January and February 2023 Reading Roundup

So far, in January and February of 2023, I've read far more than in the same time period the prior few years! 

In part, I've been making a conscious choice to sit down with a book instead of mindlessly scrolling or watching TV. I've also just been far less stressed than in the last few years, so it's been more natural to pick up a book without having to make a conscious effort. 

Links within the body of this post are affiliate links for Bookshop.org. Links at the end of the post are from Amazon.com. Either way, these may result in a small commission for me if you make purchases through these links. Thank you in advance!

In January, I finished:

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (American fiction)
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (non-fiction; memoir; autobiography; poetry)

In February, I finished:

• Cold by Mariko Tamaki (young adult fiction; murder mystery)
• The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (Contemporary British fiction; chick lit; Rom-Com; lighthearted and sweet)
• Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan (Contemporary American fiction; psychological thriller; family and friend relationships; near future climate crisis)

As of this writing -- the second to last day of February -- I am currently working my way through:

• No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib (Contemporary fiction; dramatic and tense but EXCELLENT)
• The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (Contemporary Swedish fiction; humorous)
• Animal Farm by George Orwell (Fiction; satire)

I have several other books in progress from months past, but these three are at the top of my list.

So far, the best book I've read in 2023 is Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan. Whoa! This book is tense, but I could not put it down! The book takes place in the near future amid a growing climate crisis that is making life nearly unbearable in what is an otherwise very typical suburban United States neighborhood. As the story unfolds, we see relationships  shift between a group of neighbors and their children. The kids are growing up and shifting allegiances. The parents are mostly trying to hold their lives and families together with varying degrees of success. Ultimately, everything unravels when one of the kids disappears into a sink hole. Cracks in all of the relationships -- family units, friends, and so on -- begin to form and unthinkable acts of violence occur under the cover of darkness. Although this was a devastating story, it was also exceptionally written and I highly recommend it.

What has been your best read so far in 2023?

2022 Reading Roundup and Looking Forward, Across 2023

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. If you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission -- thank you in advance.

I did a terrible job at blogging in 2021 and 2022, didn't I? I posted three times in 2021 and not at all in 2022! Those two years were whirlwinds, and not just because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Throughout a large portion of that time span, I was temporary guardian to one of my tutoring students and foster mom to his brother. I won't be going into the details other than to say that I was exceptionally busy and there were some extreme ups and downs.

Both boys have since been reunified with their mom and I'm getting back into the swing of life.

I'm looking forward to finishing some books that I have had in progress for a while and to move on to new (to me) books!

As we cross from 2022 into 2023, I decided to set up a new spread in my reading journal -- I'm working on a video about the process, but for the time being, you'll have to settle for this blog post.

After some decorative stamping, stickering, and gluing down of vintage Richard Scarry bookish illustrations, I wrote out all of the books I had started in 2022 but did not finish -- though I realized I missed a book and wrote it in afterwards. As you can see from this photo, I also color coded the books on the left edge of the pages. The color code prioritizes the books in the order I would like to read them and follows rainbow order with pink substituting for purple (because that's what was in the pencil set I used).

RED -- FIRST PRIORITY:

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• We are Called to be a Movement by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
• Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
• Fermenting by Asa Simonsson
• Local Dirt by Andrea Bemis
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

ORANGE -- SECOND PRIORITY:

• Conscious Creativity by Philippa Stanton
• Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty
• The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window by Jonas Jonasson

YELLOW -- THIRD PRIORITY:

• Looking at Mindfulness by Christophe Andre
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

GREEN -- FOURTH PRIORITY:

• There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk
• Wild Embers by Nikita Gill

BLUE -- FIFTH PRIORITY:

• An Alter in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor
• Hawk of the Mind by Yang Mu
• The Armillary Sphere by Ann Hudson

PINK -- LAST PRIORITY:

• God and Guns in America by Michael W. Austin
• Life Among the Terranauts by Caitlin Horrocks
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The order in which I would like to finish these was a combination of things I need to finish for my tutoring practice, items due back at the library soon, items already returned to the library that I would like to eventually finish, books I'd like to finish but am not feeling a huge pull to do so immediately, and a few other less specific criteria.

