This has been a weird week, and I have no idea how I’ve been reading.
My daughter had a four day weekend on the calendar, and I surprisingly decided to keep our activities somewhat light. We had a birthday party with all of her little girl friends at school that was way more relaxed than I had expected. And our activity for Martin Luther King, Jr Day was super chaotic, so after trying it out, we decided mutually that it was time to leave. All of it was lowkey and we moved at our pace.
And then yesterday happened.
On Monday night, I started seeing schools were closing, so I looked at the weather. It was definitely going to be too cold for drop off. So I just waited for the text I knew was coming. And when it did, I sighed heavily. Four days of being chill was fine for my daughter. But a fifth?
Thankfully, the library had her favorite program on Tuesday and she was ecstatic to go. Mostly though, she wanted to walk around my house with every bell she owns. Do you know how hard it is to work with my daughter dancing with her bells? But we got through it. Somehow. I’m still not sure how. But it happened. And she went back to school while I stared at the upcoming storm that will likely cancel school on Monday. Help.
Until then, let’s check out what I’m reading now.
Reading Social Media News
Am I going to share any article that tells you why it pays to be human? Heck yeah. Because we are living in a world where too much is automated and we’re all dying for basic human touches. This Spin Sucks article on trust over novelty just happens to outline why all of this is so important and how to keep trust once you’ve earned it.
There have been an insane amount of social media updates this week. A lot of them have been about ads, which isn’t too surprising since budgets are tight right now so it’s in everyone’s best interest that ads become more effective. But also we’re getting new ad types on different networks. PR Daily doesn’t give a full rundown of everything (because there have been a lot just since this was published), but it gives you a start of what’s happening. I’d check out Social Media Today for more thorough details, if you are interested.
Finally, we all know organic search traffic is down. But we know that sometimes bosses need to see someone else say that, so this article is for your back pocket.
Reading Books, Books and More Books
Past
I’m leaving The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri with a smile on my face. This book was a COMMITMENT. I hadn’t looked at the length when I placed a hold on it at the library, so when I picked up a 638 page book, I honestly didn’t know if I had it in me. In fact, it was looking grim since I’ve been busy lately. But this felt like a friend I kept visiting every day and just chatting with. It just was, which was perfect because I just wanted to be. Despite it taking place in another country with a completely different culture, it felt familiar. And yet I had nothing in common with these characters. These flawed and wonderful characters that will stay with me for awhile. I still am unsure if any of them were “real” or if they just lived in the brain of a woman living her very last minute. And honestly, I don’t care. Score: A
Present
Vantage Point by Sara Sligar is another one of those random books that a best of 2025 list told me to read. Do I usually have good luck with these lists? Meh. Will I keep reading their recommendations anyway? Probably. Reading is a compulsion for me. It’s like food or air. I need it or else I wilt like all of the dead plants that are currently in my house. So yes, I’m going to keep picking up this questionable books that are more okay and almost definitely are not the best. Because those dead plants in my house look scary, and I’d rather not become one of them.
What are you reading? What books are you looking forward to?