Welcome to another edition of my reading list and book recommendations guest post series. Today I have my first guest poster that is a librarian! While I consider myself a big reader, librarians are on a whole other level of reading awesomeness.
Hello! I hope you are enjoying this time between Christmas and the New Year. This week of the year always throws me off because the kids are home from school but Lucas is quite busy at work during this time of year, so he doesn’t have a lot of time off.
So while it is festive, it is also kind of like normal…except we have none of our regular routines or activities scheduled! We tend to thrive off of this stuff, so each day is kind of a mixed bag. 😉
I always have these dreamy ideas of what school breaks will be like, and then I am snapped back into reality. While we do have fun, I still spend a large percentage of my life refereeing between our boys and answering the question “can I have something to eat?!” while I am currently cleaning up from the food we just made…
While I haven’t had as much time to devote to this space during the last two weeks, I am trying to stay consistent with my guest posts, and today I am excited to introduce you to my book friend, Tancy!
Tancy is not only one of my Bookstagram reading buddies, but she also makes my most favorite book sleeves ever! You can visit her Etsy shop, Beyond Booked, HERE.
If you haven’t heard of a book sleeve before, they are fabric pouches that protect your books so you can bring them with you wherever you go! Tancy has the most gorgeous fabric choices and is just so wonderful to work with.
In addition to loving her book sleeves, I love reading her thoughts and reviews of the books she is reading. She is always so thoughtful with her feedback and she always inspires me to add new book selections to my TBR pile! I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Tancy today!
My name is Tancy Campbell and I currently live in San Diego California. I am a native of North Carolina but as a military spouse, I tend to move around frequently. My husband is a Master Chief in the US NAVY. He has served for just over 18 years and has plans to do 6 to 7 more. We also have two children, Kennedy 9 and Dallas 4. We have one 15-year-old Maltese who is about 5 pounds but has an attitude of a 70-pound dog.
I am a stay at home mom that loves to read, run, sew, and help others with their finances. I am in the process of turning my hobbies into businesses. I have an Etsy shop where I create stylish book sleeves for readers on the go. In addition to that, I am in the process of becoming a certified financial coach.
I’ve always enjoyed reading as a kid. I remember sitting my dolls in front of me while I read to them. I was a very bored kid but I could count on books to entertain me endlessly. Once I went to high school and college, academia sort of sucked the fun out of reading, so for about 8 years I read just to get by.
Once I graduated I began picking up books here and there but it wasn’t until I found the Bookstagram community in 2018 that the desire to read was fully reignited. This was a learning time for me, as I didn’t even know what I was interested in anymore. The more I read the more I found myself attracted to certain genres. I enjoy dystopian, WWII Fiction and Non-Fiction, and African American lit.
I read whenever I find the time. This maybe while for my daughter to get off the bus or whenever my son is in swim, or maybe I’ll get a couple of pages in while waiting in line somewhere. I tend to keep a book with me because you never know when you will have downtime. I plan to get in the habit of setting aside read time maybe every morning or every night.
I genuinely look forward to reading all the books. It’s such a nerdy thing to say but I get overwhelmed just thinking about all the books there are vs the time available to read them.
I am currently reading Becoming by Michelle Obama, and like most reviews will probably mention its fantastic. My favorite book this year is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It guides you on how to successfully create good habits and break bad ones.
Another favorite of mine this year was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was very surprised to have liked this book, let alone LOVE it. I completely judged the book by the title thinking it was based on romance but after several recommendations from the Bookstagram community, I read it and LOVED it.
My podcast list is long and mainly in the area of personal finance and business. I’m currently listening to…
I’m also planning to listen to The Simple Path to Wealth very soon.
Currently, on my nightstand, I have 4 unfinished books and 2 books I would like to start soon. By having them on my night table I can see them and be reminded that I need to finish what I started.
I also keep a small jewelry box there, one I received from my children a couple of Christmas’s ago. Then, of course, night light and my phone charger. I’ll sometimes bring water up to hydrate before bed. Other things that can occasionally end up on the side table are my planner and pen so that I can jot notes for the next day.
Thank you so much for sharing today, Tancy! I have Atomic Habits on my bookshelf and you have made me want to read it ASAP.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
Welcome to another edition of The Nightstand Series! Kristina got us kicked off again last week and today I have another book-loving friend sharing her reading list and book recommendations!
