*

2 Audiobooks, 3 physical books, and an interview that was released via audiobook. 

*

Reading doesn’t always come easy, despite being labelled a “reader” at a young age. I was an early reader in terms of skill and a voracious reader in terms of appetite; I grew up devouring storybooks, then moving onto chapter books with the help of Judy Moody, Sharon Creech, Ann M. Martin, and eventually, the wizarding world. In high school, I was extremely late to the smart phone game and instead often had a book in hand to distract me. At the time, I was annoyed, embarrassed, an assumed total loser, but looking back, I’m chuffed and a little smug that I didn’t get an iPhone until 2014. In-school suspension (for tardiness, always) felt like a luxury… to be stuck in a room all day with my current read, no distractions, no obligations… intended to be a punishment to most. High school required-reading was sporadically attended to. The first classic I fully read front to back, no skimming, nary a CliffsNotes, was Frankenstein in the 12th grade. This book awakened in me the thrill of critically analyzing a story. I still patiently awaited the release of the latest “It Girl” (Gossip Girl spinoff series) books, traded paperback copies of Jodi Picoult books with friends, and read copious amounts of Nicholas Sparks, but reading beyond entertainment was a new frontier. In college, I diligently read my English101 texts – (Old School- Tobias Wolff, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Díaz, A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansbury), but as course loads became heavier, reading for fun became a mere memory. After a particularly harrowing British Lit class, I had all but sworn off any additional reading beyond the bare minimum to eke out a passing grade. After college ended and I went back to school for nursing, my creative brain atrophied in favor of skill-building, people-pleasing, and critical thinking through tasks rather than stanzas and paragraphs. 

*

*

As an adult, I have had pretty standard ebbs and flows as a reader. Owning a bookstore was ironically the least conducive thing to building a lifestyle that allows for reading – there was simply no opportunity to read for pleasure between attempting to maintain a profit while simultaneously juggling a “real job” to pay the bills among other life obligations. Once I rejoined the workforce as a full-time nurse, a slow night meant staving off boredom and sleep with scrolling. I had not read for pleasure in so long that I had forgotten my previous custom of bringing a book absolutely everywhere. I began putting a book in my work bag and replaced scrolling with reading at all of those awkward pauses and intervals of daily life, and again between care times in the NICU or while waiting out a slow labor induction. I sold the booktruck 4 years ago, and after shelving more books than I could ever read, I finally have gotten back into the groove of reading for pleasure. And yet, it still feels like I haven’t whittled away at my ever-growing TBR list in the least. This year I have read somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 books. Up from my usual 10-15 a year in part due to dedication to reading more, but mostly because I have begun to accept and include audiobooks as reading.

*

Book # 1: The Ghost Wall – Sarah Moss ***.5

Plucked from a library shelf because the acid-green font on the spine captured my eye. The cover sold me in an instant. I had no idea it was a horror book, a genre I would not normally seek out. I liked this book! It was extremely short and solid. Very moody atmosphere. High tension that builds and builds. I took off points because the stylistic writing choices made it difficult for me to read. There is a stark lack of punctuation which was confusing at times. I also felt like the ending was rushed after such a terrifying build. Overall, I would recommend it. It is not overtly scary but is rather unsettling. I forgot to take a photo prior to returning this to the library!

“The whole of life, I thought, is doing harm, we live by killing, as if there were any being of which that is not the case.”

*

Book # 2: The Bomb Shell – Darrow Farr ****

Selected as my May 2025 Book of the Month, the premise (girl held ransom by terrorist group, develops relationships to them, becomes radicalized) as well as the setting (90s!) was what drew me to this one. This book reads like a thriller to me. I was consistently gripping the book tightly, reading furiously, trying to find out what would happen next. The writing was smooth, the story was unique, and the characters were just endearing enough to make me question who I was rooting for .I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Séverine, the teenage captive, whose inner notions are familiar to me as a former teenage attention-whore. Would recommend.

“It was crazy how it never occurred to some people that they may come into contact with something or someone extraordinary.”

*

Book # 3: Seduction Theory – Emily Adrain ****

Another solid Book of the Month Pick. This one from August 2025; the first time I have read a BOTM in its intended month. This I selected on cover alone; it’s lovely. I was pleasantly surprised to open my cobalt blue box to find the book was short and sweet, so I had enough time to squeeze it in at the end of the month. I felt pangs and twinges reading this book, both on behalf of the unreliable narrator and the couple, etc. being portrayed – everyone is damaged and hurting and complex and I felt it all. The tone was casual but sharp, sometimes a little funny. I always love an academia environment and it really did feel like I was reading an MFA dissertation at a liberal arts school. Would recommend.

“All she had left was a willingness to let things happen.”

He often felt overwhelmed by the statistical unlikelihood of inhabiting any particular moment in his life.”

