Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination

Published 7 months ago • 1 min read

Happy New Year, Reader. I missed you! Did you have a nice Christmas?

We got to spend time with my family and my husband's family this year, but we were quasi-plagued by a head-chest cold that wouldn't completely go away. Thankfully, we're all feeling pretty good as I'm typing this.

Sooooo...what've you been reading lately?

​Here's what I read in December.​

If you're new around here, I share the books I've read at the end of each month.

I devoured Anna Karenina—nobody is more surprised than me on this one! And I greatly enjoyed Emma C. Fox's sophomore novel The Carver and the Queen. If you have even one fantasy bone in your bookish body, you should check it out.

Also, don't forget to grab your Year in Books Printable Set. Print a fresh copy of the Yearly Reading Stats page so it's ready to go for 2024.

There's more to today's newsletter. Keep scrolling 👇

A world of pure imagination—where is it?

My husband and I took our boys on a rare trip to the movie theater to see Wonka. It was visually and musically gorgeous, but it lacked something important, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

But who can resist a world of pure imagination? It's chocolatey delicious.

I love stories that envelop me in "the fictive dream," as author James Scott Bell calls it. It's a story that's so real, so fully conceived, so emotionally ignited that you enter it just as you do any real place.

It's an anchored fabrication—and I think that Wonka lacked a fully grounded anchor for all its cheerful sweetness.

Good books are a doorway into the fictive dream.

Now, I have a fun question for you, and it would make my day if you'd hit reply and answer it.

I want you to describe your "dream book." It's kind of like when you were little and you'd describe your "dream man" to your friends at sleepovers. If you could get your books made to order, just like your Chipotle burritos, then what would you ask for?

Here's another way of looking at it: If you could get any author to write any kind of story for you, what would you wish for?

This question may seem random, but I want you to answer it for two reasons. Knowing what you love helps...

  1. you decide what books to put on your 2024 TBR.
  2. me get to know you better—and plan fun bookish things accordingly for 2024.

So, hit reply and tell me about your dream book.

GO! 🤩

Your devoted,

Michelle

The short version: Check out what I read in December. Reply and tell me about your "dream book" that you wish existed.

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I'm an avid reader who prefers hidden gems to bestsellers. Every week, I email you book lists and reviews, author interviews, and bits of bookish news. Come on over and have a look. I'd love to have you.