And, of course, I already have started a new book for 2023:

• A Girl Called Jack by Jack Monroe

Of the books on my list which have you read? Which do you want to read? When I finish this list, what should I read next?

BOOK REVIEW: Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Know My Name by Chanel Miller was by far the best book I read in 2020 (followed closely by Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi). Miller's book is a memoir about her experience as a sexual assault survivor, including the attack, the court case that followed, and rebuilding her life after physical, emotional, and mental trauma. 

I particularly enjoyed Miller's ability to weave memories of earlier times in her life into her telling of what happened to her. She is a master story teller, even when it comes to the awful, most horrifying bits. Miller's memoir is filled with both vulnerability and strength. At times I found myself openly weeping and crying while at other times I cheered and smiled large at her ability to find joy amid the depths of despair. 

After being attacked by Brock Turner on the Stanford University campus in 2015, Miller sunk into a deep depression that was only made worse through the madness of the criminal justice system. Instead, however, she fought her way back to herself and rebuilt her life. It is clear from her memoir though, that this also entailed dealing with long lasting trauma that may follow her and inform her choices and thoughts and overall being for the rest of her life. She chose over and over to not give in. She chose over and over to experience life and explore her interests. That's not to say it was easy and that's not to say she didn't go through periods where she did want to give up, where she did succumb to her fears and dark thoughts. But, she always climbed back out of the depths. 

Included in the memoir is Miller's victim impact statement which is a masterpiece that no one should ever have to write. It is a masterclass in how not to rape, how not to assault, how not to behave, how not to treat others. 

Miller's assault was not that long ago, but I am sure it will have a lasting ripple effect on her life, the lives of her sister and parents, on her friends, and others. I'm sure the intensity has and will continue to dial down over time, but the assault and all that came with it will always still be there, like a little grain of something in their shoes that they forgot about for the longest time. Then it shifts, and they feel it with every step until they try to remove it, but can't find it. It shifts again and they move on and don't feel it -- even forget about it again until, one day, there it is yet again. 

Every now and then Miller's attacker comes up in the news and do not feel a single bit sorry for him when the news is related to him having a hard time in life. He brought that upon himself. 

Rather than rewrite things I've already written, the rest of this post is primarily from comments I made in a small book group myself and three good friends read Know My Name. I've only edited a little bit for clarity and length. 

This was such a hard book to read, but I'm so glad that I did! I'm so glad I bought it instead of getting it from the library. I'll read it again, but not anytime soon. I know I'll recommend it to many people in years to come too. 

I'm struck by similarities with the Netflix short series "Unbelievable" which is excellent and based on real rape cases near Seattle and in Colorado. In both Miller's book and the Netflix show, there seems to be a clear division in the way men handled and treated victims compared to how women responded. There are some women who will take the "what were you wearing/doing/drinking" or "you should have kept your legs closed" stance and also some women who get embarrassed or don't want to to be involved in such intimate invasions, but I see it far more in men both in media and in life. It's unfortunate since men can be excellent allies -- and they aren't exempt from being victims as well. 

Women are constantly held to double standards from birth and both Miller's book and "Unbelievable" highlight that fact. As I was finishing Know My Name, I also was reading the poetry collection Wild Embers by Nikita Gill which was the perfect compliment to Miller's memoir. The poems feature themes about the double standards women are held to, about boys and men being given a pass for bad behavior because of the idea that "boys will boys", and how women are forced into the defensive position when we deserve to stand strong and not to be subjected to abuse. 

