Beautifully Irrational

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/final-books/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39899

I finished a book in the final week of 2025, making me uneven on Goodreads. 65 books instead of 64 books. I probably could have finished one of the other two books I was currently reading, but instead of committing to completing one of the existing books, I decided I had to read The Correspondent. […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/final-books/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39899

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/on-the-podium/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39896

I read this a few months ago, but it stuck with me because I keep seeing commercials for the Olympics, which opens in one month on February 6. Studies have been done that people who win bronze feel better than people who win silver (with people who win gold obviously feeling the best). They explain, […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/on-the-podium/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39896

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/microblog-monday-567-shuffalo/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39892

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* I was not going to play Shuffalo, even though I loved the little drawing and the concept of the game: You keep creating anagrams, receiving one new letter each level. I was not going to […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/microblog-monday-567-shuffalo/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39892

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/international-blog-delurking-week-2026/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39890

It may or may not be International Blog Delurking Week. The first full week of January (January 4 – 10, 2026) is when we’re supposed to slither out of the reading closet and check in with an “I’m here” comment. Barely anyone does this anymore. In the olden days, people would pop out of the […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/international-blog-delurking-week-2026/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39890

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/1067th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39917

Happy new year! May your 2026 be better than your 2025. I had to do a weird speed-up slow-down thing with reading this week because I finished a book faster than I thought I would, and then had to race through an additional book to make it an even number again. Why an even number? […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/01/1067th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39917

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/20250-pages/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39881

For the past five years (2020) and (2021) and (2022) and (2023) and (2024), I set reading goals tied to the year — 20200 pages, 20210 pages, 20220 pages, 20230 pages, 20240 pages. As of December 30th (which is the date GoodReads last updated my reading stats), I hit 22,745 pages with 66 books. So […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/20250-pages/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39881

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/consumption-10/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39783

This is a monthly series, published near the end of the month summarizing what I found, ate, watched, googled, and felt this month. New categories added from time to time. Books Added to My TBR (e.g., books I just learned about that I’m excited to read… maybe) Alice with a Why (Anna James) The Rainshadow […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/consumption-10/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39783

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/microblog-monday-566-crossherd/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39878

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* For whatever reason, I still had free access to the New York Times mini until about a week ago. It didn’t shut off for me when it shut off for everyone else, and I secretly […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/microblog-monday-566-crossherd/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39878

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/hope-as-a-superpower/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39870

Flying is usually my chosen superpower (not that anyone is bequeathing me with superpowers). I used to think that invisibility would be a close second, but I could also see a lot of issues with invisibility, and I wouldn’t actually want to overhear conversations. But more and more this year, I’ve been thinking that optimism […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/hope-as-a-superpower/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39870

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/1066th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39873

Many months ago, we were in Deerfield, MA, and we decided that we’d watch The Holdovers during winter break. We had never seen it, though it had been on my TBW list for a long time. Winter break was the perfect time for a holiday movie, right? So there we were, all snuggled up and […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2025/12/1066th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=39873