Month: May 2020

Mapping the Books – Reading around the World and Across Genres

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

I don’t know about you, but I love it when a book includes maps in the front. I love how they allow you to situate a book in a place – especially when that place is not part of this world. Whether you reference the map as you read the story, or only look at it at the start, the map is one of the tools that the author uses to ground their story in a setting and to create a world. If the places that the characters visit are marked on a map, they are made that much more real.

I love maps. Between maps in books and maps in travel, I am often referencing them.

Today I want to introduce a new series that combines books and maps in a different way. I’m not actually sure if it should be classified as a series, as it’s more of a way to manage and organize books and posts… but don’t think there’s a word that sums that up. And since there will be posts directly related to this organizational method… series it is.

Maps Spread out on a Table

The Background

As I have mentioned before, when I started up this blog I knew that I wanted to write about both reading and travel. I had many brainstorming sessions to think up ways to combine the two on an ongoing basis. One of the ideas that came out of these sessions was to map out the books that I read, books that I would like to read, or use maps to create reading lists for specific places.

The more I thought about it, the more I started to get really excited about the idea of being more intentional in reading books from different areas of the world. I also wanted to see where the books that I read and talk about are located, and how they’re spread out around the world. I have an idea about where the majority of books I read are set, but as someone with both history and math in her background, I love the idea of seeing it actually laid out and plotted.

My vision for this is to have clickable maps that allow you to navigate to a section of the world of books and see all the posts about the books from that area. At this point, however, I’m not completely sure how to make that happen. I don’t know if I can add such a thing to a blog without major programming required. I have a few ideas, but I need to work on it and play with it some more. In the meantime, the world of books will be organized into separate pages to group the books from each area.

A Series in Two Sections

This series is going to consist of two parts, at least to start. The first will be mapping books in the physical world. This section will include books of any genre that are set in “real” locations on earth or in space. These might be books that are set in alternate, or more fantastical, versions of real locations, as well as those that are more realistic. If you can find it on a map then it can be included, even if it’s completely different than how we know the place in the past or present.

The second section will be the world of genres. This section is one that will definitely be more interesting once I can figure out how to make clickable images, but I’m going to start it up now and work towards the vision. For now, this section will organize the books I read and talk about by genre. I would like this world map of genres to include everything from Fantasy to Non-Fiction.

I love the idea of seeing books and genres on a map. In the case of the genres, it’s fun to imagine what they would look like on a map. What are the continents, and the countries? Which genres are “border” each other? There are so many things that I want to explore with this series, and I’m excited to get started with it.

You can find the “Map of Books” page and the “Map of Genres” pages linked below. They will also be linked under the “books” menu going forward, once I get that set up.

Do you enjoy maps? Do you categorize the types of books that you read or look for trends in this way? Do you find that you read books mostly from one area of the world or do you read more widely? Let me know in the comments!

World Map of Books
The Map of Genres

Until next time!

Meaghan Signature

Dealing with Disappointments

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

Life is full of disappointments. If that sounds cynical, it isn’t meant to be. We face a myriad of disappointments throughout our lives. Many of them are small. I poured chocolate almond milk into my coffee the other day and was disappointed when I discovered it had gone bad. I was also disappointed that I made the decision not to test the milk first… and that I had to dump my coffee down the drain.

We experience disappointment when something isn’t available at the store, or when we learn that a favourite show is going to be cancelled. The disappointments that we face range from the minor to the more intense. Most disappointments fade quickly, and have a low impact on our lives. In a couple weeks, I’ll no longer remember the disappointment of the coffee, for instance.

But some disappointments are bigger, and have more of an impact on our lives.

Sometimes we experience a disappointment that might seem like it should be a minor. Maybe it would be minor for someone else, or even for ourselves in other circumstances. Sometimes we experience what can seem like a disproportionate level of disappointment to a situation or event. Sometimes it all depends on context.

Woman sitting, holding knees
Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay

The Cancellation

A couple weeks ago I was faced with an event cancellation that caused me what could be considered a disproportionate level of disappointment. My experience is not uncommon to our current situation. I would hazard a guess that everyone has faced some level of disappointment over the last few months. Not being able to go about our “normal” daily lives is disappointing all by itself, without adding missed events or experiences.

This particular event cancellation was inevitable, since it was a concert that I was supposed to attend mid-July. Regardless of what all has opened back up by that point, it is highly likely that concerts of this type, along with other events filled with high numbers of people, will not be happening any time soon.

But knowing that it was going to be cancelled didn’t make it any easier getting the email that officially said “cancelled.” Seeing it there, in black and white, still made me want to cry. And to make it worse, I felt bad for being so disappointed. So many people have had much bigger events cancelled, and have faced much bigger disappointments over the last couple months.

I have more than one friend that will not, or did not, get the wedding they had dreamed of due to social distancing. People aren’t getting to see the newborn babies of those close to them. People aren’t getting to give their loved ones funerals that include all the people that are important to them. There are so many disappointments going around right now that are much bigger than a cancelled concert.

But does that mean that we don’t let ourselves feel the “smaller” disappointments? How are we supposed to feel about the cancelled get togethers? The cancelled birthday parties? The cancelled trips? The disappointments that you face might feel small or insignificant beside the bigger disappointments around us, but does that mean that we push them aside and don’t let ourselves feel them?

