2019 By the Books

Books Read: 220

Shortest "Book": "300 Fox Way Holiday Piece" by Maggie Stiefvater (it's an online story, only 2 pages)

Longest Book: Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2019 by Bob Sehlinger (832 pages)

Average Rating: 4 stars

Most Popular (according to Goodreads): The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls (read by 856,569 other people)

Highest Rated (by Goodreads): Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol 27 by Hiromu Arakawa (4.71/5 average)

Re-reads: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, Jim Dale, and Jim Kay (the illustrated/audio versions)

DNFs: I Did Not Finish about 10%, or 23 books in 2019.

Fiction vs Nonfiction: 76% fiction, 24% nonfiction

Author Gender: 72% women, 28% men, 0% nonbinary

Format: 55% print, 34% audio, 11% digital

Audience: 57% YA, 31% adult, 12% children

Source: 90% library books and the remaining 10% was split between purchased books, gifts, and advanced reading copies

Authors of Color: 34% of the books I read were written by authors of color

Queer Authors: 10% of the books I read were written by LGBTQIAP+ authors

Translations: 15% of the books I read were translated from a language other than English

Most Popular Authors: Becky Chambers, Leigh Bardugo, Cressida Cowell, and Hiromu Arakawa

Biggest Surprise: two mermaid horror stories that kept me up way past my bedtime and allowed mermaids to be beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Biggest Letdown: a retelling of The Little Mermaid that fell into all the YA stereotype traps while also being plain old not well written.

Goal For 2020: If I read anything in 2020, I'll be happy. (I have zero idea of what to expect for personal time during the twins' first year!) Goodreads is easy enough to update, so I'm not too worried about tracking my reading (which I truly appreciate at the end of the year). The amount of time I usually spend reading and writing reviews, looking over booklists, and curating titles will be severely limited, but I hope I can at least continue the actual reading of books!

Extras: 2018 By the Books, 2017 By the Books, 2016 By the Books

Happy (Almost) End of Summer

Welcome back (to me and you) from my planned/unplanned vacation from blogging! I was flirting with the idea of taking the summer off, and then life said "Yep, you definitely need a break," so I logged out and worked on all sorts of personal and professional endeavors. Now I'm ready to share what's new in Rachel's book/travel/food world and resume some recommendations and reviews. First, here's a bit of what's been going on since May, the media I've consumed + would recommend, and what I'm looking forward to this fall:

BOOKS

• I finished Scythe (and later, Thunderhead) and I'm now eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this trilogy.
• I listened to Sadie, which might be the only way to consume that book - it's part podcast, part quest for justice.
• Now I'm settling into my second trimester and reading all the books. I've perused pregnancy books, but lately I've been feeling the heavy emotional reads: Good Talk is a graphic novel memoir about a woman discussing race and racism with her young son; A Heart in a Body in the World is a young adult novel about the violence of control and how we can run away from our past while also running toward a new future; The 57 Bus is a nonfiction book about events that occurred on a public bus in Oakland, California in 2013. All three made me cry.

MOVIES

• We started off the summer of Disney remakes & sequels with Aladdin, then saw Toy Story 4 and The Lion King. Now this mermaid eagerly awaits the live action The Little Mermaid and wonders if Disney's streaming service will be worth it...
• Besides remakes, my favorite movie of the summer was Rocketman. Now we just need to catch up on Bohemian Rhapsody and Yesterday!

OTHER INTERESTING THINGS

• I don't follow basketball, but I did enjoy this story about Giannis Antetokounmpo from The Ringer.
• And a related story that should shock no one - "Experts Say Storytime Can Help Children Recover From Trauma" - but what the article doesn't say is that reading, listening, and engaging with stories helps us all, no matter what age we are.

LIFE

• In early May, I *officially* graduated from Dominican University with my MLIS. While I'm certainly proud of my high school and undergrad diplomas as well, this one means the most to me. I'm so glad I get to put it to use regularly, and I'm forever grateful to friends and family who supported me during my studies.
• In late May, my husband and I found out we are pregnant! So far my favorite pregnancy book is Lucy Knisley's Kid Gloves. It's real and relatable, plus I learned so much about the history of pregnancy and prenatal care.
• My first trimester was filled with naps, soup, and trying to drink as much water as I could. I shouldn't have been surprised that I was also in a massive reading slump. Nothing interested me, mostly because I was exhausted. I was also a bit anxious - as much "fun" as it seemed to have a secret shared only with my husband, it was also hard to not tell people when I really needed their support. Revisiting this piece by Neil Gaiman helped my brain. So did mysteries and thrillers like Your Name, We Were Liars, and Sea Witch.
• By July, I felt much better. My husband and I traveled to Baraboo, Wisconsin to visit Circus World (this has been on his bucket list for a while), and we joined the rest of my family for a reunion/camping trip. While there, we surprised everyone with something we had found out a few weeks prior: we're pregnant with TWINS!

