After last year’s whirlwind of reading, I found that I really missed blogging and connecting with all of you. I wanted to blog, but just didn’t have the time to do it. And when I was able to sit down and visit your virtual world my comments were being rejected so some of you never even knew I was there. And…I didn’t have time to figure out how to fix it. And I spent to much time on Instagram. I love taking photos for IG, but I don’t feel the same connection there as I do with my fellow bloggers. I miss the long form, intentional connection.
Just as I missed intentional connections I missed intentional reading. Too many books that I chose were fast reads or once read were too easily moved on from. So, I’m going to take a deep breath between books and I started a book journal with my first book of the year. I’m only writing quotes that touch me in some way, but just the pausing has been satisfying. And in the spirit of that I’d love to get back to writing about all the books I read. I’m not going to make that a hard and fast rule, because I’m trying to take any reading pressure off of myself this year to focus on my big goal. To that end, I set my Goodreads reading goal at an easily achievable 105. In my pre-homeschooling days this would have been a stretch, but not so much now.
I’ve started my reading year with On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century and am LOVING it! Exactly the kind of book I wanted to start my year with. And to start off the year with a winning hand in my one big resolution I also started The Ultimate Soup Cleanse, which is more than just recipes and a great read for winter.
I discovered a few years ago that when I ate too much gluten I felt terrible and it causes bloating. But I LOVE bread and pizza and fast food, and…the list is quite long. Gage is already gluten free, so this is the year I’ve decided to make it my goal to get through 2023 without gluten. I admit that I’ve gone without gluten for short periods in the past, but old habits are hard to break and I’ve never been able to maintain it long term. Hopefully, this will be the year I change that! Any other gluten avoiders out there?
I’m wishing you all a fantastic 2023 and hope to see you around here more often!
Stacy's Books 
Stacy, I’m so glad you plan to do more blogging this year. I’ve tried connecting with books via other social media, but it is just not the same for me.
Good luck with your gluten-free year. I know Jackie of Junkboat Travels is a long-time gluten-free person. I wonder if she and others might have tips for you.
Gage has been gluten free since he was 3, so I know how to cook and snack to be gluten free, but I’ve just never made myself do it. Too much of a stress eater. I only need willpower for a year, lol.
Good luck with your gluten free diet plan. Unfortunately I really like products with gluten.
Ha! Me too! I love them, but they don’t love me 🙂
Happy New Year Stacy! I have a friend that is totally gluten free. I’ve been trying to reduce the amount. I will have 1 piece of pizza and a big salad instead of four pieces and my body is much happier.
Glad to hear you’ll be blogging more and I love the sound of your first book. Good luck going gluten free this year. I feel so much better when I avoid it but, like you, love it and just try to eat less. Happy 2023!
I totally understand about the getting back to the comradeship of blogging. My hope as well. Good luck with gluten-free quest. We have a couple of nieces to try to do that most of the time. At our house, we’re back to being a little more ‘thoughtful’ (or strict) about what we eat. It’s best for both of us and I’d love to be a little bit ‘lighter’ when I visit my ‘new’ doctor in April. I think it’s possible. Happy New Year!!
I’ve started using IG a bit more for book posts/reviews, but prefer blogging much more. The “conversations” with other readers is what I really enjoy. I’ll look forward to seeing more posts from you! Good luck with your gluten-free goal. I’m attempting a “dry January” and it’s much easier than I thought it would be. Instead of a glass of wine each evening, I sip a cup of delicious tea. I find I’m not missing the wine at all.