Hi everyone! I know this post is a little different to what you’re used to. But as some of you already know, I am a bookworm. Apart from baking, my other favorite thing to do is read. And what’s better than being curled up with a good book, a cuppa, and gluten-free bikkies?? (Me trying to catch on to the Australian lingo).
To prove my obsession with reading about imagined worlds, I have an assorted collection of books — a little personal library I’m slowly building — that I’ve shipped from my home in Texas all the way to Australia. It’s actually still in transit (in the middle of the ocean). With the big move to Australia and dealing with visas and settling into a new home and meeting new people (I’m exhausted just thinking about it), I’ve fallen a bit short on my reading goal for this year (30 books). I’m hoping I can catch up these last couple months. Side note: Can you believe 2018 is almost over?!
So since I’m still waiting on my books to arrive from Texas, I’ve made it a point to visit the Atherton Library in the Tablelands. Apparently, I don’t have enough evidence that I’m a resident of the area (local driver’s license, phone bill, etc..), so my husband happily agreed to sign up for a library card for himself for my personal use. The funny part about it is that he probably never thought he’d own a library card in his lifetime. Leisure reading is something he could never imagine himself doing. But all is well, the card is for me.
Since then, I’ve checked out a few books:
- The Traveling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones
- Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
- The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown
I also purchased a 50-cent book they had on the sale rack called: The Leaving by Tara Altebrando. Ha! I just noticed all the authors here are women.
Currently, I’m reading two of those four books: The Traveling Tea Shop, which I just started, and Before We Were Yours, which I’m already a few chapters in.
I just finished reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is an amazing book, and I highly recommend reading it especially if you find the World War II era intriguing. Most of us hear the perspective of this era from an American or German viewpoint, but this is from the perspective of Parisians. Admittedly, I never thought about how this war affected that part of the world. One of the main characters in this book is a blind girl. One can only imagine the panic and confusion going on in this little girl’s mind about the events going on around her. It’s fascinated. Although some parts of it can be a bit graphic, this really is a great read.
I’m also almost finished with a book called The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland. It’s a lighthearted read about books, love, and poetry. You really can’t go wrong with books like this. It’s basically a book about books. I’m listening to the audiobook version on Scribd, which I listen to while driving or when I go for a walk around the neighborhood. It helps me wind down after a long day. I may just read more of Butland’s books after this one.
Thanks for tuning in to what I’m currently reading. I’d really like to keep you up to date on the books I’m reading and create a mini blog series with this. Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the books I mention or if you have any recommendations for me. This will also keep me accountable for my reading challenge goal this year and in the future.
(If you are a Goodreads user, add me! A link to my account is on this blog either on the sidebar or at the bottom depending on what device you’re reading this on).
Happy reading!
bonitappétit 