It’s official! I’ll be mediating for USA Today Bestselling Author J. Penner at The Spine & Vine bookstore in Temecula while she promotes her newest release, Death Meets Cute. The date is May 22nd; the time is 7 pm. And you can get your tickets here!
In preparation for the event, I wanted to read the first two books in Penner’s Adenashire series, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic and A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons. Of course, as a Library Branch Manager who has limited her ‘reading’ to audiobooks, my first step was to find an audio version at my library.
It had to be audio. I have no time to devote hours to just reading…life is too busy. There’s work, writing, taking care of two medically fragile dogs, cooking, cleaning, mowing the lawn, and laundry. You know…all the stuff we do as adults to survive. Speaking of survival…I need to go grocery shopping. Now that’s a great time to listen to audiobooks.
Unfortunately, the only format available at our library system was print books.
When the first one came in, my first thought was, How am I ever going to find time to read? And how will I get through an entire book?
The dilemma is real because for the last ten years, reading has given me a headache. Literally. Focusing on paper for more than twenty seconds gave me a headache. My eyes would start skipping down the page like they were descending an escape ladder during a fire. Reading a computer screen was no problem, but paper was truly painful.
Luckily, library apps allow people to read for digital copies for free. And if you like audiobooks? You can listen to those for free, too.
For those of you who didn’t know that, I’ll repeat it.
If you have a library card, you can listen to audiobooks for free!
And for the last five years, I’ve listened to audiobooks while doing other tasks like driving, cooking, laundry, gardening, shopping, or doing chores… trying to catch up on the five years I wasn’t able to read. In 2024, I listened to 108 books!
Needless to say, I was skeptical about being able to read an entire print book, but I was so excited to get started! The day I brought home A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic, instead of turning on the TV, I opened the book to chapter one.
Lucky for me, my new glasses solved my reading problem. No more headache. And I read for four hours.
It felt like I fell into a Disney film. I could practically hear the music in the background as Arleta pulled her cart to the market, picked herbs, and sneaked peeks at Theo, an adorable elf. The characters were so huggable! My favorite was the grumpy Jez, a fennex, a fox-like humanoid who could sniff out a lie and secretly yearned for hugs, despite grumbling when she got them. She reminded me a little of Grandma. Love you, Grandma!!
I was so invested, I didn’t realize how much time passed. When I did, it didn’t matter. I felt so relaxed and at peace. Just the opposite of how I expected to feel after ‘wasting time’ just reading. I’d forgotten how it felt to lose myself in the pages of a good book. How focusing on the story–not on ping-ponging my attention between the book and some ‘important’ task–melts away stress. It’s like a full-body relaxation technique that I used to indulge in every day.
How could I have forgotten what REAL READING was like?
I was up way too late that night, but it didn’t stop me from picking up the book again first thing in the morning. I had to pause and go to work, but spent my lunch hour with Orcs and Dwarves. And guess what? I felt just as refreshed and invigorated as I had the evening before. That night, I finished the book!
The next day, I looked at the three overripe bananas sitting on my countertop, the bottle of molasses and the bags of chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds in the cupboard, and created a little baking magic of my own. Those dark banana ginger bread muffins were the best muffins I’ve ever eaten, let alone made.
And if you’re wondering about the book? A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic was as sweet as the Lemon Bars recipe at the end (don’t ask which recipe I took photos of before returning it to the library).
Thankfully, book two is sitting on my kitchen table, ready to be devoured. I can’t wait to read about Arleta’s new dwarf friend, Doli, who is the complete opposite of my dwarf Kasaandra. It will be tough to wait for Jez’s story next, but A Fellowship of Games & Fables should be here soon. Oh, and I’m definitely getting Death Meets Cute when it releases!
By the way, I need to add Earl Grey tea to my shopping list. Those scones are going to be delicious!
Until tomorrow… or tomorrow!
P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I might earn a small commission if you buy through them. It helps support me and my writing, and it doesn’t cost you a thing.
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