Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

reading

201: What I’m Reading: March 2018

I explore my enthusiasm by reading… a lot. Learn all about the books I’ve been enjoying over the last month at TaraSwiger.com/podcast201

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

What I'm reading

Other links mentioned

 

Adding a bunch of books to my reading list from this ep of #ExploreYourEnthusiasm

Click To Tweet

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

196: What I’m reading: February 2018

I explore my enthusiasm by reading… a lot. Learn all about the books I’ve been enjoying over the last month at TaraSwiger.com/podcast196

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

What I'm reading

Other links mentioned

So many good book suggestions in this episode of #ExploreYourEnthusiasm

Click To Tweet

Seattle!
I'm coming to you next week! Join me at one of these events (click the title for details and to RSVP)

Natural Solutions for knitters (and all crafters!)
March 8
Perfectly Knotty, Arlington, WA

Rest + Roll: an essential oil Make + Take for moms
March 9th
Bremerton, WA

Essential Oils 101
March 9th
Bremerton, WA

Intro to Essential Oils
March 10, 11am
Cherry Street Coffeehouse

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

What I’m Reading: June 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • Tools of Titans by Tim Feriss – SUPER big compendium of advice from a million awesome people. I learned a lot and rededicated to some of my best habits.
  • Essential Oils Every Day, by Hope Gillerman –  my new fave book for creating essential oil routines!
  • More than This, by Patrick Ness – fun sci-fi thriller. I wanna read everything by this guy now.
  • Six Four, by Hideo Yokoyama – Japanese thriller, fun, but a really different pace than American novels.
  • Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi – super funny, weird almost-not-sci fi. I love anything by John Scalzi
  • The End of All Things, by John Scalzi – much more nerdy sci fi than Agent to the Stars and great.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last June.

And in June 2015, 2014, and 2013!

What I’m Reading: May 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last May.

And in May 2015, 2014, and 2013!

What I’m Reading March 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance – Oh man. This memoir really hit home. The author grew up just a few miles from where I did, but above that his home situation was similar to mine. The way he places it all in a social and historical context really helped me process it all in a new way. Basically, until I write my memoir you can read JD's and get a good view of my early life.
  • Vlog like a Boss by Amy Schmittauer – As I've scaled up my video production (and hired a producer/editor!) and am looking at marketing the comic book shop, I wanted to read a book that tells me exactly what to do. This is a good overview of what exactly to do.
  • Moonglow by Micheal Chabon – This novel has stuck with me even though it feels a bit slow at times. Very character-driven, with a plot that unfolds before you even know it's happening.
  • Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye – a fun retelling of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. If you're into the ninja nun assassin novels I read a few months ago, you'll like this.
  • The Vegetarian, by Han Kang – a super creepy novel.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last March.

And in March 2015, and March 2014!

What I’m Reading: February 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last February.

And in February 2015, and February 2014!

What I’m Reading: December 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I'm reading this month

I have a complex process for deciding what to read on a trip. It has to be light enough (in tone) that I can jump into and out of it easily, but gripping enough that it will keep my attention through turbulence and noisy neighbors. And it must be a book I own and don't mind leaving behind, or on the Kindle (I have carted library books around the country, and there's nothing as annoying as losing precious luggage space to a book you finished a week ago.)

What I read

  • Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman (not the whole thing, but bits of it, and all of Song of Myself)
  • The last three Harry Potter books! Ahhhhh! Free on Kindle Unlimited, so they were the perfect thing to keep me busy on trains and planes, without having to cart around the books. But then I left my Kindle on the plane, and so I bought the 5th and 6th (and just left them behind).
  • Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware – I got it as part of my Book of the Month club membership and brought it along on my trip. (And left it in the airport for someone else to find!) Totally kept me on the edge of my seat, but not as satisfying as Girl on the Train or Dark Matter (both recent BOTM choices that I loved).
  • The Royal We, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan – a fun, modern romantic comedy. My entire reason for reading it is that I was going to England and I know nothing about the royal family and it looked like fun.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last December.

And in December 2014. And in December 2013!

What I’m Reading: October 2016

A list of alllll the books I read this month (there were a lot!) and what I plan to read next. Read more at TaraSwiger.com.

