Dear internet,

First, I want to welcome new subscribers who found me via Creative Mornings. They trusted me with their email addresses and in return, I promise to not bombard them with emails.

Since Issue #227, I finally got a copy of the “Not Your Mother’s Librarian” recording which I’m making publicly available along with the slide deck.

• Recording: https://bit.ly/NGINotYrMthrsLibrnVideo (about an hour long)

• Slide deck: https://bit.ly/NotYrMothersLibrarian (84 slides)

(I am SUPER pumped to tell you the video has been viewed over 150 times and the deck downloaded nearly 400 times. Wowza!)

If you find it illuminating, interesting, or just plain fun, feel free to distribute the recording and deck as you see fit. It will always remain freely available.

On Goals and Aspirations in 2026

It’s a story as old as time: People generate a list of goals for the new year, join a gym, and attend religiously for a month or two. They work on their goals, buy books, courses, and read articles. Their life is going to be perfect if they just do these five tricks to get their life in order.

Typically, these attempts never really come to fruition and we beat ourselves up for being failures at trying to “change” our lives. I’ve felt this; you’ve felt this: we’ve all felt this.

And yet, every year we try all over again because this is the year that we’re going to make shit happen!

Earlier this year, after long chats with Kristin, I decided to shoot for a B+ life. If I do a thing: great! Mark it off my list. if that thing doesn’t happen, also fine! I’ll get to it another day.

Have I stuck to this thought? Surprisingly, yes! I find myself less stressed in a lot of ways and more comfortable with how things were going. I was creating boundaries and managing my needs in a reasonable way. I’m not saying I found the perfect solution but I am saying I found the workable solution for me.

Even with that bragging, I found that I was still interested in goals, aspirations, and gratitude. I like making lists! I like checking things off said lists! I like putting together reasonable plans because I am a curious person who also happens to have ADHD and I need a plan if something is to occur, but at the same time, I didn’t want to feel like it was a “must do” or an obligation.

And I wanted to be realistic. I scaled back on AMUN to every other week because I felt the pressure to perform weekly was too much. I ditched The Blotter newsletter because while I knew people liked it, it wasn’t a huge feature, and I found myself skipping weeks due to time constraints. Nerd Girl Industries Presents newsletter also went bi-weekly. I swapped my writing shenanigans to my pen name and also moved that to bi-weekly. (In short, I’m creating one newsletter a week instead of two to three a week.)

I created a weekly to-do list on Sundays but the items were reminders of things to do or not to do such as not weigh myself. (I did weigh myself last week and went on a spiral I’m trying to climb out from.) The list also contained items that had a deadline like writing that issue of NGI Presents or testing my webcam and fancy mic for a podcast interview I was going to do. (The podcast interview went great but the production schedule is such it’s not coming out until mid-June of 2026! The host really liked my energy and is bringing back on in early spring to do another episode)

With NGI, writing projects, and life in general, I cannot do without a to-do list.

I also use the Reminders app on my phone for regular things such as when to give Thursday her heart worm pill or drop the thing into the toilet to keep the septic tank happy. Because even though these are regular done things, my ADHD brain does not comprehend time. Look, it’s December 28th! Last I remember, it was Halloween.

I taught myself Notion (sans the Gen AI crap) and made myself project manager of upcoming NGI projects such as refreshing the website. I applied for, and did not receive, three grants to cover the cost of a new website and branding. I do not generate enough income to cover these things so I’m teaching myself branding and SEO so that my website can get traffic and I can get clients or sell shit. (There are other NGI projects in the pipeline for 2026.)

I’m in full check-list mode.

The difference this time around is like I said earlier, if I get shit done, great. If not, there is always tomorrow.

Then there is the stuff I’m interested to learn and again, ADHD brain, need a schedule and a check-list.

Of course there are things I always want to do like learn a new language or compete in 5k walks. But again, if it doesn’t happen this year, this does not mean I did not want it bad enough or I didn’t make the time, it just means it did not happen and I’ll try again next year.

Lastly, I did create a list of seven pillars such as core values, financial, family, spiritual, mental, physical, and philanthropic. Under each pillar, I started listing something that I wanted to aspire to in 2026 such as under family, spend more time with my nephew and under financial, get back into contributing to my IRA. Writing down my core values has been helpful because it pauses me to think on what I believe (or don’t believe) on things that, to me, are non-negotiable such as health care and educations should be affordable on a living wage or free.

