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Mara Gordon, MD's avatar

Thanks for all these recs! I need to pick out some books for a few upcoming trips....

Over the last few years, I've given up on Kindle and read pretty exclusively hard copies. (Not totally because Amazon is evil, but mostly because I realized I wasn't actually retaining anything I read on the Kindle. I think our brains process reading differently in hard copy vs. e-reader!)

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

Ooh, that's an interesting thought. I was the same with audiobooks. I almost exclusively did nonfiction on audio, and it was just so hard to track. Also, I recently read "The Wedding People," and really enjoyed it. Great vacation read!

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Sally Doran's avatar

I too love a print book as a vaca ritual! Full-confession: when I fly I buy People or Us magazine at the airport to read on the plane. To me, this is a little snack reward for my mind that’s typically consuming much healthier fare.

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

Yes!! I used to be such a big magazine and celeb gossip junky and loved picking up a couple at the airport for the trip.

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Leslie Senevey's avatar

I read in bed every night and stay up way later than my husband. So I mostly read on my tablet since I can read it in dark mode with minimal light. But I like to keep a print book in my car so that I always have one for those moments in between appointments, while waiting or if I stop for lunch on my own. It becomes like a little vacay in the middle of a regular day.

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

Ooh, that’s a great suggestion about leaving a book in the car. Much better than my current aimless scrolling.

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Shelby Tutty, MHA's avatar

You and I would travel fabulously together! I'm 100% print. I bring at least 2 books with me and drag my family around to local bookstores buying more. That's my vacation thing.

On a recent trip to Halifax I picked up the Canadian author Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fayne. If you want to lug around a 721 page book it's worth it! I loved it. Don't Google too much but read the back cover. There's nothing I could compare it to.

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

Thanks for the recommendation! And one day we should consider a Substack meetup of all us Women’s Health Collective writers!

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Shelby Tutty, MHA's avatar

Things are churning on some plans, Kristi! It's so nice how we're all becoming friends.

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Sarah Elizabeth Graves's avatar

Great list of book recs! I added them to my tbr list. :) As someone with type 2 diabetes, I'm especially excited for the weight-inclusive diabetes one!

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

If you’re not familiar with Megrette’s work here on Substack, I highly recommend checking it out!

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Megrette Fletcher (She/Her)'s avatar

Thank you for reading the No Weight Loss Required ebook. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for sending my way (and including me in it).

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Heidi Schauster's avatar

Thank you, Kristi, for reading my books. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I always read print books, too, because I need to underline and make little notes in the margins. Reading feels more active and engaging for me that way. I hope you enjoy your vacation!

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Kristi Koeter's avatar

Print is good for that! Much harder to highlight on digital.

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Pam Moore's avatar

Love this, Kristi!! I am an avid reader- I always read before bed and on vacation I feel naked without at least a book for every couple of days I’m gone. Not that I’ll read them all, just that I’m weird and I need to have options so I can immerse myself in something good while I’m gone! I don’t always bring my kindle on trips, but the last time I did I left it on the plane:(

Also, I believe tub reading is the height of simple luxury!

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Amy Brown's avatar

Hi Kristi, I prefer hardcovers or print nearly always but have a Kindle paper white for travel and supplementary reading although it’s always a secondary reading preference as I delight in a break from screens as a writer at her computer several hours a day. In the last year I have come to appreciate audiobooks too, mostly non fiction as I feel I miss so much not reading fiction in print. As a novelist I want to see the look of the words on the page, the length of paragraphs, how the chapter ends visually. Listening seems to give me only a partial experience of a novel. I also found Demon Copperhead a difficult but important and incredibly written book, what a voice she created with Demon. And Educated, too, glad I read that, a few years ago. I read 50+ books a year since I have given up watching shows or series or even movies. Not missing that form of storytelling although I know how effective and moving it can be, the silver screen. I guess I am just in a season of my life where reading is what gives me the most enjoyment & sustenance. Also because it teaches me to be a better writer.

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