I'm glad you mentioned Subject Headings by my friend Alison. As for me, I have discarded several books after starting them and not liking either the writing, the story or the characters. Or all three.
If I could choose another career, it would library sciences. I did work in a book chain for a few months between careers, so I lived that particular life goal. 😁
We're have such a place in Miramichi. It's called Mill Cove Coffee and has a good selection of books. Local authors, too. The emphasis is weighted towards the coffee side of the operation tho.
"The characters of a Scandithriller audiobook left me as cold as the Norwegian snow through which they were tediously struggling." Beautiful writing. Thanks for mentioning my post.
Oh Terry, you’re so kind, thank you! That means such a lot.
On rereading my sentence which you’ve included in your comment I’ve realised that the ‘tediously’ is superfluous! I’m going to edit it in the post accordingly. 😁
Loving this new approach. Also welcome to the world of audiobooks! They are super engaging and I loooooove listening to them. My favorite narrators are Grover Gardener and R.C. Bray, anything by them is epic.
Oh wow, thank you for mentioning your favourite narrators! People’s delivery of words is so varied - actually I love a variety of different voices. I found a couple of audiobook editions of a recent Libby find, and much preferred one of the narrators over the other. Grateful that they give you a sample to listen to first! 😊
I’ve always loved audiobooks as well as plays on the radio, and it’s so nice to now be able to access them on my phone (I don’t know how it took me so long!). There’s plenty of listening available on BBC Sounds, but of course their audiobooks are serialised into multiple individual files, so Libby has an advantage there.
Libby is awesome - I think I found it in the early pandemic days, and it changed my phone usage from feeding on feeds (I love that observation! So APT.)
Adding “Counterfeit” to my list. 😃
I just got a book delivered yesterday in app, but after a few pages, I realized no one was making me continue and promptly hit the “Return Early” button 😤
I log my reads on StoryGraph; I used to use GoodReads but this one has charts and stats, which lets me nerd out exquisitely 🤓
Oh wow, I’ve never heard of Story Graph - I’ll take a look!
Taking ownership of my reading (ironic, as of course I’m only borrowing it - LOL) has changed me! I’d always felt such a commitment to any book I’d pick up - and in some cases it would feel like ‘well, Rebecca, you’ve made your bed, now you have to lie on it’ - more of a punishment than a pleasure. Not any more!
It does rather look as if there are 36 hours in my days, doesn’t it?! To be honest a few things have fallen by the wayside recently, because I’ve been struggling with fatigue - but I’m so happy to be using time for proper reading. I’ve got three books on the go at the moment - two paperbacks and one on Libby, and it feels so weird (although very ‘right’, too!) to be giving them all equal attention! 😊
Yes, it's okay to have a number of books on the go. Authors will love you!!! I usually have one print book, one audiobook and one e-book on the go at any one time. I'm thrilled that you've found your mojo again.
I agree with you about The Salt Path. I loved it and would like to read more of Raynor Winn. I suspect I know the Scandi thriller you're talking about (whisper whisper) and if it is the one (lets not say), I really enjoyed it. Reading is so subjective.
As for reading on the screen, I can't read anything other than Substack and social media on my computer, I read nothing on my phone (it's purely for phonecalls, self-imposed rule) but I adore my Kindle. Wouldn't be without it and have many many titles in the e-library to read and re-read.
I don't often write a review for any books but I do give a star rating on Amazon. That at least keeps books up in the algorithms and authors need to eat. I scan recommendations from everywhere online and often note down books that seem as if they may suit. Books are my life in so many ways and I suspect they're now yours.
I love that you read multiple books at a time too, Prue!
In fact it was your recommendation for The Salt Path which had prompted me to seek it out - thank you so much! I’m looking forward soon to reading a book which Winn mentioned repeatedly - Five Hundred Mile Walkies, which is another account of a journey on the South West Coast Path. It’s out of print, but I’ve found a secondhand copy.
And what a great reminder to leave reviews - I’d got out of the habit. I’ll make sure I do that. xxx
I couldn't agree more! Libby has become my best friend and now I always have multiple books on the go whether they be audio, digital, or print. I have learned that not finishing a novel is ok and that maybe when the time is right, I'll pick it back up again.
Gosh, I have a book habit, or rather, I am a book addict. On my own I read mysteries, science fiction, biographies, science and art books. But I have a friend that gives me bodice rippers so I read them as well. My habit started when I was a child, and my mom used to command me to stop reading and go outside and play. So I climbed trees with my book du jour.
luckily for me I am a really fast reader, so even books that are not fast paced are readable.
