In Episode 8 (the episode in which I have a really bad cold and don’t sound like myself!), Carla from @happiestwhenreading and I talk fitting in reading amongst our mom activities, reading goals, and tracking your reading!

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Highlights

• How we read so much as stay-at-home moms.
• Carla’s finicky relationship with e-books…and, the only time Sarah reads hard copy books.
• Why Sarah didn’t set a quantity-based reading goal for 2019.
• The difference between achieving your reading goals and being happy with your reading.
• Setting a reading quantity goal that feels right for you.
• Tracking the publishers you have the most success with (and our top publishers).
• Tracking your recommendation sources.
• Carla’s 2 big 2019 reading goals.
• Our mutual love of dark, gut-punching books.

Carla’s Book Recommendations

Two OLD Books She Loves

• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi | Buy from Amazon [19:19]
• Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:30]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• The Road Beyond Ruinby Gemma Liviero | Buy from Amazon [28:38]
• The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye | Buy from Amazon [31:30]

One Book She Didn’t Love

• Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [35:12]

One Upcoming Release She’s Excited About

• When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton (Release Date: April 9, 2019) | Buy from Amazon [37:10]

Other Books Mentioned

• Becoming by Michelle Obama | Buy from Amazon [16:55]
• The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [17:37]
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [21:57]
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [31:07]
• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn | Buy from Amazon [31:07]
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr | Buy from Amazon [31:07]
• The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [33:20]
• Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden | Buy from Amazon [36:23]
• Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton | Buy from Amazon [37:21]
• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed | Buy from Amazon [42:13]
• From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [42:39]
• Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan | Buy from Amazon [42:57]
• Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling | Buy from Amazon [43:05]
• Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo | Buy from Amazon [43:22]
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [43:49]

Other Links

• Sarah’s 2018 Reading Stats
• Sarah’s 2019 Rock Your Reading Tracker – available for $14.99
• Mash Reads Podcast interview with Yaa Gyasi
• The Readerly Report Podcast’s Waiting for Eden book club discussion
• Dear Sugar podcast

About Carla

Blog | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter 

As a stay-at-home mama to two “tween” kids, I finally have more time to dedicate to reading. I have loved getting back into a passion of mine that I’ve had since I was a small girl. But sadly, what I quickly came to realize is that I really don’t have a lot of local reading friends. As a way to connect with others who love to read just as much as I do, I started my “Bookstagram” account (@happiestwhenreading). This community has given me a place to engage in bookish conversations, and I can truly say I have made so many online friendships that I’m truly grateful to have.

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