Take a BREATH with BOOKS

/ roughwighting

orchid, vase, flowers, blogLet’s start with the Pretty Things of the past year. In January and February, most of us saw no Signs of what was to become. In fact, as 2020 began I hoped that love and kindness would become The Signature of All Things. 

February found me believing that I was at Such a Fun Age. I became The Sun Sister, jumping in the ocean with the humpback whales on The (Hawaiian) Island, staring in awe at The Starless Sea as my guy and I hiked cliffs and beaches. The near future was Hid from Our Eyes.

We have no Amateur Marriage, the two of us, but if I attended a Confession Club, I’d admit that romance is Tried & (Still) True. The Secrets We Kept on sustaining love include Songs of Heartstrings while treating every day together like  A Summer Affair, acting like Writers & Lovers who are The Giver of Stars to each other.

But I digress. In March as we began to Plunge back into the New England winter, I wanted to be a Runaway, feeling like The Only Woman in the Room who whined about the snow and the cold.

But then Undercurrents of an Indelible virus, a horrible virus, began to unravel, and we learned of Death in the Off Season. Could we be Castaways and become Escape Artists, returning to The Island where The Eternal Road of bliss never ends?

No, we were all stuck now in The Great Alone, unable to travel or hug our kids and grandkids, searching for Lifelines to friends and family through Zoom and Facetime. Fearfully, people whispered to each other:  All the Devils Are Here.

Scientists tried to put out Little Fires Everywhere. Politicians became Liars and Thieves as they admitted in surprise interviews:  “Do you want to know Everything I Never Told You”?  and continued, “We Lie, Lie Again.”

Nurses became The Accidental Beauty Queen in the eyes of Covid patients, and each day as infection numbers rose, it seemed like The Tiger Rising to snare us all.

The Covid virus was Born a Crime and stole our lives, literally and figuratively, for the rest of 2020. The Holidaze only spread the disease more, so that A Minute to Midnight on December 31, the world collectively held its Breath, hoping that we’d see a Long Bright River of hope arrive in 2021.

That is my Blueprint for this New Year. May we be open to Life After Life in a pandemic. May Mother Earth say to us: “I Owe You One,” and bring us health  with vaccinations as we proclaim The Testaments to each other – to the entire human race – that this year, we’ll be kinder, truer, and more loving as the world turns to A New Earth. books, reading, writing

My list of books in 2020 (in order of when read, favorites are with asterisk*); those in bold ital were used for this story. Here’s to more reading, and more hugging, in 2021.

