January always nudges me to read, simplify, and bake bread, not necessarily in that order. I read all year long, of course, but who doesn’t like a towering new queue to start the year? Although it’s more a work in progress than absolute, that’s my pile in the cover photo, plus The Piano Tuner, The Upstairs Delicatessen, and Tom Lake, which I’ve finished. Good reads all, but If you haven’t read Tom Lake, get it into your queue and move it to the top NOW.
And by the way, speaking of fresh starts, I deep-sixed Goodreads.
I always thought Goodreads a clumsy site to navigate, which is one reason why I never relied on it for recommendations. Instead, I keep up with writers via social media and their websites. Adriana Trigiani’s You Are What You Read podcast grew out of her weekly Facebook live sessions. It features interviews with a wide range of authors of fiction and non-fiction—some well known, others not so much. Her interview style is much like her story-telling: intelligent, engaging, down-to-earth, and equally capable of making you laugh out loud or ripping your heart out. My Instagram favorites are One Tree Books, whose rapid-fire weekly booklists make me want to board a plane to the UK to shop there, and brilliant writer Ann Patchett‘s posts from Parnassus Books in Nashville—equally worthy of a road trip. Alexander McCall Smith‘s posts and updates are also must-reads, as much for the poetry and insights as for news of his latest.
I fully admit to having been sucked into the Goodreads reading challenge, wherein one commits to reading “x” number of books annually. But on reflection… who needs quantity over quality? Do I care if an Abraham Verghese masterwork of 700+ pages, each worthy of a slow, contemplative read, takes half the summer? And what about those prompts Goodreads sends toward the end of the year, trying to sell you short books to make your goal? Pardon my impertinence, but that’s just a scam to fill up your Kindle. (Confession: I still have a Kindle, with some unread books stored. I do like it for very lengthy books, which can be uncomfortable to hold.)
There are other approaches to reading challenges and lists if you enjoy them. For instance, Modern Mrs. Darcy. Anne Bogel may be the uncrowned queen of US book bloggers—she was definitely in the game early on. Her recommendations range from the finest “literary” fiction (a term that frankly rankles me) to what used to be called “chick lit” (which, like “women’s” fiction, also rankles me). She likes to categorize by mood, place, or interest area, as in “9 books to read before (or after) a cruise vacation”. I can usually find something appealing on most of her lists. She’s written several books on the pleasures of reading. Though I don’t always agree with her and dislike the advertising clutter, hree cheers for anyone with the entrepreneurial will to turn her passion into a career!
It isn’t easy to find writers from other countries whose work hasn’t yet been, or won’t ever be, published in the US. Unless it’s an author who creates such a huge sensation (e.g., the mysterious Elena Ferrante), one has to do a bit of digging, especially for books in translation. This is where blogs are so helpful. I love reading authors from other countries, so I particularly appreciate BookerTalk. Check out “Spell the Month in Books” and its other regular features.
For 2024, I’m on a mission to [largely] break the Amazon habit, at least for books. I’ve loved bookstores (and libraries, for sure) since childhood and always make it a point to patronize them in person whenever I can. We have a few independent bookstores in this area, plus a Barnes and Noble, which, while a chain, does support local jobs and afford the pleasure of browsing. Is there anything more delightful for a confirmed reader than roaming through a bookstore? A computer screen is just not the same. As a reminder to US readers… you can easily search Indiebound to shop the store of your choice online or find one in your area.
And there you have it… my rant for January 2024. Happy reading!
Hashtag Retired 
Chef Mimi
I miss book stores! Thanks for the list. I need to get back into reading. I love Anne Patchett!
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Mary Jo LaBar LaBar
Love your Rant! I always say so many books so little time. I love listening to Adriana’s podcast. We have a zoom monthly book club at my remote job. I recommended Adriana latest book and she was gracious enough to call into our zoom meeting in September and discuss the book. What a treat. Take care and Happy New Year.
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Angela
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Mary Jo. Adriana is so generous. And it’s always wonderful to hear from you!
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Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread
I’m a huge fan of the local library so I’m even borrowing books while out of the state for the winter. We downsized several years back and that included bookcases and books. I’ve come to the point where I truly love a good book, but I do not need to own it to enjoy it. I know that thought process depends upon where you are in life because I use to love just looking at my books on the shelves. 🙂 I still belong to Goodreads, don’t bother with their challenges because I read more than they suggest, but still use it once in a while to check ratings on a book. I use to truly look forward to their email about new books by authors I read, but sadly I don’t even get that anymore. I did, however, find WOW Library where I could sign up based on zip code and each Saturday I receive an email with new books my local library has purchased. I like that a lot. 🙂 Happy reading.
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Angela
I hear you re the downsizing. We are blessed to have a wall of books in this house. I buy mostly books from my favorite authors; otherwise, we have an active exchange with friends and neighbors here, and a quarterly library book sale for recycling. I will look into WOW Library. Thank you for reading and for the tip.
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Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen
Nice post Angela! Love my local book shops, and I only turn to Amazon when I absolutely can’t get the book locally, which is rare. I also love the library; my granddaughter and I have a weekly ritual.
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Angela
I was always a huge library fan. You are blessed in New England to have all those great book stores–my favorites in VT include that little one in Norwich and the one in Manchester with a sister store in Saratoga Springs. The names, alas, elude me today!
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Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen
Ah! My favorite in Manchester Northshire! Really great selection, and you could get lost in there. And Village Square Books in Bellows Falls, little but really nice.
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Ron
My mom always told us that “if you can’t say something nice about someone or something, don’t say anything “. She was wrong! We need to have honest positive and negative reviews in order to make a decision.
So thanks for the rant.
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Yeah, Another Blogger
Howdy. At a local library recently I stumbled upon a book by an author I’d never heard of before: Gordo, by Jaime Cortez. It’s a collection of related short stories. I’m enjoying it very much. Neil S.
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Karen
We have an independent bookstore in our small town that brings in an author quite often for a short talk and book signing. It is nice to get some back ground about what they have written.
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