But like you, I have started to stop reading when I am bored with or irritated by a book. And now as I am getting older I am trying to rehome my books. Which makes me sad, but better to do it now!
I still feel crushed that I’d stopped reading for so long, but I’m certainly making up for lost time!
I used to hide to read, too - y’know, usually when I was supposed to be doing something useful. 😉
Rehoming books - I've done that a couple of times in recent years, and have many regrets. sigh. Still, I guess I’m glad of the space…. FOR MORE BOOKS….?!!!!! (hang on, I think I might have identified a problem here……)
I understand hiding to read lol! Reading didn’t count as an important activity- thus I could be snagged to do chores. Being in a tree means you are less likely to be noticed.
I actually had a bookcase collapse due to too many books in it! Learned my lesson! Still it was pretty spectacular to see it happen
What a delightful exploration of the joys of reading! I’m another who discovered Libby during the pandemic. Prior to that, my first act upon moving to a new town was to get my library card, which made me feel instantly at home. Now I visit much less frequently although I still enjoy it.
At any given moment, I’m reading at least one nonfiction book and at least one novel, plus an audiobook to listen to in the car and during moments of insomnia. I quickly abandon novels if they don’t click, but I do discipline myself to finish nonfiction works, going so far as to set a daily page goal. Otherwise I think my enthusiasm for “more stories!” takes over and I don’t make time for learning things which I truly do want to learn. For the same reason I tend to read my Substack first— most of mine is political and as an American there’s a lot to keep up with at the moment!
Kerry, that’s so interesting - I love that you feel committed to finishing non-fiction books more than any fiction that isn’t quite hitting the spot! And it makes perfect sense - hmmmm, I’m think I’m the same - whenever I’ve sought out a book to learn something from rather than to pass time or purely to be entertained, I guess I do treat it rather differently.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences of reading and the public library!!! Thank you for sharing other people's newsletters which contain Bookish Thoughts - I capitalized the latter two words because that category of thinking is special to me. I absolutely love the library and reading printed books and writing my Bookish Thoughts by hand on paper. It goes without saying that books and articles about reading and books are dear to me. Thank you too for including my library therapy posts! I'm still doing my library therapy- my online time has had to support my upcoming art exhibit so I've not shared my library therapy book in a while. I may resume sharing it later... not sure yet 😁
‘Bookish Thoughts’ - such a perfect phrase, with capitals which are entirely justified!
So glad to hear that your library therapy continues - that’s absolutely wonderful! And it would be soooo nice to peek inside the pages of your book again! 🙌
Oh good!!! I will affix a note to my library therapy book that says “Rebecca wants to see this" and will happily work towards sharing it with you!!! Thank you so much!!!! 💚💚💚💚
"... I loved the library and its tiny moulded red plastic chairs. I’d flip the large, brightly-coloured shiny books displayed standing up in deep wooden boxes, their hardback covers slapping against each other.." I haven't stepped into a library in so many years. But with this wonderful line, I could actually smell those children's books in the boxes - their plastic covers, their slick paper, their bright print and beguiling illustrations. Thank you Rebecca for the gift of this olfactory memory. I became eight years old again for a few minutes. Lovely writing, as always.
Oh Sharron, how lovely - thank you, thank you! And yes, the smell - the smell of the books, the smell of the place itself - it was surrounding me the whole time I was writing this! Happy, happy memories! Thank you for being eight again. xxx
This is great, Rebecca! I'm going to check out the LIbby app. And I know what you mean about Substack reading versus a book. I also recently returned to reading a book and there are only so many free hours in a day to read, so I have to choose wisely. If I'm mindful, I can do both, but not every Substack writer nor every book. Anyway, cheers to reading in whatever form! 💚
Time always seems to be in such short supply, and what there IS so often eludes me!
I’m all-or-nothing (with everything, not just my reading). I’ve got into a bit of a pickle with Substack because I feel I want to read EVERYTHING - and if I haven’t, and don’t, or haven’t managed it despite trying, or I don’t have the energy, or if life gets in the way or I get kidnapped on the spur of the moment by my husband and our campervan (which last happened between Thursday and Sunday) - then I feel as if I’ve failed!
