Coffee with Carlene: Hello from Canada!

Well, hello friends! It's been a long time, but I haven't stopped reading or bookstagramming, just had to take a little blogging break. I hope you've all been following along with me over at @carleneinspired, but if you haven't been here's the short of what you've missed: I received an offer to relocate to northwest Canada and after a visit with my partner, CeCe, we accepted. I go home to California once a month, but otherwise I'm making Canada home. I share the entire journey in stories on Instagram, where I admittedly have fallen behind on reading and reviewing!

The move to Canada proved hard on my reading, even harder on my hobbies, and I've had to learn a
new way of being. It's been about 6 months now since I finally relocated and only 5 since I found a semi-furnished house to rent. It's still missing things, I might be the only tenant who wouldn't complain endlessly about not having a dining table, but it works for just me. Luckily, me being here alone is only a just for now arrangement and hopefully this time next year we'll be sorting out Christine's relocation, transferring the dogs up here, and selling our home in California. I'd be lying if I said taking our relationship long distance was easy, but we've learned in the last several months that we are happy when we just stay connected in little ways, sometimes even just listening to one another complete chores at home on the phone is enough. While I used to spend evenings after work reading for an hour, then making dinner and watching shows with Christine for a couple hours before bed (and more reading), now we get on the phone at the end of our workday and talk for a bit, either while watching a show together or playing a video game. We've not given up on that time together, it's just done a bit differently now, and in exchange I try to save reading for times when we aren't on the phone.

Settling in here was hard; I don't have my things or my books, I don't have the amount of friends I used to, and I don't have access to all the things I am used to. Somedays have been depressing, others have been downright sad, but as I get accustomed to small town, remote living and a lot of rain, hello Canadian's Pacific Northwest, I am finding that books have once again become my favorite way to relax and escape. I used to dream about a warm blanket and listening to the rain while I read, now that is truly my everyday. As I get back to my reading I want to get back to my blogging and interacting with all of my book friends, besides, I'm sure there's plenty of voracious readers like me in Canada and what better way to find them?

While I get back into the swing of things here, I'd love to know if you want me to share more than just books, or if reviews are still what you're interested in seeing. I haven't formed any new Canadian based relationships with Publishers yet, but as long as I can maintain my double residences I will still bring you books from American based Publishers. It'll be a journey, one I'll bring you along for.