Happy Friday, friends! I took Monday off as a continuation of my birthday commitment to do absolutely nothing but what I want for a few days, and it was nice. I made a pasta salad, which I’ve eaten all week for lunch (and sometimes also dinner – it makes so much), and binge-watched Veronica Mars most of the day. It was great.
Having a four-day week this week was also nice. We should do this always. Well, always until I retire. Then it’s “I do what I want” all day, every day.
Here are some things I’ve run across this week. Enjoy!
This list of tips on how to read more was written in more pandemic-y, home-alone times, but they’re still applicable. My favorites are the ones that lean toward “read what you like and ignore the haters” and “schedule reading time like an appointment/job.” I also find that connecting with other people over books makes me want to read more and also introduces me to fascinating new things I wouldn’t have read otherwise. Also writing reviews/reflections helps. You know what? All of these tips are solid. Take the ones that sound like they’d be useful to you if reading more is on your vision board.
I love everything about this column, included in Roxane Gay’s Audacious Roundup (which you should also follow). I especially like the shout-out to Marcella Hazan and the story about Nonna eating peppers out of the jar. I’m excited to see future updates.
In working through my Audible library, I ran across something I picked up a couple of years ago – Courting the Wild Twin by Martin Shaw. It reminded me of some of the discussions we had in performance classes in grad school, with lovely moments such as “Myths are a secret weapon. A radical agency for beauty in the age of amnesia – an agency far beyond concept and polemic.” I enjoyed the nostalgia. Lots of connected-but-still-badly-in-need-of-more-editing tangents, so maybe the print copy would have been an easier read than the audio.
We had our annual Equity and Diversity Conference here yesterday, and it was probably the best one I’ve attended. Hina Wong-Kalu was my favorite speaker.
And finally…they had me at “Stanley Tucci.” A peek inside his pantry was just what my week needed. Also, I’m 100% in favor of pasta for breakfast.
I hope you’ve had a great week and have an even better weekend!
This challenge is slowing down a bit due to its structure, as many of the books I read don’t fit into the spots that are still left. So it may not be long before I have to become a little more intentional about which of the many items on my TBR list and collection I read – particularly concerning the latter half of the alphabet, apparently – so that I end up finishing it.
I’ve had quite a few days off (good for tucking up under a blanket with a good book) and long drives (great for audiobooks) this month, though, so we’re ready for a new update!
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
C
The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton
D
Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith
E
Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro
F
Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland – I liked this book overall, but it took me forever to get through it. There wasn’t a lot of plot – just a whole lot of waiting around for something to happen. Which is what the characters were actually going through, so in that way I suppose it made it easy to empathize with them. I fell asleep reading it a lot, and I had decided last night that if I couldn’t manage to finish it before bedtime I would give up on doing so altogether, but I managed to push through.
G
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
H
How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris – I liked this one, but not as much as I expected to. The premise is intriguing and something I don’t think those in outgroups (i.e., me) understand a lot about, so I was excited to read it. I think most of my disappointment was just editing preferences. I would have preferred either a fuller prologue that handled all the past scenes or a more regular chapter-by-chapter exchange where the past relationships were flushed out a little more. Also…it feels like two different genres. The first two-thirds of the book is strict realism, but then something is revealed that I would have liked to see incorporated earlier in the story.
I
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
J
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez – I used to say without qualifier that I am a sucker for a sappy romance with a happy ending (hence my membership in Nowhere’s Happy Endings book club). But this series has driven home for me that in order for them to be more than meh for me, I need certain things from my rom-coms. Especially with books like these where all the main characters – and even most of the secondary ones – are stereotypically attractive. I mean, come on. The main guys in the first book? Ex-Marine firefighters. And the first scene with the main guy (Hot Rock StarTM) in the second book opens with the two thirsty ladies seated next to him on a plane ogling (perhaps even fondling? Ahem. MA’AM.) his biceps. Now I enjoy ex-Marine firefighters/hot rock stars as much as the next person (and maybe a little more than the next person re: the rock star or just musicians in general), but I prefer meet-cute stories featuring those who…well…aren’t. Acknowledge that good things can happen for people who don’t always get second glances with positive appraisals before they even open their mouths to speak, and the story is automatically more interesting for me.
I also need to see them struggle. That sounds rude, but hear me out. Life is hard in some way for most people, and it’s difficult for me to connect to characters who have nothing more than small hiccups along their way to alleged forever bliss. Physical or mental health issues, career overhaul or loss, major identity crisis, grief, systemic oppression, etc. Show me the big bad they’re up against and how they’re dealing with it (even – or sometimes especially – if they’re not dealing well), or I just don’t care.
All this is to say that, as Jimenez definitely leans ALL the way into the typical “oh god she’s so gorgeous and fit and he’s so chiseled and my, what a big penis he has” trope, I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed these books. And it’s mostly because the author is excellent at showing her characters’ humanity. I don’t have a lot in common with any of them, but I felt like I understood where they were coming from, and thus I wanted them to be well and secure and loved and just have it all.
