This Book Is Not For Me (And That's Okay)

What does your DNF list look like?

I didn’t even learn that acronym until I was on Goodreads as an adult, organizing my books into neat little categories. DNF? Did Not Finish? It was startling—and honestly empowering—to see how many Goodreads readers used this handy little acronym.

I guess it’s my rule-following nature to feel that I’m obligated to read every book I start—even if I don’t want to. First page straight through to the last, no skipping, skimming, or quitting allowed.

But in recent years, I’ve gotten better about reading for pleasure in a way that truly is a pleasure. Here’s what I’ve discovered: when I do need to put a book down, it’s rarely an issue with the book itself. I put down books that are beautifully written, far beyond what I can ever hope to achieve in my own writing career. I put down books that I desperately want to read. Books with themes and characters I enjoy. Books I want to talk about with my friends at book club.

It can be as simple as my mood. As much as I love to sink into a long, complex literary novel, sometimes I am just too tired to take on an epic read. If I’m going to be picking up and putting down my reading every twenty minutes while I shuffle my family from one appointment to another, I need a storyline that’s easier to follow.

Sometimes I just need something different. Preparing lessons and teaching takes up a lot of my work time. As much as I love to take a deep dive into history to plan a social studies lesson, I might need a break from research when I finally get a chance to sit and read for myself. So as much as I love historical fiction, I’m not going to pick it up if I’m in the middle of writing a curriculum project.

And, sometimes, it is about content. It’s not graphic description that bothers me so much—it’s actually the gut-wrenching, too-real emotions. I have put down and picked up some books several times before I finally admitted to myself that they hit too close to home. I pass them on to friends or save them for the church’s annual book sale and breathe a sigh of relief.

Drawing boundaries around my reading is a skill I’m still working on, to be honest. This came up for me recently in my teaching life. Sometimes, as teachers or parents, a book we think a child will love is actually a terrible fit. So what do we do?

My gut reaction is to teach the way I was taught. But my reflective reaction is to teach from what I’ve learned.

Teaching children to find and draw their own boundaries is an important reading skill, too. And especially in this post-pandemic era, we need to be sensitive to children that have major trauma and so few ways to express it.

I wrote this social story, This Book Is Not For Me, as a special education resource. I’ve worked with a number of students that had expressive communication delays—but believe me, their receptive language skills were excellent. Imagine how hard it would be for a student to understand a story but not be able to say, “This reminds me of something sad,” or “I had a nightmare about this character,” or even “I’m worried about what’s going to happen next!“

As fast as I will speak out against publicly banning books, I’ll speak up for readers personally setting boundaries. If I’m designing curriculum or reading aloud, I like to offer choices when I can. And it’s my own experience as a reader that shows me how many choices there are.

• If I’m struggling to pick up this book, can I listen to the audiobook? (Absolutely!)

• If I can’t keep the characters straight, can I keep out some paper and a pen to sketch the characters? (Yep, that’s literally how I got through a British literature course in college.)

• If I don’t understand part of the story, can I talk to my friends at book club? (Every month!)

• If I’m exhausted or too stressed to focus, can I put the book down? (More nights than I care to count…)

• If I’m scared by a scene, can I flip ahead and read the end to see how the story turns out? (I wouldn’t have finished a few of my favorite books if I hadn’t done this.)

All those options exist for me as an adult and I’m grateful for that. I want to offer students just as many choices. After all, our goal is to raise readers—not robots! And if that means a student needs to put a book on their own DNF list, that’s okay with me.

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My special education resource, “This Book Is Not For Me,” is available through my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Favorite Books of 2022

This year, I surprised myself by meeting my Goodreads goal and reading over 25 books!

However, to no one’s surprise, I kept forgetting to track my progress on the Goodreads app. That means I spent the better part of this morning going back through my bookshelves and remembering the books I’ve read in 2022.

Sometimes, my creative (okay, disorganized) thinking has its advantages. Looking back on my year as a reader reminded me how many incredible books I enjoyed in 2022, and how many more are patiently waiting to get off my to-be-read list in 2023. Here were five of my favorite reads this year:

{book links below are affiliate, which means that if you decide to purchase through the link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. For the record, I use my commissions to fund spontaneous book purchases, cute bookmarks I rarely use, and far too much coffee.}

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I was physically unable to return to my regular life after reading this book. The family wants dinner? The laundry needs to be folded? Too bad, I’m still in the throes of an emotional crisis. Caused by a novel.