I loved Miller's book (and "Unbelievable" and Wild Embers), but it provokes a strong emotional response as a reader and was difficult, at times, as a result. I was struck by Miller's ability to create vivid images and to craft metaphors while mining the depths of her memories and lived experiences to create context, emotions, and so on.

I hope you'll consider reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I think about it regularly even though it's been months since I read it. 

You can buy a copy of Know My Name on Bookshop HERE.

Or find it on Amazon HERE. 

Or look for it at your local library. 

As of my writing this, "Unbelievable" is available on Netflix HERE.

You can find Wild Embers by Nikita Gill on Bookshop HERE.

Or on Amazon HERE.

Or try your local library.

Please note: links may be affiliate in nature. Making purchases through such links may result in a small commission to me at no cost to you. Thank you in advance. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

In 2021, I'm participating in a children's literature reading challenge hosted by Mrs. Sarah Collier of Belle's Library and the Victorian Letter Writers Guild. 

Portions of this post also appear on my parenting blog: Mom2MomED

in a post called 7 Ways to Use The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.

Read the full post HERE.

My inaugural book for the Children's Literature Challenge is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. My child (now an adult) and I first received this book as a gift from my mother several years ago when my kiddo was still quite young. 

On my parenting blog, I share 7 ways to use this book with your children (read the post HERE), but in this post, I am going to focus more on the book itself. I mean, look at these illustrations? The book is GORGEOUS!

My mom was a kindergarten teacher and bought many beautiful books for my child over the years, but The Kissing Hand is one that we returned to over and over. The story and premise are pretty simple but also familiar to pretty much every parent ever -- a child is scared and nervous about going to school for the first time and the parent tries to find a way to make it ok. In this case, mama racoon helps her child to overcome fear and anxiety by kissing the child's palm as a reminder that she's always there even if she's not physically present. 

The Kissing Hand was instrumental in helping my child and I adjust to the emotional turmoil that comes with going back and forth between divorced parents (read about my suggested books for divorce HERE). Although the book is the story of a child going to school for the first time, it easily is applied to any form of temporary separation between parent and child.

I loved reading through this book again and thinking about my mom -- she has dementia, but she still loves a kiss from one of her children or grandchildren -- and my child, now an adult. The story is lovely and the illustrations are beautiful. The animals, trees, and other aspects of nature are beautifully rendered throughout. 

Over the years, I've bought copies of The Kissing Hand for friends navigating divorce with young children and many have started their own kissing hand traditions to help their children navigate going back and forth between parents' homes.  

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn and illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak, is such a lovely and sweet book. I hope you'll pick up a copy for a child in your life.  

Grab a copy on Bookshop HERE.

Grab a copy from Amazon HERE.

Or, hit up your local library.

This post may include affiliate links ~*~ making a purchase through these links may result in a small commission to me at no cost to you. Thank you in advance. 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin ~*~ Chapter 1: January

In my last post, I wrote about setting up my reading journal for 2021 and the books I planned to read in January. To be honest, I thought by January 9th, I'd have read a lot more than I actually have, but life gets in the way, right?

That said, it's not like I've done no reading at all. I've made much progress in two books not on my January 2021 plan but which I'd started previously and just hadn't finished yet -- The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. And, I added two books that aren't on my original January list: The Odyssey by Homer (Robert Fitzgerald translation) and Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

I'd started Crooked Kingdom quite some time ago and have been reading it in fits and starts -- I'm enjoying it, but I'm not so fully captivated that I feel compelled to read it quickly. The Chemistry of Tears was given to me by a friend on Christmas Eve and I do love it, but I've had competing interests and general life ups and downs to contend with.

Then, I suddenly had a surge in tutoring requests for literature and composition. Thus Catcher in the Rye and The Odyssey were suddenly on my list -- I always read books following my students' course reading schedules so that I can best advise them in their studies. Not only that, but I have another student starting The Odyssey this week (hopefully the same version as the first student, but we'll see!).

But, let's switch it up and talk about The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. 