LOOKING FORWARD

• The end of summer brings a wedding, a trip to DC, and the return of school year programming at work.
• My stack of TBR books includes a few contemporary young adult novels that have gotten a lot of buzz (some great, some not good at all), a highly rated young adult crime novel, and a spooky retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
• It's almost Halloween! I'm excited to celebrate by watching Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, IT Chapter Two, and a few classic horror movies. I also need a good costume to show off my growing belly...

A "New Year, Same Me (And That's OK)" Picture Book List

There are many many picture books about self esteem. Kids are constantly figuring out who they are and how they fit into the world, trying on various "selves" and learning how to be authentic AND kind/friendly (sometimes their authenticity borders on blunt honesty that could use a little tempering, but they're learning!). I'm here to tell you tweens, teens, and full grown adults are also (still) figuring out who they are - and they (you) too can learn from picture books about being your full self.

I took a few of these to the middle school that my public library serves for a read-aloud program, and the eighth grade students I read to loved getting into the various stories and guessing what was going to happen to protagonists. No one felt like I was babying them by reading from picture books - they were excited to sit back, relax, and be read to! Let that be permission for all of us to enjoy stories in every form - and these ones in particular, as we forge our ways into a new year with our same just-fine-the-way-they-are selves.


Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Norman feels perfectly normal...until he grows wings. He tries to hide them, but can't get comfortable with something covering his wings. Letting his wings free, Norman learns how to accept his whole self, and realizes that there is no such thing as "normal" - just perfectly Norman.


How To Be A Lion by Ed Vere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Leonard is a lion, but other animals aren't so sure of that. They tell him his kind ways and soft roar aren't very lion-like. But what does it mean to be a lion? With help from his friend, Marianne the duck, Leonard shows there is more than one way to be a lion and a friend.



Giraffe Problems by Jory John
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Edward feels bad about his neck. It's just so...necky. He's tried scarves and bow ties, but nothing changes who he is: a giraffe. After envying other animals' necks, Edward meets Cyrus the turtle. Cyrus helps Edward sees how useful his neck can be and both Edward and Cyrus learn to appreciate what makes them who they are.


Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Giraffes aren't supposed to be dancers - at least, according to all the other jungle animals. Gerald doesn't listen to them. He knows "Sometimes when you're different you just need a different song."

The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Each of Minnow's 49 sisters is remarkable. Minnow, however, is only curious. She seems to have unending questions, but has no talents for gardening or singing or fish training. What is Minnow good for? When a shoe shows up, seemingly good for nothing either, Minnow sets out to prove both she and the shoe have a purpose.


Extras: One More Giraffe Book, One More Mermaid Book, A Bunch of Picture Books for All Ages, or View All My Reviews

2018: By the Books

2018 is the year my reading exploded. It helped that a lot of it was required for classes, so I never felt guilty about reading all day and/or long into the night. It also helped that I was reviewing books at work, which meant a sizable portion of my day was spent paging through picture books and checking out new publications. I'm not sure I'll ever read the same quantity of books in a year ever again, but if I can read a similar quality of books in the future I'll be happy.

Books Read: 325

Shortest Book: All of the board books I read at work.

Longest Book: The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm (880 pages...but it should be noted that there were some pages I skimmed!)

Average Rating: 4.0 stars

Most Popular (according to Goodreads): Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling (read by 5.6 million & reread by me)

Highest Rated (by Goodreads): March: Book Three by John Lewis (4.69 stars)

Highest Rated (by me): 5-star books abounded this year once again - I've gotten to know myself!

Re-reads: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, The Outsiders by SE Hinton, The Pigman by Paul Zindel, The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, and the first three Harry Potter books (the new illustrated versions!).

Series I Finally Finished: The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Women Authors: 73% (236/325)

Authors of Color/Minority Authors: 27% (89/325) I definitely want to work on this number. I will say that race and ethnicity are not the only way to diversify your reading - though they are usually the most visible way. So while I want to seek out more non-white authors, I also want to be better at reading LGBTQ+ authors, nonbinary authors, disabled authors, Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu authors, and authors whose first language isn't English.

Translations/Bilingual: This year I read 14 books that were translated into English from other languages including German, Japanese, and French - again, I'm going to keep looking out for books in translation in 2019!

Most Popular Authors: JK Rowling since I started her new adult series AND reread a few HP books, Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles), Maggie Stiefvater (Raven Cycle).

Audiobooks: I got so much better at choosing audiobooks for myself this year! In total, I listened to 44 books. Lots of poetry, suspense, and mysteries kept me engaged.

Fantasy: 85

Horror: 32

Comedy: 18

Mystery: 35

Nonfiction: 40

Nonfiction for Adults: 14

Sci-Fi: 19

Biggest Surprise: I didn't think My Love, My Love: or The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy would affect me so much. I cried a good cry after finishing that Little Mermaid retelling. The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming was another good surprise - it's a historical nonfiction book, but the drama had me staying up way past my bedtime.

