Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
  • The House Witch by Delemhach
  • Harry Potter’s Bookshelf by John Granger
  • The Whole Five Feet by Christopher R. Beha

Finished:

  • Night Shift by Stephen King

Total pages read this week: 840

Total books read: 21 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -8

#ShelfLove Challenge: 13 of 51

I’m slowly getting caught up on all of the library books I checked out, and am getting more into Cozy reading. I’m hunkering down this weekend thanks to even more uncertainty with my job, the possibility of two of my work friends getting let go (both of whom moved long distance away from friends and family for their jobs), and now I’m sick with either a cold or a sinus infection. I hope it’s only a cold and that a lot of rest and soup will take care of it. I hope my friends still have jobs on Monday.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
  • The House Witch by Delemhach
  • Harry Potter’s Bookshelf by John Granger
  • Night Shift by Stephen King

Finished:

  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
  • Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
  • The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath

Total pages read this week: 925

Total books read: 20 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -9

#ShelfLove Challenge: 13 of 51

I’ve been checking out a lot of books from the library, and five of them are going to be due over the next week. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish all of them, so I’ve prioritized reading the one I checked out for a reading challenge on Litsy, Night Shift. It’s one of the few King books I’ve never read, and since it’s one of his older short story collections, I’m really looking forward to diving in (I’ve only read the Forward so far). While it’s definitely not a Cozy read, it does bring up a lot of fond memories of me checking out and devouring his books during my teen years.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
  • The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
  • Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
  • The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath
  • The House Witch by Delemhach

Finished:

  • Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
  • The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill
  • Goblin Mode by McKayla Coyle
  • Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Total pages read this week: 808

Total books read: 16 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -6

#ShelfLove Challenge: 10 of 51

TL;DR: You’ll be seeing me reading a lot of cozy books for a while. Please give me your cozy recommendations!

I’ve heard the saying, “Life happens when you’re busy making plans,” and I thought I understood that. Nope. As with so many other bits of wisdom, you don’t really know what they mean until you learn them through first-hand experience. I had planned to step down from full-time work, hoping it would help me with my mental and physical health. I calculated, planned, cut as many unnecessary expenses as I felt comfortable doing, discussed it with my boyfriend on multiple occasions, and squirrelled away as much money as I could in preparation for this huge change. Everything was falling into place. I updated my resume, applied for several part-time jobs, and got an interview to one of them. I was feeling pretty good about my life and was looking forward to when I could put in my two-week notice.

Then, wham!, my situation changed enough that working part-time would no longer be sustainable financially. On top of that, there has been a whole lot of upheaval at my job that has destroyed my chances of advancing my career for several years and might result in me getting laid off. I’m not happy at all with what has been going on, but the stability my job provides (if I can keep it) would be nearly impossible to find anywhere else right now. I feel stuck, and like I now have to do everything I can to keep a job I didn’t want to stay at in the first place. I’ve been trying to feel grateful about the fact that I have a job at all and about so much else in my life, but I’ve been feeling so angry and disappointed that I’ve retreated into coziness whenever possible.

While there are a couple of books I’m trying to get through for book challenges before the end of the month, everything else I’m reading is pure Cozy with a capital ‘C’. I’ve already binged a couple of books that I checked out from the library, and I have a lot of Cozy books on my shelves that I will be reading sooner rather than later. I know that I will get through this and that things will eventually get better. However, if you have any Cozy book, podcast, show, or movie recommendations please leave a comment.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
  • Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon
  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

Finished:

  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  • A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell

Total pages read this week: 963

Total books read: 12 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -6

#ShelfLove Challenge: 9 of 51

Winter and my back do not get along. There’s also been some kind of a stomach bug going around, and between that and major changes happening at my job, I haven’t been in a good mood. I’m grateful to have so many wonderful books to escape into, along with my Bad Day box, which is full of comfort when I need it most. That was especially helpful yesterday, the anniversary of my Dad’s passing.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Finished:

