Navigating the Midlife Crossroads
I just reread my New Year's post, and while it ended on a positive note, it was definitely a bit of a downer. I was excited that things were trending upwards, but also afraid that they wouldn't stay that way. What calamities were still to come?! But I've now gotten through February, and things have indeed been getting better and better. As I've discussed with my therapist, I keep thinking, "ah, now I'm back to the way I used to be!"... and then a few days later, I feel better still! I hesitate to say I'm totally better, as I recognize that there are still some areas of my life where I'm not operating the same way I was back in 2021 or 2020. But those are mostly areas where I'm still questioning whether I want to go back to the way things used to be. And from discussing with friends, it sounds like a lot of people are feeling the same way, with a big line between the pre-COVID and post-COVID world. It's hard to tell if it's really about COVID, or more general life changes... so let's unpack that, shall we? At my job, I really enjoy the flexibility of working from home. It is so nice to not be traveling 200 days a year! But I also miss being in a team room, taking clients … [Continue reading]
What I Read in February 2023
I didn't read nearly as much in February as I did in January - only four books, and one was a novella! Yikes. I'm now coming to the realization that I need to dedicate more time to reading in March, for sure. However, that puts me at 13 books for 2023, which is only 3 books behind where I should be to hit a goal of 100 books for the year. There is definitely time to make up for that deficit! 4 stars: Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, by Kristyn J. Miller: Margo and Jo run a popular romance podcast, focusing on hooking up without actually getting attached. However, Jo breaks the rules and decides to get married - and while one of their podcast sponsors gives them an all-expenses-paid multi-week wedding trip to Catalina Island, Margo feels the pressure of needing to come up with an idea to save the podcast, or at least keep it going herself. Problem is, she's crushing on the best man, who's also her childhood nemesis. I thought this was a cute and fun read, though Margo's immaturity was hard to take at times. I enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes look at the podcasting business world, and the romance was sweet (when I could set aside Margo's annoying self-sabotaging … [Continue reading]
What I Read in January 2023
2022 was a huge reading year for me - 122 books, my highest total ever! I don't think I'll match it in 2023, though, so I'm keeping my perennial goal of 100 books for the year. Given that I'm a lot more active this year than last year, and with less time for reading, I think it will still be a stretch - and I'm looking forward to the challenge. In January 2023, though, I read nine books - so that started me out with a bang! Only one that I gave five stars to, but I can't recommend it enough, and am predicting it's going to be a bestseller when it comes out in May. 5 stars: The Wishing Game, by Meg Shaffer: I LOVED this novel so much, even insisting on some quiet reading time during a girls’ getaway weekend because I couldn’t put it down! It starts a bit slow - Lucy is a broke teacher’s aide at an elementary school who really wants to adopt Christopher, an orphan in foster care, with whom she shares a love of reading. But she’s not allowed to do so because of her finances - so when reclusive children’s author Jack Masterson announces a contest to win the only copy of his first book in years, and Lucy gets a sky blue envelope inviting her to play the puzzle game on his … [Continue reading]
What I Read in December 2022
I finished the year strong, with 10 books read in December 2022. Although that's a high number, that's actually almost exactly my average month - since I closed out the year with a whopping 122 books! That is the most I have ever read in a year (my previous best was 102 books in 2017), and while taking time off work / lying around during IVF probably influenced it, I was proud that I kept the average up even in months where I didn't have that stuff going on. For 2023, I am keeping my goal at 100 books for the year, but I'm hopeful I will once again surpass it 🤞 5 stars: The Soulmate, by Sally Hepworth: Gabe and Pippa live in a gorgeous home, but one side of the yard backs to a cliff called "The Drop" - where people come to die by suicide. Gabe has become a local hero for talking people away from the ledge, but this time, a woman goes over the edge... and the woman, Amanda, is not a stranger, but someone Gabe knows. When Pippa realizes this, she wonders: what happened?! I loved this mystery and couldn't put it down. There were a bunch of interesting twists and turns, and the book is told from two POVs (Pippa and Amanda) to keep things moving. While I don't always … [Continue reading]