I have no regrets. 10/10 would read and be traumatized by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo again. In fact, this is the book I recommended to friends the most in 2022. You know you’ve found your people when you can say, “This story ripped me to shreds! You should read it!” and they take you up on it.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel

By Reid, Taylor Jenkins

Buy on Amazon

Where The Children Take Us by Zain E. Asher

I read this book in advance of attending a Happy Women Dinner event featuring Zain Asher in Washington, D.C. “So excited I pre-ordered” is an understatement. I tracked the package all the way up to its delivery on my doorstep, ripped open the envelope, and read the first sixteen pages before I even went back in the house.

The rest of the book was just as enthralling. Meeting Zain and discussing her memoir was one of the highlights of 2022 for me — you can read more about the experience here.

Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable

By Asher, Zain E.

Buy on Amazon

Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee

The author of this novel, Tracy McGhee, also attended the Happy Women Dinner event for Zain. We were chatting afterwards and that was how I learned she was a DC-area novelist, too. When Tracy told me she wrote historical fiction, I was immediately excited to read her work. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.

Let me tell you, this book is one of the best I’ve ever read. While I was absorbed in Melting the Blues, I forgot it was fiction, forgot I was just reading, forgot that it isn’t 1957 and I don’t live in Chinaberry, Arkansas. I felt like I was there! Months after reading it, I still think about this story. Don’t miss this, especially if you love historical fiction.

Melting the Blues

By McGhee, Tracy Chiles

Buy on Amazon

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A good friend recommended this novel to me over a year ago, so I’m kicking myself for taking so long to pluck it from my “to-be-read” list. This was a late night read for me. After everyone else was in bed, I would get my water or sweet tea and curl up in a chair to read more about Ove and his neighbors (or perhaps nemeses?)

I have a soft spot for people with brittle exteriors: “cantankerous” may as well be a synonym for “wounded.” Heartbroken. Not so much lashing out as protecting themselves from more pain. Backman writes this character so well, I felt that I knew Ove — or maybe, perhaps, recognized myself in Ove.

Apparently, we’re only weeks away from the release of a movie adaptation: A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks. I’m usually leery of sequels and movie adaptations, but if anyone could play Otto/ Ove and do the character justice, I bet it’s Hanks. Looking forward to checking out the movie, but I know I’ll reread the original book just for fun, too.

A Man Called Ove: A Novel

By Backman, Fredrik

Buy on Amazon

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

After reading Ford’s novel A Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, I knew that everything else he ever wrote was going to be an auto-buy for me. When The Many Daughters of Afong Moy released this year, I actually put it on my Christmas wish list.

And then I saw it in the New Release section of the library at the beginning of December. Did I wait to see if I might have my very own copy in just a few weeks? No, I did not. I checked out the book immediately and devoured it.

This story has fantastic writing, of course, but the structure is where the novel really shines. Ford gave Afong Moy and each of her descendants their own unique plot and then delicately wove them together in a heartbreaking story of love and loss that transcends generations.

Now that I’ve read and returned this treasure to the library, I’ll definitely be grabbing my own copy, too.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy: A Novel

By Ford, Jamie

Buy on Amazon

There is a downside (if you can call it that) of cataloging all my books for the year at once. I realized this morning how many books I’ve been wanting to read and haven’t gotten to yet. That “to-be-read” list of mine is constantly expanding…but truly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s pretty cool to look towards a new year and think of how many future favorite books are waiting to be enjoyed.

Happy New Year. May your 2023 be filled with more amazing books than you can read.

I only listed five of my favorites from this year. There are 21 other books I thoroughly enjoyed in 2022! If you’re a reader too, let’s connect on Goodreads — I’d love to hear about your favorite books!

• this story was originally published on Medium.com

Year in Review: 2020 Reading List

Since this blog is (mostly) about books and time travel, let’s take a minute to go back to a simpler time. A more innocent time. A time when I heralded the new year with all the enthusiasm of a woman who loves the roaring (19)20s and really wanted a good excuse to wear a flapper dress.

So, January.

Let’s go back to January.

I started off this year with an ambitious book list that covered 20 books from the Jazz Age. Some were classics I’d read before, some were books I’d been meaning to read for years. Then the pandemic hit, and, well…honestly, the list went out the window. As it should.

Truthfully, I’m grateful for every book I managed to read in 2020 simply because it gave me a chance to get out of my own head for a bit.

That said, I did read four of the twenty books on my list this year. Two were re-reads, two were new to me, and all four of them were fantastic! Let’s start with the re-reads: the classic Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel, Belles on Their Toes, both by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. I’ve read both books several times before, mostly because I love the shenanigans that the twelve children (and their father) got into. As I read them again this year, I wondered how the Gilbreths might have handled the current COVID-19 pandemic. I wrote about it here: Therbligs in Quarantine.

