I have an announcement!
I baked some semi-homemade, blackberry hand pies, and they were delicious.
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By Jove! Bryson, you’ve done it again. | The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
I don’t remember how I discovered the author, Bill Bryson, but I do remember reading Notes from a Small Island during summer break following my sophomore year of college. Like most college, summer “vacations”, I spent my days working in a factory– this particular one a plastic injection mold factory that made bumpers for (foreign-made) cars. It was particularly grueling, and often I would come home saturated in water from gigantic, steam-powered machines as well as sweat because Michigan was experiencing record-breaking temperatures that year. That summer, I also read eleven books while at work because my machine often broke down. Maintenance wasn’t a priority because the factory was closing its doors at the end of summer anyway; this was the reality of Michigan in 2007-2008. Michigan’s economy was crumbling, but I was too caught up in living vicariously through Bill Bryson’s grand tour of the United Kingdom to notice. Little did I know that around this time, or at least shortly after, Bryson was beginning yet another grand tour around the United Kingdom in preparation for his recent release The Road to Little Dribbling. And, by Jove! It’s damn near perfect.
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Books & Tea Celebrates FIVE Years
It just dawned on me that it’s my blogoversary. I actually don’t know what day I officially launched my blog, just that it was an otherwise listless day back in January 2011. I was tidying things up around here, and at the time I couldn’t figure out how my introductory post contributed to my blog, so I deleted it, but for the sake of sentimentality, I kind of wish it were still around.I’ve never made a big deal out of my blogoversary before, but considering I’ve been writing at Books & Tea for five years, I thought I’d make a small celebratory post. FIVE YEARS! That’s a heck of a milestone.
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Looking Back on Books in 2015
You know what? 2015 was a pretty great year. Aside from accomplishing some great leaps in terms of adulting (my own place, my own car, building up my savings account, and talking Jon into enrolling into 401(k)), it was also a great year for reading. Do you think one’s outlook on life influences the way the read and review books? Because I look back at my reviews between 2011 and 2014 (a rather dark period in my life), and all the books I reviewed were for the most part mediocre or sub par. However in 2015, I’ve given, for the most part, glowing reviews for the books I’ve read. Or, perhaps I’ve just gotten better at picking out books to read. Whatever the reason, it made my final post of the year quite a challenge because I had a hard time choosing my favorite books of the year.
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A Zombie Crime Thriller in Belgium? Yes, Please! | Styx by Bavo Dhooge
There are three really cool things about being a book blogger:
- Gabbing to book blogging buddies about a mutual love for a book
- Finding the courage to step outside your comfort zone by reading a book in a genre you’re unfamiliar with and then being kind of blown away by it
- Writing about your experiences with #1 and #2
Let me tell you about list item number 2.
By Golly, Ollie! 