Category: The Book Fort

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

Finished:

• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen

Total pages read this week: 313

Total books read: 14 of 80

TBR: -11 (Goal is -36)

Everything is slowly getting back to normal for me. I don’t know how long it will last, but the relief is almost euphoric. I’m ecstatically grateful for the “not bad” days I had this week and hopeful I will have more.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen
• I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

DNF:

• The Viking’s Apprentice by Kevin McLeod

Total pages read this week: 109

Total books read: 11 of 80

TBR: -11 (Goal is -36)

While I’m still not reading much, I’m turning towards books that are in some way comforting and shifting away from the books I’ve been reading to improve myself. This strategy doesn’t always work out (which leads to DNFs), but I think it’s helping a little.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen

DNF:

• Buan: Company of Heroes by Reece Bridger
• Mirror Gate by Jeff Wheeler

Finished:

• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
• Virgins by Diana Gabaldon

Total pages read this week: 160

Total books read: 11 of 80

TBR: -12 (Goal is -36)

I’m in the middle of a reading slump. Not only am I not enjoying what I’m reading, I’ve been listening to music in the car instead of audiobooks. I’ve also been choosing the TV over books more than usual. These are both sure signs, along with others, that I’m depressed, which I already knew, but now it’s glaringly obvious.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen
• Mirror Gate by Jeff Wheeler

DNF:

• Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn

Finished:

• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• Brain Energy by Christopher M. Palmer

Total pages read this week: 317

Total books read: 9 of 80

TBR: -11 (Goal is -36)

Maybe it’s because I’ve been decluttering a lot lately, but I seem to be having a much easier time getting rid of books I know I’ll never read than reading the books I have. Maybe it’s the books I’m trying to read. Maybe it’s because I’m mildly depressed and don’t have a lot of energy right now. Regardless of the reason, I’m in the middle (or nearly so) of 7 books.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen
• Brain Energy by Christopher M. Palmer

Total pages read this week: 504

Total books read: 7 of 80

TBR: -9 (Goal is -36)

I’m reading a lot more but not finishing any books yet. I have been deciding to let go of a lot of books, though, which is the only reason my TBR mountain is getting any smaller. My decluttering has slowed down significantly; probably because I’ve gotten to the hard part – paperwork. I have so much of it, but getting rid of what I don’t need to keep will not create much space and it’s just not any fun, especially when I deal with so much paperwork at my job. While my plan for this weekend is to declutter my craft and hobby stuff, I know it’s just me procrastinating on going through, organizing, and probably digitizing what I need to keep after shredding what I don’t.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen

DNF:

• The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox

Finished:

• The Burns Supper Companion by Nancy Marshall
• Third Eye by Felicia Day

Total pages read this week: 493

Total books read: 7 of 80

TBR: -7 (Goal is -36)

I’m still struggling with my mood, but it’s gotten a bit better thanks to me finally telling myself to sit down and spend some time with a book, any book, as long as I take the time to do nothing else but read for a while. I can declutter later. The stuff will still be there. Sometimes self-care is not doing the work, at least for a couple of hours.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen

Finished:

• The Medici Manuscript by C.J. Archer

Total pages read this week: 388

Total books read: 5 of 80

TBR: -3 (Goal is -36)

I’ve been going from book to book looking for coziness and comfort, but not finding it in any of my current reads, which are mostly Non-Fiction. This time of year isn’t helping by making me want to sleep all the time thanks to the cold and lack of sunlight, and I’m struggling with my mood.

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
• 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
• The Medici Manuscript by C.J. Archer
• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Finished:

• Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
• The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie
• The Dalai Lama’s Cat: Guided Meditations by David Michie

Total pages read this week: 405

Total books read: 4 of 80

TBR: -3 (Goal is -36)

I continue to start new books before finishing the ones I’m reading, mostly because I can’t decide what to continue reading and instead look at my shelves. Luckily, I did manage to finish a few books and get back on track for my TBR goal. I’m also lucky to have a three-day weekend with lots of reading time thanks to the weather being bad enough to make going out not worth it. I will probably be listening to audiobooks quite a bit since I also have a new puzzle to put together. Life is good!

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
• A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
• The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie
• 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup

Finished:

• Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Total pages read this week: 757

Total books read: 1 of 80

TBR: +1 (Goal is -36)

I have a habit of starting many different books around the beginning of the year before settling back into my usual reading patterns, and this year is no exception. On top of that, I nearly always go to a bookstore to celebrate my birthday, and while I only bought 2 books during this trip, that means I’ve put myself behind on my TBR goal when the year has barely started. It’s a good thing I’ve got the whole year ahead of me!

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

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

Currently Reading:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
• Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Finished:

• The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Total pages read this week: 338

Total books read: 101 of 80

This has been an excellent reading year! I finished 21 books over my goal, read nearly 30,000 pages, and rated 12 books at 5 stars (10% of my total reading for the year).

In 2024, I’m participating in a couple of reading challenges, #COYER and #BookSpin to tackle my digital TBR. I own over 400 ebooks and audiobooks combined, some of which I’ve had for more than a decade, so I would like to chip away at that a little bit while enjoying my new Kindle.

While I’m keeping my overall reading goal at 80 books for the year, I plan to reduce my TBR by 36 books. My plan for this is to change up my habits a bit by going for walks outside instead of going to the bookstore, which will also help me with my 2024 fitness goals (I’ll write more about that tomorrow in my #FitReaders post).

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