The personal reading experience

First of all, let me say this post is just my personal opinion. I don't judge anyone for thinking differently or doing something differently, and while you are of course most welcome to share your own experience - in fact I'd love to hear it -, I ask you to return the courtesy.
Second, I'm obviously not a book blogger, just a reader and someone blogging without being very organized.

This post was inspired by a video YouTube recommended to me called "why i left goodreads for book journals".
I can't even say why I clicked on it as I'm neither on Goodreads nor keep a detailed book journal, but I got hooked because it made me think.

Picture via pxhere

Short recap - I had always been an avid reader since my childhood, but when crafting came along, books went on the backburner because reading and crafting don't work at the same time (for those who are new, I can't do audiobooks). When crafting had to go on the backburner for several reasons, the books rushed back into my life like a big wave which I was very grateful for because the gap left had been big, too. In July 2025, I started posting lists of the books I had read each month (no reviews).

In November, I wrote "Again, this is not about numbers. Where do we stop if we rate reading by the number of books? Count pages? And next work out a formula which pages are "worth more" than others because some books are "only" children's books or light reading or scientific or profound ... I could keep going. Just enjoy!"

That's where the video comes in.
Vic explains how setting herself a goal for the year and checking reviews and ratings before but also after reading a book eventually made her feel like she was "losing a sense of identity and individuality with reading".

Have you ever felt doubts about your personal
reading experience when seeing ratings and
reviews after you read a book? That goes both
ways. "Why does everyone love it?" or "Why
doesn't everyone love it?" Then wondering what
I missed. And no, of course it's never everyone.

When she talked about reading goals, it made me wonder why I even numbered my list after saying it wasn't about numbers.
I know I didn't want to brag, but was I trying to prove something to myself? Did I feel I had to convince myself how well I had replaced crafting with reading? Did I need a number to show myself I filled the gap sufficiently and "productively"?
Or did I simply overthink this like usual and I numbered the list because that's what I do with lists?
Something else I hadn't consciously noticed before was that sometimes I felt a pang of guilt on a day without reading which is just ridiculous. Talk about self-inflicted pressure.
When I realized that, I happily binged a season of "The Great Pottery Throw Down" which always relaxes me (and my favorite potter won, too).

Recently, I have heard others say similar things - that they don't want to worry about reading what's popular or that they don't want to set themselves a number for the books they read. They want to enjoy what they read without pressure, pick what they feel like and when they feel like it.
That doesn't mean you can't read reviews anymore or have to dismiss all suggestions, but I think many people just don't want to get sucked in by the Internet and everyone's opinion as much anymore these days. Not just in regards to reading, but in general.

Vic's way to make her reading her own more again was to start a book journal.
That totally makes sense for people who enjoy that experience which can of course be so much more than just writing down titles. I'm just not the journaling type myself (and my handwriting has become so terrible) and know from experience I wouldn't keep it up for long. Who knows, though? Maybe the people I know who keep journals will inspire me eventually?

Picture via pxhere
I chose one with old books
because I love reading old books!

So what did I take away for myself from this for now?
I'm not numbering my book lists anymore because it really isn't important.
I'll keep looking at suggestions and reviews on blogs of course and I'll happily discuss books with people I know, but I don't need to know what the whole world is thinking. I was fine without that before the Internet, I'll be fine now.
What I'm already doing is read what I want and not what I feel I should (although I sometimes feel guilty for not having read more German classics and I might try to catch up on that from time to time).
And believe it or not, I had a really hard time not numbering this last list! 😂

Random Saturday - Purple and green

If you expect something about color coordination in art or fashion, you're wrong, sorry. This is just another post about memories which is inspired by a post written by Nicole from Huisvlijt, "Kringloop Tristesse".
I don't speak Dutch, but from the Firefox translation I get it's about a water can that a school class gave to a teacher and it ended up in a thrift shop still with that tag on.
No idea how it is in other countries, but in my time gifts for teachers were not a big thing, at least not in my school. So I asked a teacher I know how it is today, and he too said that it happens, but not often.

We had one teacher, however, who got several gifts from part of the class, and that was a running joke.
One of my classmates loved the color purple and wore it a lot and said teacher didn't like purple. I don't know what the exact reason was, but he once told my classmate jokingly that purple wasn't a color, but a punishment.
So of course our whole row decided to give him something purple. My friend was a former baker's daughter and good at baking herself - how I loved her Christmas cookies! - and suggested a marble cake, but with purple and pink food dye. It was a big hit (I have no idea if our teacher ate any of it, though).
Anyhow, from then on, he always got something purple at the end of the school year. Nothing big of course, just to keep the joke alive, and we always tried to make it something useful or consumable, so it wouldn't take up unnecessary space.

