celebrating books & the literary lifestyle
Towards the end of 2021 I ran into some reading blocks and didn’t recommend any new books for a couple of months. At that point I was feeling a bit let down about the year’s reading UNTIL I looked back over my posts from earlier in the year and remembered I did read a lot of really good books.
Here are my favorite books published (and links to posts about them) in 2021 in no particular order:
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Because this author’s previous book is one of my favorite of all times, I had very high expectationis for
See my previous posts on: A Gentleman in Moscow and his first book, Rules of Civility.
This new title refers to the first road to stretch across America. The intro pages included a map, which I always appreciate.
Continue readingI haven’t posted much lately because, sadly, I haven’t read anything I wanted to recommend. UGH! On my Goodreads you’ll see more more “2 star reviews” than usual. And I’ve had a hard time committing to finishing longer, potentially epic reads while the shorter books have left me skimming the endings. But, I still have all of these new fall releases on my to-read list, so hopefully there will be something good here (descriptions from publishers notes).
Continue readingI don’t usually join book clubs because I prefer not to have a schedule/commitment for reading but when my alumni association from my Alma mater announced a new book club, I was inclined to consider it…
The University of Illinois alumni book club gives readers two months to read a book which I appreciate (because I’m usually reading several at once).
Their first selection was a book I had previously read, loved, and written extensively about so I skipped that one. When they announced the next book I decided to read along, and I’m so glad I did.
Continue readingTo feel like you are on another planet without leaving this one, plan a stop at Great Sand Dunes National Park.
This magnificent and fun destination was the third stop of our Colorado summer vacation.
Some related posts:
Stop 1: Mesa Verde National Park
The 4 books I read on vacation!
Great Sand Dunes can be experienced in one day but I would recommend staying in the area overnight because the weather is so volatile it is good to have some extra time.
For example, when we arrived late afternoon it was raining with an impending storm and it rained all night, but we did get a few hours in the next day before we were chased out by another storm, which come so quickly in this area. Also if it is not raining, the sand will get really hot so you probably want to be there during late evening or early morning.
Continue readingI’m pausing my travel posts to tell you about the four books I read on vacation.
Previous Post: Mesa Verda National Park
Previous Post: Durango, Colorado
Due to the nature of the vacation, I brought three different types of books: 1) Library book – don’t want to take to pool, so this was mainly for passenger seat reading 2) Kindle version to read at night, to not keep lights on that bother others and 3) older paperbacks I can take to the pool.
I was able to read a lot in all of these circumstances, especially since we drove around 20 hours each direction. So I’m sharing four book recommendations (two are older books and two are newer releases):
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This post is number 2 in a series of 3 about my family’s summer vacation. My other hobby besides reading is planning vacations. Click here to read about our first stop, Mesa Verde National Park.
Durango, Colorado was a fun stop between the two National Parks we visited this summer. It’s a vibrant and beautiful former mining hub with so much to do!
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This is #1 of a 3-part travel series on my family’s summer vacation, on which I also read 4 books!
Mesa Verde National Park is a lesser visited national park, which was fine by me with some of the other national parks getting slammed with visitors this summer.
Located in Southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde -also a World Heritage site – is the only U.S. national park that focuses on culture; its lands include hundreds of cliff dwellings where the Pueblo people made their homes hundreds of years ago. Many of these dwellings can be viewed and even walked through. It is incredible to think of the skill and construction that went into these and especially because the dwellings have lasted so long.
This park also has jaw dropping views but the dwellings and other historical artifacts provided something “extra” especially for my kids who can only appreciate scenery for so long.
Prior to visiting, I was confused about how to approach this park, so hopefully I can explain some things here to help you maximize your own trip if you decide to go – and you should!
Continue readingHere’s a quick list of the new releases I’m looking forward to reading this summer. Many from favorite authors, lots of WWII fiction (of course) but I’m also headed back to Moscow and Havana. Read with me!
Continue readingMy newest recommendation is WWII historical fiction set around a bookshop in London during the Blitz:
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