Murder at the Bridewell, Ashley Weaver

*A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder, Dianne Freeman

The Starless Sea, Erin Morgenstern

*The Secrets We Kept, Lara Prescott

I Owe You One, Sophie Kinsella

Tried & (Still) True, Erik Tyler

*The Testaments, Margaret Atwood

Undercurrents, Nora Roberts

On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan

A Minute to Midnight, David Baldacci

*Be My Valencrime, Amy Reade

Sisterland, Curtis Sittenfeld

Long Bright River, Liz Moore

The Authenticity Project, Clare Pooley

*Summer of ’69, Elin Hilderbrand

*Songs of Heartstrings, Miriam Hurtle

The Great Alone, Kristen Hannah

The Austen Escape, Katherine Reay

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, Kate Racculia

*Blueprints, Barbara Delinsky

The Boy from the Woods, Harlen Coban

he Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo

*Death at La Fenice, Donna Leon

*Lifelines, Sue Vincent

*The Peacock Emporium, Jojo Moyes

*Olive, Again, Elizabeth Strout

*The Other Woman, Daniel Silva

Flora & Ulysses, Kate DeCamillo

Waiting for Tom Hanks, Kerry Winfrey

Runaway, Harlan Coban

*Hid from Our Eyes, Julia Spencer-Fleming

*Born a Crime, Trevor Noah

The Tiger Rising, Kate DiCamillo

*A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle

Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert

Cape May Mystery, Amy Reade

Meg and Jo, Virginia Kantra

*Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng

Camino Island, John Grisham

*Indelible, Laurie Buchanan

*The Red Lotus, Chris Bohjalian

The Accidental Beauty Queen, Teri Wilson

Clammed Up, Barbara Ross

Breath, James Nestor

28 Summers, Elin Hilderbrand

Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid

The Island, Elin Hilderbrand

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing, Allison Winn Scotch

*The Giver of Stars, JoJo Moyes

Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng

Boiled Over (A Maine Clambake Mystery, #2), Barbara Ross

*The Sun Sister, Lucinda Riley

*The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi

A Summer Affair, Elin Hilderbrand

Writers & Lovers, Lily King

The Book of Lost Friends, Lisa Wingate

*Life After Life, Raymond Moody

*The Eternal Road, John Howell

*Liars and Thieves, D. Wallace Peach

*The Amateur Marriage, Anne Tyler R

The Escape Artist. Diane Chamberlain

*Big Summer, Jennifer Weiner

Little Tin Heart, Suzy T. Kane

*All the Devils Are Here, Louise Penny

*A Home for Her Daughter, Jill Weatherholt

Ghouls’ Night Out (Juniper Junction Holiday Mystery #4), Amy M. Reade

The Castaways, Elin Hilderbrand

Signs, Laura Lynn Jackson

Lady of the Lake, Laura Lippman

*The Only Woman in the Room, Marie Benedict

*Miriam’s Dive, Deborah E. Boyle

Holidaze, Christine Lauren

*Plunge, Liesbet Colleart

*The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

Pretty Things, Janelle Brown

*Santosha Saves Bedtime, Lauren Eastman

*The Confession Club, Elizabeth Berg

*The Elephant Company, Vicki Constantine Croke

*Death in the Off Season, Francine Mathews

Lie, Lie Again, Stacy Wise

*They Call Me Mom, Pete Springer

 

156 thoughts on “Take a BREATH with BOOKS”

  2. Hi, Pam – What an awesome way to share your books. I’ve read a few that you have mentioned here (Plunge, A Home for her Daughter, The Great Alone, Born a Crime, The Elephant Company). I also have two more on the top of my upcoming reading pile (All the Devils are Here, The Only Woman in the Room). Thank you for sharing these with us.

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  3. Pam, your year’s reading post is always a treat and delight and I never fail to be in awe at the creative presentation of the books! Are you sure you don’t write the post 1st January and then find books to fit the words! 😃😃 Some of my favourite authors featured including Gilbert, Tolle, Attwood, Moyes and lots of new ones for me to take a look at! I’m putting together a suggested reading list for a friend and you’ve given me a few more ideas! Happy Reading in 2021, my dear friend!! ❤️

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    • haha. I was surprised at how well the titles from my 2020 reading list matched the challenging/amazing/strange year. I’m also realizing the variety of titles, and how important it is for authors to come up with good ones. Please do share my list – that’s great!

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  4. Hi Pam, This was wonderful to wake up to this morning! You’ve given me an idea to list my books. Thank goodness my brain has rebooted. I am happy for this new year!

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  6. A wonderful way to present the books you have read during last year. My favourite was Jojo Moyes ‘The Giver of Stars’… much ❤ flowing to you, Pam. ❤

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    • I absolutely adored The Giver of Stars, Jane. I was surprised by it, because it was so different from Moyes other books. I love a book that is a page-turner but also teaches me so much about history that we all SHOULD know, but that was never taught in our schools.

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      • That’s what I found. A loving friend in America sent it to us and Mum read it first, then I did. As soon as I’d finished I sent it to my daughter. I learned so much from it and was rooting for the characters and it was a completely different book from others Moyes has written. We all loved it and didn’t want it to end. 💕

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        • I’ve just remembered, Pam. I so wanted to stay in East Kentucky I went on to find the series Justified on Amazon. Completely different, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the people and places after finishing the book. 💕

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  7. Thank you so much for keeping track of all your books, starring the ones you liked, and sharing them here. Can’t wait to explore! I’m suspecting there’s a gold mine here. 😁

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  11. Lately, I’ve read many lists of what bloggers read in 2020, but yours is the most creative I’ve seen thus far. This is terrific, Pam! I’ve read and enjoyrf quite a few on your list, but now you’ve added a few more to my TBR pile. Thanks for the shout out! I’m so happy you enjoyed A Home for Her Daughter. Happy New Year! xo

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    • Writing this post annual is much fun for me, Jill. It’s like a BOOK TITILE puzzle. I never know how it will turn out, or even what the theme will be. The titles lead me. This has been such a challenging year, as evidenced by the titles, and we need books like yours – sweet romance laced with reality of relationship struggles. In another words – we ALL need feel-good books right now!

