Bookworm Guide

Hello Blondie!

As you’ve landed here I must assume that you love a good book just like me!

I remember being a kid and spending way too much time over the summer in the library, as they always had summer reading competitions in order to keep kids motivated to read…it worked. As I got older I didn’t read as much and while I was in school the last thing I wanted to do was read more than the bare minimum.

In my earlier twenties, unlike most, post-secondary wasn’t in the cards for me. I found myself unmotivated and spending wayyy too much time scrolling. So I decided to challenge myself. Delete all the gaming apps off my phone and read 12 books in twelve months, well I cleared that goal, I ended up reading 22 books. Sure to begin with they were not critical thinking books, but they did allow my imagination to wander instead of a screen taking place.

The following year I decided to dig a little deeper and find some books a bit more challenging, perhaps not in language, but in content. I kept a list (which I am about to share with you) along with some books I plan on reading in the next little bit.

Even when I went back to school, while it was no longer 1-2 books a month I did keep the desire to read, or even keep my imagination alive by listening to audiobooks during my travel time as a way to escape the stress of the textbooks.

I also found books helpful in a way that strengthens my writing as I have become accustomed to developing thoughts and ideas while reading.

To keep it simple I have created a few different downloadable pages depending on what appeals to you best. Fair warning you will not see any horror books on these lists as it is not my cuppa tea, I do however enjoy a well-developed thriller, if you have any suggestions please leave a comment!

While I have been working away a creating a virtual book club, I do enjoy sitting (or sleeping) on a patio chair in the heat of summer. In addition to the Annual Bookclub, I also created a summer reading bingo, without additional content as a way to give you a change of pace while still reading during the summer (just like the Library Reading Competition when I was a kid).

I have already read The Kiss Quotient and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which is why I made them a part of the summer reading list. The others were ones I planned on reading during the summer. I am in the midst of reading Wine Girl…seems like months, but that’s because it keeps getting distracted by other books. I have completed Beach Read and Such a Fun Age through Audible and while I put Girl Logic on the Bingo, about halfway through I decided it really wasn’t for me and returned it for The Two Lives Of Lydia Bird, which I am enjoying, and keeps me company as I paint my new/old stools.

Update:

Thought I would write a 6-month update on my current reading habits. By the end of the summer, I completed The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. At the end of 2020, I had also completed listening too: Relationship Goals by Mike Todd; Myth of a Nice Girl by Fran Hauser; You are the Girl for the Job by Jess Connelly, and Atomic Habits by James Clear. I listened to these through Audible. However, I did manage to properly read a couple of books since then as well including the completion of Wine Girl, which was really interesting and I would highly recommend. I also completed Work Party by Jaclyn Johnson and Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I’m currently reading Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis; Rising Strong by Brene Brown; Boundaries in Dating by Cloud and Townsend and listening to Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.

I have attached the past and current bingo sheets to help inspire your reading list!