I also read two classics of the Harlem Renaissance for the first time: Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset and Passing by Nella Larsen. I have yet to write a real review or publish a blog post on either of these books, although the stories have stayed with me and been on my mind quite a bit. Both Plum Bun and Passing featured women in the 1920s who were African-American and could “pass” as white, and the ways that their ability to “pass” affected their relationships, their work, their art…and, truly, every aspect of their lives. For me as a reader, it was a very personal experience to read and ponder these stories—written nearly a hundred years ago—while also listening to and pondering and grieving for the racial injustices that have occurred just this year alone. I have a million thoughts about the books and their writers (I totally went down a rabbit hole researching both Larsen and Fauset, their lives, and their other works). I plan to read more from both authors, probably starting with Quicksand by Nella Larsen.

As a whole, I’ll be glad to see the sun set on the very last day of 2020. It’s purely symbolic, of course—the things that made this year so difficult have nothing to do with the date on the calendar. There will need to be many, many changes in the year ahead: for health, for safety, for justice, for finding our footing after a long and tumultuous time. I hope for the best for all of us in 2021.

Happy New Year, friends.

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Are you on Goodreads? Feel free to follow or add me as a friend—I love talking about books!

Ellen's bookshelf

Ellen Smith's favorite books »

For the Love of Ebooks

It's hard to believe now, but I held out on getting a Kindle. For years. I didn't feel a single pang of jealousy when my friends would pull out their sleek, six ounce ereaders. I was perfectly happy with my paperbacks. It just felt more real, holding a physical book in my hand. Besides, I had to look at screens all day for work. Why let the hand-held/ touchscreen phenomenon take over yet another part of my life?

Over time, my stubborn opposition to ebooks dwindled away. When I had to rearrange the contents of my purse three times to fit the book I was almost finished reading alongside the book I wanted to read next, I knew. It was time. 

In 2013, I got a Kindle. I don't feel like I'm exaggerating (much) when I say it changed my life.

Turns out I love ebooks.

Seriously. My Kindle has solved bookworm problems I didn't even know I had. Stuck in a long checkout line? No problem. I just read three more pages in my current book. Need to look up a line from a favorite story? Easy--instead of going home and getting lost in a sea of books, I can find the passage I want with the flick of my finger. And did I mention that I can even highlight and make notes on my Kindle? I hate to take a pen--or even a pencil--to my paper books. Now I can jot down notes to myself whenever I want!

Not to mention that this little thing can house almost as many books as my living room. Beat that!

Probably the best (and most dangerous) feature of ebooks is the price point. When your family reads as much as mine does, things like "new books I had to buy and read immediately," become a regular line item in the budget. We love the library and we also have awesome bookish friends that are happy to trade books back and forth. But sometimes, I still see a new book on Instagram or Goodreads and the need to get my hands on a copy is almost compulsive. An ebook on sale for $.99 or even $3.99 isn't too bad for an impulse buy. I mean, it's less than a cup of coffee! 

(Listen to me, justifying my book habits to myself.)

Thankfully, there are several awesome discount ebook sites. They're kind enough to send me daily emails of ebook deals I might enjoy...and more often than not, they're right! These are two of my favorites:

Bookbub

Fussy Librarian

(Click at your own risk, fellow bookworms. Don't say I didn't warn you!)

That's not to say that I've abandoned my paperback and hardcover books completely. There are still some things that an ebook will never be able to replace for me. Special fonts, white space, and decorative chapter headings don't translate well onto ereaders. For example, the paperback version of Every Last Minute has two slightly different fonts to differentiate between regular text and the news articles that are sprinkled throughout the story. That can't be replicated for an ebook and I kind of miss the effect!

Favorite books and classics are almost always purchased in hard cover, too. If I truly love a book I read on my ereader, I'm pretty likely to buy a hard copy--especially if it's signed by the author! (Hmmm...maybe reading ebooks isn't saving my budget after all!)

I also make an effort to put all the screens away when I'm winding down for the evening, so paperbacks are my first choice for bedtime reading. Besides, there really is something wonderful about holding the weight of a real book in your hands. Ebooks have a big place in my reading life, but they'll never replace hard copies for me. 

Which do you prefer--ebooks or physical books? Let me know in the comments!

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Speaking of ebooks...today is the last day to enter the Amazon giveaway for Every Last Minute! Enter here for your chance to win one of five ebook copies! 

What Are You Reading in 2017?

This week, I had planned to share a list of books I read and loved in 2016. One small problem: there were too many. Seriously. I could not narrow them down to a manageable list. I couldn't even pick a Top 10, much less a Top 5. I'm still trying to catch up with listing/ reviewing them all on Goodreads!