Biggest Letdown: Jackson Pearce's fairy tale retelling series - I love fairy tales and I LOVE a good YA retelling, but these were just blah. I had to read Sweetly (Hansel & Gretel) for a class and barely made it through, then I tried Fathomless (The Little Mermaid) and was even more disappointed. Other people seem to enjoy the series, so maybe it's a me thing, but these retellings just don't compare to some of the others I read in 2018.

Still Thinking About: How funny Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu and Bull by David Elliott are.

Something I Learned (about reading): There's no wrong way to read. I've had many people (family, friends, patrons, students) tell me they "don't read" or "only read comics" or apologize for liking certain genres more than others. I'm not sure if other librarians get these Reading Confessions, but I'm here to say You Are Doing Just Fine. Whatever you read (genres, format, amount) - it's all good. Of course, I'd always suggest reading more...but even if all you have time/emotional and mental capacity for is reading work emails or letters to the editor or picture books to your kids before bed, that's still reading! Listening to audiobooks is reading. Listening to podcasts is reading. Reading comics is reading. Reading comics on your phone or a tablet is reading. Reading pulp sci fi is reading. Don't sell your reading short - people are diverse, and so are our reading tastes and preferences.

Goal For 2019: I want to be better about not separating books from their authors - there are SO.MANY.BOOKS. to read, I don't have to settle for ones written by problematic people. To help me, I found a tracking sheet that I'm going to modify for what I'm looking for. This will also help me read more diversely in general. I have a few older books on my to-read list for 2019, but I also want to make sure I stay informed about what's new (especially in YA), so I've got librarian and book reviewing blogs bookmarked to help me there. I'm excited for reading in 2019!

Extras: 2017 By the Books and 2016 By the Books.

A-Z Bookish Survey 2018

I want to start December with something a bit different: a bookish survey! I've done this particular one before (in 2014), and while I'm in the midst of finishing my graduate portfolio and transitioning into my new job, I wanted to check in with my reading self again.

Author(s) you've read the most: Any author of a series has an edge here, so I'll note those with a (*)

Dave Eggers
Neil Gaiman
Jhumpa Lahiri
Marissa Meyer* (Luna Chronicles)
Donna Jo Napoli
Jenny Nimmo* (Charlie Bone Series)
Jason Reynolds
Kwame Alexander
Ransom Riggs* (Peculiar Children Series)
JK Rowling** (Harry Potter + Cormoran Strike Series)
Jon Scieszka* (Time Warp Trio Series + others)
David Sedaris
Maggie Stiefvater* (Raven Cycle + bonus material)
Wendelin Van Draanen* (Sammy Keyes Series)
Scott Westerfeld* (Uglies Series + related Impostors Series)
Meg Wolitzer

Best sequel ever: Okay, usually I find the second book in a series is my least favorite (ie Scarlet, Hollow City, HP and the Chamber of Secrets, The Silkworm...), but The Dream Thieves (from Stiefvater's Raven Cycle) was a solid read. I am also excited to read Muse of Nightmares, the follow up to Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor and A Closed and Common Orbit, the sequel to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

Currently reading:
Scythe - Neal Shusterman
Once Upon a Dream - Liz Braswell
The House With Chicken Legs - Sophie Anderson
Picture Us in the Light - Kelly Loy Gilbert

Drink of choice while reading: Water, wine, coffee, tea.

E-reader or physical book?: Physical book because I still don't have an e-reader, and haven't had the urge to get one. I'm also a big audiobook listener!

Fictional character you would have dated in college: Because I just finished the series (Raven Cycle), I would have crushed on Ronan Lynch, befriended Adam Parrish, and hated Gansey's perfect face.

Glad you gave this book a chance: Most of the recent children's fiction I've read falls into this category - I've been pleasantly surprised at the depth these books have, coupled with characters to root for and lush settings to get lost in.

Hidden gem book: The Wolf Hour by Sara Lewis Holmes - a Little Red Riding Hood/Three Little Pigs retelling I never knew I wanted.

Important moment in your reading life: Whenever I made the decision to stop reading books and be okay with it (and, following that, when I let go of any and all reading rules I held).

Just finished: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and The House With Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson.

Kinds of books you won’t read: Books with problematic messages and/or authors. (I still have work to do with this one, because I've been guilty of separating the book from the author and/or not being aware of racist, sexist, homophobic, or other problematic beliefs authors hold.)

Longest book you’ve read: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace will forever be the longest book I've attempted to read. My longest ever cover-to-cover read is A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin at 848 pages.

Most major book hangover: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo...that book ruined me (in a good way).

Number of bookcases you own: Eight?

One book you have read multiple times: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Preferred place to read: in bed on a weekend morning!

Quote that you like, from a book you’ve read: "If you can't be unafraid, be afraid and happy." (The Raven King, Maggie Stiefvater)

Reading regret: the entirety of the self-help genre.

