If there’s one thing here at With Two Spoons that we love more than food, it’s books.
Fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks. Hardcover, paperback, e-reader.
We love them all. If you follow along with us on social media, you know that we are posting what we’re reading this year using the hashtag #withtwospoonsreads. It’s been a really fun way for us to share what we’re reading and loving and to connect with other book loving folks out there (and get some great book recommendations, too!). With how much we’ve been enjoying that little side project, I thought it might be fun to delve a little deeper into what our reading lives look like here on the blog. So, if books are your thing and you want to learn more about what’s on our TBR (that’s To Be Read list!), how we track our reading, different reading challenge options we’ve found, and the fun that is #bookstagram, keep reading!
I’ve been a reader basically my whole life. My childhood bedroom was constantly overflowing with books thanks to weekly trips to the local library and a grandmother who loved to hit up yard sales and would purchase boxes and boxes of books for me. I have so many happy memories that involve reading and that love continues today. Unfortunately, my time for reading is greatly outmatched by my long list of books I want to read. Basically, that means my TBR is always growing, growing, growing. And what is on my TBR right now? I’m currently reading The Power (Alderman). Next up is Where the Crawdads Sing and the newest book from Karen Thompson Walker, who wrote The Age of Miracles. I am also super excited to tackle this one and this one, which I picked up on a whim at Barnes and Noble last weekend. Did you know they have a bookclub with fresh picks every month? I love the idea of so many people reading the same book at the same time!
One of the most fun parts, for me, of being a reader is the automatic community that forms among readers. I LOVE discussing books – the good, the bad, AND the ugly! – with fellow readers. They are also my best source of good book recommendations. I have a couple of amazing book-ish friends that have never steered me in the wrong direction (Hi Melissa and Diana!) but another great resource I have found for book recommendations is connecting with readers via Goodreads. Both Lane and I track and rate books regularly on Goodreads if you want to follow us. I also absolutely LOVE the What Should I Read Next? podcast. It’s an amazing source of new book recommendations and just a fun listening experience.
As books and the reading life have moved more and more into the digital space, things like #bookstagram have really evolved into great sources of inspiration. Simply follow the hashtag #bookstagram on Instagram for seemingly never ending posts and accounts from readers of all tastes. I’ve personally loved following the accounts of authors but also people like @wellreadblackgirl and @foldedpagesdistillery for bookish inspiration that challenge me to read more diversely. We are going to try and post more regularly on Instagram under the hashtag #withtwospoonsreads so if you’re looking for book recommendations and brief reviews, you can definitely come follow us!
As part of my overall goal to read more broadly, I often turn to reading challenges. I have found that having a specific goal (or five!) helps me to diversify my book choices and not fall into a readerly slump. For a number of not super interesting reasons, I’m not actually doing a specific reading challenge this year but…if you’re looking for one to join, I can definitely recommend the Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge. I also discovered this Master List of 2019 Reading Challenges which has just about every kind of reading challenge option you could ever want. Let us know if you try any!
Now, if you’re doing all of this reading, you’re going to want to keep track of it, right? There are a ton of ways to track your reading habits – bullet journals, spreadsheets, random post-it notes stuck in random places, or (my personal favorite) Goodreads. I also keep a small google spreadsheet with my yearly reading and love updating it often. I’d be happy to share my book spreadsheet if anyone wants to give it a try. Just send us an email and we will send you the link!
We always love connecting with you here at With Two Spoons – and we really love making those connections through food or books. So, if you’ve got amazing book recommendations, a great new follow on Instagram we should know about, or a cookbook you can’t live without, send us a message! And Happy Reading.
[…] for more on books check out Holly’s With Two Spoons Reads piece on how she organizes her reading life! Tons of useful tips for organization as well as new sources of great book […]