The Disappointment behind the Cancellation

The thing about this disappointment, is that I have been looking forward to this particular concert more than I look forward to most concerts. The reason? I was finally going to get to see one of my favourite artists. I have loved his music since the first song of his I heard about 3 years ago. I listen to pretty much every one of his songs regularly. Aside from a couple exceptions because they make me cry every time… and that just doesn’t work for an average Tuesday in the office.

I have been waiting, impatiently, for the day when he would come to this area. For months I checked his tour schedule every few weeks hoping I would see a date scheduled for somewhere in Southwestern Ontario. I looked even more frequently when the summer dates started appearing. Is this a ridiculous level of interest in a concert schedule? Maybe. But that is how much I wanted to see this artist live in concert.

And then a summer date was announced. He was joining another artist in a summer tour, and they were coming to Toronto. I was beyond excited. When the pre-sale tickets went on sale, and they were within an acceptable price range, I bought them as fast as my fingers could manage. I was thrilled. The concert was a week after my birthday, it was perfect.

And then the world Changed

I purchased the tickets on March 12th. By the end of the day March 13th I was told not to come into the office on Monday. It soon became clear that, not only would I be working from home for the foreseeable future, but a lot of things were going to be different for quite some time. And then, the Friday of my 8th week working from home, almost exactly 2 months after purchasing the tickets, I received the email that officially cancelled the concert.

And I am really disappointed.

And this isn’t going to be the last disappointment this year. I already know that my summer trip plans are almost certainly being postponed until next summer. I haven’t started the process of cancelling my summer travel arrangements yet, so I’m still distanced from that disappointment. But I know that it’s coming. There are days coming when I will be emailing accommodations and car rental companies to cancel. I’m going to be disappointed. And I’m going to be upset about it.

Because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you think the closures and cancellations are a good decision or not. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a big disappointment or a small one. It’s okay to be upset about cancellations and changed plans. Life is crazy right now, and it’s okay to be upset about however you’re being affected by it. Even if your disappointment doesn’t seem like it’s as important as those of others around you.

How do we Deal?

But how do we deal with these disappointments?

I don’t think there’s an easy answer to this question. So much of the answer depends on the disappointment and the person facing it. Not to mention any previous disappointments that we’ve faced. Sometimes we handle everything fine right up until the time when some small disappointment sets us over the edge. And we find ourselves crying over some the small, insignificant thing.

Personally, for this particular disappointment, I turned to music. Actually, that’s not entirely true. First I ignored the disappointment for a few hours. But after that I turned to music. Because I knew that ignoring it wasn’t going to make it go away. So I grabbed my headphones, and I put on some music. I listened to a mixture of things, and avoided the artist that I was going to see. At least at first. I figured I’d work up to him.

I listened to other artists that I’ve seen in concert. And ones that I would like to see in concert some day. And I let myself be sad. One particular song hit me hard – “Six Feet Apart” by Luke Combs – because he talks about missing the road and the crowds. So I listened to it twice. I didn’t want to avoid songs that made me sad. I was looking to use them to release the emotions that I was feeling. I let myself cry.

And then I moved on to listening to the artist whose concert I was now not going to see. And I cried some more. But then, as it often does, the music started to make me feel better.

Music is something that I have used for comfort for as long as I can remember. I’m still disappointed about the cancelled concert, but the music helped me feel a bit better, and made me a bit more able to look forward to a time when concerts will be on again. And maybe… hopefully… this artist will come back to this area. And this time, I’d like him to be headlining the concert, please.

What disappointments, big or small, have you faced in the last few weeks? What helps you deal with disappointments in your life?

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Reading Books from Each Year of My Life 1986-2020

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello! Welcome back to another reading challenge post. Last week I talked about how I enjoy setting reading challenges, and reading lists for myself. (You can check that post out here for some background.) Today I wanted to talk about another challenge that I am currently working my way through. I started this challenge in July of 2019 just after my birthday, and the goal was that it would be a year long challenge. Seeing as how we are almost at the 1 year mark, and I am only a third of the way through, that is not going to happen. So I’m extending it another year.

I got the idea when Emma from Drinking by My Shelf completed a challenge where she read a number of books from the day she was born. I really loved the idea, and started looking into doing that for myself. As I was looking for books that were published in 1986, I decided that I wanted to switch the challenge up a bit for myself, and read a book from each year of my life. Because I’m apparently incapable of setting challenges of reasonable length.

Because of the way the years work out, I’ll be reading 1 book more than my actual age. Since I am not going to be completing this challenge by this year’s birthday, I’ve added 2020 on to the list. So the challenge covers 1986-2020, which is 35 books. 35 books isn’t unreasonable for me to read in a year, but I like to read a wide variety of books, as well as reading more current books, which makes it more difficult.

There are some years where I am determined to read a specific book, or one out of a couple books. In these cases, even if I read a different book from that year, I’m not going to consider the slot completed, unless I get to the end of the challenge and find that I still haven’t picked up the preferred book. On the other hand, there are a some years where, if I happen across a book that fits the year but wasn’t on my initial list, then that’s the book I’ll put into the slot.