Series you started and need to finish: the Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers

Three of your all-time favorite books: Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli, The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo, and My Love, My Love: or The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy

Unapologetic fangirl for: fairy tale retellings (& more specifically mermaid stories).

Very excited for this release more than all the others: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (It came out in October, but I'm psyched!)

Worst bookish habit: Setting open books pages-down on random surfaces.

X marks the spot (start at the top of your shelf and pick the 24th book): Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Your latest book purchase: Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli and Atlantia by Allie Condie (both mermaid books).

Zzz snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY too late): It's gotta be The Raven King. And Blue Lily, Lily Blue before that.

Pathfinder Reflection

After thoroughly enjoying the curation assignment, I was interested in preparing a more focused pathfinder. Honestly, curating themed resources is something I do fairly naturally, but intentionally sitting down to do it still had its challenges. First, I needed a topic. I love and crave limits and the creativity they foster, so on the one hand, I was excited to narrow down my resource gathering, but on the other hand I was overwhelmed by my options of topics! And of course, after all my practice in creating lesson plans and working with classroom teachers to create co-curricular assignments, I couldn't think of ANYTHING I wanted to do.

I started a few different pathfinders to see which topic's potential resources felt best, and to see which curation tool I wanted to use. I looked at the LIS 724 website, saw a few tools that I hadn't used before, tried Scoop.It, hated it, and went back to Wakelet. It's just so streamlined. Pearltrees would have also worked, but I liked being able to add more text to explain my resources. I started gathering mermaid resources, fairytale retelling resources, and Chicago resources, and found that I was most interested in collecting a more specific set of Chicago history resources - primary sources and artifacts. That led me to gathering websites, books, encyclopedias, and archives related to Chicago's history in general and four events in particular: Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933-34. Chicagoans and other discerning historians will recognize these events as the ones represented by the four stars on Chicago's flag, which for me was the easiest way to narrow down the expanse of Chicago history.

I know I'll be using pathfinders throughout my career and in my personal life (my booklists here are a sort of pathfinder) for years to come, so it's helpful to try out new platforms and topics that students or curious Chicagoans may actually find useful! 

2017 By the Books

I read 196 books in 2017...thanks to library school and my job at a children's literature center (helloooo, picture books!). A Land of Permanent Goodbyes will be #197 if I finish it this weekend, but all stats are pre-completion. Here's a breakdown of what I read (using my Goodreads account as my source):

Total Number of Books Read: 196
Total Pages Read: 35,603
Shortest Book: Ghost Poems by Daisy Wallace (30 pages)
Longest Book: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (637 pages)
Average Rating: 3.8 stars
Most Popular (according to Goodreads): The Help by Kathryn Stockett (read by over 2 million)
Least Popular (according to Goodreads): The Long Island by Drew Beckmeyer (it doesn't actually come out until 2018...)
Highest Rated (by Goodreads): Refugee by Alan Gratz (4.66 stars)
Highest Rated (by me): There were a lot of 5-star books this year, I'm happy to say!
Re-reads: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (very excited for the film adaptation), Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (doesn't quite hold up), Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (definitely holds up), The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (it's complicated)
Series I Finally Finished: The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Women Authors: 55% (108/196)
Authors of Color/Minority Authors: 40% (78/196)
Translations/Bilingual: After a very brief scroll through my list, I think about 12 of the books were either translated into English, included bilingual text, or were foreign language titles altogether. Several others were written by non-American writers in English.
Most Popular Author (according to my list): Margarita Engle (Forest World, Drum Dream Girl, Bravo!, and Miguel's Brave Knight). Jason Reynolds and Carole Boston Weatherford tied for second with three books each.
Audiobooks: 11, and I can pretty safely say that I am not a good listener...I much prefer reading text. If I have to listen, please let it be a comedy book (Yes Please was delightful) or a book featuring music (Solo and Echo had several musical moments).
Fantasy: 18
Horror: 3
Comedy: 9
Mystery: 10
Non-fiction: 53
Non-fiction for adults: 27
Biggest Surprise: All These Wonders (a collection of stories told on various Moth stages) gave me life. Miles Morales is hilarious and important. Out of Wonder is unbelievably beautiful. Greenglass House (and the follow-up, Ghosts of Greenglass House) is so. much. fun.
Biggest Letdown: On the whole, I was disappointed by self-help books this year (lesson learned, I guess?), but the biggest letdown was The Arrow Finds Its Mark (a collection of "found" poetry). It had extreme potential to be innovative and original, sure to be beloved by this found poet, but it lacked creativity and design.
Still Thinking About: the beauty of some of the picture books and graphic novels I read this year. It was an amazing year for illustrators! Also, lots of WOW moments in YA fiction, novelizations of comic books, and historical fiction with plenty of heart.
Something I Learned (about reading): Something I've known, but that was reaffirmed for me this year is that representation matters. I read a lot of "window" books this year (as opposed to "mirrors"), and I loved it. I can only imagine how affirming it is for non white/straight/English-speaking/etc kids and adults to see their lives in the books they read, and I'm excited to continue exploring a wide range of narratives from a wide range of authors.
Goal For 2018: Keep on keeping on.