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    • I “discovered” Louise Penney years ago when visiting a small independent bookstore in New Hampshire, where they were highlighting her first book, STILL LIFE. My guy and I became fans immediately and have read each one of Penny’s books as soon as they are published. So glad you’re binge reading them now. ❤ to Gamache!

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  13. A capital accomplishment – so many books and so cleverly displayed here in your nifty narrative. I’m glad you enjoyed Such a Fun Age. Olive, Again, and Plunge, Liesbet’s memoir I’ll feature this month on my blog.

    Maybe I need to move to Boston to read more book. So many distractions in the warmer clime where I live – ha!

    I’m envious that you’ve read Indelible, I suppose as an advance reader. I do have the book on pre-order. Indeed, you and I cannot live without books!

    Once again, lovely, creatively inspired post, dear Pam! 🙂

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    • We are so proud of LIesbet, aren’t we? We’ve followed her on her memoir-writing travels and travails, and I know you’ve been an excellent mentor. Plunge was even better than I expected, and I expected a good book. I “read” Olive, Again on Audibles while taking long walks in the summer. I confess, there were times other pedestrians looked at me weirdly because I was either laughing out loud, or walking with tears streaming down my face. Ah books, we cannot live (happily) without them. xo

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  14. An amazing list of books. I barely read any books in 2020, good intentions be darned. My focus was shot to heck by the stress of it all. Now that it’s a new year and there is hope on the horizon [Jan 20th] I’ll get back into it.

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    • I hope you pick up a good book on January 20 and find the love of reading again. I suggest any of the books I’ve asterisked here. 🙂 Let’s see, my first choices for you: The Giver of Stars (historical fiction set in Kentucky that is a fascinating page-turner of real-life women who helped others discover the beauty of book-reading; Plunge, a fascinating memoir of a woman who lives life as a great adventure every day (Liesbet has a terrific blog and her memoir is inspiring!); or maybe The Summer of ’69 for pure escapism. xo

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      • Thanks for recommending Plunge to Ally, Pam. As I was reading through the comments, her note made me think about Sue from Travel Tales of Life. She gave me the best comment ever (and mentioned it in her Goodreads review), how Plunge pulled her out of a funk of not enjoying reading anymore and how it made her enjoy that hobby again. That’s why writers write, right? To make a difference. 🙂

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  16. I love the creativity of your post while using book titles, Pam. I’ve read some of the same ones, and these brought back pleasant memories.

    If life were fair, then Mother Earth has a lot of explaining to do. Vaccines offer us hope, but I’m afraid our lives have been changed forever. Wishing you and your family the best in 2021!

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    • Lots of “explaining” to do, but to be honest, I’m afraid we humans may have made the mess ourselves.
      Please check – I’ve added your book to my 2020 list. I read it “under cover,” since it’s a xmas gift for friends who I haven’t been able to see yet to hand it to them, so I read it myself first. Felt guilty, And it happened just under the wire of 2020. 😉

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      • Thanks for that. I wrote it not to make money or become famous (yeah, like that’s going to happen) but because I wanted to give something back to a profession that had been so good to me.

        Now, it’s on to the world of writing middle-grade books for me. I’m excited for 2021.

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    • I don’t think some people realize how wonderful it is to “escape” into another world just by picking up a book (or listening to one). Although I find I escape more fully when I read then listen. Coban, Baldacci and Silva (and for more relational stories, HIlderbrand, Roberts, Delinsky, and Moyes) are excellent books to escape into. And Weatherholt books too, of course!

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  21. If you like book lists, here is one of a friend of ours. It just amazes me how many books she reads (every word??) in a year. She is an author, does her own photography that accompanies her blogs, a yoga enthusiast, a grandma and a traveler. Sounds quite exhausting. I don’t know if she still teaches creative writing also. She lives now on the East Coast with her husband.

    Enjoy or ignore at your leisure. H.

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  22. Each year I wait for this post because it’s one of the most imaginative, creative, and stunning posts of the previous twelve months. I’m always amazed at your reading list (and thank you so much for reading a few of mine and starring one!) and can only imagine what your beautiful mind does with all the words and images it sees and creates as you read. My husband is reading a book by Daniel Silva right now and really enjoying it, btw. I’m not sure if it’s the same one you read, but I need to start reading him, too.

    Lots of love and hopeful wishes for a happy 2021!

