C.G.Koens's Blog, page 3

The Reading Nook: July 2024

We aren't one of those families who goes to the beach each summer (or at all). And even if we did, and I were to take a stack of books with me on vacation...I would come home with that same stack, mostly unread. As much as I enjoy reading and self-identify as a bookworm, I also know myself. My best seasons of reading involve cooler weather, shorter days, cozy blankets, and cups of tea, not sea, sand, or travel. And maybe that's because when I'm actually elsewhere, I want to be focused on the new...

What I Read: June Edition

After the rough reading month of May, I was really hoping for some better, or at least more enjoyable, books in June. Some of the books this month seemed to focus around food and health (some are still in process and didn't make the June list), but I also managed to squeeze in a couple of "just for fun" books, and even considered doing a re-read of an old favorite, because sometimes you just need a comfort book (I didn't do it - still trying to focus on all the books on my shelves that I've neve...

The June "Simple Goals" Update

You may recall that when this year started, I set twenty-four simple goals for 2024. I've given a few updates along the way, but since I took one of those goals and broke it down into a monthly goal, I thought it was about time to update again on how things are going. As a refresher, these are the simple goals that I set back in January...and how it's going, six months in!

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1) Buy no new books. I was doing great until earlier this month. After I read The Worst H...

May's Bookshelf was Rough...

By the 6th of the month, I had managed to get all four kids started in new grades (we homeschool year-round), but I hadn't read more than a few pages of a physical book, and only slightly more on my Kindle app. Some months are just like that (which is also why I read so much in the beginning of the year, because I suspected slower reading months would come, in part due to the busier and more chaotic seasons of life). 

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Some of the reading desert I experienced in May...

Money's Tight (Another Fun Fallacy to Consider)

Fallacy (noun): a mistaken belief, especially one based on an unsound argument; a failure in reasoning which renders an argument invalid; faulty reasoning; misleading or unsound argument. 

Remember when I wrote the post about the fact that claiming you have no time for things was a common fallacy that many of us are ready to believe? I've been pondering this quite a bit over the last few weeks, and I believe I have another one: "Money's really tight right now." Before you get your knickers in a k...

April Bookshelf Update

Poof! And just like that, one quarter of the year is gone. Time flies, especially when you're reading a good book, and I've read a handful of them over the last thirty days, how about you? Also, does this library not make you just squeal with delight (silently, of course)? Oh the treasures to be found lurking among those shelves, eh?

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A Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey - ★★★★ Last month I primarily focused on books that would help me grow as a person, challenge...

There's No Time For That (A Common Fallacy)

When I set my goals for 2024, I decided to challenge myself to read forty-eight books over the course of twelve months. Not quite one book a week. I wasn't sure if I could do it. After all, life is busy. I homeschool the four kids still living at home (three of them teenagers), and when school is done I Uber them to taekwondo, band, music lessons, babysitting, cleaning jobs, and more. When I'm not driving kids around or instructing them in the "three R's," I'm checking on my parents, helping my ...

Books from My Nightstand - March Edition

It took me the first five days of the month to finish my first book, but it was well worthwhile. I enjoy non-fiction, and I enjoy the occasional fiction book as well (as you'll see below), but I also enjoy books that challenge me to change, push me to think differently about things, and help me to grow as a person. March was full of such books, and others, that kept me on track with and even well ahead of my 2024 reading goals. 
And with the weather warming up, I'm already looking forward to some...

Simple Goals: Month Three

Time for a check in! How are you doing with your goals? Has the year gotten away from you? Are you falling back into old patterns and feeling discouraged? Sometimes the best laid plans can get waylaid by life and laziness. I've had several conversations about this with my eldest daughter recently, as she turns twenty this year and is trying to figure out adulthood, while I settle further into my forties and try to figure out middle-age. In many ways, we're not that different, even if we're miles...

February Books: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

I received a number of recommendations from several of you after last month's post. Thanks so much for adding to my "Books to Remember" list - I'm currently up to forty-nine books...and counting. 

This month was a bit rough when it comes to books (you'll notice several one and two star reviews). I finished several that I started reading, literally, years ago, and I was reminded (on many of them) why I put them down. And even though I am not a quitter when it comes to books (even if I'm really not...