“Experience is what you get when you didn‘t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
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“Experience is what you get when you didn‘t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
“Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won‘t make us happier.”
I have been on a cleaning and organizing spree recently, which has included purging my bookshelves! I joined PaperBack Swap about 9 months ago and have been able to re-home many books through them. If you are looking for some new reads, check out my profile and request them through PBS. I'd love to send some of my books to new homes with Litsy friends!
My profile: https://www.paperbackswap.com/profile/index.php?nickname=stephanie-geiser
“People want things to be real. If you give them an excuse, they‘ll believe you.”
pickJust finished this book this morning and it was so stinkin‘ cute! A solid 3.5 ⭐️ for this YA love story that takes place in Italy. Oh, the mental images I have of that country now male yearn to travel again! But for real, it‘s a fast, fun summer read that you won‘t regret. Can‘t wait to pick up the next in the series!!
pickI am horticulturally challenged but really want to have a green thumb! When I realized my plant killing skills were really out-doing themselves this spring I decided it was time to pick this book off the shelf and see what I could to to help my poor little plants. It‘s very insightful and time will tell what kind of response I get from those that are still alive.
pickWhen I began planning our wedding I became curious about the origins of the traditions we would be encouraged to include in our ceremony and reception. This book was a short and fun read that gave me the answers I was looking for and then some. Now that I‘m armed with the historical facts, it‘s time to figure out which traditions we will keep and which we will forego.
Look what came in the mail yesterday! My next installment in #thebreakfastbookclub!
pickI LOVED this book! It was such a refreshingly fun read after slogging through a couple. Hopefully this will help me get back on track for completing my reading challenge this year!
“If anyone asked me ... I‘d say I never considered myself a great architect. I‘m more of a creative problem solver with good taste and a soft spot for logistical nightmares.”
^ I love this description of an architect!
so-soI wanted this book to be better. I love the concept- a lonely young woman in NYC looks to make connections by leaving anonymous love letters scattered throughout the city, which then turns into a global movement. In the end, I found the amount of religious talk in the book uncomfortable. I still love the mission and may even write a couple letters myself but I don‘t see myself recommending this book to others.
“It‘s not about you. It‘s not about what you want. Look for that selfless place inside of you and just start stacking wood for the fire there. Search until you find that place, though it won‘t be easy to find. Still, be relentless in finding it.
Build from that little spot inside of you that burns quietly and unceasingly for others. Remember: whatever is burrowed deep in one hungry soul is bound to be tethered to the hearts of many, many more.”
pickI think this book took me 3 days to finish and totally got me out of the reading slump I‘ve been in. It is 💯 worth all of the acclaim and recognition it‘s received. I can‘t wait to read more by Angie Thomas!
“... I needed to witness what it looked like when you eventually stopped asking questions and just started living the answers out loud.”
“The professor taught with the confidence that books change you. They mess up your insides. They make you drool over the prospect of being a better human and a better lover and a better friend. They pull at your stomach and leave you raw and open and naked. Books can straight up mangle you and sometimes it‘s just better if you let them do their work.”
pickI needed something fun and light to get me out of a reading slump and something that would take me away from the reality of our current world. As usual, Nicholas Spark delivered!
I swear I read this book years ago but couldn‘t remember much about the plot. As it turns out, I didn‘t remember the ending either so it was a good thing I didn‘t dump it right away.
“Hope can be a mighty powerful thing when you decide to tangle it into a journey. Hope can shake things up a bit. It‘ll convince you that even if you don‘t know what direction you‘re headed in, something will meet you at the end.”
pickI love Andrea Gibson and will read every book of poetry she publishes. If you are also into poetry I can‘t suggest her work enough. Better yet, this book is a great place to start as it contains my favorite poem by her - “Maybe I Need You.”
“We were both gathering proof, and all sorts of evidence, to back a truth that no one ever warned us about: life is a series of letting-go moments. You just start to get comfortable with a place, or a person, or a job, and then everything shifts and you have to find new balance again.”
pick3.5 ⭐️
If you‘re a fan of Amy Schumer‘s comedy then you will love this book! She does a nice job balancing her sense of humor with sentimental and serious anecdotes. It would also make an excellent beach read.
so-soI‘m not sure what I was expecting from this book but I wasn‘t over the moon about it. Gilbert obviously did thorough research regarding the traditions of weddings/marriage around the world and was brave in sharing her own skepticisms. (All useful things to someone who is currently planning her own wedding!) But in the end I found myself slogging. I wouldn‘t discourage anyone from picking it up but I‘m not shouting it from the rooftops either.
“Marriage IS those two thousand indistinguishable conversations, chatted over two thousand indistinguishable breakfasts, where intimacy turns like a slow wheel.”
“The poet Jack Gilbert ... wrote that marriage is what happens ‘between the memorable‘ He said that we often look back on our marriages years later, perhaps after one spouse has died, and all we can recall are ‘the vacations, and emergencies‘ - the high and low points. The rest of it blends into a blurry sort of daily sameness, the poet argues, that comprises marriage.”
