Words on Words turns one

This year's highlights + what's coming up + what remains of my 2024 TBR.

This week marks the one-year birthday of Words on Words.

When I launched, I was this Kermit meme, hammering away on the keyboard for my one subscriber. Then two, five, a dozen subscribers.

I told myself that if I showed up each week when and how I promised I would — Thursday mornings, a free newsletter about books — eventually it would turn into something.

Of course it did.

In the year since launching, I have created something I’m proud of. Better yet are the implications of having created something; the ancillary benefits like community and accountability and personal growth. I’ve done so much learning in the past year from other newsletter writers that I have also become a more intentional reader.

This week I suspect I’ll be reaching the monumental goal of 1,000 subscribers, which leads to this:

THANK YOU.

I haven’t missed a weekly post since launching and it is because of you. Your enthusiasm and support for Words on Words is what has kept me going, even when I felt like Kermit writing to one subscriber. This wouldn’t be anything without you and I am so grateful you choose to spend your scarce time reading this newsletter.

Looking back, I can see how much I’ve grown in a year. My first post was about All the Gold Stars by Rainesford Stauffer. While I’d do a couple things differently today, I remain proud of the essay, and I still think it’s a book every ambitious person should read.

How we spend our time is also, at its most precious, how we create meaning. ― Rainesford Stauffer

After some time writing about books, I began to absorb others’ reading techniques and adopted them for myself. I tried out a deep reading analysis of The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and had the best time thinking about a book in ways I’d never before done — not even in English class.

A deep analysis of Booker Prize-winning novel, The Remains of the Day

Another highlight from this past year was participating in The Joan Didion Group Project, organized by

Petya K. Grady

. My essay about Didion’s book Slouching Towards Bethlehem and her use of personal notebooks was included in Substack’s weekly email, Substack Reads. A highlight for sure.

I have already lost touch with a couple people I used to be. — Joan Didion on keeping a personal notebook

Finally, for my reflection of this past year, I want to share a couple of my favorites:

• Do I pre-order a book or wait until it’s published? because I am very passionate about the importance of pre-orders.

• Minnesota State Fair foods and book pairings because I had way too much fun creating it.

• Books are the most beautiful common denominator because I believe it.

What’s next for Words on Words?

• I’ll do my annual Twenty-four most beautiful sentences I read in 2024.

• I’ll address the fact that I failed my goal of having a reading threshold (rather than having a reading goal on Goodreads that you want to hit, I created a threshold — a number of books I wanted to read this year but not supersede).

• A roundup of my very favorite books of the year.

• Further ahead: I have two author Q&As planned early in the year for gorgeous books publishing in the spring.

• I have an announcement coming up soon about a very exciting partnership that I cannot wait to share with everyone.

The Remains of the Year

I still have three holiday romcoms on my nightstand I’m looking forward to reading. They are the equivalent of Hallmark movies — but better because they’re books.

• The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

• The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

• Kiss Me At Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Also in my physical TBR pile are:

• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

• Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors. I’ve been putting this off because I loved Blue Sisters so much and I now am obsessed with Coco (her Instagram is so fun to follow). I’m hesitating because once I read this, that’s it until her next book comes out. Ah, the troubles we readers endure!

• Prep and Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. After reading Romantic Comedy I now want to read everything she’s ever written.

Thank you again for a great year. This next year of Words of Words will be even better.

If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a book-loving friend!

What I’m currently reading: The Women by Kristin Hannah

What are you reading? I found out via

Sara Hildreth

about NPR’s Books We Love, a curated list you can search with filters like “For Art Lovers” or “Rather Short.” If you don’t know what to read next, this will help you.

Love,

---

Words on Words is a free newsletter about books that hits inboxes on Thursdays. By being a paid subscriber, you are supporting the work of an aspiring author.

When you purchase books through my links, you support Words on Words (I get credits for more books) and an indie bookstore of your choice at no additional cost to you.