I'll Keep Blogging...

I'd been reading book blogs for a year or two before it hit... that overwhelming urge to join the conversation. I clicked the publish button at Lakeside Musing for the first time back in October 2008. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and never really expected to be at it this long. So much has changed since then... the blogosphere is a different place. People have come and gone - some tragically, others have faded away. And along the way, I've made some wonderful friends.

My blogging mojo has ebbed and flowed. Lately I've lost my enthusiasm for writing reviews and it seems there is never enough time to comment on all the blogs I'd like....But oh, how I've enjoyed twitter these last few weeks.

Our #6Barsets group (we're reading Trollope's Barsetshire Chronicles this year) grew for The Small House at Allington. Impromptu chats sprang up on twitter at odd hours of the day and night. While it's a challenge to discuss a book in depth in 140 characters or less, the immediacy of it all was such fun. I'm practically counting the hours until we begin The Last Chronicle of Barset.

And as we chatted about Trollope, I began to see this blog in a new light.

When I stopped accepting review books (with occasional exceptions) and participating in blog tours, all obligation disappeared. Any pressures or deadlines are totally self-imposed.

It also struck me that main reason I am still here is because I enjoy the company of bookish friends... I don't need to read a certain number of books per year or write 'x' number of posts per week. I am here to engage with other readers.  I am here to participate in read-alongs, events (it's almost Nonfiction November), and The Classics Club. I am here to continue the conversation on twitter and share photos on instagram.

Lakeside Musing is my home base on our literary playing field.

Thank you all for reading, commenting, and engaging.
Let's keep the conversation going...

Comment Frustration

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Another week and yet another friend is having trouble commenting on my blog... I am so frustrated!

My setting is currently "Registered User - includes OpenID" and my understanding is that it should allow anyone to comment, except anonymous users. Obviously, that is not the case. WordPress users, in particular, are having problems.

My solution: 

I have had problems with anonymous comments in the past, but will change my setting to "Anyone - includes Anonymous Users" and see if that helps. However, to prevent spam, I will moderate all comments. There will be NO word verification.

Please let me know if this helps.

** Update: I will moderate comments after 3 days... that should make it even easier. Fingers crossed the spammers don't find out.

Did You Miss Me?

Three and a half weeks. It sure seems longer. Adult children and house guests have come and gone, an internship ended and a job offer was extended (!). We visited attractions all over New York state,  we cooked and ate fabulous food, we boated, kayaked, and cheered at a local triathlon, and now, summer is ending.

Twin A is back at school for one final semester. Sunday was move-in day... our last one. Ever. We've been moving kids in and out of college dorms and apartments since 2008, so this is the end of an era. No more tuition bills! But it's almost scary to think about how fast time is marching on.

Fall is almost here. Leaves are beginning to change and the air was tauntingly crisp last week. Orchards are open for picking and the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes is imminent. Perhaps they're already here? As much as I love fall, it still seems bittersweet. Summer is so short around here.

As for the blogging... I missed it! Or, to be more precise, I missed all of you. I did not, however, miss writing book reviews.

There wasn't much time for reading, but I did finish these books:

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Sabbathday River by Jean Hanff Korelitz 

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck

I'll catch up on reviews with a series of "Book Briefs" over the next couple of weeks.

Now it's time for me to get back on a reading and blogging schedule again. Can't wait to catch up with all of you... what did I miss?

See You in September

... See you when the summer's through

Remember that old song? I'm pretty sure it was in American Graffiti.

Anyway, I've decided to take a blogging break for the rest of the summer. That may sound strange because I know summer is ending now for many of you. But while you and your kids are returning to school, Twin A has just come home. She finished an internship at L'Oréal and will be with us for three weeks before beginning her final semester of college.

There will be plenty of boating, kayaking, grilling, and hanging out by the lake. Probably a little shopping and reading, too.

I'll catch up with you next month. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Five Years of Lakeside Musing

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Good morning, friends. It's been a quiet week at Lakeside Musing thanks, in part, to the demise of my trusty laptop. After months of trying to ignore warning signs, the end arrived Monday. Several more days were spent futilely trying to fix it, then shopping for a new laptop (hello, MacBookAir!), and finally, transferring data. Now I am back in business.