I've read Rubin's book a couple of times and the new year seemed like the perfect time to start since the structure of the book follows the months of the year. The topic -- The Happiness Project -- should make it pretty obvious what the book is about: a project undertaken by Rubin to increase the amount of happiness in her life. Each month, she tackled a different theme or idea.

So, let's dig into January.

In the book, Rubin's themes for January are vitality and boosting energy. She also sets some specific goals for the month:

• Go to sleep earlier
• Exercise better/more
• Organize and declutter
• Take care of a nagging task
• Act more energetic

Rubin delves into the science behind why some of these can improve one's life, but she also talks about her own successes and failures in tackling each item on the list.

For myself, I'm a night owl and have a really hard time getting to bed at an hour that anyone might consider reasonable. My goal has been 3am for a long time, but I'm trying to be ASLEEP by 2am. With increasing requests for tutoring by students in several time zones, I find it helpful to go to sleep and wake up earlier. So far, I'm only doing so-so in this area. The only time it wasn't a struggle were all the years I worked night shift in hospitals.

As for exercising better and more, my kid and I have made it a point to get out and take regular walks -- usually four to five per week, weather permitting. We've been gradually increasing our distance and we both have noticed the benefits to our mental AND physical health. At some point, I'd really like to get back into bicycling and swimming, but the weather right now isn't my favorite for cycling and I'm waiting until Covid-19 is better under control before I head to a pool again.

When it comes to organizing and decluttering (Rubin's actual bullet point is "Toss, restore, organize"), I'm a natural, but Covid-19 and inheriting all of my uncle's stuff when he died, as well as all of his best friend's stuff (a story for another time), has overwhelmed me and resulted in tons of clutter and stuff to toss or restore or organize! Thankfully two friends are doing a lot of decluttering and organizing right now, so we've been able to hold each other accountable. We've all been getting a ton taken care of! With regard to the "restore" piece -- I've always checked our laundry as I sort it or fold it, and I pull out items that need repairs. Right now, I have two shirts with tiny holes that I'll repair (or restore). 

As for tackle a nagging task, well, January is pretty much the perfect time to start working on taxes, right? Yep, that's what I'm tackling. Ick... But, I know the sooner it's done, the happier I'll be!

And, acting more energetic...I'm naturally a low energy, shy, introvert (note: not all introverts are shy, but I am). As my tutoring student requests are rising and I'm taking on more students, I've found myself having to act more energetic, upbeat, and extroverted than I really am. All three of the students I've met with in the past week have commented on how upbeat and energetic I seem to be and how they like it! But, as a hardcore introvert with a shy streak, you can bet I need a few hours after each session to decompress!

I plan to come back every month to review my reading of that month's chapter in The Happiness Project and how it relates to my own life. Have you read it? What did you think? 

Grab a copy of The Happiness Project:

On Bookshop HERE.

On Amazon HERE.

Or at your local independent bookshop or library.

Learn more about my January 2021 reading list in THIS blog post or buy books from the list at Bookshop HERE.

And, if you or your child are in need of a literature or writing tutor (or both), you can find more information about my tutoring practice and offerings HERE.

2021 Reading Plans and Setting Up My Reading Journal

I have ambitious reading plans for 2021.

Like many, the chaos and never endingness at the beginning of the pandemic and the impacts on all aspects of life left me feeling sluggish and unable to concentrate long enough to read. However, in June I started to create some routines around reading which I wrote about HERE, and I've been able to get back into the habit. 

My reading slowed down again -- actually almost stopped -- in October and the first half of November with all of the uncertainty of the US Presidential election, but I ramped way back up in mid-November and am almost at my pre-pandemic reading rates. 

For 2021, I decided I would set some goals and themes for the year and that I would set up a reading journal.

For the journal, I selected a notebook from my vast collection and decorated it with some stamp pads from Ranger and Hero Arts and stamps from Studio Calico, Hero Arts, and elsewhere. It was so much fun! I know that this journal will keep me inspired to read throughout the year. 

