I love books. I love stories. I love to read and I love to talk about reading.

But for the last few years I just didn’t have the time or the drive to read as much as I used to. Can you relate? I’d still read a book here or there, but my unread pile was definitely higher than my read pile. That’s the way these things go sometimes.

I don’t know what happened, but last fall I found myself wanting to dive into stories again. Maybe I was excited about reading books about England now that we’d moved here. Or probably I was looking for a way to relax in the middle of moving chaos, haha – reading totally works as a wind-down for me.

I’d like to share what I’m reading here on my blog – it’s something I’ve always had in the back of my mind. A chance for me to reflect on what I’m reading, and just keep a list of sorts. I don’t have any particular goals to read a certain number of books, and (just so you know!) I’m not picky about what I pick up to try.

Here’s what I’ve read in January + February:

• The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson // I picked this up and put it down and picked it back up again. I always enjoy Bryson’s writing, and his new book The Body, with a structure less narrative-focused and more of a series of closer looks at how humans work, was easy to come back to whenever I was in the mood to read a chapter.
• The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer by Gretchen Reynolds // This was re-read for me. Actually a re-listen, because I checked out the audiobook on the Libby app from the library. (love) I’ve found that reading about sports science is a good way to keep me motivated to stay healthy, and there were lots of studies in this one I’d wanted to revisit.
• Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray // I’ve got a couple of English classics on my list inspired by a Brit Lit class my sister is taking. Vanity Fair was ok, but my favorite thing was it prompting a movie night to watch the 2004 version starring Reese Witherspoon.
• Middlemarch by George Eliot // Also inspired by my sister’s Brit Lit class. Really struggled to get through this one, but it got easier as I went along. Maybe I will like the next Brit Lit book on her list better, haha.

Cheers to more reading in 2020,

kate