I’m also trying to not fill too many slots with multiple books in a series, if possible.This means that if an author I love releases a book a year, I’m not going to binge read their books and list them for 5 or 6 consecutive years. Make sense? One exception to this rule for now is The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett – there are a few books from that series on the list of possible titles.

I decided not to list all the options I’ve included on my list because it’s so rough, and fluid, so I will just mention the books I end up using to fill the slot. I’ll try to give a progress update every few months, depending on how many books I get through in the time. For now, here are the books I have read so far. I have completed 13/35.

1986 – The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
This is book 2 in the Discworld series. I enjoyed this one, though it’s not among my favourites. There were some great quotes and I liked it better than book 1, so it might even be one I re-read at some point. Stay tuned at some point in the future for more Discworld content, including recommended reading guides.

1988 – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is a short, somewhat strange, book that is SO GOOD. I absolutely loved it and would 100% recommend it. It’s been less than a year since I read it first, and I’m already thinking about re-reading it.

1998 – Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
This was a re-read. I decided it should have a place on this list since the Temperance Brennan series is a favourite for me and I read and re-read all of them regularly. These books are definitely “comfort reads” for me.

2000 – Storm Front by Jim Butcher
I mentioned this book in my Magical Readathon wrap up post. This is the first book in a Mystery-Fantasy series that I am really enjoying. I have read the first 2 books in the last two months and have the third out from my library already. I may write a more in depth look into the series in an upcoming post.

2011 – The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This is a fantasy retelling of the story of Achilles. I didn’t love this as much as Circe, by the same author, but it was really enjoyable and I will definitely keep reading Madeline Miller’s books. If you enjoy Greek myth retellings, these are definitely ones to look into.

2012 – Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
This is the first book in a Middle Grade fantasy series that I have started reading over the past year. I am loving it so much. The characters and the stories are so well written! It is without a doubt a new favourite series. There are 8 books out so far.

2013 – NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
This one was definitely out of my comfort zone, as it is horror, but I think I enjoyed it? I’m still not completely sure how I would rate it. It is very long, and it is the type of book that felt long. It is also the type of book that is supposed to make you uncomfortable at times.

2014 – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Unpopular opinion – I didn’t really like this book. There. I said it. For the most part I enjoyed the first part of the book. But then there’s a twist/switch part way through that ruined the book for me. It wasn’t the twist itself, but everything that happened after the twist. I will probably still check out more Gillian Flynn in the future.

2016 – The Dry by Jane Harper
This is the first book in a Mystery/Thriller series set in Australia. It took me awhile to get into the story, but I’m not sure if I was trying to do too much while listening to the audiobook. I plan on picking up at least one more book in this series.

2017 – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The internet loves this book. I will say that this wasn’t my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid book – I think that place goes to Daisy Jones and the Six, but I really enjoyed this one. I love the writing style, and the way that it makes you feel like the characters mentioned could actually exist.

2018 – Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
This is the first Robert Jackson Bennett book that I have read, as well as the first book in a new fantasy series. I loved the magic system in this book, and I really enjoyed the story and the characters. My favourite character is the talking key… are you intrigued? This was a five-star read for me and I cannot wait to pick up 2.

2019 – The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
This was such a cute contemporary romance. I loved the writing, and I loved the concept, which is two people living in the same flat (apartment) that work completely opposite schedules and communicate primarily through sticky notes. Would highly recommend.

2020 – The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson
This is the third and final book in the “Truly Devious” series. It is a young adult mystery series set in a strange boarding school with a mysterious past. I thought this one wrapped up the trilogy well, and I enjoy where they left the characters. I think book 2 might have been my favourite, but this is definitely a trilogy that I plan on re-reading.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any suggestions for books I should read for the years that I have not yet completed?

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Catching the Travel Bug: My Travel Story

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

A few weeks ago, I wrote about starting a travel blog in the time of a Pandemic. In that post, I talked a bit about why I wanted to start a travel blog, but didn’t really talk about how I discovered my love for travel. In my post about the connection between books and travel, I touched a bit more on why I chose those two topics. But how did I realize I loved travel? I figured that this was a good time to share with you my travel story – how I got into travel, and why I keep travelling and exploring.

Phase One: Camping

Two tents on a campsite
A camping trip Summer 2019

I love camping. I love both trips that are mainly about camping, as well as being able to camp as part of other travel. I grew up camping with my family every summer. My parents first took me when I was two weeks old, and I have loved camping ever since. We’ve mostly done tent trailer camping, though we’ve also done some tent camping, especially in recent years. Sometimes a tent is easier for a road trip when you’re staying at a site for only one night.

Incorporating camping into trips can be a great way to bring down accommodation costs. Camp sites are generally very reasonably priced, especially as compared to hotel rooms. I think that no matter what I do, camping will always be part of my life. We recently began the process of purchasing a new trailer. We’re transitioning into something that’s still small and relatively simple, but fully contained. I can’t wait to start planning close to home camping trips and longer road trips once we get our new trailer next summer.

Phase Two: Exploring Canada

In addition to camping trips, my family also went on various other trips. Mostly we stayed in Ontario, but we also went out to Eastern Canada, and even to Washington DC on year. Each of these trips helped spark my love of travel, but I think the most influential trip of this phase was our trip to Prince Edward Island. In my books and travel post, I talked about how our PEI trip was an example of how reading and travel overlapped for me.