I liked The Happy Ever After Playlist more due mostly to personal preferences overall and also because some of the things that the female lead in the first one found hot about the main dude bordered on problematic for me. Also I hate the concept of the friend zone and all its implications, which is the reason it took me so long to pick the book up in the first place, but I begrudgingly admit that the title is a decent fit for the story. I’m looking forward to listening to the third one, Life’s Too Short, later this month.
K
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
L
Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach
M
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
N
O
The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
P
Q
Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood – If you haven’t read or watched Phryne Fisher, you’re missing out (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is a gorgeous portrayal of Greenwood’s series). They’re quick reads, and if you like unlikely detectives or historical mystery fiction, you might get a kick out of them. This one was not one of my favorites of the series, but it was still enjoyable.
R
A Rhythm of Prayer, edited by Sarah Bessey – I listened to these prayers on my way to and from work for about a week and a half, and it was so good. I love Sarah Bessey, and it’s no surprise that she was able to put together such a rich liturgy collection. I’m glad I have it on audio, but I think I’m also going to have to buy a print copy for use at home.
S
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
T
U
V
W
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
X
Y
Z
Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian
The bats continue their festive seasonal costume choices at the office.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! AKA, the eve of my birthday. I’m off work today to rest up for the festivities tomorrow and I’m looking forward to my video chat with Maggie and Michelle tonight. But I wanted to drop in and give you some of the goodies that I’ve enjoyed in the last couple of weeks.
I love the St. Marin’s series by ACF Bookens, and Hardcover Homicide is the first one I listened to on audio. I think I would have enjoyed that version better if I had listened to the series from the beginning. It’s hard to start audio versions on the 9th book – I already have voices in my head for the characters at that point – but it was a good reading. Anyway, the whole series is great fun, and I love how these characters have developed throughout it. Also, be prepared to add to your TBR list with every book. It will make you long to hang out in your favorite local bookstore or library even more than you already do. I look forward to reading the next one, but maybe I’ll order it in print this time.
Speaking of things to add to the TBR, the 2023 longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin – Oh, the wit! I really enjoyed this book. The characters are off their rockers and do some things that are ill-advised and sometimes downright startling. But there are also some really sweet moments and, while the main character stressed me out for a large portion of the book, I still found her likable.
I think one of my mini-goals for April is going to be focusing on creating a less stressful home environment. Specifically, I am targeting my dining area. I’ve currently dedicated the large table to getting the plants started for my patio garden for the summer (or let’s be real – as long as it lasts), but once they’re planted properly outside, I don’t want the space to just clutter up again. Ideally, I could buy some nice flowers to motivate me to keep it clear, but experience tells me that won’t deter me for long. It needs a purpose other than the surface I hurriedly clear off on the rare occasions I have more than two people over for dinner. I am considering turning it into a reading nook/project area, but I haven’t decided exactly what that looks like.
If you are interested in fine-tuning your people skills, research shows that reading fiction can help you do that. As a former communication professor, however, I can verify that it’s probably NOT a good idea to send that link to someone and say, “If you would just read this and do what it says, we’d get along so much better.” That’s probably not helpful. Probably.
For years, I have tried to keep track of notes I have made on each book I read, but all my efforts tend to fizzle out. So far, this process seems to be working *knocks on wood* and I’m so pleased.
As with the last update, those listed as just titles were reviewed in a previouspost.
For the main list of book titles I’ve read for this challenge, see this post.
A
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
B
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley – This book has everything I typically like in a mystery. Unlikely/unexpected sleuth with a spunky personality and clever wit. Idyllic setting. Family secrets/character(s) with a secret history. It was all there. But the book was still just meh to me. The plot dragged so slowly for at least half of the book. Once it picked up, it was more interesting, but I was already over it by the time that happened.
C
The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton
D
Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith
E
Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro
F
G
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – I’m so glad that I watched the show before I read this. Because while I’m sure the book would have been just as clever without David Tennant as Crowley in my head, it stands to reason that just about anything is better with him (or at least the thought of him). I was happy that the high expectations I had going in were met when I read it.
H
How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur
I
The Iron Druid Chronicles (10-ish books in the series plus a lot of short stories published separately) by Kevin Hearne – OK, technically, this is way more than one book, but one thing I wish review sites let you do is post one review for the whole series, because while occasionally one book will stand out above the rest, I typically think of them as one long story. So I’m going to do what I want here. Anyway…ancient immortal druid, living in today’s world. Has a vampire for a lawyer and werewolves as allies. Mind-melds with his dog. You know, as you do. The writing is clever, and the premise is fun. I’ve sailed through the first three and am currently listening to the fourth in the series. The story and characters are great; the reader is fantastic. I especially like Oberon.
J
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry – It took me a couple of chapters to get into this one, but I could hardly put it down once I did. The way Berry ties in events from Jayber’s early life to cast meaning on what happens later is nothing short of masterful. I’m often critical of endings, but the last sentence of this book is perfect. This is the first novel of Berry’s that I’ve read, and I’ll definitely be reading others.
K
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
L
Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach
M
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
N
O
The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
P
Q
R
S
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle – If I could host a dinner party with various characters in literature (a term I use broadly), Sherlock Holmes would definitely be on the guest list. I read a lot of this series when I was younger, and I enjoyed the re-read just as much if not more than I did then.