2019 Reading Challenge
- Goal: 40
Actual: 38 (thanks to a big reading slump this fall)
- 11,686 pages read
- Shortest book: We Should All Be Feminists (52 pages)
- Longest book: The Hour I First Believed (768 pages)
-Top 5 favorites (in no particular order): Scythe, Educated, The Silent Patient, Bad Blood, I'll Be Gone in the Dark
pickThis was a pick from my work book club, which may not have been the greatest choice in terms of topic but I LOVED every minute of reading this book. Highly recommended!
pickI liked this collection of poetry from Rupi Kaur SO much better than Milk and Honey. Can‘t wait to read her next collection now!
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Rupi Kaur perform. It was a late performance on a “school night” but totally worth the lack of sleep (and the need for all the coffee today 😴). If she‘s making a stop in your city, I would highly recommend getting tickets!
so-soLast week I ((finally)) finished the final book of the last round of #lmpbc that I participated in. (Thanks again for your patience- @OnlyYoo 🤗)
I was a bit nervous for this one because I haven‘t read a classic since high school but was pleasantly surprised to find the language far more accessible than anticipated. Maybe I won‘t wait so long to try another classic!
“love does not look like a person
love is our actions
love is giving all we can
even if it‘s just the bigger slice of cake
Love is understanding”
pickThis book was chosen for my work book club and I must say that I LOVED it! There is so much about Michelle‘s life I didn‘t know before and it was fun to get a different perspective on the Obama‘s‘ time in the White House. Highly recommended!
so-soTo be honest, I don‘t think I was ready for this book. Tuesdays with Morrie is one of my favorite book of all time so I was thrilled when I found a second book featuring his advice! This one, however was focused all about how to come to terms with your mortality, especially in the face of a terminal illness. I just don‘t have enough relatable life experience to make the advice offered immediately useful. I‘ll have to try again later in life.
“We‘re all on the same ship, and it‘s going to sink sooner or later. One hundred and ten years from now no one who is here now will be alive. When you look at it that way, you can see how absurd it is that we individualize ourselves with our fences and hoarded possessions, refusing to recognize our commonalities.”
“What I‘m trying to do in this community of friends and in general is to open up people, to touch them in their tender and compassionate places, so we can recognize our common humanity.”
“‘What‘s better for us?‘ Barak called to the people gathered in the room. ‘Do we settle for the world as it is, or so we work for the world as it should be?‘”
...
“It was as close as I‘d ever come to understanding what motivated Barack. The world as it should be.”
“You can find the joy in practically any situation if you are open to the experience of happiness. Even a mundane task such as washing dishes can become an occasion for pleasure if you let yourself marvel at the colors in the soap suds or let the sight of a plate remind you of the last holiday meal you spent with family or friends. Whatever your activity, do it with care and consideration and awareness.”
“...everyone has the opportunity to be involved with people and make a contribution to others. Even a smile of encouragement to someone who is having a bad day can make you that person‘s inspiration.”
“Don‘t assume that it‘s too late to become involved or to redirect your interests.”
“Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result. It‘s vulnerability that breeds with self-doubt and then is escalated, often deliberately, by fear.”
“Now that I‘m an adult, I realize that kids know at a very young age when they‘re being devalued, when adults aren‘t invested enough to help them learn. Their anger over it can manifest itself as unruliness. It‘s hardly their fault. They aren‘t “bad kids.” They‘re just trying to survive bad circumstances.”
panI can‘t believe that people spend money on this book and that the author and illustrator are making money off of this! The writing is overly simplistic - just a numbered list of 1 or 2 word entries and the illustrations that are paired with each cat “use” look rushed and childish. As a cat lover I wanted to love this book but didn‘t find it enjoyable. Skip it.
pickVery similar to the movie and since I loved the movie I also loved the book! Meryl Streep was too perfect so I kept picturing her throughout my read, which is not a problem at all in my mind. 😂
pickOk, so I actually finished this book a few weeks ago but forgot to post about it. (And if you don‘t post about it, it doesn‘t count, right? 😉)
I really like Gretchen and her work so I enjoyed this book. However, if you have read other things (books, blog posts, etc.) on this topic, then there really won‘t be anything new for you here. But it did motivate me to declutter and look at some of my stuff in a new way, just like I was hoping it would.
#7days7covers #coverlove
@Wife - Wanna play?
7 days. 7 covers you love. No explanation. Tag a new person to participate each day.
#7days7covers #coverlove
@thereadingunicorn - Wanna play??
7 days. 7 covers you love. No explanation. Tag a new person to participate each day.
#7covers7days #coverlove
@suvata - Wanna play?
7 days. 7 covers you love. No explanation. Tag a new person to participate each day.
@rather_be_reading - Wanna play??
#7days7covers #coverlove