Writing these things down has really help me figure out who I am as a person. I think I’ve struggled for so long identifying myself under various guises, getting to the root of it all has been helpful.

On Gratitude in 2026

Also with my goals and aspirations for 2026, I’m working on gratitude. Way back in the dark ages (2016), I was finally stabilized on my psych meds and getting my life together. I started researching various spiritual practices and incorporating them into my daily life. One thing I really liked was the idea of writing down something you are grateful for every day.

I was coming out of a bad time in my life and not only did I want to list what I was grateful for, but I also wanted to name one thing that made me happy for each gratitude.

I came up with the Happy/Gratitudes List for 2016 where I listed 100 things I was grateful for and 100 things that made me happy over the course of the year. At first, starting the list was hard and I cheated by looking for examples but after awhile, I got into groove. Creating the list of things that made me happy was easier but I just didn’t know that so many things made me happy!

(Numerous people reached out to me after the list was published to tell me that I inspired them to create their own list!)

Time ticked on and earlier this year I stumbled across the Greater Good Magazine, a science based periodical supported by UC Berkeley. I read a lot of woo by charlatans and influencers (same thing, really) and I would occasionally raise my eyebrow on something they said (especially when there was a course (paid of course) to go with it). Greater Good was science based! I could get behind that!

I subscribed to their newsletter, which I read devotedly, and fed their happiness calendar into my Google calendar which gives me pause and reflection every day. (December 28th is, “Be Your Own Best Friend.” I can do that!)

Then I discovered they have a book, called The Gratitude Project. Each chapter is an essay from a researcher or expert on how gratitude and practicing gratitude can change your life. I’ve learned that gratitude implies humanity and that it is a social emotion. Also, that gratitude has roots in biology and evolution. (Yep, totally taking notes as I go through those chapters.)

Because this feels more science-y and less someone is trying to sell me something, I decided to start naming things I was grateful for. I try to do it every day but again, if not, life moves on. I’m thinking I may also create a list of 100 things that make me happy and at the end of 2026, publish the list.

I’m genuinely excited for 2026!

2026 Reading Goals

Per family lore, I’ve been reading since I was three (and per mother, I knew my alphabet from watching Sesame Street before then). I’ve always read voraciously and widely because I am interested in everything.

There was a long period (after I got my MLIS) where I stopped reading for pleasure. I think when I picked up a Kate Atkinson book, that got me back into the groove again.

Since then, I’ve been tracking my books on GoodReads (owned by the Amazon overlords). Keeping track is easy because the Amazon Kindle app automatically updates GoodReads when you open an eBook (and will mark it read when you’re done). And that reason alone is literally why I have stuck with GoodReads all this time!

The problem is that GoodReads is run by near volunteers and Amazon spends the barest amount on the infrastructure so the website is terrible (as is the app is a cluster). A goal for 2026 is to move my list over to The StoryGraph or Pagebound and ditch GoodReads all together.

The second goal for 2026 is to go through my eBook ARC (advanced reader’s copies) collection that I get from Netgalley. I have over 1000 titles on my Kindle app from Netgalley that I have yet to read, most published (or will be published) in the last four years since I started abusing the system. Free books that are soon to be published? Sign me up!

To do this, however, I returned all the eBooks I’ve got checked out on Libby I haven’t started yet (but cataloged them on GoodReads) and also cataloged books I had on hold and canceled the holds. In both cases, I only kept the book checked-out if it was something that I was reading or something that had long enough wait (one book, And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison I have on hold will be ready for me in six months but that has more to do with book not being released until February 2026).

I also am a heavy user of interlibrary loan (print books) so I also returned all titles I haven’t started and kept the ones I’m a good portion through. The only exception to my not checking out library books in 2026 is I can checkout cookbooks since I plan on working my way through Paul Hollywood’s (the Male Judge on GBBO) cookbooks in publishing order.

Oh! The other type of book I’m allowing myself to check out is titles for my romance book club.

The ultimate goal is to make a dent in the ARC collection. I have not decided if I’m going to continue to request ARCs through 2026 or just catalog them on GoodReads (or The Story Graph; where ever I may end up). For books that I discover on my internet travels or I hear about, I just plan on cataloging them as well.