I loved that trip. I loved seeing the places that inspired one of my favourite book series’ and I loved experiencing the beauty of Eastern Canada. The East Coast will always have a special place in my heart. I also learned through this trip that even if things don’t go exactly as planned, it can still be amazing and memorable. We had a few twists and turns that meant we had to adapt and modify our plans, but it worked out.

These trips showed me how wonderful travel can be, but they didn’t fully ignite my love of travel.

Phase Three: Finding the Working Holiday Visa

I have mentioned before that I lived in England for a year, but I haven’t talked about how that came about. I first got the idea to live in England while I was in grad school. I might have thought about living abroad before that, but never seriously enough to look into it all that deeply. And the idea always faded one in favour of other things. Until that one night in grad school.

I’m not entirely sure what led me down the rabbit trail of researching living abroad. I’m fairly certain it was extremely late at night (me and 2 a.m. were intimately acquainted during grad school) and I was almost certainly procrastinating whatever it was that I was supposed to be working on. In grad school it’s always a good bet that there’s something you should be working on at all times.

I think it’s also necessary to note that I was watching A LOT of British television that year. I had just gotten into Doctor Who, and BBC Sherlock was in it’s prime. So England was on my mind fairly regularly. Whatever the reason, I got the idea “what if I lived in England?” And that sparked a dive into Google to see if it was even possible outside of a study abroad plan.

During this research, I stumbled across the concept of a Working Holiday Visa, or Youth Mobility Visa as it is sometimes called. If you’ve never heard of this, as I hadn’t at that point, I’ll give a quick explanation. Essentially, these are Visas that exist through partnerships between various countries that allow young people to get short term work Visas. The age limit for qualifying depends on both the country you’re from and the one you’re looking to move to, as does the length of the Visa you can get. At the time, to get a one time, 2-year Visa as a Canadian to work in the United Kingdom, you had to be under 30 at the time of application. Which I was.

Since I met the age qualification, I started looking into it more. And before I knew it, this passing idea had become something that I really wanted to do. I started thinking about it more seriously, and it soon became clear that this wasn’t an idea that was going to fade away. I was going to move to England.

Before I knew it, I was planning, picking out dates, and filling out application forms. There was a lot of research and planning. I research and plan because I love it, but also because it lets me feel, accurately or not, like I have a handle on something that’s not only new, but as terrifying as it is exciting. Before England, I had never lived further than a short car ride from my family. And I’d never been on a plane before. Not only was my first airplane trip going to be across an ocean, but it would take me to live an ocean away from my family and friends. Exciting? Yes. Terrifying? Definitely.

Phase Four – England

London Parliament buildings as seen from the London Eye
London Parliament buildings as seen from the London Eye

It was the fall of 2014. All the planning was done. My bags were packed and I was ready to board a plane to London. I was doing it! I had accommodation planned for the first few week or so, and an interview lined up at Windsor Castle (more about that in a future post). I had a list of a million places that I wanted to visit or travel to, and I also had the idea firmly in mind that if it was terrible I could book the next flight home.

I ended up living in London for about 13 months. It was a long time and not enough time all at once. It was a long time away from my friends and family, but not enough time in the city I love. Even living right in London, there’s so much of that city that I didn’t get to see. Not to mention all the other places I didn’t have the time or opportunity to travel to within the UK and Europe. A part of my heart will always live in London, and I hope I will get to go back. It is the far off future trip I am always looking forward to.

This trip, and all of the smaller trips that were part of that year, fanned the travel flame for me. I learned that I loved travelling and planning trips. And I knew that I was going to keep doing it. Whether it was big trips, or small trips, I knew that I wanted to keep exploring. I learned that there’s so much more to travel than just the big experiences, and I was excited to take that understanding home with me.

Beyond London to the Present

Red Chairs in Nova Scotia 2017

It’s been 5.5 years since I got on the plane that took me to London. To this point, I have not travelled as much in one year as I was able to do during that year, but I have kept travelling and planning trips. Due to size and distance, it’s not as easy to do long weekend trips within Canada, but I’ve tried to maintain the principle through planning a mix of small, medium and big trips as time and budget permits.

Some years we focus our trips within a relatively short distance around Ontario. There is so much to explore within Ontario, and even within a couple hours drive from home. We’ve done camping trips and weekend trips to places we’ve been before and new places. We’ve discovered a few new favourite places in Ontario that we plan on going back to many times in the future. And there are still so many places on the list to still explore within this province.

We’ve only done one bigger trip so far, but the plan is to do a bigger trip every few years where possible. The first trip of this type was a couple years ago when my mom and I took a road trip East to Nova Scotia. Even in working to keep expenses down, these types of trips are always bigger budget – either in time or money. Which is why they happen less frequently.

This year was supposed to be a bigger trip year. My mom I and had our trip to Newfoundland almost completely planned… but it’s looking like that’s going to be postponed until next year. It’ll cause a bit of a shuffle to our longer term travel plans, since next year was going to be devoted to exploring with our new trailer, but I’m sure we’ll figure out how to balance the two.

