How has your week been? What are you reading?
What I’m Reading
I didn’t finish reading anything because it was such a hectic week at work (I was in Iowa for a conference that my team hosted). I re-read last year’s Bookmarked 2025 Week 8 and I was in exactly the same place – in the middle of 3 books but haven’t finished none. This time it’s Caste, Isabel Wilkerson; Not Without Laughter, Langston Hughes and The Lying Game, Ruth Ware. Hopefully I will finish at least one of them this week.
Audiobooks & eBooks
With February being Black History Month in the US, I’ve been sharing a lot about books by Black authors. We’re in the final week and I came across Voices of Power and Perspective: The Best Audiobooks by Black Women. I’ve listened to a few on the list including The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Deesha Philyaw, narrated by Janina Edwards and Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Talia Hibbert, narrated by Adjoa Andoh – one of my favorite audiobook narrators (and you may know he as Lady Danbury on the Bridgerton tv show). The 2nd section of the article about wonderful audiobook narrators is gold – I couldn’t agree more.
If you also read eBooks, did you know How to Get a Refund on a Kindle Book Purchase? I had no idea you could get a refund up to 7 days after purchase.
Also check out Can you read 900 words per minute? speed reading exercise. I’m the slow reader they mention, because I’m saying all the words in my head when I read a book. It feels awkward when I stop doing it.
Good & Evil … MuHaHaa (Cue Evil Laugh)
Let’s start with the questionable – What Do You Do When the Biggest Platforms For Readers Are Kind of Evil? Very interesting read. Authors published an open letter about BookCon’s organizing company which has contracts with ICE; then there’s Twitter & Substack. For me, I draw the line where I feel it’s important to do so, which helps me feel not so powerless. The popular site Kottke left Substack for their own hosted platform; and tons of people have left Twitter.
And the good … do you have a dopamine menu? You’re going to need one this year. On mine is my “Done” book where I get creative and physically document activities I’ve done and enjoyed, books I’ve read and anything else I want to remember. Also, running, walks and the beach.
—- That’s it from me. Cheers to the week ahead!
