Tag: books

Things that have Never Been

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.

-Rainer Maria Rilke

OK, OK, I know it’s not the new year. But it kind of is in a sense for me. I’ve restarted my exercise regime for the first time since my 2.5-year-old was born and it feels amazing. I’m also writing at a minimum twice a week now which has not happened consistently since before kids.

And I’m reading. Oh, I’m reading up a storm.

Not only am I reading, dear reader, but I’m reading with a promise to review. Yes, I finally signed up for Netgalley. Nothing like a social commitment to challenge oneself.

Continue reading “Things that have Never Been” →

Done Questioning

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

Do not let what you think they think of you make you stop and question everything you are.

Carrie Fisher

I’m not sure what your opinion on the late, great Carrie Fisher is. Despite having found her tweets incredibly confounding, what long-form writing of hers I was exposed to really stayed with me. Postcards from the Edge might be the first book I’ve ever read where the author’s voice truly struck me as unique.

Now…this may say more about where I was in my reading journey and life overall at the time than being any kind of disparaging comment on anything I had read previously but…I digress.

The point is, whether she meant this or not, in reading that book I truly felt as if Ms. Fisher herself was speaking to me – trying to explain something about who she was and what her seemingly glamorous life was or had been like. It went beyond memoir or autobiography, despite being fiction. Like cracking open a soul.

Her book confirmed what I had already surmised: I wanted to write and I wanted to write in my own voice – not one that was prescribed to me.

Continue reading “Done Questioning” →

A Bookish Atmosphere

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

This place has atmosphere, different from a bookshop with just new books. In here you sense the weight of time stretching way back to the past.

Michiko Aoyama, What You Are Looking For is in The Library

I’ve always found that for both writing and reading, atmosphere is important to me. Now, this is not to say that I can only read or write in a specific location. Only that to fully focus my creative mind, I need to feel comfortable in my surroundings.

When we first saw the house we now call home, back in January, it was not initially what I thought we had been looking for. Most of the houses we had looked at leading up to this one had been just out of town with at least an acre of land (one actually had 5!) They were my vision of an oasis of tranquility where we could escape just a little from the frantic pace of modern life.

Having looked at all these beautiful country homes, we decided to check this one out for a very specific reason. I had grown up only a 5-minute walk from my elementary school and I remember truly loving being so close…especially as someone who has never been a morning person and for whom mornings were less than tranquil. This house would give the girls the same experience growing up but it was far from the secluded country retreat I had been dreaming about. Regardless, it seemed to be perfectly situated for the kids on a quiet cul-de-sac close to not only their school but also the walking path, fair grounds and library. And that meant something.

Continue reading “A Bookish Atmosphere” →

Reading Roundup: December 2023

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.

Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid

Happy New Year Everyone!

Well, the last month flew by and I did not get any writing done. However, I managed to squeeze in quite a bit of reading so I’m going to go ahead and call that a win.

I couldn’t help but choose the Lemony Snicket quote above to kick off my first post of the year as one of my main hopes for 2024 is to finally wrest myself from the persistent phone addiction that has had me in a chokehold since the pandemic. Part of my strategy to achieve this includes bringing a book everywhere I go to get out of the habit of pulling out my phone whenever I need to wait even 5 minutes for something. Another change I’ll be making is no more phone in the bathroom (don’t lie, you do it too). Hopefully these small changes will lead to even more reading this year…one can only hope!

But, without further ado, let’s take a look at all the wonderful things I managed to read in December, shall we? Who knows, maybe you’ll find your next great inspiration here. I certainly took something away from each and every one of these articles, blogs and books; do let me know if you do too, it’s the reason I write these posts in the first place. Happy Reading!

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: December 2023” →

Reading Roundup: September 2023

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

She rocked a little forward and back in her chair, her mind chasing this thought, then dashing after another.

Renée Gendron, The Ninth Star

I’ll be honest, September was not the most focused of months for me. It’s our first time really having the “back to school” experience as my eldest was returning to preschool for her 2nd and final year and it was…a transition to put it lightly. Sleep has been off, behaviour has been challenging and I’ve been just all-around exhausted.

Perhaps counter-intuitively, when I’m tired reading is usually the last thing I want to do. That does not mean that I don’t find reading relaxing – I do. However, I also need at least some mental energy in order to properly immerse myself in the worlds being painted in the authors’ words – that’s just how I have always approached reading. So, when my mental energy is low, I don’t tend to reach for a book. Does that sound strange? Maybe. But it’s just the type of reader I am and I have come to terms with this.