*

Audiobook # 1: One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In – Kate Kennedy ***.5 

A commuting read – I strictly listen to nonfiction audiobooks because I commute sporadically and only listen to audiobooks in the car. This is new for me this year, I had never listened to an audiobook prior to March 2025 when we got a second car and I began to commute alone for the first time in over 5 years. A whole new world! I sort of enjoyed listening to this. I prioritize listening to books read by the author, and it helps that this author has a background in podcasting so she had good cadence and speaking-sense. I was minorly disappointed as I anticipated this to be more of a case-study on growing up in the 90’s – 00’s. The first half is heavy on the nostalgia and continued to reinforce that I have never, ever, had a unique experience. The second half was more “present-day” and revolved around the author’s current life and how the decades of our youth shaped her as an adult. I appreciate that she is sort of a millennial-apologist. Most days, I feel utterly confused between the values I was brought up with and the values of the world around me currently. I think being a millennial is trying in a unique way, which is hard to explain because it doesn’t revolve around wartime, famine, or deep economic depression. The author humorously touches on some of the ways our generation has struggled to adapt to a changing world. Listening to the audio, the decision to leave in takes where she cries/wells up was not my favorite, and this being a memoir, there were quite a few. I honestly found this off-putting and uncomfortable. Ah! Like I’m passively listening to this audiobook memoir – but leave me out of it. The author has a thing for wordplay that does not translate well to audio. I did **lol** several times, and the book allowed me to reminisce on simpler times that seem so far away. Overall, I would probably not recommend unless you already know the author and are interested in reading about her life, and instead get your millennial nostalgia kicks elsewhere.

“Millennials aren’t rife with contradictions and allegedly falling behind because we’re these entitled, spoiled creatures. We were raised in preparation for a world that no longer exists and are forever trying to navigate the terms.”

*

Audiobook # 2: Untamed – Glennon Doyle * (but really no stars)

Wow, I hated this book so much. It’s several years old at this point, and I never had any interest in reading it when it was *everywhere*, but as I have newly discovered the joy of audiobooks, I went to the backlist of popular author-read nonfiction and found this one. I never would have actually read this book with my eyes, I wouldn’t dare waste the time or eye strain, which is why 4 years after its release I still never picked it up at the thrift store for $1 despite it littering shelves. I rarely DNF (do not finish) a book, and had my eyes been subjected to this slop I would have sincerely put this down, but I did trek through this on audio, hoping for it to turn around. It did not. The book started off pretty strong, the prologue was powerful, but it quickly devolved into platitudes and dragged and dragged and dragged. What sealed my loathing was the entire 30 minute long chapter on white privilege, a true product of its 2020 time. I just have no interest in this commentary anymore. Looking back at March 2020 when this book was published, I was the definition of a performative ally, and 5 years later, I truly think we all were. At the time, I believed it was necessary for me to internally investigate my biases, ponder the plight of BIPOC, and check my privileges, but also do this all publicly and document it on the internet. I don’t know if the last five years have made me jaded or perhaps it’s true wisdom, but in my current reality it is extremely laughable for me to think about centering anyone else’s experience except my own. That is not to say that I don’t recognize my privileges and biases – they definitely exist, it’s more that life is very confusing and my personal growth and exploration on a cosmic level is my focus rather than how I am privileged in a society that values and ultimately rewards very, very few and the remaining scraps are distributed to some marginally more than others. Glennon identifies as an empath, which is something I used to consider myself as well; I also feel people’s pain and suffering acutely. It is my understanding that the purpose of being an empath is to evolve enough to transmute pain and suffering, not just wallow in it, or in my case, avoid it at all costs. This book is the culmination of wallowing and whining with no growth. Anyway, it was one long eyeroll for me.

No quotes noted.

*

*

Interview that was released via Audiobook # 1: The Power of Myth: Programs 1-6 – Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers ****

I became interested in myths and stories after reading Women Who Run with the Wolves several years ago and have been on a Jungian/mythical kick ever since. This audiobook is a recording of a PBS interview special that was originally released in 1988. It was a solid enough series of interviews that I listened to each one twice, each “program” is about an hour. It was very engaging and even had little sound-bites to set the tone and mood of the stories. Joseph Campbell’s perspective was not new to me, but I appreciated hearing his thoughts through his voice. As a person who routinely exists in a space of devout curiosity, I like Campbell’s take on the whimsy and modern day confusion of the human experience. If you are at all interested in mythical, magical thinking, this is a nice primer to that thought space. If you have a strongly formed and inflexible world-view, you will probably hate it! 

“I don’t think there is any such thing as an ordinary mortal. Everybody has his own possibility of rapture in the experience of life. All he has to do is recognize it and then cultivate it and get going with it. I always feel uncomfortable when people speak about ordinary mortals because I’ve never met an ordinary man, woman, or child.”

*

*

As I settle into the rhythms of fall, I hope to continue the academia themes in my reading choices. I’m looking forward to purchasing some new “school” supplies as I recently started a new venture helping my husband with his real estate career. I love the back to school feeling! Also hoping to continue reading outside or snuggled in bed with the windows open. Fall plans include continuing our quest to visit bookstores throughout the state, thrifting endless new-to-me books, and maybe ripping out a wall? I’m really starting to lean into this whole content creating thing and have a lot of ideas and possibilities flowing. Thanks for coming along!