Once the stamping was done, I planned out what I hope to read in January. A few books will be read a little bit at a time over the course of the year while others will be read just like any other book I might read for pleasure. 

In 2020, I had originally planned to take part in a challenge to read all of William Shakespeare's works in a single year as part of a project that you can learn more about HERE, but the pandemic derailed that pretty fast. I'm committing to the challenge for 2021. I'm also joining a reading challenge focused on reading children's books, and I'll be reading at least two poetry collections per month, as well as doing some normal pleasure reading.

I have ambitious plans for my 2021 reading. Here's what's on deck for January:

Shakespeare: 

• Twelfth Night
• Henry VI, Parts I, II, III

Bill Bryson's The World As Stage (all about Shakespeare)

Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project -- to be read one chapter per month (each chapter corresponds to the months of the year)

• Chapter 1: January -- Boost Energy, Vitality (read about it HERE)

Children's books:

• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (read my review HERE)
• The Dragons are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky
• Let's be Enemies by Janice May Udry
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths -- to be read in segments over the course of the year:

• In Olden Times, Gaea, The Titans
• Zeus and his Family
• Hera
• Hephaestus

Blueprint for Revolution by Srdja Popovic -- already started and will be reading chapters 5 through 11

The Black Painting by Neil Olson

Poetry:

• Blood Oranges by Dylan Brennan
• Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen

Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate -- to be read one chapter/essay per week over the course of the year

• Chapter 1: The Cliffs Notes Version of My Life
• Chapter 2: How We Knew
• Chapter 3: A Question of Fate
• Chapter 4: Faith

Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet -- to be read one letter per week

• Letter One
• Letter Two
• Letter Three
• Letter Four

Drop a comment and tell me about something ambitious you have planned for 2021!

Want to read along? You can find all of the books above (where possible) on Bookshop in the USA HERE. I like Bookshop because you can support independent booksellers and readers more easily and directly than through Amazon, but Bookshop does have limits, including much smaller inventories than Amazon and lack of overseas availability.

These books are not available via Bookshop as of this writing:

• You can find Blood Oranges by Dylan Brennan on Amazon Kindle HERE.
• Let's Be Enemies by Janice May Udry on Amazon HERE.

Want to try to recreate my stamping project? You can find these supplies on Amazon:

• Ranger Archival Black stamping pad
• Hero Arts Lemon Yellow stamping pad (I used sunflower yellow but could not find it on Amazon)
• Stamping blocks 
• Dandelion stamp from Hero Arts (I couldn't find the exact one I used in this project, but I also have this one and love it!)
• The Studio Calico stamp set I used is sold out everywhere, but THIS stamp set is pretty cute!
• As far as notebooks, I suggest you find and use any notebook that you think will bring you joy every time you open it.

Please note: Links may be affiliate in nature. Making purchases through these links may result in a small commission on my end at no additional cost to you. Thank you in advance!

3 books to help your kids (and you) cope with divorce

Please note, this is cross posted at my parenting and education blog, Mom2MomEd.

 

Divorce isn't easy for anyone, but it can be especially hard for our children who may not have the maturity or vocabulary to understand or talk about what is happening in their family. It is hard for kids who may feel insecure, who may worry that they are unloved, who may think the divorce is their fault. 

 

It's obviously hard for parents too. 

 

And, the difficulties on both sides -- parent and child -- can make talking about divorce and making your and their way through it difficult. Books can help. 

 

My son was 4 years old when his father and I separated, and it was hard on all of us, but especially on JP. My priority was making sure that he understood that he was loved and wanted and that he had a safe way to explore and express his feelings. I spent a few hours at my local bookstore, looking at children's books about divorce and changing families and brought home the following books -- the first two are specifically for children and the third is for parents.