So, all that being said, if my reading total seems low this month…this is why! Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: September 2023” →

Reading Roundup: August 2023

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

A flare of hope shot up inside her, a sudden bright puff like the lighting of a gas stove.

Diana Gabaldon, Drums of Autumn

It may not seem like much to the casual reader but…I truly cannot believe the streak I am on in terms of publishing posts on this blog. I mean, if I’m being honest (and why wouldn’t I be since this is easy enough for anyone to fact check), it has been years since I have been this consistent with my writing. Years.

Dare I hope that my spark is back?

I think I will dare. After all, better to hope than to prematurely despair.

Speaking of streaks…Here I go publishing my monthly reading roundup on time! And since it’s not a catchup post, it will be nice and short. You’re welcome!

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: August 2023” →

Reading Roundup: March – July 2023

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

Whatever you are meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible

Doris Lessing

I’m sure Ms. Lessing was referring to something far more important than a blog when she said the above quote, and not only since she lived the vast majority of her life far before blogs were even invented. She was a Nobel prize winner after all.

However, in my case, this gem from my book of Beautiful Words spoke to me today because this is a post I have been dreading tackling. I want to get back to my monthly reading roundup but…before I do that I needed to catch up from the last 5 months. Why? Because that’s the type of person I am. Sigh.

Thankfully I read a heck of a lot more books than articles so this post won’t be as long as it could have been.

So, let’s do this now. Shall we?

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: March – July 2023” →

Reading Roundup: February 2023

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

Dr Seuss

Where oh where did February go and how is it already March?

As with all of the grandest of ambitions, I hit a snag with my writing goals last month when we were hit with not one, not two but 3 different illnesses one after the other (I know, I know, perfectly normal when your kid starts preschool but STILL). Couple that with my 4 month old going through an also-perfectly-normal-developmentally sleep regression and, well, we were definitely in survival mode.

As I’m still recovering from the latest cold, I’m going to go easy on myself this week and publish my reading roundup and I’ll get back to the other content next week (hopefully).

Send all the healthy vibes our way – we need them!

One thing I did manage to do despite being sick was read. And boy did I ever read. In fact, according to Goodreads I’m 3 books ahead of schedule for my 2023 reading goal! Considering I read the bulk of my books in November and December last year…it’s safe to say I’m currently pleased as punch at this development.

So, without further ado, here are some fantastic things I read this month. Enjoy!

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: February 2023” →

Reading Roundup: January 2023

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.

Julia Child

Last week marked my first week off of blogging for the year (already!) as we all had the flu. However, in keeping with my new resolution to be kinder to myself, I’m proud I managed to blog all but one of the weekends in January! Now that feels like an accomplishment to me.

Today’s featured quote seemed incredibly appropriate for my first reading roundup of the year. See, I’m not sure that a lack of passion projects and interests has ever been my problem. In fact, if I do have a problem, it’s that I’m interested in far too many things. Can there truly be too much of a good thing?

One of my varied interests, as you have probably already gleaned from this blog, is reading. Like all of my other extracurricular activities, it has been hard over the past 3 years since becoming a mother to fit reading into my daily life; in the past its place in my schedule was assured.

I’d like to say I’m finally falling into a new rhythm with my reading, having already read 4 out of my 2023 goal of 23 books, but I know better than to proclaim such a victory so early. Life is fairly unpredictable as a rule and once you add kids into the mix? Well, good luck getting your crystal ball to ever predict anything accurately again.

That said, I’m proud of the amount of reading I accomplished in January. I’ll appease myself with basking in this rare sense of pride for now…

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: January 2023” →

Reading Roundup: 2022

Posted on by Erin of the Hills

It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.

Oscar Wilde

It appears my last Reading Roundup post was in January of 2022, which is unbelievable. Thankfully, that was not the last month I read anything…only the last month I posted about what I had been reading.

This post will be a bit different than those previous ones as I will be summing up the standout articles and blogs as well as all the books I read for an entire year! While I didn’t highlight many articles or blogs this past year, I did read 24 whole books…but I’ll spare you the detailed reviews on all 24 (at least in this post). Instead, I’ll list them by quill (star) rating and will hopefully get back to some book reviews eventually!

So, without further ado, here are the articles, blogs and books that made 2022 my best year for reading in a long long time.

Continue reading “Reading Roundup: 2022” →