At this point in my life, travel and exploration consists of fitting it around a full time job and “normal” life. Though this sometimes means planning smaller trips, it also means finding ways to explore close to home. I love discovering new restaurants and new places to visit in my city, and exploring your own city can be a form of travel when you can’t actually get away. I wish that I had the time (and money) to fit more trips in, but I’ll continue to work with what I have, and appreciate the travel that I am able to do.

How did you get started with travel? Do you prefer big trips or smaller, closer to home trips? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Reading the 1920’s: A Reading Challenge

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

Happy New Year! We have now officially entered into the Twenty-Twenties! …

The Great Gatsby book in front of Letterboard

Okay, so it’s clearly not January (though I’m not sure any one has informed the weather), and we are already well into this whirlwind that is 2020. This is a “reading goals for the new year” type post, which means that it is at least 4 months late. Because of that, I considered not even posting it. But then I figured that we still have 8 months left in the year, and it seems likely that this challenge will go into 2021, so I might as well just go for it.

A bit of background

I enjoy setting reading challenges for myself. I like to put together lists to challenge myself to read books within a specific theme. Sometimes the lists are seasonally themed, sometimes they are themed by genre or by some other category that interests me. I put these lists together all the time. I would like to think that I’m pretty good at putting together these lists.

What I’m not good at is completing these lists. I start strong, but then I gradually lose interest or motivation or, more often, come up with another shiny new challenge and the old challenge is left to sit unfinished.

Part of the problem is that I’m something of a mood reader. I like the idea of having a structured TBR, and it works for me for a while, but then I get really drawn to a certain author or a certain type of book, and that’s all I want to read. When I’m in one of those moods, forcing myself to read something else can push me into a slump. And then I don’t want to read anything. Which is no good.

The second part of the problem is that I put too many books on the list. Why put together a list of 10 books, when you can put together 20 books instead? Along with making a long list, I am prone to making the timeline too short. These two things together make the challenge unmanageable, and I inevitably just give up. Good challenges should stretch you without being completely unmanageable.

Despite these problems, I keep setting challenges. But I’m working on setting them better. I try to put a variety of genres on a list, and I leave myself open to swapping books out if I decide I have no interest in reading them. I’m also working on setting more accurate timelines. If a book list is long, it should have a long, even more open ended, timeline. Maybe eventually I will set myself a challenge that I can finish!

Onto the Challenge!

This year I decided that since we were entering into the Twenties, I wanted to devote some of my reading time to books set in or written in the 1920s. There are 20 books on this list, because that felt fitting. It’s a long list, but I’m trying to leave the timeline fairly open. I would love to read these all this year, but next year is still going to be the Twenties, so if it becomes a two year challenge, so be it.

The books cover many genres, so there should be something to fit into almost every reading mood. I’m also open to swapping out books if I change my mind, or find something better. I had a difficult time coming up with 20 books that I was interested in for this challenge, so there are a few on here that I already think I might not read. There are also a couple series, so there’s room for one series to take multiple slots if I get hooked.

Since I’m so late in posting this, I have already completed a couple of the books on this list. I’m not going to indicate that here, but I’m going to try and do a mid-year wrap up at the end of June where I’ll talk about my thoughts on the ones I’ve completed by then.

Onto The Books

Images of book covers

1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (1920)

This, Agatha Christie’s first novel and first in the Poirot series, was first published in 1920. I can’t remember if I’ve read this one before – so it may end up being a re-read. I wonder if I’ll still be surprised by the twist?

2. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot (1922)

Though I’m familiar with the poem, and have read excerpts, I would like to be able to say that I’ve read the entire thing. I rarely pick up poetry, so this one will definitely stretch my reading.

3. Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)

I have added and removed this book from the list a number of times already. It is a big book, and I really don’t know if I’m going to enjoy it or not. I can already see this being one that I swap out.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

It seems like everyone has heard of the Great Gatsby. I read this book during University, but it has never been one of my favourites. Since it is short, and an iconic book of the decade, I thought a re-read was in order. Perhaps I’ll like it better the second time around.

5. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (1930)

Though this book was published in 1930, it is set in the late 1920s. I have never read anything by Evelyn Waugh, but Emma from Drinking By My Shelf (YouTube) raves about this book, so I have decided to give it a try.

6. Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers (1923)

Sayers is the second mystery novelist on this list, but unlike Christie, I have not read any books by her yet. This is her first mystery featuring Lord Peter Whimsey. If I enjoy this one, then I think she has quite a few other books that I will be able to add to pick up and enjoy.

7. The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1927)

When I discovered that there were Sherlock Holmes stories that fit into my publication period, I knew that they needed to be on this list. I am a lover of most things Sherlock Holmes, though I have not actually read all of the original stories. This collection includes the final set of 12 Holmes stories published in the Strand from 1921 to 1927.

8. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926)

I originally intended to have 20 different authors on this list, but I was having a difficult time landing on 20 books, and I know that I enjoy Agatha Christie. I am also 99% certain that I have not read this one.

9. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926)

As I was looking for books to include on this list, I realized that there were a number of classic children’s books written during this time period that I have not yet read. I have always loved Winnie the Pooh, but have read very few of the stories themselves, so I think I will read the stories between other books.

