Reading Styles

Cozy mysteries. Vivien Chien’s “Death by Dumpling” was holding down the fort last week. This week, “The Bookish Life of Nina Hill,” by Abbi Waxman. I’m ‘mood reading’. I found these titles by looking at whichbook.com. It chooses books for you based on mood.

I’m a solid mix of fantasy, thrillers, and HEA–so basically, escapism is my MO right now. And thank you for the term “moody, fancy fiction”–this is such a perfect description for the type of book I feel like I’m “supposed” to read as a former English major, and guiltily just don’t enjoy much anymore.

Listicle Queen most definitely. I’m feeling her.

I’m “read historical non-fiction because so many people throughout history have done hard things and so can we.” Recently read “The Worst Hard Time” about life in the Dustbowl which was so desperate and bleak. I hd no idea Americans lived with dust storms of that magnitude (millions of tons of dust would be dumped from big storms, sweeping dust from Oklahoma and Texas out to ships 300 miles off the east coast in the Atlantic ocean! People couldn’t leave their homes and would die, sealed inside, from dust pneumonia. This went on for years during and even after the Great Depression since many of them couldn’t afford to resettle anywhere. Currently reading “The Splendid and the Vile,” by Erik Larson about 1940-41 in England as the country was under constant attack by Germany, waiting on the US to get involved in the war. Also (for fans of Rebecca Mekkai’s The Great Believers), “How to Survive a Plague,” and “And the Band Played On,” are both excellent chronicles of the early years of the AIDS crisis. These books are not just a good reminder of how fortunate many of us are to be able to wait this out at home, but also about courage, compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. And a big thank you to Grace!

Yes to “Unorthodox” – it’s fascinating and addictive!

What about the “all of my library e-book holds are coming up and I haven’t had time to read a single one because I’m working and parenting at the same time” reading style?

Wow. I love this.

I am 100% moody, fancy fiction. I just finished Writers & Lovers by Lily King and would 10/10 recommend.

CoJ readers – any recs that fall into this category?!

I’ve escaped into a re-read of Anne of Green Gables.

This is the opposite of reading and I’m reeeeally late to this game, but is anyone else a fan of the show “Jane The Virgin”?! It’s THE perfect pandemic viewing: adorable dresses, a protagonist you can really root for, beautiful writing about family, yet improbably wacky plot lines. Hostages! Fake identities! Hotel shenanigans of every kind! It’s like Arrested Development meets a telenovela and it’s the zaniest, sweetest, most perfect show for right now.

I’m not kidding when I say that Jane + my heated blanket = my actual anxiety management strategy.

And in the words of my 3-year old, “That’s all I wanna say about that.”

So much love for you, Dr. Grace Farris! Incredible artist and woman!!

Also, Joanna, the ads are hilarious. I don’t think I’ll miss Allegra, State Farm, and Constant Contact everyday with my afternoon coffee when the pandemic passes, but what a sign of the times! Corporate, off-brand, a little sad, but not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination. I chuckle when I think about TEMPTATIONS cat treats jumping around the bottom of the page. It’s like a weird other dimension. It’s funny, guys. It’s actually funny.

Sending you guys all so much peace and happiness heading into another homebound weekend!!

Children’s books over and over and over and over and over again (repeat).

Haha I wish I had time for reading something besides kids books! Absolutely exhausted with my 5 and 7 year old at home.

ooh what are some examples of moody fancy fictions?! i feel like some historical fiction (my fave) can fit in that caegory!

Who has a good book that is funny, along the lines of Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

Anyone??

All romance all the time. Well… while simultaneously working my way through The Splendid and the Vile which is like pandemic but scarier.

For fellow fantasy fans, I just finished Sarah J. Maas’s newest book, House of Earth and Blood, the first in her new Crescent City series, and wow it was great! It took a long time to read in the best way….when I find a compelling fantasy world I love spending so much time in it. Then once you’re done you can read all the other series she’s written, which are all excellent, especially if you also like romance.

…none of the above! My top genres are non-fiction and historical fiction – currently buried in a huge book about FDR’s conservation work (surprisingly soothing right now!), a big historical Norwegian epic novel, and a book of essays about the environment and conservation by Terry Tempest Williams.

I’ve also been trying to get more into poetry, and have been enjoying Jacqueline Suskin’s work.

I’m a long time daily reader and had no idea that Grace Farris was also a medical doctor. I just read her piece in the New York Times, which led me to read about her medical career here: https://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/grace-e-farris
What a truly incredible person.

HEA all the way! I’m like this even sans pandemic. To much stress in real life that I need happy, often mindless, entertainment to soothe myself. My friends and family love to tease me about it but I know what I like/need!

What she’s a doctor? She is AMAZING!!

I love thrillers especially with a twist. My favorites recently are Gone Girl, The Wife Between Us an the Silent patient. I interviewed the Good Book Fairy on my blog. She is terrific
http://www.motownsavvy.com

I don’t understand how Dr. Farris is fighting on the frontlines AND has time to make such relatable content! I am definitely in the fantasy/HEA categories haha — it’s been nonstop YA fantasy books and cozy romances over here. If anyone is looking for some YA fantasy recs (because I always am!) I just finished Fire in the Mist and Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh and they were excellent. For romance I’ve been re-reading all my Lisa Kleypas books — the Ravenels and the Wallflowers series are my favorites.

HEA only, for sure! I’m in the middle of adjusting my expectations for what was supposed to be a big church wedding to a small, intimate, outdoor celebration. I’m so thankful for my favorite descriptions of small weddings in my favorite books– Betsy (Betsy’s Wedding, Maud Hart Lovelace) gets married a week after getting engaged, in front of her own fireplace. Anne (Anne’s House of Dreams, LM Montgomery) has a beautiful outdoor ceremony with a small group of family and friends, but dreams of a sunrise wedding under the trees. And Laura (These Happy Golden Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder) gets married on a weekday, in the pastor’s parlor, with only her best friend present.

What beautiful stories to remind me of the substance of marriage! Thank you, Happily Ever After, Only!

I loved seeing Dr. Farris highlighted in the NY Times this week! She’s a hero. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/parenting/coronavirus-doctor-family.html