Friday Fancies, The Pre-Holiday Edition

Have you heard about The Happy Reader, a new book-centric magazine partially backed by Penguin Classics? I ordered the inaugural issue and have found it to be a really enjoyable read so far. The issue is divided into two halves: the first half makes the deliberate choice to showcase an avid reader rather than a writer and features an extended interview with a well-known book lover (in this case, Dan Stevens); the second half delves into a classic book from a variety of different angles. In this issue, the book in question is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and eight different essays that relate aspects of the novel to history, fashion, and food, among other things.  Peppered throughout  are funny little asides and marginal notes that make for a lighthearted--dare I say happy?--read.

I also recently got wind (via a post over on My Porch) of another magazine for readers, Bookmarks Magazine. I'd never heard of this before, but the cover illustrations alone look pretty fantastic.

I'm still firmly tied to print for my personal reading, but for those who have embraced digital, the Oyster digital subscription library looks like it's one of the more elegant options out there.

This is the best thing I've seen online this Christmas.

And finally, this roundup of various writers favorite reading experiences of 2014. Not only is there something for every taste on this list, but I love the fact that it focuses on favorite reading experiences, rather than the typical "best book" designation. This is something I'm going to keep in mind as find my footing again with this blog in 2015. Rather than feeling tied to posting reviews of every book I read, I'm instead going to try to focus on highlighting books that I find particularly enjoyable or memorable, or that resonate with me in some special way.

With that, I'll say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I'll meet you back here in 2015!