This is literally my favorite problem to have.

Instead, I'm going to share my list of books I can't wait to read in 2017!

Love Fortunes And Other Disasters

You know the old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover?" Maybe you shouldn't, but you can definitely decide you want to pick up a book based on its cover! I saw this adorable book on Instagram, read the description, and decided I had to read it.

Here's the book's synopsis:

Love is real in the town of Grimbaud and Fallon Dupree has dreamed of attending high school there for years. After all, generations of Dupree's have successfully followed the (100% accurate!) love fortunes from Zita's famous Love Charms Shop to happily marry their high school sweethearts. It's a tradition. So she is both stunned and devastated when her fortune states that she will NEVER find love. Fortunately, Fallon isn't the only student with a terrible love fortune, and a rebellion is brewing. Fallon is determined to take control of her own fate—even if it means working with a notorious heartbreaker like Sebastian.
 

Will Fallon and Sebastian be able to overthrow Zita's tyranny and fall in love?

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters

By Kimberly Karalius

Stardust

This was recommended to me on Amazon based on other books I've bought. That's no surprise when you read the description: this sounds like a fun Southern fiction novel with quirky characters, new beginnings, and a spunky protagonist. What's not to love?

From the book description:

Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren't what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband's mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who's tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia's past.

Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who've betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?

Stardust: A Novel

By Carla Stewart

The Magnolia Story

I love watching the Fixer-Upper show on HGTV. Chip and Joanna Gaines seem like a really sweet couple and they have an amazing ability to create homes that are just right for their clients. I can't wait to read more about how they got started!

From the book synopsis:

Are you ready to see your fixer upper?

These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like—Who are these people? What’s the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America’s new best friends.

The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

The Magnolia Story

By Chip Gaines, Joanna Gaines, Mark Dagostino

The Sun Is Also A Star

I saw people posting about this book on Instagram and decided I had to add it to my to-read list! I'm always up for a good love story, so I was hooked as soon as I read the synopsis.

From the book description:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

The Sun Is Also a Star

By Nicola Yoon

The Five Warriors

Remember my interview with Angela J. Ford? Her love for books is infectious! Plus, she's a great writer: everything from her tweets to her blog posts to her online course is well-written and engaging. It's no surprise that I'm eager to read the book she wrote! Bonus: The Five Warriors is the first in a series. I love starting a good book knowing that there's going to be more to follow!

From the synopsis:

What if...

your best friend started a rebellion in the middle of a war?
your lover awakened a deep evil and helped it grow?
your people were too cowardly to face a battle?
you stole an ancient power source?
you gambled with the fate of the world?

Join five powerful warriors each with a unique ability and magical weapons. Their quest is to discover where the transformed creatures are coming from and put a stop to it.

Along the way they run into treacherous immortals, sea monsters, powerful beasts of the air and talking animals.

Each has their own reasoning for joining the quest, but one carries a deadly secret which just might be the destruction of them all.

The Five Warriors (The Four Worlds Series) (Volume 1)

By Angela J. Ford

What books are you planning to read in 2017? Want to recommend a book to add to my to-be-read pile? Leave a comment and let me know!

*Note: the links in this post are affiliates. All opinions expressed in my blog are my own--including why I can't wait to read all of these books in the new year! Using affiliate links helps me stay well-stocked in fine-point Sharpies, post-it notes, coffee and other writing essentials.

A Girl And Her Dog

Although we often hear dogs called "man's best friend," I know plenty of women that couldn't live without their canine sidekicks. There's no bond quite like that of a girl and her dog. Personally, I would love to have a dog to share walks through the park, the occasional (okay, frequent) game of fetch, and nights curled up in front of the fireplace.

However, due to some seriously unfortunate allergies, the furriest pet I can have is...well, a goldfish. Yep. As much as I would love to have a dog of my own, I have to live vicariously through friends, neighbors, and, of course, books. Here are a few of my favorite stories about a girl and her dog.

Jack from the Little House series

One of my favorite fictional dogs is Jack, Laura's faithful bulldog in the Little House series. I loved Jack for his protectiveness of the family. In the first chapter of Little House in the Big Woods, Laura recounts how Jack kept watch by the front door of their little log cabin, listening to the howling of the wolves just outside. However, Jack is also Laura's playful companion and her first friend: 

“Jack laid his nose on his paws and waggled, he jumped out on the path and looked back at [Laura], smiling with his ears, begging her to come out.”