For 2025, I set the goal to read 100 titles and as of December 23, I’m at 126 and I’m on track to finish two, possibly three, more before the end of the year. I take time out of my day to knock off a chapter or two and I read before bed.

What am I reading?

Shockingly to some, it’s not all romance! Here is what I’m cycling through now:

• The Gratitude Project by UC Berkley (non-fiction, health & wellness)

• Content, Inc by Joe Pulizzi (non-fiction, business)

• The Content Strategy Toolkit by Meghan Casey (non-fiction, business, science & tech)

• The Digital Marketing Handbook by Simon Kingsnorth (non-fiction, business, marketing)

• Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach (non-fiction, business, science & tech)

• Entrepreneurial Leap by Gino Wickman (non-fiction, business)

• Normal Rules Apply by Kate Atkinson (literary fiction)

• Counting on a Countess by Eva Leigh (historical romance)

• Queens of Conquest by Alison Weir (non-fiction, history)

• What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (mystery)

• Pride and Preston Lin by Christina Hwang Dudley (contemporary romance)

• An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helen Tursten (literary fiction, translation)

• Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies by Elizabeth Winkler (non-fiction, history)

• A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (contemporary romance)

• She-Wolves by Helen Castor (non-fiction, history)

• Game of Queens by Sarah Gristwood (non-fiction, history)

• The League of Lady Poisoners by Lisa Perrin (non-fiction, history)

• Her Lessons in Persuasion by Megan Frampton (historical romance)

• First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison (contemporary romance)

• The Time Traveler's Guide to Regency Britain by Ian Mortimer (non-fiction, history)

• Company of One by Paul Jarvis (non-fiction, business)

• Offtrack by Esha Patel (contemporary romance)

• Anti-diet by Christy Harrison (non-fiction, health & wellness)

• The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan (non-fiction, history)

• Normal Women by Philippa Gregory (non-fiction, history)

• How to Bake by Paul Hollywood (non-fiction, cookery)

• The Light Ages by Seb Falk (non-fiction, history, science & tech)

• The Queen's Bed by Anna Whitelock (non-fiction, history)

• The Corner That Held Them by Sylvia Townsend Warner (literary fiction)

• Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (historical fiction, mystery)

• Chéri : and, The End of Chéri by Colette (literary fiction, translation)

• The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog by Carly Anne York (non-fiction, science & tech)

• On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (non-fiction, political science)

Phew. Over 30 books!

Things to keep in mind:

• I own some of these titles

• 80% of them are at least 50% finished

• Some of the titles I’ve been working on for months

With no more requesting titles, and some of these titles not due until the end of January, goal is to make a huge dent in them by the end of January. With so many over 50% finished, and that I read fast (and comprehend), coupled with long due dates, and I’m actively reading during the day instead of just before bed, this is easy peasy.

Heated Rivalry

You have to be under the proverbial rock to have not heard about the smutty gay m/m hockey romance, Heated Rivalry, currently playing on HBO Max. The show was produced for a Canadian streamer, Crave, but word hit the street how to use VPN to watch Crave content because of how smutty it is (and the ladies love a good mm romance), and allegedly based on that, HBO Max picked it up.

(I, too, love a good m/m sports romance.)

Its consistently been at number one or top of the top 10 list since its release a few weeks ago. It’s a culture phenomenon.

Several people have asked me my thoughts on the show (which is based off a book which has six books in the series) and I’ve started watching it. The first sex scene was at the 18 minute mark in episode one. (I checked because I was curious due to all the chatter about how much smut.) Hopefully by the time you read this, I’ll have finished the series!

The show has been green lit for seasons 2 and 3 (again, six books in the series) and friends who are obsessed are thrilled with this news. GQ did a recent thoughtful and respectful interview with the stars which I’ve been passing around to those obsessives.

Since it’s based on a book, the wait for the title is loooonnngg and since I clearly need to read it, this is one title I’ve kept on hold.

(And if you haven’t heard of Heated Rivalry, don’t comment that you haven’t and how precious you are because of it. Use the googles ffs.)

Anyway, that’s me for the last few weeks. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and I’ll see you in the new year!

lisa x

(2763 words. Phew, I’m chatty in this issue!)