Extra: 2016 By the Books

Winter Solstice Check-In

Winter Break is so close!

• Finals: finished (one paper, two projects - one being a new page on this blog)
• Presents: four left to wrap
• Thank You Notes: we're down to co-workers & friends!
• Travel Journal: one day left to recap

Of course, I've already sort of started the relaxing & celebrating...

• Reading: ARCs that I've been saving up all semester
• Dipping: into my winter wine stash
• Watching: all the Harry Potter movies
• Vacuuming: hey, it calms me, okay?

Extras: last year's Winter Solstice thoughts (feeling similarly this year - cautiously grateful)

2016 By the Books

I read 66 books in 2016 (67 if I finish The Help before Sunday (doubtful)). Here's a breakdown of what I read (using my Goodreads Account as my source) :

Total Number of Books Read: 66
Total Pages Read: 21,151
Shortest Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery  (83 pages)
Longest Book: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michal Faber (835 pages)
Average Rating: 3.5 stars
Highest Rated (by Goodreads): The Martian by Andy Weir (4.37 stars)
Highest Rated (by me): 6-way tie between Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, and The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
Re-reads: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (also read in 2008 & 2011) and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (also read in 2011) [It was a good year for women who wrote year-long memoirs with lists as their titles.]
Women Authors: 28 (42% --> gonna do better than that next year)
Authors of Color: 9 (14% --> also working to improve that)
Non-Americans: 18 (27%--> I'm pretty okay with that)
Translations: 4
Books written by Neil Gaiman: 6 (that probably won't happen ever again)
Books with Movie or TV Adaptations: 26
Definitely Better Than The Movie: The Princess Bride by William Goldman was delightful!
Fantasy: 11
Horror: 10
Comedy: 10
Non-fiction: 23
Biggest Surprise: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Biggest Letdown: Paper Towns by John Green was the worst - do not waste your time on that garbage!
Still Thinking About: The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman (review coming on Saturday!)

Something I Learned (about reading): Reading has seasons, and books either fit or don't fit those seasons. Reading scary stories not in the fall feels out of place. Reading dense writing in the spring feels laborious. Some books had better "flow" than others based on the season and mood - and I plan on taking better advantage of that next year, instead of forging ahead with something just because "it's on the list".

Goal For 2017: More women, minorities, and translations. Less white dudes.

Friday Night Links 31

Chicago students still have 2 days left of school, but it's summer reading list season on the internet:

Dinner: A Love Story - 14 Summer Reads
Gimme Some Oven - Summer Reading List
Perpetual Page-Turner - 10 YA Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag This Summer
Upcycled Education - Summer Book Recommendations
Paper/Plates - Essential Summer Reading
Book Riot - How to Create Your Own Summer Syllabus

And who am I to resist the movement? (Though it should be noted, my reading lists are year-round.) Here's what I'm excited to read in the next 2 months:

Bed, David Whitehouse - Currently reading this story of a man who refuses to leave his bed. It's...different.

Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter- One of my plane/beach reads for my upcoming trip to Puerto Rico! I'm excited to "travel" to Italy while reading.

Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout - The backup plane/beach read for vacation (I always bring a back up). I'm hoping it'll be different from what I'm expecting from the cover.

Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie - What better way to return from vacation than with something literary, a cross between "a fairy tale, a furious political satire, and a meditation..." (from the front flap). We'll see how I do with a deep read in deep summer.

Shine Shine Shine, Lydia Netzer - If I can't hang with Rushdie, I've got Netzer on deck with an adventurous love story that'll take me to the moon and back.

Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger - Highly rated by almost everyone I know who's read it + On so many "Best of" lists = A book I'm bound to check out sooner rather than later, even though 15 years after publication isn't exactly sooner.

50 Things About Me

In honor of my 50th post this year, here are 50 things about me. In no particular order:

1. I hate/love alliteration.
2. I'm slow at technology, but give me some time with a gadget and I can (usually/always) figure it out.
3. Wishing people happy birthday tires me out. It's always someone's birthday. (So don't feel offended if I don't send you a personal greeting on your day.)
4. I think I feel that way because I'm pretty nonchalant about my own birthday. It's in the summer, so most of my childhood birthdays were spent alone/with siblings/parents after work. 
5. I judge books by their covers.
6. I'm a proud lefty, despite doing nothing special to be one.
7. A walk always does me good, but if it's crappy outside it's impossible to believe that.
8. Tacos make me happy. 
9. I go into my own head a lot. And get lost/stuck there. It's awesome some days, but inconvenient a lot of the time.
10. I hope to be a lifelong reader...that's the only thing that makes my to-read list not overwhelming, considering:
11. I plan on living past 100. I've always believed that I would.
12. When I was little, my "When I grow up..." was to work in the same office that my mom did and to wear nice clothes to work. I did not have a specific career in mind, and to this day I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
13. Other options as I got older: gardener, director of an orphanage, taxi driver, pediatrician, teacher, bank teller, anything where I got to use a computer, a morning person, professional book reader, writer...I had/have varied tastes.
14. I love snacks and routinely make meals out of them.
15. I've hidden notes in library books, especially ones that meant a lot to me while I read.
16. My siblings are my best friends.
17. I've always wanted to have kids, but it wasn't until I started dating Jesus that I wanted to be someone's mom.
18. I studied abroad in Rome because I read Eat, Pray, Love the week before study abroad applications were due...before that the plan was to go to London. I'm forever grateful to Elizabeth Gilbert for sending me to Italy instead of England!
19. I always think things are going to take twice as long as they really do, so I give myself obnoxious amounts of time to do them. This is why I'm always early, especially when I go somewhere for the first time.
20. Sometimes I feel nothing during really sad times. Other times I watch an animated film and sob.
21. My biggest pet peeve is when people think they are above the law, especially with minor traffic violations (think: using the right lane even if it's not a lane). I don't know why, but those things irritate me way more than they should.
22. I've never seen Titanic the whole way through. Same with The Notebook.
23. I like things to be just so before I start a project, which is why I tend to consider myself a perfectionist procrastinator - things get put off because "I'm not ready," or "It's not ready," not because I don't want to do them.
24. Because of #23, I've taken deliberate steps to jump in to things without worrying about the outcome or if I've planned things out enough. I started small: freewrite journaling, art projects just for fun, low stakes work projects - and have worked my way up to bigger things that I usually hold back on: interior decorating projects, writing projects, even this blog is a way for me to "just do it" without making sure all parts are perfect first.
25. I drink more water now than I ever have before in my life and it is amazing.
26. My favorite not-guilty pleasure purchase: plants.
27. April Ludgate-Dwyer would be one of my best friends, if either of us believed in that sort of thing.
28. 27 is the first age where people were genuinely shocked to hear that that's how old I was. At 26 it was, "Oh, you look younger than that." At 27, "You're HOW OLD?!??!?!?!" What a difference a year makes, I guess.
29. I'm the best at not showering.
30. I love a good routine almost as much as I love making changes. (I am large, I contain multitudes.)
31. If I randomly selected an item from my closet, odds are it would be a) blue and/or b) striped or plaid.
32. While I still need to read Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I've done a lot of cleaning and getting rid of "things" this year. I prefer to collect places and people.
33. That being said, I love collecting things as well. It comes from my strength as an intellect - I love collections, including tangible and intangible ones. This also explains my reading habits - I don't read to hone any specific theory, but to add tidbits of knowledge to my collection.
34. I have blue eyes, which is a thing my boyfriend now knows (after 4 years of dating). He thought they were green and/or that they changed colors depending on who knows what. My mood perhaps?
35. My first favorite band was Hanson. They were soon upstaged by Coldplay.
36. I have a sweet tooth, but when I'm hungry I prefer something salty first.
37. I used to dye my hair consistently - all colors. I stopped right after college, until I started again and stopped again. Right now it's its "original" color, but I have a feeling that might change soon...
38. I have two tattoos and two ideas for new ones.
39. I love maps. I am my father's daughter.
40. I tend to be a rule-follower, and I rarely got in trouble in school, which made it easy to get away with not following the rules when I didn't believe in them. Rebelling for me was (is?) less overt acting out and more calm refusal to listen to authority.
41. I'm a member of the Clean Plate Club - I (generally) only eat when I'm hungry, so you better believe I'm eating everything I serve myself.
42. I don't nap, but when I do...it's a 4 hour affair.
43. I believe Experiences > Things
44. When I'm stressed, I clean. When I'm restless, I clean. When the sun is shining and I have salsa music playing, I clean.
45. I'm not physically flexible, but mentally I'm an Olympic gymnast.
46. I enjoy planning for events as much as the event itself. It could be a vacation, a party, or a Sunday drive - thinking about it brings me the same amount of joy as being there in the moment.
47. I'm frugal to a fault. If I can thrift it, DIY it, or go without it, I will. This allows me to "splurge" on things like ticket to Puerto Rico - remember, Experiences > Things!
48. I kill at making lists - to do lists, packing lists, life lists...it fits in with being a collector and an organizer.
49. My favorite grown up dish to make is salsa chicken with all the fixings.
50. My favorite I have no energy to cook dish is pasta with a little olive oil, Parmesan, and salt & pepper.

What I'll Miss About The Naw (And What I Won't)

After three years and 11 months, it's time to say goodbye to the Naw. My roommates and I are all going our separate ways this summer, to new cities, new jobs, and new apartments. I'm sad to leave the place I've called home for several reasons, and I sincerely hope that whoever lives here in the years to come truly appreciates what a gem The Naw is. And yet, there are also a few things that I'm okay with leaving behind as I create a new home with Jesus a little further north on the Blue Line.