But - oh gosh, I’ve never thought about this before - there’s a wonderful, magical thing about the written word. It’s been written. It’s out there. It exists. So, it’ll wait for me to get to it - one book - or post - or comment - at a time! I hereby pledge to remind myself of that on a daily basis. In fact, I’ve just written it in my journal. Thank you Sue for making me think of it! xxx 😘
I'm happy to be able to share our feelings. I often find myself in the same situation, feeling a sense of disappointment when I can't keep up with my Substack publications. This has led me to engage in some self-reflection and reconsider what's truly manageable. Substack is like a buffet; there's an abundance of enticing options. However, overindulging is not advisable. I've had to bid farewell to some wonderful publications that I would have loved to read. But as you rightly point out, there's always a chance to revisit them in the future.
Being a scholar of reading or whatever (I see all of my dear Substack friends here talking about me talking about libraries - thanks for the share Rebecca!) there is no right way to read! Whatever and however you want to read is fine.
Libby also integrated with Kobo ereaders, when you’re ready to invest in that tech…
‘There is no right way to read’!!! ❤️ Wonderful words, Alison!
I’ve never tried an ereader, and hadn’t heard of Kobo - I’ll have a little look online. Mum uses a Kindle - perhaps I’ll ask her if I can borrow it to see how I get on with that - I suspect it’s very different to reading on a phone screen.
I find it so satisfying to abandon a book when it’s not hitting the spot! For fiction, I love getting really cozy and immersed in a single world, but I have five different non-fiction books going currently 🤣
Five?!!!! Wow, Tami - that’s amazing! It’s struck me that the three reads I’ve got going at the moment - one non-fiction, two fiction - don’t have anything in common, so I’m able to compartmentalise to a certain degree and not get confused. The time will come, though, when I will LITERALLY lose the plot(s)!!!! 🤣
Ahahahaha. It works to various degrees of success and overwhelm, but I'm trying to be a little more loose and intuitive in general and finding this such a perfect, low-stakes way to practice that skill.
Bravo to your non-rules! It's good to get rid of the book-guilt. As for me, I read one book at a time because my brain follows so many stories from other sources, I can barely follow the book's plot, to say nothing of following two books. YIKES! I buy both kindle books and hard-copies, switching off to one or the other as I finish each book. AND THEN THERE'S SUBSTACK! Good thing I'm retired and can bounce from reading to chores to reading to knitting to reading to piano practice to ... well, you get the idea. There's just not enough time, is there, Rebecca? Tally-ho!
Libby and I were acquainted some time ago. She's a gem! For a while, I was doing quite a bit of work-related travel and it was a joy to listen to books to pass the time. Now in a new position, I have fewer opportunities, so the list of completed works has dropped off. That said, I received the Substack "Summer Recap" promo yesterday and, if that assessment can be trusted, I read 800+ posts and more than 1M words this summer. So...golly!
I don't know that you want to go to the trouble, but there is a little Substack thingie (a sub-Substack?) that prompts folks to write to specific topics then share to that group. The inaugural topic was LIBRARIES and submissions end Sept 22. Just in case you or any of your lovely, linked authors wants to check it out:
Libraries are essential. I served on the board of ours for eight years and never ceased to be amazed by all that the staff and volunteers were accomplishing each month. Such a range of services!
Oh gosh, yes, the Substack Summer Reading thing - I had no idea (yet am also delighted) that I’d been reading quite so much on here!
I hadn’t actually looked into the Seed Pod - thank you for the link. In fact the post of Terry’s to which I’d linked had been part of that, but I hadn’t looked at the project, only the post. I’ll keep my eyes peeled in future - thank you so much for linking to it here!!! xxx
I'm glad you mentioned Subject Headings by my friend Alison. As for me, I have discarded several books after starting them and not liking either the writing, the story or the characters. Or all three.
I just did that to one I was sadly waiting for from the library. A few pages in, and I realized it was rooted in debunked research. Buh-bye.
I loved libraries but hearing about them from Alison gives me a new and deeper appreciation for the work they do.
If I could choose another career, it would library sciences. I did work in a book chain for a few months between careers, so I lived that particular life goal. 😁
I would love to have a book store with really good coffee and space for art / readings. Emphasis on curation.
We're have such a place in Miramichi. It's called Mill Cove Coffee and has a good selection of books. Local authors, too. The emphasis is weighted towards the coffee side of the operation tho.
Sounds like the perfect balance! And hurrah for bigging up local authors - it's lovely when bookshops highlight them.
