Loved your newsletter! I loved so many of the same books that you read this year. And I echo what other people said, love the idea of a separate notebook for end of year reflections! Thank you also for sharing the practices that have helped you this year. Good for you for not continuing with a therapist who wasn’t a good fit!
I always love to hear that other people liked the same books as me, it makes me feel like I have good taste! And thank YOU for writing such a thoughtful post. I think I’ve decided to make my goal 20 minutes of reading per day, that way I don’t get bogged down with the length of books I choose or feel like I have to race to finish x amount of books by the end of the year.
You have so much good stuff in here, Kelsey! First of all, a separate end of year reflection notebook?!--genius! I want a separate post on each major life event you listed--so thanks for linking to posts you already have :)
Story Graph looks so cool! Those graphs are awesome. Cheers to abandoning books you're just not into! I just recently "allowed" myself to do that as well.
"I’m wondering if the goal is becoming more important than the actual reading itself?" I relate to this not just with reading goals, but most of my goals. Still experimenting with different ways to approach goal setting so that I don't become a slave to those goals.
I loved The Traitors, Wicked, and Shrinking, so I'm thinking I should look into your other recs!
I think analog recipes would help me cook more. I really want to get What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking.
I'm so glad you've stayed consistent to Substack when you are able! It's a joy to read your words each week and hear what's going on in your world. Happy holidays hazing!
Yes, having a separate notebook has been so fun! I always love (and kind of hate) going back all the way to 2016 to read the highlights and lowlights of my years-I'm so glad I have everything in one place!
Story Graph is awesome, and it's free, so it's definitely worth checking out! In terms of reading goals, I think I'm going to make a goal of reading 20 minutes every day vs. giving myself a number goal, that way it doesn't matter what kind of book I pick, as long as I'm reading it.
If you want a mindless show to zone out to this week, I cannot recommend The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives enough. Buckle up.
What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like cooking is probably my favorite out of all the books I shared!
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback, I'm so glad this year has connected us ☺️
Ok this post was so fun!!! You had me at “Nancy Meyers inspired wedding.” Also I think I need to try rereading Fourth Wing, I just couldn’t get into it! I did read the Throne of Glass series this year (similar genre) and loved it. Looking forward to reading some of your old posts that you linked to here!! ❤️
I've had a couple of friends who couldn't get into Fourth Wing either, so you're not alone! After reading both books back to back I needed to switch to shorter ones that didn't look like text books so I never picked up Throne of Glass. I also get it confused with A Court of Thorns and Roses-is that even what it's called? I'm clearly a lite fantasy reader 🤣
So fun to read through your year! I’ve been contemplating making the switch from goodreads to story graph… I think you might have convinced me to try it for 2025! I also love the idea of a separate end of year notebook — so smart!!
Loved your newsletter! I loved so many of the same books that you read this year. And I echo what other people said, love the idea of a separate notebook for end of year reflections! Thank you also for sharing the practices that have helped you this year. Good for you for not continuing with a therapist who wasn’t a good fit!
And thanks for linking to my post. :)
I always love to hear that other people liked the same books as me, it makes me feel like I have good taste! And thank YOU for writing such a thoughtful post. I think I’ve decided to make my goal 20 minutes of reading per day, that way I don’t get bogged down with the length of books I choose or feel like I have to race to finish x amount of books by the end of the year.
Ahh what a brilliant idea to keep a separate notebook for end of year reflections!!
Loved every bit of this post. ❤️
It's such a fun little time capsule! Thanks for reading, Laura!
You have so much good stuff in here, Kelsey! First of all, a separate end of year reflection notebook?!--genius! I want a separate post on each major life event you listed--so thanks for linking to posts you already have :)
Story Graph looks so cool! Those graphs are awesome. Cheers to abandoning books you're just not into! I just recently "allowed" myself to do that as well.
"I’m wondering if the goal is becoming more important than the actual reading itself?" I relate to this not just with reading goals, but most of my goals. Still experimenting with different ways to approach goal setting so that I don't become a slave to those goals.
I loved The Traitors, Wicked, and Shrinking, so I'm thinking I should look into your other recs!
I think analog recipes would help me cook more. I really want to get What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking.
I'm so glad you've stayed consistent to Substack when you are able! It's a joy to read your words each week and hear what's going on in your world. Happy holidays hazing!
Yes, having a separate notebook has been so fun! I always love (and kind of hate) going back all the way to 2016 to read the highlights and lowlights of my years-I'm so glad I have everything in one place!
Story Graph is awesome, and it's free, so it's definitely worth checking out! In terms of reading goals, I think I'm going to make a goal of reading 20 minutes every day vs. giving myself a number goal, that way it doesn't matter what kind of book I pick, as long as I'm reading it.
If you want a mindless show to zone out to this week, I cannot recommend The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives enough. Buckle up.
What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like cooking is probably my favorite out of all the books I shared!
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback, I'm so glad this year has connected us ☺️
Ok this post was so fun!!! You had me at “Nancy Meyers inspired wedding.” Also I think I need to try rereading Fourth Wing, I just couldn’t get into it! I did read the Throne of Glass series this year (similar genre) and loved it. Looking forward to reading some of your old posts that you linked to here!! ❤️
I've had a couple of friends who couldn't get into Fourth Wing either, so you're not alone! After reading both books back to back I needed to switch to shorter ones that didn't look like text books so I never picked up Throne of Glass. I also get it confused with A Court of Thorns and Roses-is that even what it's called? I'm clearly a lite fantasy reader 🤣
Haha that series is by the same author as Throne of Glass! You know your stuff!! ;)
So fun to read through your year! I’ve been contemplating making the switch from goodreads to story graph… I think you might have convinced me to try it for 2025! I also love the idea of a separate end of year notebook — so smart!!