Happy Friday Links

9-8-23

Happy Friday!

It’s been an entire month since I landed in your inbox. I’ve officially retired and moved, and I’m semi-officially settled in and excited to see what’s next in my life and with SoNovelicious. There are still several boxes calling my name to unpack. I seem to be visiting stores for needed things every day, and I wake up every morning with a whole new attitude and outlook on life. This is so refreshing after so many years of job-related stress.

I had planned to write a few newsletters throughout the last month, but my final days at work and moving got the best of me. Something had to give, and unfortunately, it was the newsletter. I have struggled with the newsletter quite a bit in the last few months, and I was hoping it was because of all the changes in my life during that time. I’ve thought a lot about this, and so far, I have no clear insight as to why I’m struggling, so unfortunately, I don’t yet have a clear direction for where I want to take SoNovelicious. I have some ideas and new things I want to try, so maybe once I feel a little more settled, I can move forward with those ideas.

While I’ve been busy with many other things, my reading life has not taken a hit. I’ve saved so many good links I’ve collected over the last month, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Here we go!

• Every time I open an email, I see nonsense like this. I don’t live in Mississippi, but I live in Texas, where similar nonsense is happening too.

• Writers are often asked if the books they write are about their own lives or people they know. Hernan Diaz talks to The Guardian about his newest book, Trust, and why it would be a failure if he finds himself on the page.

• I haven’t read it yet, but there is still hope as long as I don’t read it before a flight. T. J. Newman talks to She Reads about her latest novel, Drowning.

• I constantly see posts in my bookish FB groups asking, “Which Kindle should I buy?” This recent Bookriot article offers an in-depth look at all Kindle models and why readers might like each one.

• I come from the era of the adage, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Obviously, these people have never heard of that adage.

• I got a kick out of this Guardian article about what happens when “a novel causes a storm in the author’s small town.” If you are looking for a fun beachy read and like a scandal, this is the summer read for you.

• What a great idea and one that I’ll start when I travel. I also plan on picking up bookmarks from the places I travel to.

• A fellow Substack writer

  Mark Dykeman
  usually doesn’t write about libraries, but he’s recently written a newsletter that you might find interesting and helpful. In his newsletter, he writes about the history of libraries, things besides books that libraries provide, and lists ways to support your library if you are so inclined to do so.

• Did you know that Libby (through your library card) offers magazines to readers like it does for e-books? I knew this, but what I didn’t know is that you can set a “notify me” tag on a magazine you like to read through Libby, and the app will notify you when the latest issue is ready to read.

• If you are near Winston-Salem, NC, or want to take a trip there, the time to do it is Saturday, September 23, 2023, for the Festival of Books & Authors. Check out the festival page here and subscribe to the newsletter as they announce the authors and all the other fun stuff there. The author lineup this year is impressive. I can’t go this year, but it is on my plans for 2024.

• In this Everygirl article are some great tips on how to start your own book club.

• It’s time for all the “fall” reading lists to come out, and the one I’m always excited to read is from Amy Allen Clark at Mom Advice. She also has a Patreon that I’m a proud member of where she provides SO much bookish content consisting of a book club, author talks, and much more. There is a link to the Patreon through the link to the reading list.

• With retirement comes many things, and I’m excited about traveling and seeing the US. This Everygirl article about the best fall destinations to visit in the next couple of months provides information and links to some of the best places to see the seasons change. I don’t know that I’ll make any of these trips this year, but I’m already planning my travels for 2024.

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Whew! That’s a lot of links; hopefully, you found some interesting things to read over the upcoming weekend. As usual, my TBR overflows with lots of great books to read. I have too many books I’m reading at the same time, but I love the freedom to read when I want and not just at night before bed. The weather is supposed to cool down this weekend (and into next week) in North Texas, and I’m looking forward to sitting on my patio reading in the cooler weather in the morning.

I’ve missed hearing from readers over the last month; tell me what you’ve been up to and what you’ve been reading. Did you do anything fun over the Labor Day holiday? I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments below. I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of everything that makes your life good. Happy reading!

Some of the links in this newsletter may be affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase anything, I may earn a small commission. This costs you nothing and helps me feed my voracious reading habit, and for that, I thank you.