What I read: The Spring Flowers Edition

BOOK COUNT FOR THE YEAR

• January: 4
• February: 29
• March: 21
• April: 29
• May:
• June:
• July:
• August:
• September:
• October:
• November:
• December:

WHAT LITTLE BUN READ

I can’t keep up to be honest. He has become a bookworm once I introduced him to new series he is obsessed with

• Gangsta granny
• Ratburger
• Mr Minging
• Gernomo penguin
• Grandpa’s Escape
• Awful Auntie
• Peacemaker
• Worlds worst pets
• Annoying elephant
• Megamonster
• Ice monster
• Teachers pet pack
• Midnight gang
• Boy in dress
• Slime
• The Bad Guys – Books 1 -5
• 6th grade ninja – books 1-5
• Judy moody books 1-3

WHAT I READ

I was engrossed in reading all the Bridgerton novels and their spinoffs. I could not stop.

BRIDGERTON SPINOFFS (22 books)

[ ENGLAND, CHICK-LIT, ROMANCE, FAMILIES ]

myth of the silver spoon

[ Wealth, children, generational wealth, planning  ]

Everyone thinks if you give kids money, they will end up doing nothing with it. This is true, but this book changed the way I think about giving kids money. I will write a post on my thoughts but I highly recommend it, if you are an Anxious Parent like myself who grew up with nothing and is unsure what to do to make sure your children have a good balance in life.

NOt in a million years

[ Chicklit, Romance, Fluff  ]

It was forgettable, frankly. I read it and was “meh” at the end. I could not tell you what happened.

HUmans of new york

[ real life, new york, stories, photos ]

A great photo book. I love it, I just like seeing photos, and their IG or blog is excellent to learn about everyday people.

STationery SHop

[ LOVE, FORMS OF LOVE, family, obligations, 1950s iran ]

This was such a painful book to read, but so beautiful. I can’t give away too much but it was just me reading it, going – I KNOW SOMETHING AWFUL IS GOING TO HAPPEN OH GOD NO – and then it happened, and I devoured every word to the very bittersweet end. I think we all have regrets and other lives that we could have lived if we had done X or Y…

Don’t you cry

[ psychological thriller, family, life, mystery ]

It was magnificent. I had no idea what was going on until the very end, and she is such a skilled author to be able to draw me in like that, and confuse me until the last pages. I usually figure it out but I could not make heads or tails of this, and it wasn’t confusing AT ALL, which is a difficult thing to accomplish. She is beyond masterful.

The other mrs.

[ psychological thriller, mystery, confusion ]

Same as her other book – drew me in right to the very end. I had NO CLUE WHAT WAS GOING ON until the last few pages, and it was such a good twist.

CONFESS

[ psychological thriller,  ]

She is an excellent author but this whole plot (her other books are better), was completely discombobulated (I have always wanted to use this word). I still liked it, still read it to the end, but I was expecting something more from the ending.

FAQ

How do I read so quickly?

I don’t know either. I’ve been reading books for as long as I can remember. I feel like my sibling is the one who patiently taught me how to read one book, and from there, it exploded.

So, lots of practice? I have been reading for so long that words come easily to my brain, it’s like I see a picture of the word rather than reading the word individually. So “disastrous” would be a word that you read “dis-sas-trous”, but in my head it’s disastrous“, just one word, meaning imprinted. Makes sentences go a lot quicker.

Save for my parents, my entire immediate family is a family of voracious readers.

We read while eating, we read while walking, we read in bed… I guess I just followed what my older siblings did as they always had their nose in their books, and a few going at the same time (you know, the disrespectful way we read through half a book than leave it half open facing the table, spines cracked, no bookmark?).

I used to read 30+ books from the library a week – all young adult, easy stuff. I can read 2-3 books of young adult fiction in a current work day to give you an example, and as a child I had way more time than I do now, so I burned through books like a firestorm.

Our partners remark that they’ve never seen a family read so much, and I guess it’s true.

Where do I get my books?

A lot of you have asked and I generally don’t buy books unless they’re secondhand and in ebook format, for many reasons – price, environmental, space, and even then, I don’t buy books. I borrow them.

I read them on my Kobo ereader (also secondhand), and check out books from the library from Overdrive. If the book isn’t there, I generally don’t read it, UNLESS.. it is a book I REALLY REALLY want to read, then I MAY consider buying it if I cannot wait for it or find it. So far, I have only done this for Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Libraries are a gift, and we pay for them in our taxes yearly even if you don’t personally use them, so thanks.

How do I know what to read?

I don’t. I see recommendations and make notes, or put it on my Wishlist / On hold. I sometimes go into bookstores and browse, then decide if it is worth getting from the library. Or in secondhand stores, I pick up or buy books only if they’re photography / style-related where pictures and colour are a MUST (the one drawback to an e-reader).

I purchased only two physical books in 2020 that I couldn’t / didn’t want to buy in e-book format: Distinction (it was cheaper secondhand than the e-book), & Scoff (not available in ebook format at all).

Don’t you prefer physical books?

Who doesn’t!?

Aside from the cost, the space they take up, how heavy they are (we have a small bookshelf, most of it is Little Bun), I find them heavy to hold and hard to read in rooms unless there is bright daylight or very strong lamp light (I suffer from aura migraines and I’ve noticed dim light or lack of light triggers it when I am reading). I really like that the ebook illuminates the book.

I’d rather carry my entire library around with me in an ebook reader, plus be able to read with a backlight on.

I am currently considering a library option however only because we plan on buying a larger home in the future and I could allow a small library in my closet, perhaps.

Likely, it will only be filled with photography and style books however. Those are the only books I really want in physical copy and ebooks won’t suffice.

Where do I find the time to read?

I just make time for it. I have no other answer…

I’ve noticed if I am not watching TV shows, or aimlessly browsing on Instagram, I seem to have plenty of time to read if I am able to foist Little Bun off on my partner and/or keep him occupied otherwise.

I can go through a lot of books in a short amount of time if I am both interested, reasonably well-rested (or in a good mental state, not in limbo or stressed out) and the book itself is engrossing.

I read while brushing my teeth as you need to brush a full minute to two minutes (I have the reader on a stand), and I read while eating or drinking tea, I read while Little Bun plays or reads…. I read every time there is a spare moment.