It seemed only fitting that I shell the last of the Bloody Butcher dent corn from this summer’s garden as I was reading Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple.

Masa is a culinary expedition through the history of turning corn into nixtamal and nixtamal into masa, with lots of great tips and recipes along the way. It’s one of the latest books to further my own study of traditional and natural food preparation.

I’ve previously written about my journey as a diabetic and how I fight it without medication while using natural foods. I feel like this one will expand my repertoire in the kitchen. Plus, I have gallons of dry dent corn from the summer garden that must be put to good use.

But this is not a post about diet or food. It’s about completing my seventh year in a row of reading every day. 🥳 📚

So far, I’ve finished 29 of the 35 books for the 2025 Goodreads reading challenge, which is exactly the same spot I was in last year. With less than a month left, I don’t know that I’ll hit my 35-book goal, at least not without just diving into my manga TBR. And I’m not above doing that to best a challenge.

The biggest barrier to reading the remaining six books is one of my own making: I just got engaged and bought a new house. I’ll dive into the details of that in another post, but suffice it to say, it’s going to be a busy month moving to the new place and with the holidays in the mix.

Whether I complete the Goodreads challenge is largely irrelevant. The goal is to continue reading something—anything—every day for the remainder of my days. I’m a firm believer in reading being one of the most enriching activities that anyone can partake in. It opens us to new viewpoints and expands our scope of knowledge.

So I’ll keep on reading, and I hope you do too, dear reader.

Of the 29 books I’ve completed this year, it’s been a literary feast that would satisfy many tastes. I’ve read up on everything from keeping chickens to science fiction to fantasy—and quite a bit in between. I’ve certainly enjoyed each morsel along the way.

While it’s tough to pick a favorite, I’d probably give that crown to The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. And with that, I’ll leave you with a quote from one of her books:

He shook his head pityingly. “This, more than anything else, is what I have never understood about your people. You can roll dice, and understand that the whole game may hinge on one turn of a die. You deal out cards, and say that all a man’s fortune for the night may turn upon one hand. But a man’s whole life, you sniff at, and say, what, this naught of a human, this fisherman, this carpenter, this thief, this cook, why, what can they do in the great wide world? And so you putter and sputter your lives away, like candles burning in a draft.”

“Not all men are destined for greatness,” I reminded him.

“Are you sure, Fitz? Are you sure? What good is a life lived as if it made no difference at all to the great life of the world? A sadder thing I cannot imagine. Why should not a mother say to herself, if I raise this child aright, if I love and care for her, she shall live a life that brings joy to those about her, and thus I have changed the world? Why should not the farmer that plants a seed say to his neighbor, this seed I plant today will feed someone, and that is how I change the world today?”

“This is philosophy, Fool. I have never had time to study such things.”

“No, Fitz, this is life. And no one has time not to think of such things. Each creature in the world should consider this thing, every moment of the heart’s beating. Otherwise, what is the point of arising each day?”

Robin Hobb, Royal Assassin