10. The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (1920)

I have watched the movie, but never read any Doctor Doolittle stories. And now with the new movie this year, it seemed like a perfect time to pick up this classic.

11. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (1923)

L.M. Montgomery is one of my favourite authors, and the Emily of New Moon series are some of my favourite books. I think the last time I read this series had to be when I was in high school, so I am very interested to see what I think of it as an adult.

12. The Secret of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton (1927)

Another mystery! I have wanted to read something Chesterton for ages, but have never managed to pick one up. I am familiar with the Father Brown character, as I have listened to a couple stories that were turned into audio drama’s, so I am hoping that I will enjoy this one.

13. New Hampshire by Robert Frost (1923)

More poetry! Look at me go stretching my reading comfort zone (at least if we ignore all the comfortable mysteries included in this list). This collection includes some of Frost’s most well known poems.

14. The Diviners by Libba Bray

We have now officially reached the section of this list where books are set in the 1920s but written more recently. The Diviners is the first book in the series of the same name set in 1920s New York City. The series is tagged as both fantasy and mystery, and I love that combination!

15. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

I know very little about this book, other than that it is a short, dark fantasy set in New York in the 1920s. This one is recommended by Books with Emily Fox on YouTube. Sometimes with this type of book, it’s better to go in without knowing too much.

16. The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

The Gallery has been on my library TBR for a couple years now but I have never felt the itch to pick it up. The description on Goodreads calls it “an historical art mystery set in the Roaring Twenties”… which sounds pretty amazing and right up my alley.

17. Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

I had not heard of this book before researching this list. With a description that includes words such as “magic,” “romance,” and the “New York Jazz age,” I am hopeful that it will be exactly my cup of tea.

18. Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn

I am always looking for a new cozy mystery series to dive into. This is the first book in a cozy mystery series set in 1920s Britain. The description has me completely hooked, and I hope the book can deliver.

19. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

The front cover of this book practically screams 1920s. It is the first book in a series set in New York during the last summer of the jazz age. I’m not completely convinced that this is one that I will enjoy, because the genre is outside of my comfort zone. But I will give it a try.

20. Wildcard Slot

I didn’t intend to have a “wildcard” slot in this challenge. I had a book slotted into this spot, until I realized it wasn’t set in the 1920s. I’m not sure where I got my misinformation, but I had to remove the book, and I haven’t been able to find a replacement. I am open to suggestions!

Have you read any of the books on this list? If so, what are your favourites? Do you have any other books set in the 1920s or written in the 1920s that you would recommend?

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Magical Read-a-thon Wrap Up

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

In April, I participated in the Magical Read-a-thon, which is a month long read-a-thon inspired by the Harry Potter series. This is the third year it has been running, but the first time I have managed to participate. Even this time, I missed the start of it and didn’t get my TBR put together until part way through the first week, but I am so glad I finally managed to participate.

This is an exceptionally creative read-a-thon hosted and created by G from the YouTube channel Book Roast (here is this year’s intro post if you’re interested). The read-a-thon consists of two parts, the OWLs in the spring and the NEWTs in the summer. There are also shorter, special events throughout the year. The NEWTs build on the OWLs, but you can always jump in at any time.

The read-a-thon is divided into Hogwarts subjects that you pass by reading books that fulfill the related prompts. You read one book for one prompt. There is no doubling up. The subjects you pass in the spring (OWLs) will determine which subjects you can take in the summer (NEWTs), which in turn determine which career you can choose. G has created an amazingly detailed course and career guide that outlines all the possible careers, as well as the subjects you need to take to qualify for that career. There are 12 subjects, as well as some additional challenges if reading 12 books in one month is not enough of a challenge for you.

Even though I started part way through the first week, my goal was to read books for all 12 prompts. I wanted to leave myself as much choice as possible for the NEWTs later this year. I also went in with a specific career goal in mind (Curse Breaker), that way if it looked like I wasn’t going to be able to read all 12, I would have a smaller list to focus on. I wanted to make sure that the subjects I completed would actually lead to at least one career option.

I ended up reading 9 out of the 12 books. By part way through the third week, I was on track to read all 12 books but I lost most of my reading motivation at that point and it took me the entire last week to finish 1 book. I finished all 6 books for my chosen career, and I think that the extra subjects I read will give me some flexibility if I change my mind come summer. Overall, I am really happy with my results.

Without further ado, let’s get to the prompts and the books I read!

Books lined up in a row. Image by Pexels from Pixabay

OWLS I passed for my Career Path

1. Ancient Runes – A book with a heart on the cover or in the title

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – 4 Stars
This book has been on my TBR since it came out a couple years ago. I had heard some mixed reviews, so I kept putting it off and letting it sit on my library wish list, taunting me every time I would scroll through trying to decide what next to read. I am so glad that this prompt finally forced me to pick it up, because I really enjoyed it! It is a fantasy set in a Las Vegas type city. There is magic and danger, and ever raising stakes. I will definitely be picking up the next book shortly.

2. Arithmancy – Read a book outside your favourite genre

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel – 3 Stars
This was a last minute swap in to my TBR when I realized that I didn’t have enough short books on my list. The Test is a short, science fiction book, set in a not too far in the future UK. The main difference in this world is the peculiar test immigrants need to pass to be granted citizenship. I am not going to give too many details, because it is better to go in blind, but overall I really enjoyed it.

