The Hungry Bookworm
reading + eating
This year absolutely flew by, and honestly, bring on 2021. I can happily announce that I made my reading goal this year, when I definitely thought I wouldn’t — I only read 6 books before April! At that point, thankfully, something kicked into gear and I was able to get back on track. This month was a bit of a mixed bag, but I ended on a high note. Here’s a look at what I read:
Though 2020 is unlike any other year, we’re still rolling into my favorite part of the year — the part where I can shop as much as I want and not feel bad about it, because I’m buying gifts for other people! If you’re like me, you probably have some bookish friends you need to shop for, or you may be making your own bookish wish list, or a little bit of both. Hopefully this Bookish Gift Guide helps you on your way...
Despite being in various (and multiple) book clubs for almost a decade now, I’ve never done a gift exchange with my fellow book club members. That changes this year, and I’m SO excited. Here are some fun book club-themed gifts for your favorite reading buddies:
Funny and oh-so-true. Perfect for your fellow hosts/hostesses. Buy here
My reading month started off with a bang and then pretty abruptly crashed to a halt the week of Halloween. In that time, I managed to read two graphic novels and an essay collection about popular movies, but have been struggling through my current fiction read (which I’ve been working on for 13 days). Anyway, here’s a look at what I read — mostly 4-star reads and no two books alike!
I read way more than I realized this past month! Perhaps I’m back to my old self. I just hit book number 51, so I upped my reading goal from 52 to 60. I don’t know why, but I don’t really like to hit my goal so early in the year, so I usually tweak it if I’m getting close at any point. Do you ever change your reading goal?
It’s finally (already?) October! I’m sure I’m not alone in the feeling that 2020 has somehow been both the longest and shortest year so far. Anyway, fall is definitely underway in Michigan. We had what was probably our last 70-degree day on the last weekend in September, and it’s been chilly and a little bit rainy ever since. It’s wonderful cozy-up-with-a-book weather.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is mostly aesthetic, focusing on book covers with fall vibes, but per usual I'll share just a few thoughts on each pick today — even though I picked them for their looks, their contents are what’s important.
I’m not sure where I first heard of Fiona Davis’ latest historical novel, but I was immediately grabbed by the description. The Lions of Fifth Avenue is about a woman, Laura Lyons, who lives in the main branch of the New York Public Library with her family in 1913, and about her granddaughter who works in the same library 80 years later.
Like most other bookworms, I’m always interested in stories about books, bookstores, and libraries. The idea of living in a library, though? I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the story, and I was definitely a bit jealous of the Lyons family throughout. Because her husband is the superintendent of the library, they’re able to live in the apartment within the grand building. Though the Lyons family — Laura, her husband and their two children — live a happy life, Laura wants more. She enrolls at Columbia University’s journalism school, and her whole life changes.
[Read more...] about The Lions of Fifth Avenue + Black and White Cookies