I Will Miss:

1. Three words: In. Unit. Laundry.
2. A bathtub so big I could have naval battles in it (or just really awesome baths).
3. All the dark wood trim.
4. The Hutch.
5. Living so close to the 606.
6. Having a big kitchen to cook in...
7. And a big dining room to entertain in.

I Will Not Miss:

1. The way the whole apartment is slightly off-level, so that a ball placed on the north side of a room rolls to the opposite wall with no initial nudge whatsoever.
2. A bathtub that someone deemed necessary to coat in lead-based paint, so that I've had to bathe at my own risk.
3. Not having my own closet/having to use the hall closet.
4. That one outlet by the porch that doesn't work.
5. Sleeping within listening distance of my neighbor's dining room.
6. When the ceiling leaks during heavy storms.
7. Knowing when my neighbor is on his porch smoking, thanks to southerly winds and open windows.

Summer 2015

While summer's been unofficially here since the end of May, this weekend brought the official/calendar beginning of summer. And here is my official/not serious list of summer activities to partake in and moments to enjoy:

• Read
• Beach
• Bike...for fun
• Drink coffee
• See fireworks
• Eat/drink on a patio
• Farmer's Market
• Take walks
• Slow down

I intentionally didn't list any concrete activities with dates - over-planning stresses me out and can get overwhelming, especially considering Chicago has a new festival every weekend. Let's just say there are plenty of options for me to choose from when it comes to committing to something. Plussss I left out a few (exciting) for-sure things that I know I'll be doing this summer because they are nonnegotiable (and things I won't forget to do, so I don't need a list to remember them).

I like this small, manageable list of things that mostly come natural, but can get forgotten amidst all the festivals, shows, concerts, and flashy events. And I'm excited to soak up this summer!

What I Know About...Exploring Chicago for Cheap

The Buckingham Fountain is on, the beaches are open, and Memorial Day is behind us...that means one thing in Chicago: it's SUMMER! Summer in Chicago is the reason why so many of us struggle through winter - it's a commonly heard mantra as you bundle up yet again, "Just wait for summer, summer redeems all of this." And for good reason. With the lakefront, over 500 public parks (and thousands of park events), sidewalk dining, concerts, and weekend festivals, there's always something going on in this city. Of course, summer entertainment can add up and before you know it, you're back to your winter routine of Netflix and reading. Unless you're me...then you know how much fun you can squeeze from a budget.

I know...

1. The best way to do Chicago for free is to take advantage of Chicago Park District parks. Besides the obvious activities that the parks offer: picnicking, laying out on the grass, playing on the playground, swimming, playing basketball/tennis/frisbee/etc, and riding or running the miles and miles of trails, there's also free movies, dance and music performances, art galleries and installations, the zoo, conservatories, family activities, gardening, the beach....and so much more.

     a. If you're a local, I highly recommend downloading the My Chi Parks app. It will tell you events happening by date or location and it helps you track Park Points, another highly recommended feature of the Park District. (Get points for promoting and attending park events, spend points on tickets to Six Flags, sporting events, restaurant gift certificates, etc.)

     b. Things that are included in Chicago Park District for a nominal price: Midnight Circus, golfing, rock climbing, day camps, fitness center memberships, sports leagues, wellness and creative classes...and I'm sure there's more. This post could start and end with the Park District.

2. It begs repeating. The BEACH.

3. Free events beget free events. Once you start attending free events, you will either learn about more free events, or you'll get exclusive passes to events, making them free for you. Example: Jesus and I got free Adler Planetarium passes, a pass for Brookfield Zoo's Motor Safari, and Field Museum passes for watching the Buckingham Fountain get turned on for the summer.

4. Museum Free Days are your friend. If you have an Illinois license, there are lots of opportunities to visit each museum for free. Other museums have weekly free days/times, while still others are free all the time.

5. Food can be an adventure all its own. Instead of trying to do dinner along with another activity, Jesus and I like to make eating out the main event. This works when we want to try out a special restaurant, or eat something unique to Chicago. Examples: getting a bag of Garrett's popcorn, then walking up and down State Street while eating; having dinner at Portillo's in River North and getting soft serve at the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's across the street for dessert; filling up on a variety of Puerto Rican food from several vendors at the otherwise free PR Fest.

