Skip to main content

Palate Cleansers

small plate of lime sorbet on top of larger blue plate with a lime wedge and a metal spoon

Partially inspired by summer and partially because I like eating, I was thinking about the role of palate cleansers between courses of food, notably sorbet. I really enjoy the reset that the palate cleansers provide, allowing for a richer sense of taste to come with the next dish.

In terms of reading, I admit that I have had a lot of ARCs to read this year. I've read close to 30 ARCs so far and have another 20 or so to go. I'm by no means complaining as I really enjoy reading; however, I can attest to a bit of fatigue from trying to get in as much reading as possible to meet release deadlines. It doesn't quite feel like work yet, but I will admit that when the ARCs are back-to-back, it can be a little hard to continually be motivated.

As a result, I've been looking forward to setting aside a month to take a break from ARC commitments and to just enjoy whatever titles come my way and to make more of a dent in my TBR pile. While I will continue to try to meet a few upcoming deadlines and receive ARCs I've been waiting for, I want to take a break and see what books strike my mood in the moment. August will be a nice breather as I hope to finally make my way through the Timeless series by Gabrielle Meyer!

In between a few ARCs right now, I've also resorted to some guilty pleasures to keep the momentum going, which have included some historical novellas. These have been fun bites of sorbet, and a great way to escape being sick this summer. I have a soft spot for novellas as they're a nice way to feel accomplished, but also lovely for becoming acquainted with authors' writing styles. I'm hopeful that these little spurts will help me reach the finish line for some upcoming books!

I wonder if anyone else treats guilty pleasure reading the same way that I do 😄

(To be clear, I'm not saying that ARCs require a cleansing experience afterwards. Just that a little variety makes the full reading experience even better!)
Labels:

Comments

  1. Ella MarieJuly 16, 2024 at 5:31 AM

    I am probably doing the Restful August challenge already. Not sure if this is considered a reading slump but I’ve been reading novellas for two straight weeks or shorter books (less than 200 pages) it’s kinda weird but I’m loving being able to read more than one book a week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christian ShelvesJuly 17, 2024 at 11:41 PM

      That's wonderful! Novellas have kept me going as well :) It is a nice sense of accomplishment, and it feels less daunting. I hope you're enjoying your restful summer reading!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Pursuit of Character

Classical education has always appealed to me in that reasoning and fruitful living that contributes to society are meant to be admirable and achievable goals. Reflecting a world where cardinal virtues are esteemed, I love that The Pursuit of Character by Matthew Arbo arrives at this vision from a Christian perspective, providing a compelling case for why Christians need to recover this framework and way of life. Many thanks to Baker Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis What does it mean to live a good life? Know what makes for a good life Pursue character and meaning Recover the virtues that have guided Christians before us In today's fragmented world, we are encouraged to define for ourselves what is good. But this inevitably fails to satisfy. In The Pursuit of Character , Matthew Arbo argues that we can learn how to live a good life by recovering the virtues that have guided Christians before us....
Post a Comment
Read more

More Than Books

I have to give credit to Joomi Kim, a secular BookTuber, for first alerting me to one of her challenges with contemporary novels (see timestamp starting at 22:25 ) where she notes that many of the books she has read are about authors or those in academia. While I found her entire video to be thought-provoking regarding contemporary literature, I seldom read enough secular books to be able to comment on them as a whole, so this isn't a commentary on what she has presented. The secular books I read are ones that usually serve a cultural purpose or are interesting enough for me to pick up, which is more rare when my TBR of Christian books keeps expanding. I've also chosen not to focus on those books on my blog or social media; although I try to keep up-to-date with broad trends on my own time, I'm not well-versed enough to add my perspective to that discussion on here. Rather, this is a springboard into the one point that she raised about authors writing what they know. It see...
Post a Comment
Read more

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 List last updated: June 4, 2026 Christian Publishers 10ofThose Availability: US, Canada, and UK residents Format: Only books published by 10ofThose qualify for review requests so as to avoid impeding with other Christian book review programs Genre: Christian non-fiction, children's books Email for availability and eligibilit...
10 comments
Read more