While I was away, Lakeside Musing celebrated a milestone anniversary  - five years! It's hard to believe. Things were much different in 2008, both in the book blogging community and in my own life. My oldest daughter was just starting college and, although the twins were still in high school, I had a little extra time on my hands. Drawing inspiration from the book blog pioneers I'd been reading for a year or so, Lakeside Musing was born. The community was small and welcoming, and I soon found my place.

Now, my oldest daughter is living and working in Manhattan (a great place to visit!), the twins are in college (one lives at home), we adopted a greyhound, 'inherited' a condo in Florida, and are trying to figure out how we can actually use it for more than one week in January. Book blogging is different, too. Several friends have closed up shop and, moving forward, the challenge for me is to make blogging continue to fit my lifestyle.

Since I was without a computer much of the week, I had the opportunity to think about time spent online and to plan for the future. It all boils down to this...

Lessons learned from five years of blogging:

1.  I am a reader (albeit a slow one), not a writer.
2.  A hobby should have minimal obligations and deadlines.
3.  No matter how much I think I'm blogging for myself, community really is key.
4.  There's more to life than books.

Moving Forward:

1.  I don't really like writing book reviews, but love talking about books. My review style has changed slightly over the past few months. Abbreviated reviews include basic book facts, my thoughts in one or two short paragraphs, and a rating. This seems less daunting, yet still provides a springboard for conversation as well as a personal reading record.

2.  This is a stress-free blog. I will read what I want, when I want and post accordingly. I will not request books for review, participate in tours, etc. Additionally, I will feel no obligation to review unsolicited review copies.

3.  It's all about community. I love reading your blogs (and commenting as time allows), chatting on twitter, instagram, participating in read-alongs and other events, and responding to your comments here. I will continue to be as engaged as possible.

4.  I'm very glad I chose the name Lakeside Musing five years ago because I can talk about more than books and not feel like I'm veering off topic. Weekend Cooking is the perfect outlet for chronicling my culinary adventures. Estellagram feeds my budding interest in photography, bookish or otherwise. I'm also free to talk about travel, greyhounds, movies, theater, sports, fitness/health... the possibilities are endless. Books, however, will continue to be the main focus.

Finally, I'd like to thank each one of you for your visits, comments, friendship, and support. You have made this all worthwhile.

Here's to the next five years!

Moving Forward

I'm back... remember me?
Two weeks in Florida was the perfect way to begin 2013. Most of our time was spent in Sanibel, but we also visited The Everglades and Key West. I went for long walks on the beach, biked all over the island, and, of course, read a few books.

The trip was remarkable in many ways. First and foremost, it was the first time my husband has ever taken two consecutive weeks of vacation... and we have been married since 1985! It was also a family vacation without Daughter #1, who stayed behind in Manhattan for a new career opportunity. Further changes in family dynamics occurred when Twin A's boyfriend (an outstanding young man) joined us for the second week. Finally, we stayed at my father-in-law's condo as he prepares to move to a retirement community.

Given all of that, it sure feels like we are heading into a new phase of life.... and perhaps it's time for a new phase of blogging, too. Lakeside Musing has been around for four and a half years, and I don't know what 2013 has in store. In the past several weeks, I've learned of the demise of some favorite blogs - including one that inspired me to begin blogging, and another written by one of my first blogging friends. I've had plenty of time to think about how blogging should fit into my life (and I do want it to fit into my life), but with so many commitments, something has to give. Should it be reading, blogging, visiting other blogs, or commenting?

I have identified my primary blogging goal for 2013:
Read more; spend less time on the computer.

And have a few ideas on how to make it a reality:
Write shorter reviews. I enjoy writing Monday Mention posts and will adjust my review format to reflect this.

Rethink comment strategy. Several bloggers respond to comments via email instead of on their blogs and I'm considering this, too. I also wonder if I really need to respond to every comment. Any feedback would be very welcome. As far as commenting on other blogs, I simply cannot comment on all the posts I'd like. I will leave fewer comments and try not to feel guilty about it.

Change up my routine. I'd like to read in the morning and visit blogs later in the day. Who knows, I may even try scheduling posts!

I still have plenty of books to review, Christmas books to share, thoughts on my new kindle paperwhite, and a few photos from the trip. (Yes, we visited The Hemingway Home.)

