I feel lost when I don’t have a good book to read. Sometimes I just can’t figure out what I’m in the mood for, and my whole life suffers as a consequence. Everything becomes duller. This recently happened to me. I went through a string of books that were only okay, and after a few … Continue reading Recovery from a book slump
Since the pandemic began, I’ve focused a lot on the pursuit of happiness. I wanted to keep my spirits up. I took the free Science of Well-Being course through Coursera, I listened to happiness podcasts, I kept a wellness journal where I recorded things I was grateful for, exercise, meditation, beauty and excellence I appreciated, … Continue reading Happiness ensues
I finished reading Lao Tsu’s Tao Te Ching this morning. I marked it “Read” on Goodreads, and wondered, when the rating scale popped up, how does one decide how many stars to give an ancient religious text? Do people give star reviews for the Bible, the Torah, the Koran? (They do!). Compared to something like … Continue reading Rating the Tao Te Ching
I just can’t with favorites. I can’t think of anything in life that I have an absolute, all the time favorite of. I don’t have a favorite book, song, movie, TV show, dessert, drink, pen, author, season. And I don’t have a favorite quote. I’ve spent too much time already today agonizing over this question. … Continue reading I won’t pick a favorite quote.
My reading life is dictated by when ebooks are available at the library. My favorite days are when a hold becomes available the day I finish my current read. Those days feel like I won a scratch-off lottery ticket. I get a little nervous when my next book becomes available too soon, though. Too soon … Continue reading The next book on my list
When I stuck my nose out the back door yesterday, the air was sharp with cold. I caught a lingering drift of woodsmoke from a chimney. White snow glittered on the deck, and the dry, frigid air smelled like it had been scrubbed clean, like every particle of moisture and pollen and dust had frozen … Continue reading Sniff the air
Butterfly Mind 