3. Charms – A book with a white cover

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny – 5 Stars
I started reading Louise Penny a couple years ago, and this one is my favourite so far. Penny has a beautiful writing style, and she writes intricate, character driven mysteries. The mysteries are suspenseful and well written, but just as much emphasis is placed on character and human nature. The more I read, the more I fall in love with her quirky cast of characters.

4. Defence against the Dark Arts – A book set at sea or on the coast

Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day – 3 Stars
This one was another last minute swap in as I was struggling to find a book available at the library that fit the prompt. I stumbled across this one available as an audiobook. This book is a cozy mystery set in a small tourist town in Cape Cod. The main character owns a bike shop, which I thought was unique. The read was enjoyable, and overall it was well written. My one complaint is that the wrap up was too abrupt and I didn’t think there were quite enough clues to point to the culprit’s identity. I do plan on picking up more from this author.

5. Potions – A book under 150 pages

In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It by Lauren Graham – No rating
Since this is a graduation speech converted into a book, I decided not to give it a rating. I have had it on my TBR for a long time now, because I really like Lauren Graham, and it did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend it in audiobook form, as it is read by the author, which is the perfect way to read this type of book.

6. Transfiguration – A book or series that includes shapeshifting

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – 4 Stars
There may come a time when I don’t want to read another Beauty and the Beast retelling, but now is not that time. This is the first book in a fantasy series that takes a really fun twist on the classic story. The main character, a teenaged girl with Cerebral Palsy is amazing. She is fierce and kind and I absolutely loved her. I am so excited to pick up book two.

Bonus OWLS I passed (not in my career path)

7. Astronomy – A book where you read the majority when it’s dark

Stormfront By Jim Butcher – 3 Stars
This was the read-a-thon of getting though books that have been on my TBR forever. Stormfront is the first book in a fantasy series set in a Chicago where magic and the supernatural exists. The main character, Harry is a Private Investigator, and he is the only openly practicing wizard around. As such, he often consults with the police to solve magic related crimes. I really enjoyed this book, and I have already have book two from the library. I hear it only gets better from here.

8. History of Magic – A book featuring witches or wizards

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – 4 Stars
Up until this point, I had liked but not loved, all of the Leigh Bardugo books that I had read. I am happy to say that this one has changed that. I loved the combination of fantasy and mystery, and the Yale university setting. It took me awhile to get into the story, since the beginning is very much an information dump, but once I got past that, I was hooked. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

9. Muggle Studies – A book from the perspective of a muggle (Contemporary)

One More Moment by Samantha Chase – 3 Stars
Completing this point was all luck. I missed the start of the read-a-thon by almost a week, and was please to discover that the first book I read in April would fit one of the prompts. This is the third and final book in a contemporary romance series where each book is focused on a different member of one rock band. I have really enjoyed this series, and Chase’s books are perfect for when I want a light, fun romance.

OWLS I did not complete

10. Care of Magical Creatures – A book with a creature with a beak on the cover

11. Herbology- A book with a title starting with an M

12. Divination – A book picked at random off your TBR (use a random number generator)

Do you enjoy participating in read-a-thons? If so, what are your suggestions for ones I should check out next?

Until Next Time,

Meaghan Signature

The Thing About Fear – Acknowledging the Fears that Stop Us

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

Fear. There is a lot of fear in the world right now surrounding Covid-19. There are direct fears related to the illness itself, as well as fears that have arisen as a by-product of the pandemic. The economy. Jobs. People’s mental health and emotional well-being. Education. Toilet paper, yeast, and hair cuts. And the list of fears goes on. It can feel like we are trapped in a hamster wheel of fear with no apparent way to escape.

In thinking about these fears, I started thinking about the other fears that we face throughout our lives, and the ways that those fears can impact our lives. Some fears are big, and life changing in big, immediately apparent ways. Others are small, and we can learn how to move past them in a relatively short amount of time. Most fall somewhere in between. And sometimes it’s the fears that are easy to overlook, or easiest to justify, that have the greatest potential to keep us from moving forward.

Fear is a natural response to something that we see as dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. At it’s most basic, fear is an emotion that exists to keep us safe. It’s what tells us that we should be careful near that cliff, and that we shouldn’t get too close to that bear. But I think that sometimes fear gets it wrong. Our fears don’t always tell the whole truth. Sometimes our fear overacts to the situation. And sometimes our fears tell outright lies.

How do you define “Safe”

Sarah Rhea Werner, the host of the Write Now podcast has a recent episode about fear that I found to be very helpful. In this episode, she passes along information and advice about fear that she received. She talks about fear being a response intended to keep us safe, but she suggests that sometimes the trouble comes from the way in which our fear defines “safe.” Sometimes fear defines safe as comfortable.

Writing that blog post. Starting that Podcast. Going out for that promotion. Pursuing your “big” dream. These are all things that require us to move out of our comfort zone. They require us to face risks and yes, they can cause us to face the potential of pain. But these things do not typically put us at risk of actual harm. (I acknowledge that there are situations where these things might put us at risk of harm and still be good things, but I am going to focus on the general here).