It's time to get back to blogging. I've missed you all!

See You In September

I haven't felt much like blogging lately.

My mother-in-law passed away Tuesday night - quietly, peacefully and unobtrusively, as she lived her life - with her husband and daughter at her side. Her health had been failing for years, but this is still a difficult time for the family.

Our household, too, is in flux. The twins will return to college over the next couple of weeks, and our oldest daughter continues to prepare for her move to New York City.

Writing book reviews, even jotting down a few thoughts on the books I've been reading, feels like an insurmountable task. I just want to read, so that's what I'll do... for the next two weeks anyway.

I'll see you in September. Thanks for understanding...

TSS: A Sunday Ramble

Good morning, and welcome to a rambling edition of The Sunday Salon. After missing the last couple of weeks, it seems like there's a lot to talk about. The lack of winter weather gets top billing around here. In contrast to last year's punishing snow and cold, it appears this will go down as "the winter that wasn't". We have had around 40 inches of snow this season, the least ever by mid-February. We have had a few inches over the past couple of days - just enough to make everything look pretty, but no driving woes or snow shovels for us this weekend!

On the reading front, Venice in February continues. I posted a review for The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan. The audio was well done, but it's not a book you can really claim to enjoy. I also finished Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers and will be trying out a new (to me) mini review style.

I finally started reading The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki. The Japanese names confused me for the first chapter or two, but I made myself a cheat sheet and fell right into the story. This sentence from the back cover says it all:
As told by Junichiro Tanizaki, the story of the Makioka sisters forms what is arguably the greatest Japanese novel of the twentieth century, a poignant yet unsparing portrait of a family–and an entire society–sliding into the abyss of modernity.
I purchased this book a year or two ago for The Japanese Literature Challenge and, even though the challenge is over, the time seems right to read it now.

After a long gap, the next letter in our Group Read of Clarissa by Samuel Richardson is dated tomorrow. It's been nearly a month and I'm looking forward to reading more. I wonder what happened during Clarissa's visit to Miss Howe - did she see Lovelace? There are only a few letters this month and I will collect links to all February posts on the 29th. It's still not too late to join in. We will have read only eleven letters (roughly 73 pages) by then. The frequency increases in March, so I'm going to need to budget more reading time next month.

Have you noticed Blogger changed word verification to TWO words? Not only that, it is much harder to decipher the words. It's frustrating when the verification process takes more time than the actual comment. Several months ago, I removed word verification, disallowed anonymous comments, and began moderating comments over five days old. So far there hasn't been a spam problem.

We're now only hours away from tonight's Downton Abbey season finale and I'm already worried about the impending Downton Withdrawal Syndrome (DWS). {If you don't watch the show, I know you think I'm crazy, but do yourself a favor and watch the beginning of season 1. All it takes is one episode and you'll be hooked.} Coping strategies are in the planning stage, but include watching the entire season again (possibly multiple times), trying Upstairs, Downstairs and other series, and reading Downton-themed books. Do you have any suggestions? Are you worried about DWS?

We have a busy day ahead, so I'll wrap this ramble up now. The Syracuse University basketball game is at 1:00 (what a great season!), then dinner with my family, and finally the two hour Downton Abbey finale. Are you on twitter? There's a live party beginning at 9 PM using #DowntonPBS. It's fun to follow the stream even if you don't tweet. I'll see you there!

TSS: Home, At Last

Finally, we are at home for an entire weekend. The past four have involved two college Family Weekends, a couple of days with Twin A, and a weekend getaway for my husband's birthday. While the weekends themselves have been fun (and good for my backlog of audiobooks), it has been a little exhausting too. Many 'winterizing' chores have been postponed and it already feels like I'm playing catch-up with the holidays. Oh well, it will all get done eventually.

November has already been a fantastic reading month, thanks mostly to increased audiobook time. I'm slowly working my way through the pending reviews.

Reviews posted this week:
The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber
Jitters: A Quirky Little Audiobook by Adele Park
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Giveaway:
I have a giveaway going on for Jitters, but fear a blogger comment snafu has lost some of your entries. This was a very entertaining audio and won an Audie Award in the Multi-Voiced Performance category. There is still time to stop by and let me know if you're interested. The winner will be announced on Friday.