6. Exploration is the best way to make your own fun. Yes, visiting the Hancock or Sears/Willis Tower are fun and something to do at some point, but...sometimes walking around at ground level is fun too. I can't number the times Jesus and I have picked a neighborhood and walked. We might go into a store or art gallery from time to time, or stop to marvel at architecture or sculptures, or people-watch as we walk, but it's enough to be out and about in the city we call home

Sunday Night Survey: Thick Air Edition

It's the middle of May already! What happened to this month? Not sure, but here's what happened this weekend:

Eating: up what's in the pantry and fridge.
Drinking: water, water, water.
Making: life decisions.
Reading: Serena, by Ron Rash. It's like House of Cards, if the Underwoods were logging barons in 1930s North Carolina instead of politicians in current day Washington D.C.
Watching: The Babadook. It's weird. And scary-ish.
Celebrating: a college graduation.
Writing: restaurant reviews and pep talks to myself.
Renewing: my driver's license online, which you can do in Illinois if you're a safe driver.
Walking: around several neighborhoods to get out of the house.
Napping: in the park.
Sweating: in several outfit changes each day.
Getting: lots of needed sleep, but
Waking: up with the sun and the birds. Hello open window season!

Friday Night Links 16

Since I haven't shared my current bookmarks in a while (my Friday nights have been activity-packed these past few weeks (including tonight), which is strange for me, but also a nice change), and since this week has been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining (and next week's forecast looks like more of the same)...some links to things that have fed me recently.

I also love the between times - "I’ve found my senses are most finely tuned when I’m forced to let things be — and in times of transition, there’s so much to be lost (or missed) in the rush to get to whatever’s next."

If I wasn't pretty sure that the theme of my 2015 is "authentic," I'd make it "minimal" - less is more.

How will I pay the bills? Again, less is more.

About doing what you love...(and not having a capital P "Passion," but rather lots of curiosity about the world). (Via)

Another beautiful collection of vignettes by Shoko (she clearly knows what's up): "for the most part, the discombobulation has been a thrill."

Happy Weekend!

Sunday Night Survey: It's After Midnight Already? Edition

Answer: yes, it is. So I'll keep this brief. I spent this weekend:

Taking: long walks. OUTSIDE.
Applying: to more jobs (still/always), but
Feeling: content with my life right now.
Making: homemade brownies with dulce de leche.
Eating: homemade tacos with barbacoa and guacamole.
Tasting: several new beers and
Deciding: I'll stick to wine and cider, thanks.
Saying: goodbye to some of my favorite TV characters ever (Parks and Rec).
Getting: to knew a few new characters (House of Cards).
Finishing: Horns by Joe Hill.
Starting: The Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani.
Craving: pizza (you knew that was coming).
Looking: forward to riding my bike to work and everywhere!

Hump Day Thoughts

1. It is Hump Day, right? For some reason I can't keep my days straight this week.
2. This week feels like it's more about survival than anything else - I keep coaching myself through the days and hours.
3. I'm also doing a lot of lying to myself: "You'll only need to wear a billion layers for a few more days." "Tomorrow will be above freezing!" "You don't look tired at all."
4. Recently, all I want to do is watch TV. I have two episodes of Parks and Rec left and I'm digging Season 3 of House of Cards.
5. My dreams have been vibrant and violent lately. Just last night I was involved in a car chase.
6. I'm so looking forward to being able to ride my bike to work again.
7. I had one more thing, but I got distracted by the ray of sun that just slid into my room. Excuse me while I bask in it until I have to go to work.

Sunday Night Survey: What March Means to Me Edition

March means...

War: Mars, the Roman god of war and farming, gives March its name. I plan on warring with the weather this month.
Books: Dr. Seuss's birthday (3/2) also marks Read Across America Day. Right now I'm reading Horns by Joe Hill.
Puns: March fourth/march forth is coming up on Wednesday!
Daylight: As in, "saving it" for the evening.
Women: It's Women's History Month, and March 8th is International Women's Day. It makes sense that we get the day with only 23 hours.
Pi(e): "Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world." (emphasis mine)...luckily you can also celebrate around a pie.
Madness: Selection Sunday is the 15th and the craziness doesn't stop until Easter weekend. My money is on
Luck: I'm not Irish and I own exactly 2 green shirts, but St. Patrick's Day is an important holiday in Chicago.
Happiness: Take the pledge to "seek happiness in [your] life and to take actions to help others and those less fortunate to lead happier lives." It can't hurt.
Spring: At least according to the calendar. Who knows what plans Mother Nature will have.

Sunday Night Survey: Dinners and Birthdays and Oscars, Oh My!

What a busy late February weekend! That's the only way to survive these frigid and dark days, my friends - stay busy. My fingers are still a little frozen as I type this; Jesus and I just got home from getting 25-cent wings with friends, where we caught up on our lives, tried new brews, and watched the first part of the Oscars. Now we're home, warming up and enjoying the second half of Neil Patrick Harris's wit.

Drinking: a cherry cider. Yum!
Eating: wings, birthday goodies, take out, chocolate, and cheese.
Planning: our next Community Night.
Solving: a murder mystery...on a boat!
Entertaining: ourselves with a tangent on thimble collections.
Reading: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Checking: out a friend's apartment - which looks like Snow White's cottage, so adorable (so jealous).
Wondering: how my boyfriend is so goofy and so serious at the same time.
Making: the most of February blues.
Dreaming: of warmer days. And warmer nights. (Real feel of -6...not where it's at.)