Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up. Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news.
Why not, you ask? Well, I got a job!
Today is actually my very first full-time day in the office, but I did several training days in May so that I could hit the ground running. I'm no longer teaching, which is a big switch for me. However, I've remained in the higher ed world and joined a consulting firm which works with mainly private colleges and universities. The firm offers consulting on a range of issues from enrollment management to student success to campus planning and architecture. I'm working as a Project Manager and will be mainly focused on projects we do with faith-based schools. From the moment I read the job description, I knew it was going to be a great fit. I'm so excited to be starting a new chapter professionally. This has been a long time coming.
Suffice it to say, that consumed so much of my life and thought in May. Even though I didn't do that much actual working time, I suddenly felt the urgent need to fit a whole summer of productivity (teachers know what I mean) into 2 weeks. Add in getting us ready for our big trip and it was not the deck-sitting, book-reading time I anticipated. But it was a good month.
And speaking of that big trip, we just got back on Thursday! Hence, this delayed monthly recap post. We spent 12 days away from home, which might be a record for us (outside of time with parents). We hit NYC, Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, and a bunch of small towns in Tuscany. It was an amazing trip and we came home utterly exhausted, but so happy. If there's interest, I may do a post here recapping our trip a bit. Otherwise, I have just a few posts on Instagram.
The great thing about the trip is it gave me dedicated reading time like I haven't had in ages. Planes and trains ferried us around the world and afforded me hours to indulge. I set aside most of the heavier reading I've been doing this year and just read fun stuff. I can't wait to share it with you in the upcoming weeks.
For today, the lists below are short, but a good reflection of time spent elsewhere last month.
May News
I don't know where to start today. There's so much to share! First of all, let me acknowledge the weird blog schedule for the last month. I barely posted at all in May. I had a massive reading slump this spring. Compile that with a slow reading year in general and I just didn't have enough content to post on a regular basis. So, I gave myself three weeks off and just didn't worry about it (much). Plus, the slow May I had planned where I would lounge around and read books was suddenly...not that.
Why not, you ask? Well, I got a job!
Today is actually my very first full-time day in the office, but I did several training days in May so that I could hit the ground running. I'm no longer teaching, which is a big switch for me. However, I've remained in the higher ed world and joined a consulting firm which works with mainly private colleges and universities. The firm offers consulting on a range of issues from enrollment management to student success to campus planning and architecture. I'm working as a Project Manager and will be mainly focused on projects we do with faith-based schools. From the moment I read the job description, I knew it was going to be a great fit. I'm so excited to be starting a new chapter professionally. This has been a long time coming.
Suffice it to say, that consumed so much of my life and thought in May. Even though I didn't do that much actual working time, I suddenly felt the urgent need to fit a whole summer of productivity (teachers know what I mean) into 2 weeks. Add in getting us ready for our big trip and it was not the deck-sitting, book-reading time I anticipated. But it was a good month.
And speaking of that big trip, we just got back on Thursday! Hence, this delayed monthly recap post. We spent 12 days away from home, which might be a record for us (outside of time with parents). We hit NYC, Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, and a bunch of small towns in Tuscany. It was an amazing trip and we came home utterly exhausted, but so happy. If there's interest, I may do a post here recapping our trip a bit. Otherwise, I have just a few posts on Instagram.
The great thing about the trip is it gave me dedicated reading time like I haven't had in ages. Planes and trains ferried us around the world and afforded me hours to indulge. I set aside most of the heavier reading I've been doing this year and just read fun stuff. I can't wait to share it with you in the upcoming weeks.
For today, the lists below are short, but a good reflection of time spent elsewhere last month.
Books Reviewed
Books Read
- American War - Omar El Akkad
- The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
- Unbelievable - Katy Tur
- Cooking for Jeffrey - Ina Garten
- Good as Gone - Amy Gentry
- I Thought It Was Just Me - Brené Brown
- Sourdough - Robin Sloan
Pages Read: 2,212
Favorite Book Read: While The Hate U Give was really good, I have to go with I Thought It Was Just Me. Brené Brown is doing incredibly important work, though this is the first full book I've read by here. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest.
2018 Goals
- 1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book
I Thought It Was Just Me - Brené Brown - 1 Political of Issue-Driven Book
Unbelievable - Katy Tur - 1 Book Written by a Minority Author
American War - Omar El Akkad
The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
I also am trying to work my way through my TBR list. My goal is to get from 350 books on the list to 200. That means lowering that number by 13 in some form or fashion every month. Here's how that went this month:
- Books Read: 5
- Books Removed: 10
- Books Added: 1
- Total Count for the Month: -14
- Books Remaining on TBR: 271
Elsewhere Online...
This interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Bishop Michael Curry from after the royal wedding is great. I love knowing that the royal family is being spiritually advised by someone as on fire for Christ as Archbishop Welby.
Love this. Disney Princesses as Career Women.
Love this. Disney Princesses as Career Women.
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Today is a day of new beginnings. Summer months are our favorite around here and I'm sure this summer will be no exception. As excited as I am about the new job, it's going to be quite an adjustment transitioning back to 40+ hours a week. I'm not sure how, if at all, the new schedule will affect the blog, but I promise to keep you updated. In the mean time, find yourself a spot of sunshine and a good book and indulge in some summer yourself!
So proud of you! Congratulations on your new job and I hope to hear more about your amazing trip!
ReplyDelete-Natasha