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    • Wow, thanks Amy. I share quotes with my creative writing students by other authors who say that it’s not possible to be a good writer unless you read, read, read. I do believe, as you infer here, that when we read, we gain more knowledge about how to dig deep into characters/settings/plots/use of rhetorical devices, etc., which we can then use in our own stories. But more importantly, as you show in your excellent book reviews each month, we just thoroughly enjoy escaping into the world of the book we’re reading.
      Daniel Silva is a master of the spy novel. I suggest you start with the first Gabriel Allon book (The Kill Artist) , and continue from there, since they do go in order.

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  25. What a clever way to show the books you’ve read! I see some good ones I’ve read too including, Eternal Road, Liars and Thieves, and Songs of the Heartstrings.
    I agree more reading and hugs.

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  33. I’m echoing what so many have said, but this is such a clever post. I loved it!
    Looks like a roundup of a lot of great books. I’ve read John Howell’s Eternal Road and D. Wallace Peach’s Liars and Thieves. Loved them both!

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  34. Wow, I never read anything like this before. You are brilliant. And, I’ve only read a few of the books you’ve mentioned. (I’m a big Kristin Hannah fan and she has a new book out in February The Four Winds and her Firefly Lane series will appear on Netflix) Hope 2021 is a new beginning and we treat each other with joy, kindness and compassion.

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    • Well, you just made me feel really good on a Monday, and that’s not easy. 🙂 I’ve read all of Kristin Hannah books and am looking forward to her new book. I didn’t know about her Firefly Lane being made into a Netflix movie. Can’t wait! Yes – to new beginnings – and lots of reading. xo

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    • I hope you chose some books that really put you in a comfy chair as you watch the snow fly outside, and help you escape into another world. Lots of the books listed here will help you do that. I know our tastes are similar, because both you and I absolutely adored Liesbet’s memoir. 🙂 ❤

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  36. Well done you!
    That’s quite a list of reading material.

    I expect I consumed something in the range of 50 books (and 50 movies) in 2020, but few of the titles/plots/characters stayed with me. Good distractions, though. 😆

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    • There is NO way I’d remember the books I read if I didn’t list them as soon as I finished them. 🙂 I don’t finish or include a book that I didn’t enjoy. I find that I learn something new/fascinating/helpful with each book I read, no matter the genre. 50 books are a lot, Nancy! I’d love to know your favorite ones…

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      • I read a book by Erin Hildebrand set on Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. And one by John Grisham. And two by Harlan Coban (Drop Shot and The Innocent). And one set in old Amsterdam about the wife of a merchant. And one set in a post Apocalypse world about a family fleeing from a gulag (of sorts). And one set in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country with a best-selling author, an agent, a literary professor, and some literary hopefuls, etc.

        But for the most part, the titles/plots/characters/authors didn’t stay with me.
        Is it me? Or is it them? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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            • I watched Cloud Atlas twice before tackling the book. That helped.

              Ithaca is a movie directed by Meg Ryan, based on the book. After watching the movie, I read the book to see if the story became more cohesive and coherent. It did and it didn’t. It’s a snapshot in time that might appeal to you. But I didn’t discern any great truths from its pages.

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  37. What a fun way to highlight and remember the books read this past year! I have been keeping track of my book lists for years and at times really enjoy just reading the titles and recalling the pleasure. The good thing that came with 2020 was plenty of time to read during the day! I always read at night, but finding time during the day is more of a challenge. Well, not at the current time! 🙂

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    • Oh, good, I’m glad to find another person who records her book titles. Only way for me to remember them all, and made it easy to print off my list and find ways to immerse/insert the titles into my little vignette here. Yes, reading was a necessary escape this past year!!! Take care, Debra.

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  38. I love your list and I have read several of the book. The Secrets We Kept was one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing and a happy New Year. I was thinking of you because a dear friend just lost her 96 year old mother to Covid and old age. She snuck into her room in a care facility in San Francisco to say good bye to her. Now she has Covid but is doing ok.