I'm currently reading The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka and listening to State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I've read all of Patchett's books and loved them (with the exception of Bel Canto), but this is my first time listening. State of Wonder captivated me instantly. I didn't want to stop listening and may need to locate a print copy to read at home. Either way, I'm looking forward the a three and a half hour drive on Tuesday to pick up Twin A for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving plans are falling into place. All three girls will be home and we're hosting Thanksgiving dinner for 22, or possibly 25, on Thursday. Friday is our annual leftover feast (no Black Friday shopping for me), followed by a family Christmas party (complete with Yankee Auction) with all of my cousins on Saturday. Sunday we hope to cut down the perfect Christmas tree before Daughter #1 returns to college. I'll drive Twin A back early Monday morning.

Finally, in this spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to say how thankful I am for all of my blogging friends. In the confusion of the last month, I missed Lakeside Musing's third anniversary, so will take this opportunity to say thank you to all my readers and regular commenters. It's been an amazing three years!

Reviews coming soon...

A couple of crazy weeks followed by weekends of travel have lead to a sorry scarcity of  'proper' reviews at Lakeside Musing. This week is shaping up to be more of the same and will be followed by a weekend get-away for my husband's birthday. My goal is to carve out an hour or two, find a quiet spot (the one above is on Daughter #1's campus), and finish up some reviews.

Here's what I'm working on:

97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman. My book club met last Thursday. Now I can include their reaction, too.

Jitters - A Quirky Little Audiobook by Adele Park. I'll also be hosting a give-away.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

The Language of Baklava  by Diana Abu-Jaber.  Saturday's Writer's Almanac told me it was her birthday, but also served as a reminder that this review has been lingering in my draft folder for far too long.

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

My google reader is crying out for attention, too.
Wish me luck...

TSS: The Great Blogger Debacle and a Giveaway

Good morning! It's been a frustrating week for those of us on Blogger. We experienced radio silence much of Thursday and Friday as Blogger entered 'read only' mode. Evidently Wednesday night's scheduled maintenance uncovered some data corruption, so all posts and comments published Thursday were removed. Unaware this was happening, I spent Thursday afternoon working on a review of Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym, saved it as a draft, and planned to hit the publish button Friday morning.

Thursday evening, realizing how eerily quiet things were, I became aware of the problem. Every Blogger post I'd read and commented on that morning was gone. We joked about it on facebook and twitter, then used the time to catch up on non-blogging obligations. Friday morning, I tried to publish the review. Not only was Blogger still down, but the draft I'd written on Thursday was gone! I'm frustrated, have no time to rewrite the review, and am wondering if Blogger has plans to restore drafts once they finish with comments.

The Giveaway:
 Jane and Prudence was every bit as enjoyable as my first two Barbara Pym novels. It was the perfect beginning for our recent Florida vacation. Pym's novels are difficult to find in the United States, so I'd like to share the love by giving away my gently read copy.

If you are in the US and would like to read Jane and Prudence, let me know in the comments. I'll choose a winner next Sunday morning. If my draft reappears (or if I have time for a rewrite) the complete review will appear later this week. Grrrr, Blogger!

Today's reading:
After attending a Confirmation Brunch for my cousin's son, I hope to finish A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates by Blake Bailey. There are just over 100 pages to go (it's a 600+ page book), but this is the best literary biography I've ever read. A trip to the bookstore for more Yates novels is definitely on my agenda this week.

What are your plans for today? Did the Great Blogger Debacle have an impact on your week?

This Week in the Kitchen

Many of you know my daughter Margaret (previously known as Twin A) and I teamed up last spring to start Lakeside Kitchen, a cooking blog. Margaret loves to bake and we thought it would be fun to chronicle our culinary adventures. Things got quiet over the holidays (lots of baking, just not much blogging), but the kitchen is busy again.

Margaret did a Weekend Cooking post on the Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies she baked.

On Sunday, we decided to sign up for The Foodie Challenge: Whip Up Something New.  The object of the challenge is to try a new recipe each month and blog about it. Trish and Joanna got things rolling, but hosting duties will rotate each month.

Yesterday's post featured the butternut squash soup I made in the crock-pot. Since this was a new recipe, I decided to use it for the Foodie Challenge.

We invite you to visit our kitchen and see what's cooking...

