Some birthdays call for cake. Mine calls for family first, and bookmarks (of course)! Maybe because I was born in the middle – at the year’s midpoint, I’ve always felt a little more attuned to balance—even when I am (which is very often) half past one thing, half leaning into the next. For me, this middle space isn’t just a pause between what has been and what might still be; it’s a passage. And what better way to mark it than with books that carry me from start to finish, from first lines to final chapters, always reading all the way through?

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Born in the Middle

I kind of love the uniqueness of this date—the whole “middle day of the year” thing. It makes me feel just a little cooler about turning a year older!
I only realized it a few years ago, and now? I’m not even sure if I celebrate this day because it’s my birthday or because it’s the midpoint of the year (lol!).

So here I am—older, maybe wiser, definitely still learning—and, as always, choosing to:
✨ embrace what comes,
🌱 let the small joys light up the way, and
🌀 simply be.

This time (the ‘born in the middle’ part giving me two aspects to it) is my soft reset.
A breath in. A moment to balance.
A reminder that new beginnings don’t have to wait for January.

Here’s to being born in the middle—right where the magic tends to happen. 💛

‘Born in the Middle’ Time Capsules from Julys Past

Every birthday leaves behind a little time capsule. Here’s what I tucked away in a few earlier Julys:

• She Reads…They Read… where I explore reading with my family over the years.
• Another Year Older and Wiser(?)
• Fluttering Words in the Beauty of the Butterfly Cinquain
• Embracing the Sunshine: Yellow Books and More I Love

Now here are the books I promised, with

My Name in Books

As someone who’s happily fully booked in more ways than one, I couldn’t resist gathering a few literary nods to celebrate my name—and this midpoint milestone—with stories that reflect parts of me, literally and otherwise.

Here’s a bookshelf built from V-I-D-Y-A, with a mix of genres and joys tucked into every letter. Each letter contains a book I’ve loved (+ honorable mentions) and one I look forward to reading—because every name holds stories, and every birthday calls for more books!

V

✔ Book I Loved: Vasilisa the Beautiful (Folk Tale / Picture Book)
I grew up reading many Russian folktales among the zillion other books I read, and Vasilisa along with Ivan and Baba Yaga featured in many of them!

📚 Also enjoyed:
Vertigo by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, translated by Geoffrey Sainsbury. I wrote about this book behind Hitchcock’s movie of the same name here
A Violin for Elva by Mary Lyn Ray. Cuteness overload and so inspiring too! More violin books here.
A Visit to William Blake’s Inn by Nancy Willard. Check my quick thoughts on this delightful read here.

📖 Want to Read: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
A layered story of identity and estranged twin sisters navigating race and reinvention.

I

✔ Book I Loved: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (MG/Verse Novel)
A tender, poetic portrayal of one girl’s refugee journey from Vietnam to Alabama.

📚 Also enjoyed:
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Short Stories)
I Am Odd, I Am New by Benjamin Giroux (Picture Book/Poem)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (MG/Hybrid)

📖 Want to Read: I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
A memoir structured around near-death experiences, lyrical and life-affirming.

D

✔ Book I Loved: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Nonfiction)
Still one of the most powerful voices in literature, honest and filled with hope, a book I mention numerous times on my blog.

📚 Also enjoyed:
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (Middle Grade). A beautiful portrayal of family!
The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates (Adult Fiction). Delightful! And watch the show too.
Don’t Shoot the White Swans by Boris Vasilyev (short stories). This is a gem.

📖 Want to Read: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A modern retelling of David Copperfield set in Appalachia that promises grit and grace.

Y

✔ Book I Loved: Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy (MG/Verse Novel)
A true story of survival told with restraint and power through a child’s voice. And oh my, how it wrecked apart my heart and still gave me hope.

📚 Also enjoyed:
You Read to Me & I’ll Read to You edited by Janet Schulman (Anthology). A book I treasure at home – I got this just before I became a mom, and read to my kids many times from this.
You Don’t Have to Be Everything edited by Diana Whitney (Poetry for Girls). Powerful and much-needed read.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Feminist fiction or faux-horror? I can’t decide but I loved it.

📖 Want to Read: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
A joyful, honest look at what happens when you say yes to life and yourself (and looks like I can say Yes to reading this book because I got it for myself two years ago!!)

Bonus: These delightful You picture books from earlier this year

A

✔ Book I Loved: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Classic)
A whimsical, logic-defying tale that’s endlessly re-readable and rich with wordplay.

📚 Also enjoyed:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Philosophical Fiction). Never reviewed, often mentioned!
All About Words by Maxwell Nurnberg & Morris Rosenblum (Nonfiction). A book that has been on my bookshelf and much-read for ages now.
As You Like It by William Shakespeare (Play). I recall reading an abridged graphic version of this book when I was a teen and loving the story, and later did attempt to read the play but then ended up reading another version instead as an adult.

📖 Want to Read: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
A historical novel of fate and connection during WWII—poetic and sweeping.

And Now, the End of This ‘Born in the Middle’ Post

So dear reader, thank you for joining me in this little celebration of middles, of milestones, and of meaning—found in books, birthdays, and in midyear moments. Whether you’re halfway through your current read, your current week, or something much bigger—I hope you take a pause too. Breathe in. Look back. Then look ahead. Do let me know which of these books you have read (and your thoughts on them), and which ones would you pick for yourself.

And if you find yourself, like me, somewhere in the middle? You know you have a friend in me. 💛