My book journey has been all over the place.

My mom was an avid reader, disappearing for hours in a book and so reading was a part of what we did. Growing up I remember losing myself in those pre-teen years with Judy Blume and then on to Sweet Valley High and fantasy books like A Wrinkle in Time.

As I moved into my young adult hood fantasy took center stage including favorites like the Myth Adventures by Robert Aspirin and the Belgariad by the Eddings (yes, yes I know about the Eddings).

Life wove in and out of my reading and it would drop off or pick up depending on things going on in my life. My mom loved Lord of the Rings and she got me started on Harry Potter. I've always identified myself as a reader. Some of my favorites are The Ryira Chronicles, Nero Wolfe and Dave Barry. One path or book would lead to another discovery to another series to another author.

The Kindle has been an amazing asset. One basically fell into my lap. A photography friend had ordered one and they accidentally sent her two and told her to give the second one away. She gave it to me and it was so perfect for me because I am very much a mood reader. This allowed me to switch books depending on how I was feeling and not necessarily what I had a physical copy of in the house.

Fantasy lead me to the Glamourist Histories Series by Mary Robinette Kowal which is magical abilities set in the Regency era. Well that tumbled me into Regency romances and I haven't looked back since. I devoured Regency romances at a voracious rate from 2014-2016 (over a hundred books each year) and after that things slowed to a more sedate pace of 30ish books a year. And then 2020 hit and it went to zero (see The Trauma Years). I probably did a lot of re-reading that I didn't mark down, but I also know I hid in my Fortnite games and endlessly scrolling social media.

And then in January, probably due to seeing something on TikTok, I started reading contemporary romance. And I feel deep to the tune of about 150 books in those five months. It felt frenzied and panicked. I stayed up way later than I should and read every chance I got. Reading became a place to hide from the stress and frustration of my work life. I know this because it came to a sudden halt the day I turned in my keys and walked away from the job. I did not pick up a book from June through December, although looking back, the depression no doubt had a hand in that.

But the clouds are lifting and I am reconnecting with my reading self again. I felt so frenzied in those five months, that although I remember many of the books and stories, there are times where it feels like a craze induced haze. So I'm starting my retirement reading by going through some of my favorites from that period and rebuilding my TBR. You can slog through everything on Goodreads, but my new home for logging my books will be here and on Hardcover (that site is so cool!) and I am starting with a clean slate. I'm looking forward to reading without feeling like I'm hiding in a bunker.