TSS: A Personal Bloggiesta

Good morning! It's a lovely summer morning here by the lake, so I'll just type a quick post before heading out to the Adirondack chair with another cup of coffee, a book, and the newspaper.

It hasn't been the most productive reading week, but I did spend some time on my own personal "bloggiesta". My current books are the same: The Last of Cheri by Colette (will finish today) and, on audio, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I also read a few short stories by Emile Zola from Dead Men Tell No Tales and wrote a Zola post for Paris in July.

 As for the bloggiesta, I changed to one of the new blogger templates, put up a new header photo, and started updating my blogroll (thanks for the motivation, Thomas!). The blogroll is becoming quite an undertaking, and I'm still trying to decide how to handle it. 

Yesterday I tried to experiment with a 3-column format, but couldn't get into blogger template designer at all. It seems to be working today, so maybe I'll try again later. Diane had some difficulties with this template looking a little strange with Internet Explorer, so we'll see. Any feedback would be appreciated.

After some morning reading and dog walking, I need to spend time cleaning up the flower garden and weeding. A family dinner is on tap for later this afternoon. What are your plans for the day?

Attention Wordpress Bloggers

Dear Wordpress Bloggers,

I'm not ignoring you this week... honest. For whatever reason, Wordpress has decided I'm a spammer. Any comments I leave are vanishing into thin air or ending up in your spam folders (Word Lily figured that out!).

Restarting the computer helped a couple of times, but today nothing seems to be working. Violet suggested I remove all cookies and empty the cache, but still no luck. My computer skills are limited, but I'd appreciate any other suggestions.

At least I can still read your blogs...

Thanks in advance,

JoAnn

Introducing Lakeside Kitchen

You might remember a March post, Baking As Therapy, that featured Twin A and her Oreo Truffles. She was overwhelmed by your comments, so positive and encouraging, and inspired to embark on a new adventure. We have launched Lakeside Kitchen - a mother/daughter project that will chronicle our culinary adventures.

We've had fun setting up the blog and posting a few pictures and recipes. Margaret (formerly known as Twin A) loves to bake and is beginning to experiment with breads. I'm hoping to include a main dish recipe each week, too. Lakeside Kitchen is a work-in-progress, but we invite you to stop by and take a look.

Here's Margaret modeling her new "Practically Perfect Cook" apron. We saw Mary Poppins in New York last weekend - the apron was a souvenir we couldn't resist! And she's baking Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies...

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.

A Bloggy Birthday!

Lakeside Musing is one year old today! It's been a year since I clicked on the blogger website, chose the name Lakeside Musing, and tentatively published my first post, entitled "And we're off..."

Who knew where it would lead? I wasn't certain what the focus would be, or if anyone would ever read it. I jumped for joy at the first comments, and was thrilled to get a follower!

One year later and blogging has added another dimension to my life. I've read some great books based on your recommendations, rediscovered short stories, read my first graphic novel, joined some challenges (even completed a few!), found a group of blogs that I peruse with my morning coffee and would be lost without, and, best of all, have made some wonderful friends!

Thank you all for reading, commenting, and encouraging. It's been quite year!

BBAW: Setting Goals

Today's task:

It’s time to show off! Tell us and this is really important, in 50 words or less what you love best about your blog! And then in 50 words or less where you want your blog to be by the next BBAW! Ready? GO!

Likes:

As most of you know, I love the lake! I'm happy that it's featured prominently, both in the name and header photo of my blog. I like that I've found some sort of pattern for my posting (although it's been less than evident these past few weeks). I also like that responding to comments has lead to some great conversations.

Goals:

There are so many technical aspects of blogging that elude me, so one goal is to improve my basic skills. Another is to find a better balance between reading and blogging. I love blogging and visiting other blogs, but most of it is done at the expense of reading time. I'm sure a happy medium exists ...I just need to find it!

Wrap-up:

BBAW has been a great opportunity to both celebrate blogging and reflect on the part it plays in our lives. A year ago, I never thought I'd even have a blog, now I go through withdrawal if I am away for a day. What a great community, thank you!

TSS - Midpoint Musing

Good morning! After seeing several mid-year posts last week, I was inspired to compose one of my own. The result, which I'm hoping will prove interesting to others, held a few pleasant surprises.

