The other side of the pew. You can see from the carving, that it was attached to another pew at some point. I like both sides of the pew, one for its ornate carving, the other for this bold, almost sculptural cut-out. I added the antique doorstop I got at auction many years ago.

I’m running a bit late today. For the past three days, I’ve been having trouble falling asleep at night. Yesterday, I was sleep-deprived. Fortunately, even though it took me ages to get to sleep last night, I slept until nearly 9 am this morning, so I feel much better. But my schedule has been thrown off!

Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s book review. For those of you who are newer to the blog, I have written literally (and I never use literally unless I mean ‘literally’) hundreds of book reviews over the course of this blog’s 11+ years of existence – so many, that I started a separate blog about books. And I reviewed books there, as well.

It all caught up with me a couple of years ago. I had so many books to read and review at any given moment that I was no longer reading for pleasure. I was suffering from burnout. One day, as I was sitting here in my blogging chair, I decided to delete the book blog. One click – gone. I felt enormous relief. And then, even though I was still getting book review offers, I backed away from them. I clearly needed a break. Recently, I found myself thinking about reviewing again, but at a much saner pace. Maybe a book a month? Maybe less?

I see so many book reviewers who seem to think a review is regurgitating the plot with one or two sentences addressing whether the reviewer liked it or not. That’s their review. That’s it. They are getting free books from the publisher in exchange for that review and I think they can do better. To be balanced in my thoughts about this subject, there are several book reviewers on Instagram who write detailed, informative reviews – who really put an enormous amount of effort into their response. They do very good work. While I’m far from the best reviewer out there, I do try to be fair and give solid reasons for my response, whether positive or not-so-positive. And I always try to find something good about a book, as well. Since you’re all aware of my thoughts on theater critics, especially the ones who let their personal bias inform the review, I’m sure you understand why I work very hard to be fair. Not everyone’s taste is my taste. And I always try to address that.

Anyway…

I escaped the house yesterday and went to the bookstore. Well, I went to Michael’s first, where I purchased some craft paint and brushes for the ongoing work on the dollhouse. Then to B & N, where I departed with three magazines and a book. Yes, there was a line at Michael’s, even though there was hardly anyone in the store.  The book I purchased was by Ian Rankin, a very well known, longtime writer of mysteries. I’ve always known about him, but I’ve never read any of his books. A post from The Mysterious Bookshop about his most recent book (he was there for a signing) made me think I should stop and take notice. Have any of you read his books?

It’s still somewhat chilly out there, but it’s sunny. And Spring is a day away.

Happy Tuesday.