I absolutely LOVE doing this - it lets me see all kinds of things people have read, are reading and plan on reading. I get off work in an hour and I finished the book I was reading on shift tonight.

So. What I want to know is everyone's Last - Now - Next! I started another one right after, but I am a mood reader and have no idea what I am going to read next.. so I need ideas from you all with your answers!

Last - Fixiation of the Mind by Kira Stanely Now - Black Ties & White Lies by Kat Singleton Next - IDK lol. Maybe the 2nd in the series for my NOW book.

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?

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

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.

I really can't listen to music while I read, I find it distracting (especially if it has lyrics). But I will passively make character playlists of songs I think a specific character would listen to. I like to imagine it as their ipod library LOL

Does anyone else like to make music playlists for books or series they have read? And do you listen to them while you read? Is it more for ambiance or does the music really embody the book for you?