The risks we face in these situations are more along the lines of the risk of failure. Or of being criticized, or ridiculed. There are risks in opening ourselves up and being vulnerable. There is risk in stepping out of our comfort zone to pursue the thing that simultaneously excites and terrifies us. Chances are that writing that blog post is not going to cause me actual harm. But our fear wants to keep us safe and comfortable. And that means sticking with what we know.

This type of fear is easy to give in to and accept. Because of that, these fears have a great deal of potential to hold us back and stop us from trying new things. And here’s the thing. Sometimes when fear stops us from doing something, it can actually cause us pain or lead to us being hurt in a different way. Fear of stepping out in relationships can save us from being hurt by other people, but can cause us loneliness and sadness.

I have let fear stop me from doing many things over the course of my life. Fear has stopped me from talking to people I wanted to meet. It has stopped me from going out for the worship team at my church. It has stopped me from applying to jobs that I wanted and was qualified for, but that felt too big and scary.

Fear has stopped me from pursuing my writing dreams. I am afraid of failing. I am afraid that people won’t like what I create. I am afraid that I’m actually a terrible writer. I am afraid that it will be hard, and that I’ll give up. And if I’m going to give up eventually anyway… why bother even starting? I also fear that it will work out. What if I succeed? Success brings with it a whole new level and category of fear. It is much easier to stay within my comfort zone.

The Comfort Zone

As much as I might wish otherwise, I have choosen to stay within my comfort zone, and let fear stop me from doing things, on many occasions. The majority of risks that we face in this zone are ones that are already known. We can handle them. They don’t stretch us, they don’t grow us. They leave us exactly where we are. There’s a reason it’s called the comfort zone.

But consider this. Our comfort zone is not static. It’s not surrounded by an impenetrable stone wall. It can, and should, change and grow as we move through life. If a baby stayed within its comfort zone, it would never move to solid foods, never learn to walk, or talk, or play. It would lie in one place forever. As we grow and try new things, our comfort zone can expand to incorporate that new thing.

Not everything we try becomes part of our comfort zone. Some things will always scare us, and we will decide they’re not for us. At some point in my childhood, trampolines moved outside of my comfort zone. I don’t like jumping on them, and I especially don’t like watching others jump on them. I can’t imagine that they will ever become part of my comfort zone. And that’s okay. We don’t have to be comfortable with everything. But sometimes we step out despite our fear and the sky doesn’t fall. So we try it again. And again. And eventually we can’t remember why we were afraid of it in the first place. We might discover new fears related to the original thing, but we have made progress, and our comfort zone has grown.

Many things we do fall into the grey area between our comfort zone and our fear zone. These are the things that scare us every single time, but we decide that they are worth it enough to keep doing them. Travel can be one of these grey areas for me.

If I hadn’t taken a BIG step out of my comfort zone, I would never have gotten on a plane and moved to England for a year. There’s a lot of travel that I wouldn’t have done had I not stepped out despite my fears. I love travelling. But there are fears that I face before and during each trip. Road trips can make me anxious about car accidents. I worry about illnesses and injuries. I worry about travelling alone and travelling with someone else. I worry that I will plan a bad trip.

But I do it anyway. I keep planning and booking trips because, for me, it’s worth it. I remind myself that accidents can happen close to home, as can injuries and illnesses. Sure, travel brings with it certain risks that are outside of our daily norms, but I work hard at not letting that stop me. And I have people who help me get past my worries and point out when I am being extreme.

Standing on the top of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh
Climbing up to the top of Arthur’s Seat was outside of my comfort zone. But if I hadn’t done it, I would have missed this amazing view.

Acknowledging our Fears

Another thing in the episode that I found helpful, was the concept of acknowledging our fears and thanking them for keeping us safe before we then put them aside and move forward with the thing that scares us. It reminds me of the Marie Kondo method of purging and cleaning, where you thank an item before getting rid of it. The thanking does nothing for the item, or the fear, itself. But acknowledging that something has served it’s purpose, can help us move past it.

It’s not about ignoring our fears, or pretending they don’t exist. Sweeping something under the rug, or hiding it in the back of the closet, doesn’t make it go away. I have found that the more we hide our fears and ignore them, the more those fears tend to fester and grow. And often, while we’re ignoring our fears, we aren’t pursuing the thing that scares us. That big dream gets tucked away in the closet alongside the fear. When we acknowledge the fear, and bring it out into the light, we can begin the process of moving past it or learning how to live with it.

We are going to face many fears over the course of our lives. Some of them will be really big, and no one will question these fears. Some will be small, or unique to us, and it will seem like no one else will understand them. Is anyone else out there afraid before a big event, like say a Tuesday, that they are going to fall up the stairs and completely destroy their face? Or is that just me?

The important thing, I think, is that we acknowledge our fears and we make a decision about what we’re going to do with them. Are we going to walk away from the thing that scares us? Or are we going decide that the thing we want to do is more important than the fear. Sometimes walking away is the best decision, either forever or for right now. But sometimes we decide to move forward and walk down the scary path. Maybe we’ll get hurt. And maybe it won’t work out. But maybe it does work out. And maybe deciding to move forward on the thing that scares you will make all the difference in the world.

What about you? Is there something that fear is stopping you from doing right now? Is there something that you are currently doing in-spite of your fears? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Meaghan Signature