Hello There!

I haven’t been faithful at posting to my blog, but I’m really trying to change that this summer. With so many life changes happening, writing is a way for me to pause and reflect on those changes, orient myself, and mark the passing of time. The books I read, the journeys I take, the daily rituals I unconsciously engage in, and the people I spend time with all are markers of my life. I want to record them for the future so that I don’t forget the things, people, and events that have served to shape me into who I am. No one is static, and I am not the person today that I will be in 5,10, 20, or 30 years. I want to be able to one day reflect on the me of this year and compare her to the me I will become. Hopefully blogging will help me to achieve that.

Speaking a Second Language with Babbel

 

Hi Everyone! It’s a new year and like so many of you, I have a list of good intentions for this year. Notice that I used the word “intentions” and not “resolutions”. This is because resolutions are so easy to break and to fail at. But intentions are flexible, leaving room for change and allowing for growth beyond what has been “resolved”. One of my “intentions” this year is to speak a second language. I decided to try Babbel and I’m so glad I did – please read on to discover why!

Sylvia’s Lovers: An Introduction

I’m hosting a readalong of Sylvia’s Lovers over on Instagram and I’d love to have you join! Please grab a copy of the book and hop on over to check out the weekly discussion posts between now and the end of November.

Hi Readers, welcome to week one of Sylvia’s Lovers! Thank you so much for joining me in reading this novel by Elizabeth Gaskell which, on first glance, seems so disparate from her other works. While Gaskell had focused on contemporary stories set either in industrial settings or sleepy countryside villages, this book is a historical tale set in an English seaside town (inspired by the real whaling village of Whitby). This novel closely parallels the whaling story found in Melville’s “Billy Budd”,  the brooding atmosphere of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”, and the enduring passions of Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”. It is to Gaskell’s credit that she could be so heavily inspired by her peers, and yet create an original work that, while it reflects those influences, turns them into a story uniquely its own.

Midweek Links 7.25.18 (Christmas in July Special Edition!)

Hi Everyone! Can you believe we are exactly 5 months away from Christmas? Procrastinator that I am, I tend to think that anything more than two weeks out gives me SO much time to get things done. Haha, I know myself better than that, but I like to lie to myself every.single.time. In order to try and inspire myself to think ahead and be more prepared for the holidays than I usually am, I thought it would be fun to feature some Christmas links today!

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Last month, I hosted a readalong of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell on Instagram. It’s always exciting to read a favorite author’s works with other people because there are always different perspectives and observations on a novel that readers bring to a discussion. I’ve decided to start sharing my notes and discussion questions on my blog so that I can easily come back and reference it if I ever want to. It is also my hope that the research I’ve done on the novel will benefit other Cranford readers.