I have always loved to read. One of my earlier memories with books was sitting on the cool basement floor in my childhood home with a book in my lap. I couldn’t read then so I made up stories based on the photos and wove tales that lasted much longer than the original story.

Through the years my love of reading continued. When I was older and staying home alone while my mother worked I would spend summers reading late into the night-sometimes early morning only to repeat the process later the next night. My mother would take me to the library every Friday and I would leave with a stack of books to get me through the week.

I would save up any money I earned to buy the special books-the newest addition to a favorite series. They changed over the years: The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High and pretty much anything written by author Christopher Pike. I would plop down in the section of the bookstore and pick out one new book that I would devour in a day and later bring several of them to the local used book store that would buy them back from me for $.50 each. Money I would then hand back to him when I picked out a stack of books from his inventory.

Over the years my reading has lapsed a bit depending on my life circumstances but I always come back to it. There may be times when I don’t read with as much rigor as I did in my childhood days however I don’t believe there has ever been a time there wasn’t a book I was in the process of reading-even if it took me a while.

Last year I reconnected with the love of reading all the time. I had let go of all social media accounts and was  becoming aware of how the time spent on my laptop seemed to be directly correlated with how I was feeling. More time on the laptop seemed to yield less patience, kindness and more anxiety and worry. It seemed that the aimless hours spent wandering the Internet sapped my joy and excitement for actually living life, as my kids would say, IRL (in real life).

So I started decreasing my time online more and more and replacing the time I would have spend on the laptop doing non-essential or fulfilling activities with reading. It’s a choice that works for me and is in no way a judgment on the activities of any other soul on the planet. Our journeys are all individual and we are all affected by things very differently-this is something I have found improves my life so I try my best to honor that.

Plus I love it.

It’s interesting how little attention I give to the activities I love and how much I give to the ones I hate. I am consciously choosing to shift that each and every day and reading is just another activity that leaves me feeling restored and happy. Like writing, art and journaling, reading leaves me feeling restored and inspired.

I thought it might be fun to share some of what I am reading here with you. I am by no means a literature afficianado nor do I have any airs about what I read. I like inspiration, happy, light reads and so that’s what I read. I am trying to expand out and actually read some of those books I was supposed to read in high school and if I actually finish any of them I’ll be sure to post here.

A few days ago my daughter and I went to the local library. It’s tiny and doesn’t have a ton of books but I was picking up one I had put a hold on and while there started browsing. In total I came home with 5 books and I was very excited about the prospect of reading them all. I even set a goal of how many pages I wanted to read each day so I can finish them all before the first one is due back and so far I have read 2 books which feels really great. Not just as a box to be ticked or an accomplishment won but rather it feels good that I spend that much time in the past 2 days participating in something that brings me joy and subsequently spending much less time on something that depletes me.

It’s my favorite version of self care.

And that brings me to my post today. I thought it might be fun to share a little about the books I am reading. I am not sure how often I will update-I would love to say weekly but as you may know I am not one much for routine. Still I will do my best to tell you a bit about the books I am reading. I won’t be doing reviews namely because I find it unnecessary to criticize the creative work of another. If I don’t like a book I put it down and pick up another without feeling the need to share my lack of enjoyment with the book to others.  I would much rather share with you all the books I really enjoyed-which for me is any book I have finished so that is what these posts will be about.

What I read this week:

The following books are ones I purchased with my own money or borrowed from the library. The links provided are affiliate links for Bookshop.org a site that supports local bookstores. If you use the links provided it does not cost you any more money but I earn a small commission.

1. “Spellbinding Blend” by Kennedy Lane: This is a series of books called “Paramour Bay” and they are considered “cozy mysteries.” This one takes place in a small Connecticut town where the main character learns not only that she is a witch but that she is from a family of witches. She uses her abilities, and of course here friends, to help solve mysteries in her new town.

This series is really a fun and light read which I love. I am reading this series on my Kindle. I was never someone who liked reading on an e-reader but a few months ago I decided to give it a shot and I am really happy with. I love it for the series that I can read through quickly but still prefer a physical book for some reads.

If you like a cozy mystery and a little magic weaved in-along with a series that currently has 22 books for you to devour you might want to check it out.

2.  “I Was Amelia Earhart” by Jane Mendelsohn:  I have really become fascinated by the story of Amelia Earhart since my daughter and I watched a recent exploration that was seeking to find her and her lost plane. This book was unlike anything else I have read in it’s prose and at times and for that reason I continued through and was glad I did. The story deepens as it goes and you watch the unfurling of the fictionalized version of the two main characters.

3.  The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews:  This was the books that sent me to the library first and even though I was reading it after Christmas I was really enjoying the story. It’s inspirational and uplifting and just an all around good feeling book. If you like your Hallmark movies and shows you just may like this one as well. I found myself sad when I remembered this wasn’t a series and I would be saying good-bye to these characters at the end of the book.

And that is what I have read this week, how about you? Do you love reading? Please comment below and tell me what you are reading and your favorites. It would be so much fun to have a list of recommendations going in the comments below!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

If you would like to take part in a fun reading bingo for January 2022 then check out the. blog below!