inexpensive. 

While I have long dips in my consistency, I appreciate having a go-to plan that I can pick up at any time. I recommend it to everyone and have had several friends join the program -- occassionally I can even get Mr. Fleece to do a workout with me :)

Website
Podcast
Blog
Instagram
14 Day Free Trial

Every time I create space to breathe, stretch, relax, and move my body, I notice the mental and physical difference. Along with connecting with friends, taking walks, and reading, Pilates is a core way that I personally restore and recharge!

Remember to breathe,

- SJW

Dog-earred Pages | 2023

I found my monthly reading categories from last year a helpful "placeholder" for planning out books I'd put on my to-be-read list. I also embraced my perpensity toward mood reading and liked designating summer for that! Here are my updated categories for this year:

January: Self-Help + Recommendations
February: Anti-Racism
March: Memoir
April: Poetry + Short Stories 
May: Literary Fiction
June: Graphic Novels 
July: Mood Reading
August: Mood Reading
September: Mood Reading 
October: Motherhood
November: Nonfiction
December: Classic 

As for specific books, these are on my shortlist:

I'd also like to read more by the following authors: 

Amor Towles, Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Strout, Gabrielle Zevin,
Isabel Wilkerson, James Baldwin, and Kevin Wilson

With a dreamy far-off look,
-SJW

My Year in Books | 2022

This was such a fantastic reading year for me! From Gone Girl and celebrity memoirs to The Fire Next Time and graphic novels, I finished a wide variety of titles. I'm sharing my favorite books for the year -- only including my 4 and 5-star ranked reads. I base my ratings on a subjective combination of how much I enjoyed the reading/listening experience, how enthralled I was by the writing/language, how much the story and themes stuck with me, and how enthusiasticly I recommend to others. 

Reading Highlights:
- 76% authored by a woman
- 33% authored by a person of color
- 16% audiobooks -- won over by the format (although picky!) and will continue this trend in 2023
- Tried short stories and revisited young adult fiction
- Read more contemporary fiction
- Started my UT Book Club with college friends
- Joined my friend's West Seattle Book Club
- Planned a weekend retreat with my long-standing (five years!) Book Club
- Discovered Novel Pairings
- Discovered Fiction Matters
- Discovered From the Front Porch

#26 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
memoir (reread -- already a favorite) // infuriating and astounding

#25 Maybe you Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
memoir // personal and insightful

#24 Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott
2022 memoir // familial and reflective

#23 The Summer Book
classic fiction, translated // relational, vignettes

#22 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

self-help, debut // motivating and uplifting 

 

#21 Best Wishes, Warmest Regards by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy
coffee table book // fun and breezy 

#20 Everything Sad is Untrue by Danel Nayeri🎧
autobiographical novel, debut // captivating and lyrical

#19 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
2022 fiction // upbeat and delightful

#18 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas🎧
classic (reread -- already a favorite) // adventurous and grand

#17 Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly

micro-memoirs // light and poetic 

#16 Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

memoir, debut // gut-wrenching and empathy-building

#15 Reading Magic by Mem Fox
non-fiction // bookish and practical 

#14 How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa

short stories, debut // descriptive and humanizing

#13 Taste by Stanley Tucci🎧
memoir // feel-good and mouth-watering 

#12 Mom Milestones by Grace Farris

2022 comics, debut // relatable and tender

#11 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
historical fiction, debut // sweeping and well-written

#10 Passing by Nella Larsen
classic fiction // compelling and discussable 

#9 City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

contemporary fiction // zippy and feminine

#8 Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg
graphic novel // creative and original 

#7 Brood by Jackie Polzin🎧

contemporary fiction, debut // quirky and observational

#6 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
2022 fiction // imaginative and cinematic 

#5 Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
contemporary fiction, debut // page-turning and thought-provoking

#4 The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
narrative nonfiction, debut // eye-opening and historical

#3 84, Charring Cross Road by Helene Hanff
epistolary // endearing and poignant

#2 Know My Name by Chanel Miller🎧
memoir // heavy and hopeful

#1 Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Séamas O'Reilly🎧

2022 memoir, debut // rib-tickling and heartfelt

An ecclectic mood reader,
- SJW