One year, another teacher said jokingly how much we "spoiled" him (they had become a couple although we didn't know it yet at the time) and another friend of mine told her to pick a color. She said green. That friend did macrame and knitted socks like crazy - it was the 80s and a lot of pupils knitted in class - so she made a beautiful pair of green socks as a Christmas gift, much to our teacher's surprise but also delight.
So from then on we had to get something purple and something green.

Picture by Konevi via pxhere

I even kept the tradition running for several years after leaving school. A lot of my school friends left town to work elsewhere or study, but I lived at home during training as a librarian and my teachers didn't live far from me.
One time, my teacher handed me a little parcel saying "ok, so sometimes purple can be beautiful if it's on the right thing".
It was a framed picture of a purple Porsche (he had a vintage one himself, not purple but red). I don't know if I still have that picture somewhere, but I remember it really made me laugh back then.

Picture by Alex Ifti via Unsplash

So yeah, that's my little story of an "apple for the teacher".
Is it common for children to give their teachers a gift where you are?

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot - Week 143

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

Happy "Fasching"!
"Fasching", "Fasnet", "Karneval", "Fastnacht" and others are the German names for the period of last celebrations before Lent.
There are parades, parties, and a lot of local traditions, for example elaborate masks and costumes.
In my area, "Fasching" used to be more of a rural tradition in the small towns and villages around my town, but 16 years ago that changed when the first "Narrenzunft" or "Fools' Guild" in town invited others and it grew from there.
I have to admit that I'm not a fan myself because I don't deal well with large crowds, but the traditions are fascinating.

Carved wooden mask
Picture via pxhere

So, are you ready for the "Faschings"-weekend? 

As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Happy Retiree's Kitchen.

Pauline from Happy Retiree's Kitchen says: "Happy Retiree's Kitchen is an interactive food blog, where I share my home cooked, delicious and sustainable recipes and tips. I cook simple food, aiming for a healthier lifestyle and a healthier planet. I hope you enjoy reading about our life here in Tropic North Queensland on the east coast of Australia. I enjoy cooking for family and friends, and sharing many stories with you including my adventures with food, our garden, and whatever else seems interesting at the time. Enjoy your visit and please spread the word and leave a comment on my blog post."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Barbara is taking us for a walk to the Zealandia sanctuary on Waitangi Day.

Gail has been wondering if she should go grey and wants to know what others do.

Check out Gina's last 5 thing Friday post!

Melynda has a yummy looking granola recipe for you!

Linda is sharing pictures of critters in the snow.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
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Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

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We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

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Silent movies - Show People

For today I have a film from the end of the silent era starring Marion Davies whom I found so hilarious in "The Patsy".
It's "Show People" from 1928.

Public domain via Wikipedia

Ladies and gentlemen - the plot (with spoilers)!

"To hopeful hundreds there is a golden spot on the map called — Hollywood."

One of those hundreds is Miss Peggy Pepper from Georgia who is taken to Hollywood by her father, Colonel Pepper.

Overwhelmed by Hollywood

At the casting office, Peggy demonstrates her acting abilities, but it's not easy to actually be cast in a movie. Then, however, she and her father meet Billy Boone in the commissary who tells her to show up at his set.
What she doesn't know is that Billy does slapstick comedy while she aspires to be a dramatic actress. After she gets spritzed in the face with seltzer in her first scene, she breaks into tears, but Billy convinces her to go through with it by reminding her of what a thrill it's going to be for her to see herself in a theater.

Indeed Peggy becomes an instant success, and after making more films with Billy, she gets a contract by the High Arts Studio (the name says it all) which means she leaves the comedy troupe and Billy.
After her screen test, her new co-star Andre, who lets her know that he's really the Comte d'Avignon tells her she needs to change her personality and get new friends to become a star.
So Peggy Pepper turns into Patricia Pepoire and lets stardom get to her head.

Marion Davies's hilarious impersonation of Mae
Murray which we have already seen in "The Patsy".

One day she and Billy's comedy troupe have a shoot at the same location. Billy is happy to see her and tries to joke around with her, but she hurts him by calling him a cheap clown and running off.

Soon after, Peggy is fetched out of a studio luncheon. The producer shows her a bundle of telegrams all saying that the audience is not interested in "Miss Pepoire" anymore. He warns her that he wants to see the old Peggy again, but she's so full herself that she tells Andre producers don't recognize art when they see it.