Julia and I met on #bookstagram and right away we connected over our love of the same books! When she started her own book feed, I was super excited to follow along! She has great taste in books and always has such thoughtful comments with her reading recaps.
I love that we have very similar reactions to books and also that she reads “ahead”. She is a book reviewer too so she is often reading ARCs too and is able to discuss them with me before the actual publication dates! I love that reading is an escape for her too and I am super impressed that she prioritizes it while also being IN school.
I hope you enjoy getting to know a little about Julia today!
Hi, I’m Julia! I’m from Michigan but am currently living in Lincoln, Nebraska with my boyfriend of 3 years. I’m a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and I conduct aging/Alzheimer’s research. Back home in Michigan, I have 2 dogs and 1 cat who I miss very much!
Hopefully next year or the year after, my boyfriend and I will move into a house that allows pets and get a cat. When I’m not reading or doing research, I really love to bake! I show some of my baked goods (and of course, lots of books) on my #bookstagram at @booksbitesbeaches.
I grew up in a family of readers. My brother loves fantasy and science fiction, my mom loves general adult fiction and self-help books, and my dad was always reading the newspaper so it only felt natural to me to start reading at a young age.
The first books I can remember loving were in middle school when I read the A-List series and Gossip Girl. From there, I moved onto Sarah Dessen and my love for reading only grew throughout grade-school.
I fell off the reading train a bit with undergrad because other things seemed to take priority. That all changed about a year ago, actually! I was in the process of applying to graduate school and had been dealt with my first school rejection and I turned to a book to escape.
I read The Next Person You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom in one sitting and for 2019, it was my New Years Resolution to read more! I started with a small goal – 25 books. I quickly met that and upped my goal to 50. Right now, I’m starting my 64th book and plan to set my goal for 75 next year.
I do most of my reading in the early morning before I have to get out of bed with a coffee mug on my nightstand and then again at night when I’m winding down. I really love my quiet mornings and it’s a nice way to wind down in the evening.
I just recently read Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid and really loved it! Genevieve and I both talked about how we didn’t love the ending, but I still think it’ll be a very talked-about book of 2020! Same with A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler. They’re both quite timely and I think they’d both be really great book club picks.
My most anticipated book of 2020 is In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. The Dinner List was one of my favorite books of the year so I have high hopes for In Five Years.
I’m also excited for Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s newest, You Are Not Alone because they’re a favorite writing pair. (*For reference, their 2018 book is The Wife Between Us and their 2019 book is An Anonymous Girl)
I was recently disappointed by Not the Girl You Marry by Andie Christopher. It was essentially How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days but role reversal and in a book. It was lacking creativity and I need creativity in books! I don’t like to guess the ending 15 pages in, but sometimes a predictable romance is just what you need… it just wasn’t what I needed at the time.
I have never listened to an audiobook! It wasn’t until a few months ago that I finally started listening to podcasts because there’s just something about listening to other people’s voices through my headphones that can bother me.
The only podcast I consistently listen to is My Favorite Murder! I should probably read some true-crime stories given how much I love that podcast.
On my nightstand, I have all my essentials! I always have my Yeti water bottle with me. It keeps my water so nice and cold and I love it so much that I even have a Yeti coffee mug. I don’t usually care much about being brand loyal but they’re great products and I’ve dropped the water bottle multiple times and it’s still in great condition.
Even though I have multiple lip balms pictured, vaseline is still my go-to. It always cures my dry lips and knuckles in the winter and it’s so cost-effective! For on the go, I like Grove Collaborative’s Mint & Argan Lip Balm and then for going out, I like using Burt’s Bees colored balms.
My favorite skincare brand is Mario Badescu and this lotion is one of my favorites. I have one on my nightstand AND at my desk at work – that’s how good it is. It smells lovely and isn’t too expensive, which is important to me. I really like his products because most of them are vegan and cruelty-free and as far as skin-care goes, they’re pretty cheap!
I also have this journal, An Inspired Life, which includes prompts to reflect. It helps me reframe when I get stressed out and writing is one of my favorite forms of self-care, therefore, having this notebook close by helps me unwind in bed at night!
Lastly, an Anthropologie candle!! I try to get one of these for Christmas each year, and then treat myself once or twice throughout the year with one of these because they are the best candles out there. The volcano scents are my favorite and Nordstrom usually has them on sale.
Thank you so much for sharing today, Julia!!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