  • Opal by Maggie Stiefvater
  • The Dead Letter Delivery by C.J. Archer
  • For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black
  • Why the Dutch Are Different by Ben Coates
  • The Slow Regard for Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
  • The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton

Total pages read this week: 1,029

Total books read: 10 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -5

#ShelfLove Challenge: 7 of 51

I hurt my back again and have been stuck at home with not much else to do but read. I did manage to finish crocheting a blanket I’ve been working on a little bit at a time for several years, and that meant lost of audiobook listening.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  • Why the Dutch Are Different by Ben Coates
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • The Dead Letter Delivery by C.J. Archer
  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Finished:

  • Littered with Trouble by Eryn Scott
  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

Total pages read this week: 1,043

Total books read: 4 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -1

#ShelfLove Challenge: 2 of 51

I’m in the middle of a very long weekend and I have the house to myself (and the cats) while my boyfriend visits one of his best friends. I finished season 7 of “Outlander” last night, and I’m trying to finish the library books I checked out before picking up the other books I started at the end of 2024. I’ve also been doing a lot of audiobook listening while I doing things around the house. This has been exactly what I needed to get me out of my post-holiday slump.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
  • Why the Dutch Are Different by Ben Coates
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Finished:

  • Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly

Total pages read this week: 149

Total books read: 2 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): +0

#ShelfLove Challenge: 1 of 51

I think I have a case of the after Christmas blahs. Despite having nearly two weeks off from work and spending most of that time at home due to the weather, I didn’t read much.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly
  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
  • Why the Dutch Are Different by Ben Coates
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Finished:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Total pages read this week: 724

Total books read: 1 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): +2

#ShelfLove Challenge: 0 of 51

I went to Half Price Books with a couple of boxes of books that the boyfriend and I no longer wanted to keep. The money I got from selling my books is the only money I can use to buy books this year (other than my Nightmares from Nowhere book club books), and I got a couple.

Since two of my finished books were read by the end of 2024, they don’t count towards this year’s goals, and Rock Paper Scissors was a library book, so it also doesn’t count for the challenge, but that’s OK. There are 361 days left in the year!

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
  • Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly
  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher

Finished:

  • Christmas Present by Jodi Taylor
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
  • The Shoe Box by Francine Rivers
  • The Legend of the Christmas Witch by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza
  • The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
  • The Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson
  • A Texas Hill Country Christmas by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone
  • Father Christmas’s Fake Beard by Terry Pratchett
  • An Advent Carols Countdown by Michael D. Young
  • The Twelve Topsy-Turvey, Very Messy Days of Christmas by James Patterson and Tad Safran
  • 25 Days by Per Jacobsen
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
  • The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch
  • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

Total pages read this week: 1831

Total books read: 128 of 130

I’ve been reading nothing but Christmas books for most of the month, and now I’m going to try to finish as many of my current reads before the end of the year. I’m also getting everything set up for 2025 in terms of goals and action plans for achieving those goals, a few of which are book related.

The biggest goal for me will be a fairly strict book-buying ban and shopping my own shelves for the #ShelfLove challenge. I’m keeping my Nightmares From Nowhere book club subscription for now, along with my Audible subscription, but the only other money I’m allowed to spend on books will be money that comes from selling books I don’t want to keep to Half Price Books. Any other books will either have to be free, from the library, or gifts/bought with gift cards.

Since this is my final “Building the Book Fort” post for the year, I will see y’all in 2025! Have a happy New Year!

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Building the Book Fort

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • 25 Days by Per Jacobsen
  • A Texas Hill Country Christmas by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone
  • An Advent Carols Countdown by Michael D. Young
  • Christmas Present by Jodi Taylor

Finished:

  • Classified as Murder by Miranda James
  • ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
  • The Christmas Doll by Elvira Woodruff

Total pages read this week: 829

Total books read: 114 of 120

I am fully in a Christmas mood now, thanks to the Christmas stories I’ve been reading and movies I’ve been watching.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!