Emphasis on curation...... AND coffee! 🙌🙌🙌
"The characters of a Scandithriller audiobook left me as cold as the Norwegian snow through which they were tediously struggling." Beautiful writing. Thanks for mentioning my post.
Oh Terry, you’re so kind, thank you! That means such a lot.
On rereading my sentence which you’ve included in your comment I’ve realised that the ‘tediously’ is superfluous! I’m going to edit it in the post accordingly. 😁
I dunno. I'm all in favour of purging descriptors but I think "tediously" adds a certain je ne sais quois
Thanks, Terry!
Oooooh, here’s a thought: I could translate the whole lot to French, to add even more quoi. Or would that be too much of a je ne sais overreaction? 🤔
Loving this new approach. Also welcome to the world of audiobooks! They are super engaging and I loooooove listening to them. My favorite narrators are Grover Gardener and R.C. Bray, anything by them is epic.
Oh wow, thank you for mentioning your favourite narrators! People’s delivery of words is so varied - actually I love a variety of different voices. I found a couple of audiobook editions of a recent Libby find, and much preferred one of the narrators over the other. Grateful that they give you a sample to listen to first! 😊
I’ve always loved audiobooks as well as plays on the radio, and it’s so nice to now be able to access them on my phone (I don’t know how it took me so long!). There’s plenty of listening available on BBC Sounds, but of course their audiobooks are serialised into multiple individual files, so Libby has an advantage there.
Libby is awesome - I think I found it in the early pandemic days, and it changed my phone usage from feeding on feeds (I love that observation! So APT.)
Adding “Counterfeit” to my list. 😃
I just got a book delivered yesterday in app, but after a few pages, I realized no one was making me continue and promptly hit the “Return Early” button 😤
I log my reads on StoryGraph; I used to use GoodReads but this one has charts and stats, which lets me nerd out exquisitely 🤓
Oh wow, I’ve never heard of Story Graph - I’ll take a look!
Taking ownership of my reading (ironic, as of course I’m only borrowing it - LOL) has changed me! I’d always felt such a commitment to any book I’d pick up - and in some cases it would feel like ‘well, Rebecca, you’ve made your bed, now you have to lie on it’ - more of a punishment than a pleasure. Not any more!
LIBRARY LIBERATION! HURRAH!!!
Vive la liberation!
*descends into rendition of “Do You Hear the People Sing?”*
🤣
Delightfully enthusiastic. No idea how you find the time to read so much, but all life is priorities I guess. Enjoy! 🤗🤗
LOL - thanks, Beth!
It does rather look as if there are 36 hours in my days, doesn’t it?! To be honest a few things have fallen by the wayside recently, because I’ve been struggling with fatigue - but I’m so happy to be using time for proper reading. I’ve got three books on the go at the moment - two paperbacks and one on Libby, and it feels so weird (although very ‘right’, too!) to be giving them all equal attention! 😊
Best of luck with the fatigue. Reading is an excellent recovery tool. Hugs from afar. 🤗🤗
Awww Beth, thank you so much! Hugs back atcha, always! 🤗🤗
Yes, it's okay to have a number of books on the go. Authors will love you!!! I usually have one print book, one audiobook and one e-book on the go at any one time. I'm thrilled that you've found your mojo again.
I agree with you about The Salt Path. I loved it and would like to read more of Raynor Winn. I suspect I know the Scandi thriller you're talking about (whisper whisper) and if it is the one (lets not say), I really enjoyed it. Reading is so subjective.
As for reading on the screen, I can't read anything other than Substack and social media on my computer, I read nothing on my phone (it's purely for phonecalls, self-imposed rule) but I adore my Kindle. Wouldn't be without it and have many many titles in the e-library to read and re-read.
I don't often write a review for any books but I do give a star rating on Amazon. That at least keeps books up in the algorithms and authors need to eat. I scan recommendations from everywhere online and often note down books that seem as if they may suit. Books are my life in so many ways and I suspect they're now yours.
Enjoy and keep us informed...
I love that you read multiple books at a time too, Prue!
In fact it was your recommendation for The Salt Path which had prompted me to seek it out - thank you so much! I’m looking forward soon to reading a book which Winn mentioned repeatedly - Five Hundred Mile Walkies, which is another account of a journey on the South West Coast Path. It’s out of print, but I’ve found a secondhand copy.
And what a great reminder to leave reviews - I’d got out of the habit. I’ll make sure I do that. xxx
I couldn't agree more! Libby has become my best friend and now I always have multiple books on the go whether they be audio, digital, or print. I have learned that not finishing a novel is ok and that maybe when the time is right, I'll pick it back up again.
Great minds think alike, Laura! I ❤️Libby!
Gosh, I have a book habit, or rather, I am a book addict. On my own I read mysteries, science fiction, biographies, science and art books. But I have a friend that gives me bodice rippers so I read them as well. My habit started when I was a child, and my mom used to command me to stop reading and go outside and play. So I climbed trees with my book du jour.
luckily for me I am a really fast reader, so even books that are not fast paced are readable.
But like you, I have started to stop reading when I am bored with or irritated by a book. And now as I am getting older I am trying to rehome my books. Which makes me sad, but better to do it now!
I still feel crushed that I’d stopped reading for so long, but I’m certainly making up for lost time!
I used to hide to read, too - y’know, usually when I was supposed to be doing something useful. 😉
Rehoming books - I've done that a couple of times in recent years, and have many regrets. sigh. Still, I guess I’m glad of the space…. FOR MORE BOOKS….?!!!!! (hang on, I think I might have identified a problem here……)
I understand hiding to read lol! Reading didn’t count as an important activity- thus I could be snagged to do chores. Being in a tree means you are less likely to be noticed.
I actually had a bookcase collapse due to too many books in it! Learned my lesson! Still it was pretty spectacular to see it happen
LOL - that’s quite some going, for the bookcase to collapse! Proud of ya! 🙌
What a delightful exploration of the joys of reading! I’m another who discovered Libby during the pandemic. Prior to that, my first act upon moving to a new town was to get my library card, which made me feel instantly at home. Now I visit much less frequently although I still enjoy it.
At any given moment, I’m reading at least one nonfiction book and at least one novel, plus an audiobook to listen to in the car and during moments of insomnia. I quickly abandon novels if they don’t click, but I do discipline myself to finish nonfiction works, going so far as to set a daily page goal. Otherwise I think my enthusiasm for “more stories!” takes over and I don’t make time for learning things which I truly do want to learn. For the same reason I tend to read my Substack first— most of mine is political and as an American there’s a lot to keep up with at the moment!
Kerry, that’s so interesting - I love that you feel committed to finishing non-fiction books more than any fiction that isn’t quite hitting the spot! And it makes perfect sense - hmmmm, I’m think I’m the same - whenever I’ve sought out a book to learn something from rather than to pass time or purely to be entertained, I guess I do treat it rather differently.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences of reading and the public library!!! Thank you for sharing other people's newsletters which contain Bookish Thoughts - I capitalized the latter two words because that category of thinking is special to me. I absolutely love the library and reading printed books and writing my Bookish Thoughts by hand on paper. It goes without saying that books and articles about reading and books are dear to me. Thank you too for including my library therapy posts! I'm still doing my library therapy- my online time has had to support my upcoming art exhibit so I've not shared my library therapy book in a while. I may resume sharing it later... not sure yet 😁
‘Bookish Thoughts’ - such a perfect phrase, with capitals which are entirely justified!
So glad to hear that your library therapy continues - that’s absolutely wonderful! And it would be soooo nice to peek inside the pages of your book again! 🙌
Oh good!!! I will affix a note to my library therapy book that says “Rebecca wants to see this" and will happily work towards sharing it with you!!! Thank you so much!!!! 💚💚💚💚
Oh Sue, that’s really made me chuckle! 🤭 Looking forward already to seeing it! ❤️
Chuckles are good for the spirit and I'm so glad I could give you one!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
"... I loved the library and its tiny moulded red plastic chairs. I’d flip the large, brightly-coloured shiny books displayed standing up in deep wooden boxes, their hardback covers slapping against each other.." I haven't stepped into a library in so many years. But with this wonderful line, I could actually smell those children's books in the boxes - their plastic covers, their slick paper, their bright print and beguiling illustrations. Thank you Rebecca for the gift of this olfactory memory. I became eight years old again for a few minutes. Lovely writing, as always.
Oh Sharron, how lovely - thank you, thank you! And yes, the smell - the smell of the books, the smell of the place itself - it was surrounding me the whole time I was writing this! Happy, happy memories! Thank you for being eight again. xxx
This is great, Rebecca! I'm going to check out the LIbby app. And I know what you mean about Substack reading versus a book. I also recently returned to reading a book and there are only so many free hours in a day to read, so I have to choose wisely. If I'm mindful, I can do both, but not every Substack writer nor every book. Anyway, cheers to reading in whatever form! 💚
Time always seems to be in such short supply, and what there IS so often eludes me!