Sometime later, it's the day of Peggy's and Andre's wedding.
Billy sneaks into the house with the delivery people and begs Peggy not to marry, but remember the old days instead.
To bring her to her senses, he spritzes her with Seltzer like in their first scene together. Peggy is so mad that she grabs a custard pie, but instead of Billy she hits Andre who's just opening the door in the face with it.
She starts crying and Billy walks out, but looking at Andre she can't help but laugh. Realizing that Billy is the only "real person" in her life (I think she's forgetting her father here), she calls off the wedding.

Peggy has a plan. She convinces her director King Vidor (playing himself) to cast Billy in a war movie without letting him know that she's in it.
Of course, Billy is surprised to see Peggy, but when she tells him he can't get out now because the camera's rolling already, he sweeps her into his arms. As the kiss written for the scene doesn't end, Vidor and the crew quietly leave the two alone on the set.

In short, that was FUN.
It's said the movie was influenced by the story of Gloria Swanson who went from comedy to big drama, but also by a novel (later turned into a play and (lost) movie) called "Merton of the Movies" in which a young man tries to make it in Hollywood.

I absolutely love Marion Davies in this. She goes through all stereotypes and tropes, makes the funniest faces, but is also appropriately dramatic for the times.
As mentioned in my blog post about "The Patsy", Davies was the mistress of William Randolph Hearst who wanted to see her in epic dramas, what a pity with her being such a wonderful comedian.
There's the scene in the casting office when the innocent and clueless Southern Belle is asked for photos and enthusiastically shows off her baby photo. On being asked if she can act, she presents her various moods, from meditation to joy.

This is of course "passion", what else?
Her father is proud of Peggy's acting skills.

That was a real thing, by the way.
Here are the moods of "The Biograph Girl" Florence Lawrence who is regarded as the first film star according to some sources.

I also like William Haines as Billy. He's charming and funny, but you can also feel his pain about Peggy treating him the way she did.
In one scene he's calling her to invite her for dinner with him and her father who also says that even he doesn't see much of her anymore. It's something I can really relate to. 
Yet he's so proud of her and her career and doesn't give up on trying to make her see that people want the old Peggy back.

Actually I like everyone, Peggy's lovable father (Dell Henderson who also played her father in "The Patsy"), the crazy comedy director who can't even control himself in the theater, the director at the "High Arts Studio" who does everything to make Peggy laugh or cry (a wonderful scene, and by the way, did you know there were actually so-called mood musicians on the set for that purpose, there's one great story here?), Andre as the "Comte" who really used to be a waiter at a spaghetti house, and Miss Pepoire's crazy maid.

I shouldn't miss to mention, however, that the film was full of cameos by important film people of the time.
There's for example Charlie Chaplin asking for Peggy's autograph after her first big movie. Peggy, annoyed by him being so insistent, asks Billy "Who is that little guy?". There are way more at the studio luncheon, for example Douglas Fairbanks.

Actually we even get a cameo from Davies herself, but ...

Peggy is not impressed with Marion.

While the movie has no spoken dialog, it has a music track which works very well.
I had so much fun that the 82 minutes went by like a breeze. This movie is so going into my favorites!


Sources:

1. Fritzi Kramer: Show People (1928) - A Silent Film. On: Movies Silently, June 29, 2013
2. Thomas Doherty: FROM THE ARCHIVES: Show People. On: Cineaste, Fall 2012

10 on the 10th - Things I hate to love

Welcome to February's 10 on the 10th.
This is the prompt Marsha from Marsha in the Middle has given us for today - tell us about ten things you secretly love and hate that you love them.
I don't think I can do that. Either I love them secretly for a reason and don't want to put them on the web for everyone to see (that doesn't mean it has to be something "bad", maybe it's just something I don't want to discuss) or I don't really care which means I don't hate that I love them because it's my choice.
Or does it simply mean guilty pleasures like watching Hallmark movies for Christmas and liking a few because they are nice or some because they are hilarious? Does that make me guilty of being not intellectual enough and therefore I should hate it?

Now I think I might be overthinking this, another thing I'm totally a pro at (not just making toast, and by the way, did you know that Merriam-Webster says it's a preposition is absolutely fine to end a sentence with, also this here definitely isn't academic writing, anyway).

