I hope your month is off to a great start. I’ve just finished two books and really enjoyed them. ere are the books I have on rotation so far.

On audio, I finished The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor. This is a series debut about an American detective who finds herself in Ireland at separate times of her life but both times in search of answers to her cousin’s disappearance. Really enjoyed this one and think I’ll continue with the series.

I also finished Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley. What a tragic story. This is about a seventeen-year-old girl trying to hold her life together as one horrible decision leads her to a life of prostitution. If you haven’t read this one I highly recommend it.

Now to the books I am reading. I’m carrying over The Wild Iris by Louise Glück. This is the book for which she received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1993. I’ve read some of her poems before but this is my first collection and while I’m finding it more challenging than other recent poetry collections I’ve read, I’m very interested in this book.

I’m also reading Community Board by Tara Conklin. Darcy Clipper, prodigal daughter, nearly thirty, has returned home to Murbridge, Massachusetts, after her life takes an unwelcome left turn. Unfortunately the life and comforts she expected back home are not quite what she was hoping to find. I’m not too sure about this one as the main character is coming off very self-absorbed. This is supposed to be a quirky story and I like those but we’ll see.

Two other books I’ve just started are Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten; translated by Steven T. Murray and When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain on audio.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know if so and would love to hear what books you are reading this month!

In my last post I mentioned that my husband was in Germany and two of the presents he brought me were two Flow Books for Paper Lovers! I have been collecting these books since they came out (I have 6 previous books) but when Flow magazine (a Dutch magazine) stopped printing an English version (thanks, COVID – NOT!) and and they stopped distribution in the States, that meant these special edition books also weren’t available here. Luckily I was still able to order these in Germany.

Flow magazine was a wonderful collection articles on art, mindfulness, creativity and encouragement. I loved that they featured articles from artists and designers across the world and miss their magazine so much. For someone who loves paper like I do, their Books for Paper Lovers are a treasure. They feature charming designs, gift tags, stickers, and so much more.

I haven’t been bookbinding much but when I make mixed paper journals I know I can pull sheets from these books to create a fun journal. I also use the paper for stationery when I write letters or notes. Sometimes I take some of the paper and use it in a current journal. I decorate my planner and journals with the tidbits. It’s just so much fun to use these books. The possibilities are endless.

Lark Crafts Publishing in the States also produced some similar styled books, For the Love of Paper.  I have still seen some of these at my local Barnes & Noble so if you are curious about them you could see if your store may have some. I have the original one and also the Botanical one. These are nice but Flow’s are still my favorite.

Let me know if you’ve used these books before or have seen them. Or if you have found something else similar I would love to hear about it! In the meantime, I’ll keep wishing and hoping that Flow will be able to resume publishing the English version of their magazine again.