Who still blogs in the era of Substack? Yeah, that would be me. I started this blog in 2009 (geez!) and have thought about going in a different direction--posting reviews on Goodreads (tried it, didn't like it), Instagram (I do use it as a supplement to the blog), or TikTok (I find the so-called BookTok so shallow, over emotive, and repetitive, I can't bear it). Nowadays, Substack seems to be the thing, but I'm unsure what the advantages would be. So I still end up back here--changing my approach from time to time (from writing about every book in the beginning to writing about my favorites every season) but still persisting. I'm currently thinking about changing my approach again--if you have suggestions, let me know in the Comments.
Since I changed to posting just my favorites every season and thus only write about the books I really liked, I haven't done a "best of" list. However, I would say that this year, the book I talked about most was Careless People, by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Along with Elon Musk's savaging of the executive branch despite having no concept of what that branch does (and a few other questionable acts by the ultra-rich), this book made me truly despise the billionaire class, to which I had previously been largely indifferent.
On a more positive note, in December, I got my TBR into an electronic file--yippee! Previously, it existed in handwritten lists in two different notebooks plus five or six printed out lists of recommendations. I feel organized and virtuous. The downside is that I realize the chances of my reading everything on the 12-page two-column document (which, of course, will be regularly added to) are so small as to be nonexistent (I'm 75!). Ergo, I ought to prioritize, but I'm fairly sure that is not going to happen.
The online book group I belong to asks members if they are setting a goal for how many books they are going to read in the new year. At this point in my life, I don't worry about not reading enough; I'm more worried about reading too many books unthoughtfully. In fact, one of the reasons I keep doing this blog is that I think it forces me to slow down and think about what I'm reading, at least a bit. But every year I resolve to do better--maybe in 2026 I'll even read 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, by Jane Smiley, which I've started multiple times and never gotten past page 50 or so. I'm moving it from my "unread and may never be read" bookcase to my nightstand right now.
BTW: About midway through the year I got on the bandwagon for reading a book set in every state. I managed to complete the challenge, though I did re-read a Louise Erdrich book (The Beet Queen) to get check-off for North Dakota. Not sure what I think about challenges like this--it did lead me to read some things I wouldn't have picked up otherwise, but I'm not convinced I am better for it. If you have thoughts on reading challenges, drop them below.
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