Picture by
Teslariu Mihai via Unsplash

Let me give you one example. I'm a pushover when it comes to my cats. That's why I don't live with dogs. When I say "my feline overlords", that's pretty much true. Surely, it can get annoying at times and make me hit my head against the wall (not literally), but like so many cat servants I'm still kind of proud for them to be little punks (that's not the word I would use in real life, I don't think I have to explain more). Do I dislike that I am? No.

Wait, maybe I hate to love my parentheses, I already have four in this post so far.
Nah, not really. If you knew me in person, you could probably hear parentheses when I talk. I can feel them in my thoughts. Sure, there may be better ways to deal with my added information that probably no one but me finds in the least interesting, but ...

Maybe I hate my habit of leaving some sentences open and my fondness of ellipses ...
Nope. Some sentences need additional information and some sentences don't need an ending - not to be accompanied by a dramatic look of mine hinting at ominous things I like to leave hanging in the air instead of writing them - because you know where they are going, anyhow ...

Oh, and of course the em dash — which I'm never typing right simply because I'm too lazy for ALT+0151 (which I keep forgetting after using it once, so ... (oh, and by the way, the German one has a different combination)) - or rather the hyphen that runs through my posts without hyphenating anything.
Again, no real regrets.
I'm not a writer and don't pretend to be one, and while I'm sorry that you have to deal with it, I feel no hate for it. This is pretty much what falls directly out of my brain onto your screen, and if you have been grinding your teeth over this, I apologize again, but I doubt it's going to change.

Wow, I haven't even found one single yet ... (ominous pause)
I think I might have been better at "things I love to hate" although that makes it sound as if I hate something because that brings me joy which makes no sense at all. Argh, overthinking again!

While I'm at it, feel free to take a few of these if you need them! I have plenty.
((((((((( ... ... ... ... ... - - - - - —— — — )))))))))))


Marsha, I'm sorry, seriously.
You didn't get what you asked for, but who would even be interested in my not appreciating the fact that I still can't keep my fingers off dairy? Oops, gave you one, do you think you could let this count? 🤡

Snow

I didn't think of taking snow pictures myself when we had some because honestly I didn't feel like going outside in the evening (except when I had to shovel and that really didn't put me in the mood for pictures).
When I went outside, most of the snow didn't look very pretty anymore. I should have tried to take a picture from my window, through the houses in direction of the woods, but being on the first floor the view isn't very good.
My sister took these pictures from her balcony (thank you!). Isn't it strange how you can feel and smell them?
So here's my humble (compared to so many others at the moment) offer of snow impressions days after we actually had snow. I hope it will convince the weather gods that we don't need any more of it.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot - Week 142

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

I know that for someone who doesn't even cook or anything I talk a lot about food in the reboot posts. Today is about one of the things that stand between food and me sometimes - I'm talking about my brain.
The other day I wanted to make myself some toast. I'm good at that, practically a pro. I can pop in a slice with the best of them. But my toaster was broken. How was that possible, from one day to the next? It's not even that old yet. The toast just didn't stay down and the light wouldn't come on, either. Maybe it was the socket, let's try the one next to it. No. Crumbs stuck? No. You can tell I was already reaching for straws there.
Hunger wouldn't let me give up, though, and in the end the solution was quite, erm, easy ... it totally helps if you don't use the egg cooker's plug (which doesn't even look the same)! 🤪 (<- this is the actual face I made at that point, only with glasses on).

Picture via pxhere

Are you ready for the weekend? What are your plans?

As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Wisdoms & Wrinkles.

Laura-Kim from Wisdom & Wrinkles says "I'm Laura, a 46-year-old recovering helicopter mom learning to fly solo as my nest gradually empties.
After 18 years of blogging about the chaos of raising four kids, I'm now navigating the unexpected adventures of midlife with hot flashes, reading glasses, and a whole new perspective.
These days, you'll find me working from home alongside my husband (yes, we're still talking!), managing a household that's somehow both quieter and louder with just two kids still under our roof. I'm documenting this grand adventure of reinvention - from surviving menopause with my sense of humor intact to redefining my role as mom to young adults, while discovering who I am beyond the chaos of kids in school.
Join me as I share the laughs, tears, and unexpected wisdom that come with embracing this next chapter. Because while my wrinkles might be multiplying, so are the reasons to smile."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Got leftover packing paper? Ann shows us how to use it to make something pretty!

Mireille is taking us with her to a visit of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina.

I think these earrings that Moois made give off great 60s vibes!

Amy is talking about having fun. When was the last time you had fun?

Nicole is seeing things in the snow - what do you see?


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter