What an amazing month of reading! When I posted the last review below, I asked myself, "How did I read so many books this month?" The answer was simple, yet enlightening. On the days I went to work I left my laptop at home. Instead, I tucked in one or two books into my bag depending on the length of the book and how much I was enjoying it, along with a notepad for doodling and notetaking. I do have a desk top computer at work for weather-related sites, mostly, and for senior weather observer duties (creating the schedules, monthly reports, season weather training, etc.) but if I bring my laptop I will use it more heavily, between my weather observing duties of watching the weather and taking weather observations, for scrapbooking, photo editing, and the likes, and even games, rather than read. I will still read, just not as much. So, I deliberately left my laptop at home and plowed through 21 books, mostly library books with several J.D. Robb, In Death series re-reads, which are fast-paced police procedural non-literary, but highly enjoyable novels, and my guilty pleasures.
I think the only downside to this month is I didn't have near as many 5-Star reads as I had hoped. But, those I did read, that were 5-Stars - amazing! Two stand outs, easily, Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, and, of course, all of the J. D. Robb, In Death series re-reads. Jeff and I finally finished, after 5 months or so of reading a little every morning, The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, a hefty, spiritually worthy, discipleship book. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have finished it on my own if we hadn't been reading it a-loud. So worth it! Walking by Erling Kagge was a unique, intriguing little book that I read in short bursts - and I loved it. So much so, I am planning on obtaining my own copy to read again and again. Such good stuff in such a small book. I finally read The Queen's Gambit after seeing the Netflix mini-series which enthralled and beguiled.
Each month I am adding an updated version of books on bookshelves with all the books I read this month (adding to all the books I've read this year thus far). I love how the shelves are filling up with color.