 

I will be honest, my son wasn't always in the mood to have these books read to him or to read them with me. Sometimes he was just mad and wanted to stomp around and be angry or to curl up in a ball and cry. But, I would calmly remind him, "Hey, I know you don't want to read these books right now, but I also know that when we do read them together, you always end up feeling better. You start smiling and relaxing and we can talk about what you're feeling and thinking about afterwards. It's OK if you just want to curl up in a ball while I read to you, or I can rub your back, or you can pace around and just listen."

 

Most of the time, he'd curl up next to me or in my lap or he'd want me to rub his back while we read, and almost every time, he would feel better -- and he'd recognize that too. We read each of these books dozens of times from the time he was 4 years old until about 7 years old, and they truly helped both of us to navigate difficult emotions and conversations.

 

If your family is going through divorce or separation or you know a family that is, I hope these books will help you or them too. 

My Family's Changing: A First Look at Family Break-Up by Pat Thomas and Lesley Harker

 

This sweet book combines a story with discussion prompts. You can read it straight through as just a story, you can stop at each discussion prompt as you go, or you can stop at one discussion prompt and set the book aside while you talk things through.

 

The illustrations combined with the story and the prompts helped my son to feel like he was seen and heard amidst the grown up problems. The prompts are especially great if you aren't sure how to talk to your child about divorce or a family break up. 

 

There's an entire range of books in the series from topics such as family dynamics to bullying to inclusion and diversity and more. 

• Buy My Family's Changing on Bookshop HERE.
• Buy My Family's Changing on Amazon HERE.
  

 

Dinosaurs Divorce by Marc Brown and Laurie Krasny Brown

 

Like My Family's Changing, Dinosaurs Divorce helps kids navigate the ups and downs and new normal of divorce and changing families. And, if the dinosaurs look somewhat familiar, it's because Marc Brown is also responsible for the Arthur books and cartoon series. Of all the books we had about divorce -- and we had many -- this is the one we read the most.

 

My son particularly liked this book over the others because of the dinosaurs. I think it was easier for him to view divorce through the lens of a non-human character and it was easier to approach a very real and difficult topic through very unreal/non-human characters. Children live in a magical space between reality and make believe, and they often use make believe to sort out their feelings about very real problems. Using dinosaurs in place of humans is a great way to help ease kids through such a difficult experience.

 

Also like My Family's Changing, Dinosaurs Divorce is part of a larger series of books that tackle numerous topics. One of the most popular other books in the series is When Dinosaurs Die. 

• Buy Dinosaurs Divorce on Bookshop HERE.
• Buy Dinosaurs Divorce on Amazon HERE.
  

Mom's House, Dad's House by Isolina Ricci

 

This book is for the adults in a child's life, but it will help you manage your own way through the divorce or separation in a way that supports your child. 

 

One of the reasons I love this book is that it doesn't assume anything is one parent or the others fault. In fact, it offers suggestions and analysis for self-reflection to look at your own behavior and thoughts as both a parent and a divorcing or separating adult and think, "Is this thought or behavior reasonable or am I the problem in this situation?" Ricci also gives many ideas and tips and thoughtful suggestions for how to talk to children and how to work with the other parent or guardian.

Ricci's book helped me to navigate disruptive issues with my son's father and to set firm boundaries during a difficult situation. It gave me a framework for sorting out what I needed as a half of a divorcing couple but also what my son needed and how to best show up for him. It helped me to see both sides of the divorce and gave me many excellent ideas and tips to consider when it came to the overall situation, as well as for specific situations and for sorting out a parenting and custody plan. The book gave me a vocabulary to use and a way to look at things more objectively. 

I truly believe Ricci's book helped me to navigate what was best for my son, even when that sometimes conflicted with what I wanted for myself.

 

There's also a kids version of Mom's House, Dad's House by Isolina Ricci, but I have not read it or reviewed it. Have you?