My totals:

24 books read

18 short stories (plus two collections)

a few assorted essays

1 play

Favorites so far:

Therese Raquin by Emile Zola - reviewed here

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - my review and my book club's reaction

The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield - reviewed here

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - thoughts here

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri - thoughts here

Favorite audiobook:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - my thoughts

Favorite Short Stories:

"When Everyone Was Pregnant" by John Updike - my short story Monday post

"The Dress" by Louise Erdrich - short story Monday post

"The Swimmer" by John Cheever - short story Monday post

Behind the numbers:

First, this is an excellent showing for me. I've never read more than 55 books a year and, for the past several years, have been averaging in the thirties.

Even more important is the fact that I've never enjoyed reading so much as I have these past six months. I attribute this, primarily, to blogging. Lakeside Musing was created in late October, I posted my first review (The Painted Veil) in November and, very tentatively, entered into this wonderful community.

This leads to the most interesting stat of all. Fourteen of the 24 books read prior to July 1 were the direct result of book blogger recommendations and reviews! So, here is the perfect opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to my new blogging friends. I have come to rely heavily on your thoughts and opinions when choosing what to read next, and it has very definitely increased the quality, and sheer pleasure, of my reading. Thank you all!

What next:

For summer, the focus is on fun! I'm currently reading The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim for Molly's Summer Vacation reading challenge. This visit to Italy has been so enjoyable, that I'll probably stay on and read One Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena De Blasi next.

The Everything Austen Challenge will occupy some of my summer, too. I'm looking forward to rereading Pride and Prejudice and, possibly, an Austen spin-off too. Any 'heavier' reading will have to wait until fall!

Where will your reading take you this week?

The Sunday Salon - Is there a "magic number"?

Good morning, saloners!  For my post this week, I'd like to pose a question.  How many books does it take to be a book blogger?  

I started Lakeside Musing seven months ago to share "thoughts on books and life from here by the lake".  Not sure exactly where I was going or what my focus would be,  I wrote posts about food and recipes, weather, travel, and the lake in addition to posts on books and reading (which I figured would, eventually, end up taking center stage).

In the past several months, I have settled into a somewhat comfortable blogging routine.  Late last winter, I rediscovered short stories and started participating in Short Story Monday.  I joined The Sunday Salon two months ago.  Booking Through Thursday is always fun and I seem to have fallen into the habit of posting a book review on Fridays.  Occasionally, I do a Library Loot post, play along with Teaser Tuesdays, or highlight my book club meeting.

This leads me to my question.  How many books does it take to be a book blogger?  Is there a magic number to strive for? In the best of times, I rarely read more than one book per week. Now, with all the usual demands on my time plus a new-found interest in blogging and reading blogs, I'm struggling to maintain that 'best of times' pace.  Is one book review and one short story review per week enough?  Will people notice/care if it's less than that?

I'm not a very fast reader to begin with.  My college-aged daughter says the problem is that I read everything closely.  "Don't you ever skim, Mom?",  she has asked more than once.  For that reason, really chunky books have become intimidating since I started blogging.  I'd also love to join in with some of the recent extended reading projects, but I'm afraid I won't get anything else read.

I suppose the answer is that since I'm blogging mainly for myself, I should not feel pressured to post anything at all.  But, it just seems to be part of my personality to keep striving to improve on this blogging hobby.  So, thanks for taking the time to read my ramble.  I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this.

Finally,  I'd like to share one of the highlights of my week.  Becky, from One Literature Nut..., has presented me with the Literary Blogger Award.  It is described as:

...an award which acknowledges bloggers who energize and inspire reading by going the extra mile! These amazing bloggers make reading fun, and enhance the delight of reading!

 Becky, who is much-deserving of this award herself, features wonderful reviews (like her most recent on The Inheritance of Loss) and other reading-related posts. Her blog is on my 'must read daily' list! 

I'd like to pass this award on to:

Jackie at Farm Lane Books

Matt at A Guy's Moleskin Notebook

Claire at Kiss a  Cloud

They review so many wonderful books, and have lead me to several I may not have found on my own.  They've also caused some significant growth in both my tbr pile and list!  If you don't already know these bloggers, I urge you to stop by and say hello.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend and are able to carve out some time for reading!