Hello all, It’s year no. 6 (!) of our Reading Challenge. Julie and I derive great fun and pleasure from composing, and in Julie’s case, completing, these yearly challenges. I do try, but I’m the worst reading procrastinator. You do not want to meet my TBR in a dark alley, it’s a beast. If you wrestle with your to-be-read list like I do, or if you look for fresh ideas when it comes to selecting books, join our challenge. It’s low-pressure and designed to fit in whatever you like to read with a few unique prompts that reflect the interests that Julie and I share. Bookish Jay and the Reading Merm ..read more

Hello bookish buddies. I’m back to celebrate year number 5(!) of the Bookish Jay and Reading Mermaid challenge with Julie from The Redolent Mermaid. Our collaboration has outlasted many a celebrity marriage, and I’d argue, possesses more substance than most. We look forward to generating these lists for you, and for us, every year. What we have in store for year five–a mix of fun, thoughtful literary ideas. We believe it to be our most versatile challenge yet: 1. Join the Resistance– whether subverting Nazis in WWII-era France, opposing a current oppressive state or ideology, o ..read more

Here it is…The Scented Library and The Redolent Mermaid’s fourth annual reading challenge! We’ve almost made it to 2021, *small sigh of relief, hearts full of hope and fingers crossed. If you, like myself, didn’t complete 2020’s challenge, no judgement. It turns out I’m not a pandemic reader and I’m ok with that. We all get a do-over and praise for coping, however we needed to, just to get through last year. Bookish Jay and the Reading Mermaid challenge list: It’s the end of the world as we know it…—an apocalyptic tome, dystopian nightmare, or something set in/about the year 2020. Choose a b ..read more

While speaking with a friend back in Spring, I conveyed to her that 2020 feels like a year of endings; seven months later I realize how thoroughly it’s held true. After thirteen eventful years, it was time to end our careers as speech and debate coaches, decided in February, before the pandemic hit the school system and the onset of juggling virtual tournaments and distanced practice meets commenced. My husband and I feel we got out not-a-second too soon there, actually. With the onset of the global pandemic and resulting library shut-downs, I’ve experienced the ending of job security (althou ..read more

((Hesitantly opens hatch on underground bunker…squints at brightness)) Hello out there. Um, is there anyone out there? I know it’s been loooong time, no post, and although I am sorry about that, it has been a bit crazy in the world these last few months. With the onslaught of dire daily news, I’m convinced we are living through the early chapters of a dystopian novel. My focus resides elsewhere most days, however, I know my friends and followers will understand my absence. Unless, of course, you fall into the ‘it’s all a worldwide conspiracy’ camp, in which case feel free to skip down to ..read more

It’s March, and with it comes hopes for the end of a long, windy winter. Not gonna sugarcoat it, I’ve been in full hibernation mode. Nary venturing out other than for work or speech tournaments for what feels like months. Holiday visits with family and friends were a bittersweet blip, bygone ages ago. Recently, our focus has narrowed to providing extra tlc and attention for our aging and sickly pup, Johnny Funtime. Although we have and will do anything for our furry friend, it’s been a humbling and depressing time. Won’t dwell on it further here exept to say, I’ve craved comforting, mel ..read more

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January of 2018. Jana writes, “it was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” In that spirit, link up with your list at That Artsy Reader Girl and comment with your list, link, or thoughts below. A fun topic this week which required a bit of catching up by me. I don’t want to admit to being clueless when it comes to social media, but I only know Instagram and blogging. After a fair amount of social platform polling (and trolling) here’s what I got: 10. Heathcliff (Wuthering H ..read more

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January of 2018. Jana writes, “it was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” In that spirit, link up with your list at That Artsy Reader Girl and comment with your list, link, or thoughts below. *Apologies for the delay on this post. That 3-day weekend here in the states must have thrown me out of whack. I believe the point of today’s topic is to give bookish hangovers a positive connotation, as in books that were so memorable, one couldn’t get over them. Well, it has been a long t ..read more

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January of 2018. Jana writes, “it was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” In that spirit, link up with your list at That Artsy Reader Girl and comment with your list, link, or thoughts below. 5-star ratings should be given few and far between. Not that I’m ironfisted or anything, it’s just that I reserve the highest rating for those special books I consider to be nothing short of legendary. Books possessing that elusive combination of powerful story, enjoyability, plus top-quali ..read more

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January of 2018. Jana writes, “it was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” In that spirit, link up with your list at That Artsy Reader Girl and comment with your list, link, or thoughts below. Not done with those Best of the Decade posts, quite yet. Specific to books which I’ve personally read. (I really wanted to do this as a topic last year) so here goes… 10. We Were Liars e. lockhart I had some issues with the plot, but love the way the cover evokes a state of ..read more