Welcome to the Sunday Dish!

2021 was quite a year, huh? Better than 2020 but definitely not what we expected. But we’ve crossed the threshold into a brand new year, with a whole bunch of white space in front of us. Here’s hoping we can fill it up in ways that bring us great gulps of peace and rest and contentment.

Since I last posted here in this little blog, I’ve finished developmental edits on book #6 and am awaiting line edits. Line edits are such a tangle of grammar and inconsistencies and wanting to plant my forehead on my keyboard. Why? Because Julee, the line editor I usually work with, is so darn good! She catches every single mistake, whether it’s eye color, grammar (for instance, I always get lay/laid/lain wrong), or fact. I pride myself on turning in really clean manuscripts, but I’m still so grateful Julee is there to show me where I’ve made mistakes. (**Hopefully very soon I’ll have a cover + title to share with you!)

What I fell asleep reading last night…

This is the book I have reread the most often. We’re talking five or six times. I read it randomly throughout 2021, picking it up between other books and reading a few chapters. In December I started reading it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it a day after Christmas and was sad to see it end…again. Every time I pick it up, it’s like I’m sitting down with old friends. Like the best warm blanket or a delicious cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie.

Book I have my eye on…

Usually I point out a book that hasn’t yet been released, but I just heard about this book, The Paris Library, from a friend the other day and I’m looking forward to reading it. I don’t read too many WWII books anymore–I overdid it a few years ago, and honestly, there are so many now, they can sometimes run together for me. But I love the library aspect of this one. Having never had a war fought in our country (a modern war, anyway), it’s hard to fathom how it could touch absolutely every single aspect of life, including libraries. And I always love a dual timeline story, and one that has the older woman + younger woman friendship.

A link or two…

• Some of the words on this list of most mispronounced words of 2021 made me laugh. (Sidenote: I come from a family of avid tennis watchers. Every time I see the name Tsitsipas, I think “Tsetse fly.”)
• Britannica took a massive plunge in decreeing the twelve greatest books ever written. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Is there another novel you think should have made the list?
• I finished Virgin River (three seasons) over the break and I have many thoughts! This is a pretty good rundown of the main characters on the show. If you’ve watched it all, leave me a comment below and let me know how you feel about them–who are your faves? And who do you wish would exit stage right? (Just don’t leave any spoilers for those who may not have finished watching yet!)

 

Coming soon on the blog…

If you type “Bookish People” into the search box along the side of the blog, you’ll find a handful of interviews I did with authors a few years ago. Bookish People took a hiatus, but I am ready to bring it back! So if all goes well, starting next month I’ll have an interview roughly once a month featuring an author with a new release coming soon (or out recently.) It’s a hodgepodge of questions, and I always love getting to know authors a little better. I hope you enjoy them too–keep checking back here (or subscribe to the blog to get it in your inbox!)

 

That’s it from me! I hope your new year has started off on the right foot!