This week is that breath between being too busy. Halloween is over and the countdown to the holiday season has not quite begun. We’re just getting ready to tuck into our warm cocoons as the weather cools. We’re in denial about Thanksgiving. And I, for one, have been reading a lot.
I really minimized what we’re doing this week, because October felt like it was just one thing after another. And the pace made the month slip through my fingers. I’m hoping have a much slower month will make November last a little longer.
In my soul, I yearn for a slow life. I think being slow makes us more intentional and careful with our time and energy. We’re in a season of life where we need more of that. We can’t rush to those fast, big feelings or else we’ll rush to bad solutions.
But as I say that, I’m still adding to our family’s schedule. I’m still trying to do so much more work. I’m trying to do more all around. So no, I’m not taking my own advice. I’m hoping to get there someday, but I know myself too well to say it will be today.
And with that, let’s get to what I’m reading this week.
Reading Social Media News
I hate engagement pods, so when I saw the news that LinkedIn is trying to tackle this problem, I cheered. What is an engagement pod? It’s a group of people who agree to comment on each other’s posts to drive up engagement artificially. They then can charge brands more for posts, and it’s just gross. You can usually spot them very easily if you look at the engagement on several posts. So until LinkedIn and other networks FINALLY tackle this issue, make sure you’re looking for that before you pay someone to post.
Click-through rates are on a steep decline, and it’s not looking like it will get any better anytime soon. But the real kicker? It doesn’t matter if Google AI Overviews is on the page. Click-through rates are still on decline with or without it. This is depressing, for sure. And we’re all going to have to answer for falling numbers sooner or later. So where do we go from here? It’s time to figure out those next steps that create business and show our value at the same time.
Reading Books, Books and More Books
Past
I think I could have liked Heart the Lover by Lily King. There were so many great pieces contained within it. But in the end, it just didn’t gel. It might have been the writing. Actually, it was definitely the writing. It didn’t really transport me anywhere. I felt very removed from the story, which made the interesting parts not work completely.
I do love that I was completely confused at the end when the husband called his wife a name I had never seen. It made me wonder if it had all been a dream. I had so many questions that I finally had to Google it. That’s when I realized it was the first time her real name had been used in the book. She had gone from being a response to a guy to finally being herself. That was interesting. But overall, it was a book about selfish people making dumb choices, and I wasn’t there for it. Score: B-
There was a lot of good when it came to The Mad Wife by Meagan Church. I am a person who loves an unreliable narrator, and this one was a particularly good one. The narrator was in a dark situation with all of the right people around her to get through it. But we discussed in my book club how that was more likely not the case in the 1950s when psychiatry methods were brutal and women were not believed. Heck, women still aren’t believed in many cases. Overall, it got mixed reviews in my book club, but I left the book feeling glad I read it. Score: B
Present
I saw that Alix E. Harrow was coming to our library for an event and remembered how much I had liked one of her books. So, like a weirdo, I instantly put a hold on one of her books that I hadn’t read as well as her latest release. So I’m about to go on a bit of a Harrow spree. I’m hoping it’s a good adventure. But I guess I won’t know until I’m fully on it.
What are you reading? What books are you looking forward to?