I’m all-or-nothing (with everything, not just my reading). I’ve got into a bit of a pickle with Substack because I feel I want to read EVERYTHING - and if I haven’t, and don’t, or haven’t managed it despite trying, or I don’t have the energy, or if life gets in the way or I get kidnapped on the spur of the moment by my husband and our campervan (which last happened between Thursday and Sunday) - then I feel as if I’ve failed!
But - oh gosh, I’ve never thought about this before - there’s a wonderful, magical thing about the written word. It’s been written. It’s out there. It exists. So, it’ll wait for me to get to it - one book - or post - or comment - at a time! I hereby pledge to remind myself of that on a daily basis. In fact, I’ve just written it in my journal. Thank you Sue for making me think of it! xxx 😘
🙌
I'm happy to be able to share our feelings. I often find myself in the same situation, feeling a sense of disappointment when I can't keep up with my Substack publications. This has led me to engage in some self-reflection and reconsider what's truly manageable. Substack is like a buffet; there's an abundance of enticing options. However, overindulging is not advisable. I've had to bid farewell to some wonderful publications that I would have loved to read. But as you rightly point out, there's always a chance to revisit them in the future.
Such wise words - you’ve made me feel so much better, Sue!
Being a scholar of reading or whatever (I see all of my dear Substack friends here talking about me talking about libraries - thanks for the share Rebecca!) there is no right way to read! Whatever and however you want to read is fine.
Libby also integrated with Kobo ereaders, when you’re ready to invest in that tech…
‘There is no right way to read’!!! ❤️ Wonderful words, Alison!
I’ve never tried an ereader, and hadn’t heard of Kobo - I’ll have a little look online. Mum uses a Kindle - perhaps I’ll ask her if I can borrow it to see how I get on with that - I suspect it’s very different to reading on a phone screen.
I find it so satisfying to abandon a book when it’s not hitting the spot! For fiction, I love getting really cozy and immersed in a single world, but I have five different non-fiction books going currently 🤣
Five?!!!! Wow, Tami - that’s amazing! It’s struck me that the three reads I’ve got going at the moment - one non-fiction, two fiction - don’t have anything in common, so I’m able to compartmentalise to a certain degree and not get confused. The time will come, though, when I will LITERALLY lose the plot(s)!!!! 🤣
Ahahahaha. It works to various degrees of success and overwhelm, but I'm trying to be a little more loose and intuitive in general and finding this such a perfect, low-stakes way to practice that skill.
Bravo to your non-rules! It's good to get rid of the book-guilt. As for me, I read one book at a time because my brain follows so many stories from other sources, I can barely follow the book's plot, to say nothing of following two books. YIKES! I buy both kindle books and hard-copies, switching off to one or the other as I finish each book. AND THEN THERE'S SUBSTACK! Good thing I'm retired and can bounce from reading to chores to reading to knitting to reading to piano practice to ... well, you get the idea. There's just not enough time, is there, Rebecca? Tally-ho!
I’m making a rule that rules about reading are against the rules! DOWN with book guilt!!!!
And you’re so right - there’s never, ever enough time!
Libby and I were acquainted some time ago. She's a gem! For a while, I was doing quite a bit of work-related travel and it was a joy to listen to books to pass the time. Now in a new position, I have fewer opportunities, so the list of completed works has dropped off. That said, I received the Substack "Summer Recap" promo yesterday and, if that assessment can be trusted, I read 800+ posts and more than 1M words this summer. So...golly!
I don't know that you want to go to the trouble, but there is a little Substack thingie (a sub-Substack?) that prompts folks to write to specific topics then share to that group. The inaugural topic was LIBRARIES and submissions end Sept 22. Just in case you or any of your lovely, linked authors wants to check it out:
https://open.substack.com/pub/smallstack/p/seed-pod-1-libraries?r=a37hv&utm_medium=ios
Libraries are essential. I served on the board of ours for eight years and never ceased to be amazed by all that the staff and volunteers were accomplishing each month. Such a range of services!
Oh gosh, yes, the Substack Summer Reading thing - I had no idea (yet am also delighted) that I’d been reading quite so much on here!
I hadn’t actually looked into the Seed Pod - thank you for the link. In fact the post of Terry’s to which I’d linked had been part of that, but I hadn’t looked at the project, only the post. I’ll keep my eyes peeled in future - thank you so much for linking to it here!!! xxx