— Laura Ingalls Wilder, "On the Banks of Plum Creek"

Edsel from Solomon's Oak

I'm also a huge fan of Jo-Ann Mapson's novels, which frequently feature beloved pets as integral characters. In the novel olomon's Oak, grieving widow Glory Solomon draws comfort from the horses and dogs she and her late husband rescued over the years. Even as Glory is trying to reimagine her life without her husband, caring for the animals--and allowing them to care for her--keeps her grounded. All the dogs in this story help Glory in their own way, but one Italian greyhound, Edsel, is my favorite:

“Everyone who met Edsel fell in love with the ten-pound comedian who made Glory laugh at least once a day.”

— Jo-Ann Mapson, "Solomon's Oak"

Thor from Reluctant Cassandra

In addition to reading about dogs, I like to write about them, too! The main character in Reluctant Cassandra, Arden McCrae, has a canine companion--and honestly, he's one of my favorite characters! Thor, Arden's Boxer puppy, is playful, mischevious, messy, and always there to protect and comfort Arden. Between dealing with her premonitions of the future and facing her father's rapid decline due to Alzheimer's disease, Arden definitely has moments where she needs some comfort. I love that Thor is always there for her.

“Thor leaps up next to me, and for once, I’m too exhausted to remind him he doesn’t go on the furniture. I’m going to start bad habits, I think, but then Thor rests his chin on my knee and I decide I don’t care. ”

— Ellen Smith, "Reluctant Cassandra"

So many stories just wouldn't be the same without the beloved animals that populate the pages. Who's your favorite fictional pet?

P.S. I'm giving away a signed copy of Reluctant Cassandra on Goodreads! You can enter to win here: http://ow.ly/muhe304XcJz

Book Spine Poetry

Earlier this year I joined Instagram and discovered one of the biggest, most passionate groups of booklovers on the Internet. Bookstagrammers post pictures of their favorite books, books arranged as spirals or rainbows, and "shelfies" of their bookshelves. Best of all, Instagram is a great place to find out about new books to read. (As if I need any help adding to my to-read list...)

My photography skills are pretty much limited to "point and shoot," but I'm still having a lot of fun posting pictures on Instagram. I'm probably not going to attempt a book spiral any time soon, but I have been trying my hand at book spine poetry.

This was the first poem I tried to make using the titles on my book spines:

My second attempt:

I just tried this one, but I think I liked the first two better:

What do you think of this challenge? Have you ever tried book spine poetry?

If you're on Instagram, come chat with me! My account is @ellensmithwrites.

Where Do You Read?

My favorite reading spot is a little green chair in the living room. It has a great view, perfect lighting, a nearby bookshelf, and a little ledge for my drink. What else could a bookworm need? Plus, the chair swivels and rocks, which means I can accidentally make myself seasick if I start tapping my foot during a tense part of the story.

(The seasickness isn’t perfect, but this is real life. And I’m a toe-tapper.)

Since I’m not the only reader in the household, my favorite green chair isn’t always available. Fortunately, bookworms are adaptable. There’s also the couch, the back porch, or curled up in bed. That last one can be dangerous. If I get to a good spot in the story, I might play the “just-one-more-chapter” game until I finish the book. At three in the morning.

If the book’s really good, I don’t care where I am. This is where e-books finally won me over. I like that when I’m on the go, I can have a bunch of e-books at my fingertips, including my current can’t-put-it-down read. Even better: thanks to the Kindle app on my phone, I can now sneak in a little reading while I’m waiting at the doctor’s office or stuck in line at the grocery store.

Even though I can read anywhere, I still try to make it to my favorite reading spot whenever I get the chance. I can’t beat an evening curled up in my little green chair, getting lost in my current favorite book.

What about you? Where do you read? 

Why Do You Love To Read?

Why do you love to read?

Depending on the day, I might have several different answers. If I'm reading a series, I probably can't wait to find out what's going to happen to my favorite characters. Sometimes I want to read a book that reminds me of something going on in my life...and sometimes I read because I want to escape for a while. (Just being honest.) 

There's one more reason why I'm always disappearing into the pages of a book: 

I read because I want to connect.

After I finish a really good book, I close the back cover and feel a little surprised that I’m actually sitting in my living room. The world I was just visiting and the characters I just met still feel so real. The next thing I want to do (besides flip the book over and start reading again) is to go find someone and ask, “Did you read this? What did you think about…?”

The best thing about my first year as an indie author has been connecting with other book lovers. It’s really true that if you love your job, it will never feel like work – and I definitely love my job!

On this blog, I want to connect with you over the books I’m reading and writing. Plus, I hope to introduce you to some of the other book lovers I’ve met along the way. Most of all, I’d like to hear back from you!

Why do you love to read?