It’s been a minute. One very long minute during which children have grown, parents have aged, pets have come and gone and pandemics have prolonged the pause. While all of the above have defined and filled my life, what has provided me with solid feelings and sustaining factors has been my reading life.

When travel was unavailable there were books to travel into. When stores and libraries shuttered, books filled our mailbox or waited in the cold at curbside pickup. The thrill of getting to the next book kept me from spiraling into a deep despair regarding the future or the stacked up minor repairs we didn’t attend to. When extended family had zero small talk left we talked books. There was always someone talking about books—even the clannish people on social media.

My reading life sustains me. It allows the things that are challenging or overwhelming to pass as I immerse myself into 1000 or 350 page works. My reading life made me a better thinker and speaker though my vocabulary remains sub-par. My reading life put me on the Post Reports podcast and on WBEZ to describe what has gotten me through 2019-20. I also became a literary judge for Tournament of Books sponsored by The Morning News (very quirky those LA authors). My reading life created a bridge enabling me to connect with distant and lost family who were struggling with concentration and meaningful outlet during this challenging time soon winding down.

My reading life helped me understand the necessity for input/output balance. During 2019-20 I self-published 2 very informal memoirs not for the reading public but for our kids since who knows if I’ll be here on the backend of our shared time when they are doing adult things for daily living. Book 1 was a set of essays that retell and respond to life events. Book 2 is a set of recipes and meditations about food and family intersection. Leaving something other than financial wealth behind was the endgame here.

What I didn’t do was share with YOU dear reader and friend during this time for reasons unimportant today. What I am doing is redirecting this blog to be both an expression of a reading life, recommendation and review. Winter is coming and so too is the opportunity to get cozy or go deep with a book. With this I hit play!

Feel welcome to comment, subscribe, share. Tell me what you’re reading or what you’re looking for. Follow me on Instagram @Bookisshhh. It’s a private account so you’ll have to request. Friend me on Goodreads at Bookisshhh so you can catch up on my backlist and find something good. Or just read these blog posts when they reach you.

Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing —Harper Lee