• Buy Mom's House, Dad's House on Bookshop HERE and the kids version HERE.
• Buy Mom's House, Dad's House on Amazon HERE and the kids version HERE.
  

There are many, many books about divorce for parents and children, but time and time again I am led to believe these three are the best. What books do you think divorcing or separating couples should read? How about kids stuck in the middle?

Please note: links may be affiliate in nature. Making purchases through these links may result in a small commission to us at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance!

 

REVIEW: The Antiquarian Sticker Book -- Over 1,000 Exquisite Victorian Stickers

This certainly is not my normal book review! I never expected to review a sticker book, but this one -- The Antiquarian Sticker Book -- is fantastic!

Warning: this post is image heavy.

Even though I'm a middle aged woman, I still love stickers. I still get that school child jolt of glee at opening up a new sticker pack and deciding where and how to use them. And, I still sometimes think some stickers are too precious to use and I want to save them instead.

As a child, most of my stickers were used fairly randomly and often were affixed to construction paper, my own skin (usually the back of my hands or my cheeks), or were attached to handmade cards -- I was very much a rule follower growing up (and still mostly am), and would not have dared to put a sticker on furniture, a book, or anything else that might be of value or ruined by the placement of a sticker. The last several years, most of my sticker using has been reserved for letters sent to pen pals or I have used them in my journal and planner spreads. And, of course, I have the obligatory vinyl sticker assortment on my laptop cover -- don't you?

Recently, I realized my sticker collection had outgrown the small drawer in which I contain it. As such, I culled several, sending many on to a friend that had recently mentioned a desire to use stickers in her planner, and then I used several to create a rainbow theme, inspired by the professional crafter, Amy Tangerine (professional crafter = #goals), in a notebook. Even with both of those purges of my sticker collection, I still have a TON, so I put myself on a sticker buying ban.

The rainbow sticker spread in my planner.

Then, the very next day, someone in a Facebook group I'm part of posted a picture of The Antiquarian Sticker Book! I was in awe of the amazing stickers between the covers -- more than 1,000 of them! They were just so beautiful that I ordered the book despite my sticker buying ban.

And, I love it! The stickers and the book as a whole are gorgeous, and I don't regret the purchase at all. Let's take a walk through some of the pages:

Front Cover: The Antiquarian Sticker Book

The book's end papers are gorgeous!

There are a few page where almost the entire page is one big sticker.

The peacock is my favorite sticker in the entire book!

The stickers are fairly low-tack, meaning they aren't super duper sticky. I tested one (a sticker of a spider since I am not a fan and can't see myself ever using the spider stickers...ewwwww!), and was pleased that it was tacky enough to stick to a piece of cardstock, but not so tacky that I couldn't easily lift and reposition it. If you need to ensure that the stickers stay stuck down, use your finger to rub across the surface. A painter once told me that the friction helps. I don't know if it's really the friction or heat generated or what, but the trick seems to work on stickers and washi tape. However, if I could see a need to apply glue to some stickers if the surfaces they are going on is not paper or if they application requires that the sticker be permanently affixed. This does not bother me at all as I often use extra adhesive on stickers anyhow when I craft or if I am applying the sticker to a letter that will be folded where I've placed the sticker.

After applying a sticker to this cardstock,
I as able to peel it up with minimal damage to either.

The way the book is structured, each page features stickers on one side and a decorative backing on the other side. The backing side is the same throughout, so although the book is 1 3/16" thick, excluding the front and back covers, only half of that is actually stickered pages. 

I love the cover of this book and the backing of each sticker page so much that I plan to repurpose the book as an art journal when the stickers are all gone -- I'll do art work and collages on the sticker side of each page.

Have you bought The Antiquarian Sticker Book? If so, leave a comment and tell me which sticker is your favorite and how you'll be using the stickers.

Don't have a copy? 

• You can buy the book on Bookshop HERE. 
  
• Or, buy it on Amazon HERE.

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