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    • Oh! Oh, I send sympathy and love to your friend and to her beloved mother. I’m glad your friend was able to say goodbye- hopefully worth getting the virus as long as she recovers! Not being able to say goodbye to my mom is one of my biggest regrets, but saying I LOVE YOU every time we see each other – all of us – is most important of all. ❤

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  40. Your reading list is impressive.
    The Testaments, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Red Lotus were also favorites of mine.
    My friend, Sally Stiles wrote an excellent memoir called Plunge. A different book than the one you read.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I researched just now and saw that there are a number of titles with PLUNGE. So many similar titles out there. When I wrote my first book I entitled it The Right Man. Then I saw there were dozens and dozens with that title. That’s why I changed it to THE RIGHT WRONG MAN. 🙂 I will check out Sally Stiles’ book. Thanks!

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  42. What a fun and creative post, Pam. I’m impressed and so appreciative that you included my book. Yippee. I love the way you pulled this all together into a story of your year. That was clever. You have a great year of reading and such a diversity of books! Here’s to a kinder new year full of great books and many many hugs. Happy 2021 and Happy Reading!

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    • Thanks Diana. As I read your words here, I immediately imagined jumping into one of these listed books and becoming part of the story. You (and your fantasy books) push my imagination that way. THANK you! 🙂

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      • Wouldn’t that be fun??!!! Someday in the distant future there will be virtual reality where we can enter books and participate in the stories. It will happen. For now, it’s all in the imagination, and that’s not too shabby.

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  44. I loved this but seem to have become lost before commenting. It seems to happen a lot lately. I don’t know how you read so many books! Was wondering what you thought of Breath and Signs? They are my possible list. I loved the way you wove the titles into a story!

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    • I enjoyed both of those books tremendously, even though they are quite dissimilar. Signs is an easy read and at times seemed a bit “too much” if you know what I mean. But… then I found that things that seemed “too much” happened in my life, so I’m going to re-read the book. BREATH is an amazing well-researched book on the power/necessity in breathing the right way, and how we humans have changed our breathing over the centuries. Well-written tome. I learned a LOT.

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    • My goal is usually 55-60 books a year (on Goodreads) and I always move beyond that mark. So, no, this was not an unusual reading year. 2020 was a busy year for me because I still taught my writing classes, albeit virtually this year. Hope you’re writing your next book — I’m waiting! 🙂

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      • Good on you! I’m glad you’re still able to teach your classes. I’m still waiting to hear from a publisher who requested a full on book 1, and I have lots more work to do for book 2. I’m hoping to get working on it more in 2021.

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  47. Pingback: Take a BREATH with BOOKS — roughwighting | Annaliese Griffin's Writing Ramblings Dot Com

  49. It’s incredible how you manage to do this, Pam, incorporate so many of the books you read in your year overview. First, I thought, “I just read something similar from Pam.” Then, I realized I was probably thinking back to your post exactly a year ago, where you blended in the books you read in 2019. How time flies.

    And, how lovely to see Plunge mentioned in your prose. And, your list. With an asterisk. I’m thrilled and humbled. It still feels weird (just like when Donna mentioned my book in her list of reading material) to find myself in such good company. So surreal, to have my book talked about as if it’s a real book that people mention and discuss. And, incorporate in a year overview. Wow! This is awesome.
    ,

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    • Yes, I write one of these every January. I enjoy finding out how the titles of the book I read that year find a “theme” as I begin to write. This year – well, some of those titles were perfect. I’m so glad I was able to include PLUNGE this year. After all of your hard work, it was published to rave (and well-deserved) reviews.

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  51. Wonderful Script of the year… And so excellently done. What an impressive list… Since Lockdown and the winter months and no allotments my hubby has taken to reading books again… three a week… All of the criminal mind set… 🙂
    I love Nora Roberts …. and the one on your list is one I haven’t read… So another title to add to my list..
    Hope you have a better brighter 2021 Pam… We make it what it is… Keep love in your heart and Humour in your smile… and we shall weather the storms..
    Much love my friend.. Sue ❤

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    • My guy has also taken to reading one or two books a week! Usually they are not the same books that I read because he is also into the mystery and “criminal” books more than I am. But it does help us get through the pandemic. That and as you say love, smiles, and breathing in and breathing out. 🙏💗

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  52. Well, my dear friend, this was the best romp through a pile of books that I have ever taken. How you wrote and kept them in your mind as the story evolved is quite an amazing feat. So many good books also. I love reading about books and what others are reading. You had a good year and now that I caught on I’ll go back and take notes. Brilliant post, one of my favorites.
    Happy New Year to you and yours and I hope soon we will have a chance at the vaccine and when the get the mess cleaned up and the garbage tossed out…maybe life will get back to a peaceful existence…Cheers for 2021

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    • Thanks Cheryl. I add a title to my list every time I finish a book during the year. Before I begin writing this annual post I print out the list and then just start writing and fill in the titles. Sure makes this a fun exercise! I always enjoy reading your book reviews and have found some terrific books because of it. Thanks!

