Julie A. Wallace

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Archives for January 2023

Year In Books 2023

One of my missions this year revolves around writing. And writing means books: writing the second draft of a book plus sharing the books I read through the year.

Yes, I’ve done the whole Good Reads annual reading challenges and I’ve shared Amazon links…but I felt something was missing from those.

Bookshop.org

And then I learned about Bookshop.org. This company “connects readers with independent booksellers all over the world. More specifically, they given over 80% of their profit margin to independent bookstores.

My local, independent bookstore is Sleepy Dog Books. The community-focused boutique bookstore opened in downtown Mount Pleasant last year. It’s been a pleasure to have a bookstore just a few blocks from my house.

Just before Christmas I walked in and asked for recommendations for gifts. The two recommendations ended up being some of my favorite books this year: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

I’m A Bookshop Affiliate

Once I learned about Bookshop and realized that I could get books and support my local bookstore (and walk in the bookstore, too) I jumped at the chance to be a Bookshop Affiliate.

For you, that means if you click through one of the links below and finalize a purchase, I earn a small commission. My affiliate store is also linked to Sleepy Dog, so some of that purchase will also benefit Sleepy Dog. (I’m not quite sure how all that works, it’s my first year doing this.)

(Disclosure: All of the links to books are Bookshop.org affiliate links. If you click through the link and finalize a purchase, I earn a commission.)

Bookshop Advantages and Disadvantages

The most obvious advantage is that any purchase from Bookshop helps me and my local, independent bookstore a little bit. It also helps keep dollars away from Amazon, which I contribute to enough over the year!

The biggest disadvantage I’ve found so far is that Bookshop doesn’t have the depth that Amazon or even Barnes and Noble has. For example, because I published my poetry book through Amazon KDP, it’s not available at Bookshop; maybe I should do something about that, right?

If it’s an older or out-of-print book, you may not find it at Bookshop because they (so far) don’t deal in used books. In turn that means you’re buying a new book which can be pricey at times.

Still, I feel the opportunity to support local, independent bookstores far outweighs the extra cost – especially when I’d buy the darned books anyway. This year, I’ll look to Bookshop first!

Favorite Books of 2022

Felt Like Visiting An Old Friend, ie, Honorable Mentions for 2022

  • A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear. Sigh, the Maisie Dobbs mystery series is fantastic.
  • The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham (great if you loved the first book or movie)
  • The INFJ Writer by Lauren Sapala
  • The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

All Books Read in 2022

Your Turn

What’s in your to-read stack for 2023? I’ve already worked my way through one book and am starting on another. I’ve found another interesting website to help track books (and I already have Good Reads and Library Thing;) so I think I’ll work on a comparison of the three sites.

What are you currently reading? What do I need to read?

Mission 2023

A woman stares at a paper map. She is sitting on a suitcase. The suitcase is in the middle of a deserted country road. The woman is contemplating where she will go next.

A year ago, I set forth on a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined. I supposed I conquered a few things last year, like the back yard. In 2023, I’m on a different quest.

It’s been tricky to narrow down what missions I want to make public. So this year, there are a few public goals, a few more secret goals, and some other odds and ends like a word for the year.

On to this year’s mission!

Move More Sit Less

I sit all day for work, then I stand and make dinner. Then I sit to eat dinner and I sit to read books. And sometimes I putter around my yard and call it gardening, but most of the time I sit.

This year I will move more and sit less. I got myself a FitBit Charge 5 and -to keep myself motivated – I signed up for three different Conqueror Virtual Challenges on a total whim. If I’m going to complete all 175 miles of these challenges by the end of the year, I’d better get moving!

All Things Writing

Last year I managed to finish the first draft of a novel. This year I want to finish the second draft. I also enjoyed posting twice a month here, so let’s see if I can meet or exceed that one in 2023.

Finish All The Projects

If you’ve owned a home, you know that the list of projects never end. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ll finish ALL of the projects. But this year, I’d like to knock a few of those things that I’ve been thinking about for a long time right off the list.

This mission has things like paint the bathroom, take the cardboard boxes in the garage to the recycling center, garage, work on Wallace genealogy, replace the shade in the kitchen window, and more.

Where I’ll find the time to finish the projects between working full time and writing a second draft and walking 175 miles and doing these secret things, I don’t know. But I sure would like to finish some of these projects.

Secret Things

There are a handful of other things I’m hoping will happen. I mean, one of them is definitely going to happen in April, but the others – I’m not too sure. So for right now, these stay secret.

Year In Books

I have enjoyed doing the Good Reads Reading Challenges, but this year, I just want to take it easy and report to you all what I’m reading. More on this in another post later this month.

Word of the Year

Action is the word of the year. I want to accomplish, do, go, make things happen. At least I want to do those things here on December 31, 2022. We’ll see how I feel in a few months on all that action.

Guiding Thought

As I went through the process of thinking about my mission for the year, the one thing that I kept returning to was: what was life like before the internet? Do more of that!

I remember life before the internet. It was so very, very different, and more simple. But with AI coming on full force (have you heard about the capabilities of ChatGPT?) it seems like the time to be less on a computer and more, well, away from the computer.

Of course, I’m also the person who will be writing the second draft of a novel this year, working in a tech job, and using apps to track walking 175 miles…

Quote of the Year

The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim. This is well within your power, whatever fate might have dealt you.”

Martha Beck

Have You Hear of The 20 Things 23 Times Challenge?

I only just learned about this “challenge” today – January 1, 2023. I’m adding it here to remind myself that there are other ways to do yearly missions. Here’s how this works:

  • Make a list of 20 things you want to do.
  • Do those things 23 times.
  • Think of things like make 23 new recipes, visit 23 new places in my city, write 23 poems, listen to 23 new podcasts, read 23 novels, try 23 new things, write 23 letters, bake 23 loaves of bread, play the piano 23 times, contact 23 genealogy DNA matches, eat at 23 new restaurants, say one kind thing to 23 strangers, 23 new drawings, and so on.
  • Next year make it 20 things 24 times.
  • And carry on through the years: 20 things 25 times, 20 things 26 times, 20 things 27 times.

Can’t say I’ll be doing 20 things 23 time times this year, but I love the idea and wanted to share.

Your Turn

What’s on your mission list this year?