This week was a mixture of sunny days and thunderstorms, appointments and rest.

I made homemade gluten free basil pizza, devoured a jar of my homemade strawberry jam, read three books, started a new bibliotherapy project, tackled my envy in my notebook and took walks with my labradoodle, too.

What a week!

What I'm Reading:

I read such an eclectic mix of books this week! One personal development book, one delightful adult fiction selection and one completely uncharacteristic gothic novel that I had to stretch for. I definitely pushed the boundaries of my reading life here. =)

Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

I read this book because I needed a pep talk, a kick in the pants and some inspiration. I got all three things and more. I’ve been a fan of Rachel Hollis for a long while because of her no nonsense approach, her willingness to put herself out there, imperfections and all, and to continuously learn from her mistakes. Her simple, yet powerful, messages came through like I was talking to a friend over a cup of coffee. I have a long list of quotes that I’m savoring and am left with a feeling of calm that even in the midst of challenges, there is ALWAYS something we can control. And THAT is a message I think we all need. 

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

This was a delightful book and I immediately became engrossed in June Jones’ life. She’s a quiet librarian still mourning the death of her mother and struggling to come to terms with where she is in life. When the future of the library is threatened, June is paralyzed with fear as her mother worked there too and she has years worth of memories there. Forbidden to help save the library by her employers, she secretly finds a way to help…and finds her voice, and possibly love, in the process. This book is eerily similar to the middle grade novel A Kind of Paradise by Amy Tan. One was middle grade perfection and the other was adult delight. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is not a book I’d normally gravitate toward. I read this as part of a personal challenge to read books that would take me to another time and place without leaving the comfort of my own home. This book certainly fits the bill. The novel begins with Noemi, a young debutante, leaving her home in Mexico City to check on her cousin who has written a strange letter asking for help in her new home with her new husband. What starts as a rescue mission slowly becomes something much more terrifying as Noemi learns the hidden secrets of the house and suddenly finds it literally impossible to leave. I was hooked at the beginning, a tad frightened in the middle and reading with my eyes half closed at the end. The writing was beautiful and literally entranced me in the story, but I’m not sure I want to experience it again, at least for a while. I need a rom-com to recover. 

What I'm Writing:

Can envy actually help us feel more joy? Ingrid Fetell Lee thinks it can and I agree. 

That’s what I spent some time exploring in my notebook this week: What am I jealous of? Which social media posts make me green with envy? Why do I feel this way? What does it point to that I might want or need in my own life?

I also experimented a bit and purposefully sought out these envious feelings and I found I’m very envious of people who seem to have more free time than I do, who work with books all day, who know how to cook and who have really cool hobbies. 

Because I do none of these things. 

But it looks like I want to. =) 

So, I made a two sided-list. On the left, I put the things I’m envious of and on the right, one step I could take to bring whatever that was into my own life. 

So now, I have plans to set a hard and fast work boundary at the end of the day, make time to browse my local bookstore, try one new recipe and actually buy the Cricut I never bought all those weeks ago. 

Stay tuned.

What I'm Learning:

I’m sorry, what? Over half of US adults have not finished a book in a single year?! This gives me even more reason to keep working toward my new mission station (that I created while reading The Joy of Missing Out by Tanya Dalton):

I’m a book-loving, notebook-hoarding literacy teacher educator on a mission to change lives (and classrooms!) one book and one notebook at a time.

Books are my everything and I love matching books to the readers that need them RIGHT NOW.

Yes, I read a lot, but not as much as others. Instead, I want to make sure my reading life is intentional and gives me what I need when I need it to make my life better. This may mean fewer books, but those books matter. Greatly. 

That’s why I’ve decided to offer personalized reading recommendations for readers. =) Here’s how it works: You’ll fill out a Google form letting me know your reading preferences, what’s going on in your world right now and what you’d like next in your reading life to help your actual life. Then, I’ll reply with 3 – 5 books I think you need to know about and add to your TBR. 

This will not only help me achieve my mission, but it will help me feel like I’m battling the statistic I started out this section with so every adult has a book they not only CAN finish, but WANT to and MAKE the time for as a result. 

What I'm Loving:

Here’s the recipe I used for my strawberry jam (although I skipped the canner and went right to the fridge). It is DELICIOUS.

Suleika Jaouad of the Isolation Journals is wrapping up a 100 day project with her community. This post so beautifully captures those creative projects. My envy is at an all time high here. 

Penguin Random House shared yummy summer meals from their hottest cookbooks. I want to make a GF version of the blueberry buckle and the potato and burrata pizza, too. 

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?