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams – I took copious notes on this book! In it, the Dilbert cartoonist explains how he reached crazy goals (spoiler alert: systems!). So you know I loved it and recommend it.
  • The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters, by Sherri Lynn Wood – Oh man. I love this book. It gave me so many quilty ideas! It's exactly the kind of craft book I love – lots of ideas + inspiration + “how to think” stuff, without step by step instructions (which I never follow anyhow).
  • Leaving the Saints, by Martha Beck – Oof. I thought I was reading a (well-written) book about the author leaving the Latter Day Saints. And then it turns into so much more. It gutted me and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
  • The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, by Susan Wise Bauer – Yes, the author is a bit sniffy about those of us who haven't had a “classical education” but I always say what I learned in college wasn't so much conjugating French verbs but HOW to learn anything, and how to think critically. This book gives you the tools to apply that critical thinking to both fiction and non-fiction. It also provides a list of books in literature, history and philosophy to round out your classical education. Since it's a library book, I didn't read the blurbs for all the suggested books, but I did take notes on critical method and the books I haven't yet read. (I started a new note keeping system during reading, would you like to see it? Lemme know on Facebook!)
  • Year of Reading Dangerously, by Andy Miller – The above book led me to the “reading” section of my library (meta!) where I found this. Funny, interesting, and definitely got me re-excited about my Great Books project. (My list is here.)
  • Self-Compassion, by Kristin Neff – This book is summed in her TED Talk. If you enjoy the talk, read the book. (It's just $7.99 on the Kindle right now!)
  • Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle-Melton – Like I said last month, I found Glennon's blog, read a ton of her archives and immediately checked her first book out from the library. And then her next book came out and I snatched it up… and then it was named Oprah's next Book Club pick. I hope that won't turn you off from this, a totally gripping memoir about a woman's understanding of herself, as a woman, in this world that objectifies and sexualizes us.
  • All the Things We Never Knew, by Sheila Hamilton – Another memoir! This one by a woman who slowly uncovers her husband's mental health diagnosis and struggles to keep him safe and alive, even after it's totally destroyed their relationship.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

Yeah, so I read a LOT this month. I didn't even share them all here (I skipped the ones I didn't love, or wouldn't recommend.)  Here's to another great month of reading!

What I read last October.

And in October 2014.

What are you reading?

What I’m Reading: July 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 

What I'm reading this month, from Book-of-the-Month-Club to business education to comic books. See the full list at https://taraswiger.com/im-reading-july-2016/ and send me your recommendations for what to read next!

 

What I read

  • Sprint, at the suggestion of Joeli (You know we’re doing an event together, in Manchester, England, right? Join us here!)
  • Shrill, by Lindy West – I got this as part of Book of the Month Club and LOVED it. Lindy is funny, smart, and writes about body love, feminism, and internet outrage (and backlash) in a way that I found very encouraging and cheering.
  • Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld – Another book from Book of the Month Club*. This is a fun retelling of Pride & Prejudice, set in modern-day Cincinnati.
  • Millefiori Quilts, by Willyne Hammersetin – I became totally obsessed with the quilt on the cover, La Passacaglia, after finding this hashtag on Instagram.
  • Lumberjanes – I loooove this comic! I read a lot of comics this month, but this is the one I recommend the highest! (Just ask me on Twitter if you'd like a recommendation of other good reads!) 

*The Book of the Month Club is seriously the best investment I've made in my own entertainment. I've loved both of the books, and I appreciate that I can pick which book they send, or skip a month whenever I want. I love it so much I went ahead and signed up as an affiliate, so I get a tiny discount on my membership whenever you sign up through my link. (I chose Missing, Presumed as my choice for this month!)

What I’m reading

What I read last July.

And in July 2014

What are you reading?

I could use some recommendations! What are you reading and loving right now?

What I’m reading: June 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

What I'm reading in June: SuperBetter and lots of novels.

What I read

  • Smarter, Faster, Better, by Charles Duhigg
  • The Great Vegan Protein Book, by Celine Steen – Ok, so the title isn't all that compelling, but this book has more recipes-i'll-make-again than any book I've tried in the last year. The Caribbean tofu was inspired by one of our fave restaurants, Nine Mile, and it turned out delicious. We're buying this one, for sure.
  • Prep, Sisterland, and American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld – I've been on a Sittenfeld kick, as I waited for my copy of Eligible to come as part of my new Book of the Month membership!
  • SuperBetter, by Jane McGonigal – Oh man, this was an instant classic, I'm going to be referring to it and the studies it highlights about how to pursue a life you want again and again. A lot of it's lessons found their way into #monthofbizlove and the Starship voted to make it our reading choice for the informal book club!

What I’m reading

  • Sprint, at the suggestion of Joeli (You know we're doing an event together, in Manchester, England, right? Join us here!)

What I read last June.

And in June 2014 (Oh, wow! I read another Charles Duhigg book exactly 2 years ago!)

What are you reading?

I could use some recommendations! What are you reading and loving right now?

 

 

Disclaimer-y Disclaimer!  Or course I’m biased when my friends write a book, but I don’t mention things I don’t like. Read the usual disclaimer here.

1 2 3 4