I began working full-time again a month ago, and I'm truly struggling to find the energy to pick up a book. I know the key for me is to make it a habit, but does anyone have any tips or little things that helped them stay consistent? I just don't want to lose the love I have for my hobbies because I'm getting to caught up in other things. :/

How do you decide which book gets replaced? Or does your My Taste depend on your mood? I'm looking at mine right now and I don't think I could remove a book if I eventually love another book so dearly. It's going to be hard to decide which book goes!

I was wandering, what was the highest number of books you read in a year? And why? In which year did u hit that amazing number?

I read so many books this year, the last years it was so dry, no reading or like up to mabe 4 books because of my studies at university. But during my school time - high school or Gymnasium in germany- I read so many books. I read during classes when the teacher sucked or I allready knew the stuff we had to study and so I read up to 80 books a year because I read so much during class.

I think the most books in a year where around 85 books, I never hit that number again the years after. I mean I set goals but in the end I am just happy if i managed to read anything.

So just wandering, what was your highest number and, was it a good or a bad reading year?

I am moving overseas next week for school with 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons...not much room for books! I mostly read ebooks, but there are a few physical copies that I just had to make room for:

• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio; this is one of my favorites and I enjoy rereading it and annotating it.
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne; I haven't read this yet, but the copy I have is TINY and I think it will be a great travel buddy.
• The Fern House by Brooke Hamilton-Benjestorf; another one of my favorites, also travel-sized. A nice comfort read.
• A New Environmental Ethics: The Next Millennium for Life on Earth by Holmes Rolston III; this was the textbook for an environmental ethics class I took in 2024. I reference it frequently for my writing and studies.
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke; you guessed it, another favorite! You can safely assume that any other fiction books I list here are also favorites. I read this in 2023 and have been wanted to reread it since. I bought a physical copy specifically to annotate.
• Tin Man by Sarah Winman; another one that I bought to reread and annotate.
• Being a Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide by Charles Foster; I haven't read this yet but it is relevant to my studies and writing interests. The blurb is so whacky and I can't wait to get into it.
• A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold; this was also referenced a lot in my ethics classes, so I finally got my own copy.
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott; I've read select passages of this for a creative writing class. I found a weathered copy at an estate sale a while back and will be using it to support my writing.
• Earth in Mind by David Orr; another that I am working to annotate to expand my knowledge around environmental ethics and supplement my education.
• The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells; yet another comfort read! I need to find other people who have read this.
• The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas; I found this at a bookstore a few weeks ago and am SO excited to get into it.

These are all neatly lined in my suitcase, protected by my hoodies. I was very picky about what was coming with me, but I feel confident in the list I've ended up with. (If the nonfiction environmental books sound interesting to you, check out my Earth, Ethics, Environment list! I'd love suggestions for what else to add.)

If you made it this far, what do you think? What books would you bring if you were moving abroad?

whats your preference? i was just having a convo with a coworker about hardcovers vs paperback and our opinions differed quite a bit! personally, i’m a paperback girl.

So this just popped into my head when I saw some posts about Tolkien and now I'm curious. Who are the beloved characters that you just can't stand?

I'm not talking the characters we love to hate, but rather characters that everyone else seems to adore but you find to be the bane of your existence, would cross the street if you saw them coming, if they have no haters you're dead, etc. I know we like to keep things positive around here, but sometimes it's also nice to be gripey and rant about your least faves too 😉

To kick us off, mine is Tom Bombadil. I genuinely cringe every time I reread LOTR and get to his parts. I want to push him into Withywindle river mid-song or give him to the Great Willow. Literally do not understand why people like him.

chatting with my mom tonight and she LIFTED THE BOOK !!!! out of my hands !!!!!! & now is asking to read it. i tried to get it for her on libby so she could read it on her tablet but she is insisting i either give it to her now or finish it tonight so she can read it tomorrow 😭😭😭 i will be speeding through the back 35% so my mother can have her Jam & Home Repair Whimsy Book tomorrow wish me luck

I DNF'd a book last night, and it got me thinking about what makes me decide to finally put the book down and give up ... so I was curious what you all think !

I've noticed that once I get to the point where I'm ranting about how much I don't want to keep reading it specifically to another person, it's probably time to put it down. most of the time I don't talk to other people about books unless we've both read it, so it's a good indicator for me when I, unprompted, start telling someone about how awful of a time I'm having

I also have noticed my DNF habits have changed since I used to DNF books rarely if ever, and going into the new year that seems to have changed ! I'm a lot more willing to give up on a book and move on if I'm not vibing with it enough