The best apps and tools to track your reading goals and habits

As readers, we are constantly looking for the best way to track our books — be it keeping track of books that we want to read, books that we have read, or books that we own. There are a plethora of reading tracker apps, websites and tools that can help us track our books and reading, with new ones seemingly popping up on the regular. While it can be tempting to try all the new, shiny apps out there, especially when we see Bookstagram influencers waxing poetic on every shiny new app, for our own sanity, it’s helpful to try a few apps and tools and stick to them.

Here’s a handy list of some of the best tools and apps to track your reading goals and habits.

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December 2024: Tarot spread for the new moon in Sagittarius

Plus an astro-tarot forecast, resources, and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the new moon in Sagittarius

Tarot spread and astro-tarot forecast for the December 2024 new moon in Sagittarius

The December 2024 new moon falls in the sign of Sagittarius. The freedom loving Sagittarius archetype is in a constant search for inspiration, new avenues of exploration, and adventure. This is a sign that gets bored of the status quo easily, and needs the rush of a new quest to keep them on their toes.

Spiritually, the Sagittarius archetype teaches us to cultivate our own personal relationship with the divine. Contrary to what most religions and a lot of spiritual teachers say, you don’t need an intermediary between you and Source/God/the Universe. You have that connection available to you at all times. Learning to tune in and trust that connection is where a lot of us seem to stumble, though.

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November 2024 reading wrap up

November’s been a month filled with the love and warmth of family, the excitement and joy of traveling, and a few stolen moments of quiet squeezed in between all the comings and goings. Through it all, I’ve had my Kindle tucked into my bag, firing it up during train and car rides, sneaking in a few pages with my morning coffee or before I turned in at night.

Despite all the excitement, I did manage to finish four books this month!

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No, finances are not the most important factor for retirement planning

Here are 3 things to focus on instead

First of all, I’m sorry about that click-baity title. But hey, it got you here, didn’t it?

Let me start by saying that finances are definitely an important component of your early retirement planning. But, it isn’t the most important factor, especially not if you’re planning to retire early.

Actually, scratch that. No matter when you plan to retire, you can’t focus only on the finances and hope to have an enjoyable retirement. Just look around you at all the disgruntled retirees, who seem to have no purpose after they leave the work force.

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November 2024: Tarot spread for the full moon in Taurus

Plus an astro-tarot forecast, journaling questions, and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the full moon in Taurus.

The November 2024 full moon falls in the sign of Taurus. The Taurus archetype is grounded and steadfast, calm and composed, firm and also somewhat stubborn. This is a sign that is practical and earthy, and is associated with material pleasures, desires, luxuriousness, and abundance.

Spiritually, the Taurus archetype teaches the principle of belonging through presence…our presence as sacred human beings…honouring the body temple…honouring the flow of life. This can be difficult given the society we live in, which praises the hustle over reverence and treats time as money rather than a finite resource that should be used wisely in the pursuit of the things that give us meaning.

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Book review: We Are All Ghosts In The Forest by Lorraine Wilson

“She returned with the boy ten days before the rains. The boy was hardly to blame but still, first came the stranger and then came the rains.”

Thus starts Lorraine Wilson’s We Are All Ghosts In The Forest, a post-apocalyptic novel set in a small village somewhere in Eastern Europe, in an unspecified amount of time after the Crash, when the internet escaped its bounds in a paroxysm of entropy.

The world is now inhabited by digital ghosts. Fragments of the internet that roam the world, playing their stories in a loop. If you aren’t careful, they can infect you, though like any virus, some ghosts are more infectious than others. Weak ones are harmless, or ones with little emotion in them. Data, maps, news reports, shopping websites, things like that. The occasional story ghost can be a problem if you happen to know the story. But the ones connected to destructive emotions are the riskiest, if your state of mind resonates with them well enough, they can… upload themselves into you.

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November 2024: Tarot spread for the new moon in Scorpio

Plus an astro-tarot forecast, resources, and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the new moon in Scorpio.

The November 2024 new moon falls in the sign of Scorpio. The Scorpio archetype is known for its intense power and its ability to transform, much like the butterfly emerging from its cocoon, ready to fly. The Scorpio archetype isn’t afraid of the birth-death-rebirth cycle, for it is only when parts of us die and are reborn that we can fully transform.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that spiritually, the Scorpio archetype teaches us to surrender – to align our human will with divine will. It can teach us that sometimes our human trials can reveal a need for deep healing. This is not always easy to live with or to understand, especially when the need for healing arises from trauma, and yet on the other side of working with and healing trauma there can be deep and valuable transformation.

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October 2024 reading wrap up

Spooky season is here, and my reading preferences have taken on a decidedly cozy mien. I have a few thrillers that I have to review, but I just can’t bring myself to read them. All I want to read is something cozy — be it a cozy mystery or a cozy romance, or, better yet, a cozy fantasy.

There are seasons to our reading, I think. I know there are times when all I want is to sink my teeth into something “serious” or to immerse myself in some Jungian psychology or books on art and creativity. There are seasons when I want to read all the YA/fantasy, and others when all I want is to immerse myself in some good historical fiction.

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October 2024: Tarot spread for the full moon in Aries

Plus an astro-tarot forecast, journaling questions, and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the full moon in Aries.

The October 2024 full moon falls in the sign of Aries. The Aries archetype is known for its bold – often rash – action, for going where angels fear to tread. As the first sign of the zodiac, it represents the active core of our spiritual journey on earth, and teaches us to act in accordance with our ideals. The Aries archetype teaches us to be unafraid to march to our own drumbeat, to assert our willpower towards the attainment of our desires, and to embrace beginner’s mind and the innate trust and explosive power {conviction + action} that is needed to start something new.

Spiritually, the Aries archetype teaches us about action. And as most of us know, it’s easier to talk about the things we want to do than to put in the work and actually do the thing! Aries teaches us that courage is the key to unlocking the full potential of this spiritual principle. And that comes from connecting your head to your heart, focusing your will, and taking consistent action towards your dreams.

This full moon also highlights your voyage of self-discovery: who you are, who you’re becoming, how do you realize your best self?

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In my Victorian Era

Bridging the hustle and bustle of the 21st century with life in the slow lane

I quit.

My job and corporate life, that is.

I have no big plans. No business goals. No ideas for freelance work. At least not yet.

What I have is a small financial nest egg and a deep desire to live a simple, slow life.

I’m calling it my Victorian Era.

Living the Victorian Life

I have romantic notions of long periods of leisure time — the ability to do the things I love for no reason other than the fact that I enjoy them. Of taking the time to cook a delicious meal {even though I’m not particularly fond of cooking}. Creating some art. Reading for hours. Scribbling away in my journal. Writing and sharing my words through this here blog, as well as on Studio Diaries. Maybe even making some YouTube videos, because I enjoy filming and editing my art process.

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