I am not going to do a 2020 wrap up post or a projection post for 2021. 2020 was difficult for me in many ways and it affected my blogging. Call it ‘Covid Fatigue’ or the misery of a socially distanced life, but as it was for so many others, 2020 turned my life upside down and if the door hits it on the way out, so much the better….
When I took a blogging break last Fall I didn’t stop reading. I posted on Instagram and Goodreads, because I find these shorter thought posts, along with the reviews on this blog, help me feel less overwhelmed at the backlog of books I am not blogging about. Monthly wrap-up posts will show the books I read, including the progress on my ongoing personal projects and the 2021 challenges and readalongs I have signed up for.
As the pandemic rages on and a new, more contagious mutation spreads, as the US vaccine distribution infrastructure does not materialize and the politics of division, narcissism and blame continue to plague American citizens reading disengages me from the chaos for a time and saves my soul.
May we all find sanity, safety, health and maybe even a little bit of optimism in this New Year. And may the book blogosphere continue to hold us in the unity and comfort of this shared passion throughout the planet as we read and post and share our book treasures with each other.
From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came into adolescence and when she wanted to feel a closeness to someone she could read a biography. On the day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived.
~A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith (and just imagine if Francie lived when she could book blog)!
PS, My top three favorite books of the year:
- Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell
- Emma, Jane Austen
- Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy