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  53. That’s quite an impressive list Pam! I saw a Kinsella book there. I used to read all her books before I became published, fun escape reading. Have you seen the miniseries of Little Fires? I watched it before I bought the book sitting here. Wondering if I should read the book now that I’ve seen the series 🙂 xx

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    • Kinsella is a light read and I needed some of those this past year! I read little fires everywhere and liked it so much that I did not watch the series on TV. Most usually the books are always better so I recommend it. I hear the TV series was different.🤗

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  55. Pam, this is really a little masterpiece here – I’m applauding you, but doubt you can hear it. LOL. Based on some of the books and authors you’ve read which match with those I’ve read and hope to read, this is a list I could bring over to my little library and say “these, please!” Thank you! 😊

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  56. I am saving you and your post as my reward this morning, Pam. And you never disappoint. ❤️ I especially like your paragraph beginning with “no Amateur Marriage.” I have been fortunate to read many of the books, and many are new to me. A very poignant journey of your year and our year. Exceptionally witty, creative, honest and fun. I feel our world turning to “A New Earth” even at this moment.❤️

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  57. I love the way you weave the names of the books into a story. But wowsers 80 books?? That’s awesome. I think I hit 45 or so. I have gaps when I can’t read and take a break. But I usually go from one book to another. I want to read some on your list this year. I pray you and your family are well. ❤

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    • I always have a book sitting by my side, waiting for the chance to follow the one that’s in my hands. Kind of pathetic, but how I love to visit the world in each book.
      We’re hanging on – sometimes by a thread… or by a page in a book. 🙂 Stay well, Kim!

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  59. I am blown away by the number of books you read (and your organisational skills) but even more so how you managed to create a story using a lot of the titles! Gives me a push in my keister to read more. Make more time for it! I used to be like you… I wanna be like you again 🙂

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    • Blushing. Dale, I read to keep myself sane. And happy. And to escape the stressors of “real life,” I must admit. So selfishly, I read a lot. I do thoroughly agree with the adage that to be a good writer, one must be a good reader. And during this pandemic, I miss my friends so much. So… I make new friends with the characters in the novels I read (that’s pretty pathetic, right?) Lastly, the only way I remember the titles of the books I read is to add them to my “Books of the Year” file on my computer. This past year (2020) the titles just seemed perfect for the theme of the year. ;-0 ❤

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      • No, no… far from pathetic. I love that.
        And I love that you keep a list (my list ends up on GoodReads, so all is not lost). But it’s a sad list, quite frankly. And this is one of the reasons, I’m slowing down from blogging. It’s taking away too much time from books! Every challenge I participate in, means a whole lot of reading other participants’ offerings and commenting and… well, you get it. I have decided to do only one or two challenges and then write what I feel like when I feel like…
        And yes, the titles of the books you read, definitely are perfect for 2020!

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        • That’s a smart decision, Dale, although the challenges do get you going on writing stories. Because I teach creative writing classes, I have weekly prompts that I write with my students, which helps make sure I increase my weekly word count (while I also try to walk around enough – pacing? – to get my step count in) . 🙂

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          • I’m considering (and this is not all that kosher) doing the prompts – because yes, I need the push – but NOT linking my endeavours to the said prompts. That way I don’t feel obliged to read every one! Some of them have 30-60 participants!!
            I feel ya on the pacing to up the steps! It’s why I walk during my lunch hour and to and from work (when I can go back, that is, as we are on lockdown again and working from home). 😊

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            • Yes, yes, I agree with your idea. Write to the prompts but don’t link every one. That takes away from so much of your writing time. I LOVE reading and commenting to other blogs, but when it’s one blog with many many stories, it’s just too much.
              Sorry you’re locked down again and working from home. Walking keeps my head clear and helps a bit with the feeling of Covid claustrophobia!!!

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              • It’s what I’m gonna do!
                And it’s not too bad, honestly. I get done what I need between 5 am and 8 pm. Hopefully, we’ll be able to return to the office on the 8th. If not, then we’ll deal!

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