T
U
V
W
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
X
Y
Z
Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian
One thing I really love about this month is that my birthday is on its way, so I get a lot of emails with coupons and freebies. I will faithfully delete countless emails I don’t read all year just to get these treats.
Here are some other things I have loved recently:
Birds of America by Lorrie Moore – This was our February selection for Follow the Reader, and we spent most of the time talking about it just reading exquisitely written lines from the stories. My favorite story was a tie between “Which Is More Than I Can Say About Some People” about the narrator’s trip to Ireland with her mom and “Terrific Mother” set in a children’s cancer ward. Moore writes deeply flawed characters really well, and each story elicited a strong emotional response.
A Hole in the World by Amanda Held Opelt – Opelt’s own experience of grief after her miscarriages and the sudden loss of her sister (Rachel Held Evans) led to her desire to learn about grief rituals, and this book is the result of what she learned. It sits in the uncertainty of having more questions than answers and cycling through both grief and joy (sometimes at the same time). It was the perfect read for Lent, and I can see myself buying and re-reading it when grief is heavy.
I’m in the market for new sandals. The weather has been springy, and the selection in my closet is sparse. I am considering these or these. Maybe these. I tend to lean toward black footwear (practical – hides dirt, goes with everything), but I’m feeling shiny lately. I may need shoes to match. Thanks for the birthday coupon, DSW!
I need another baking pan like I need a hole in my toe, but THIS IS SO CUTE. I COULD MAKE BUTTERFLY CAKELETS. Now, whether I would is another story…
It’s Staff Appreciation Month at my job, and I’m choosing to be appreciated in the form of taking a lot of fun classes and a lot of time off. Yay – more time to read!
Book Clubs
In my Rise and Shine book club this month, the theme is science and technology, so I’m mostly gathering suggestions rather than choosing a specific book to read. I mean, I have some science fiction recommendations…but I’m not sure that’s what they mean.
I start compiling these posts two or three months in advance, so there’s plenty of shifting by the time I actually post it. And by shifting, I do mean the occasional “no, on second thought, I don’t really have any interest in reading that at all” but mostly “hey – I want to read that, too!” And thus the TBR expands. This section was four books…until the last couple of weeks.
Memoir – Of Walking on Ice by Werner Herzog and Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry (both recommended and loaned to me by Sarah Ruth – thanks, friend!)
After what was a glorious spontaneous week off due to an ice storm in Texas, we came back to work, Land of 10,000 Emails, this week. That has been less than glorious. But here are some things I’ve enjoyed despite being so far behind at work I may never catch up.
Speaking of emails…“Hi, anxiety is a fucking prison that I can’t escape and now it has literally been ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE WEEKS SINCE YOU EMAILED ME…” is the solidarity I need right now. Thanks, Jenny Lawson.
So you know how everyone has been talking (for a couple of years) about how Only Murders in the Building is super cute? They’re right. Just a few episodes in, and I’m hooked.
Yep. Definitely hiring someone to lug around the boxes and boxes of books I own next time I move. Although, that was a pretty good workout….
I finished Marissa Meyer’s Gilded last night. This is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, and I really love what Meyer does with it. I had three versions going – ebook for reading on my desktop at lunch, audiobook for listening in the car, and a hard copy from the library for at home. Because once the story got going, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I’ve already checked out the ebook of Cursed in anticipation of this need for the second part of the duology. Fantastic. Highly recommend.
Saturday, I’m performing some microfiction at a show at Deep Vellum. You should stop by if you’re in the area.
Time for another update! Here are some micro-reviews of the books I’ve read recently. Those listed as just titles were reviewed in my previous post.
For the main list of book titles I’ve read for this challenge, see this post.
A
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – So good! Such a hopeful story, and I love the audio version. The main character won me over early, and I loved cheering her successes throughout the book. Also, it made me so hungry and inspired me to cook, which to me is the ultimate mark of good foodie fiction.
B
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
C
The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton – It was OK. Disclaimer – I have read a lot of wartime historical fiction, due to one book club’s proclivity toward such things and the fascinating discussions they lead to. It’s not one of my favorite genres, though. But since I have read so many, I was disappointed that this one didn’t really stack up to the rest of them. There were good moments and some interesting elements, but overall? Meh. If historical WWII fiction is your jam, you’ll probably like it. If you just want to dabble, stick to things like The Nightingale and Code Name Verity.
D
Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith – This memoir recounts the couple’s visits to all 58 (now 59, as they added in one of the last chapters) national parks, as told to their friends Bob and Sue through emails. If you enjoy visiting national parks or hiking or being outdoors a lot, I think you’d really enjoy this book. My favorite part was their humor and their relationship. Reading it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books about running – My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso and Kathleen Parrish. Both books were full of a whole lot of entertaining stories I am content to hear someone else tell and never, ever personally experience.
E
Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro – I mentioned in the January TBR post that I feel like I grew up with Laurie Notaro because I read and resonated with a lot of her books in my twenties. This one is no exception. I wheeze-laughed. There were a few parts that I could have done without (e.g., I often bristle at kids-these-days commentary, so those small sprinkles fell flat for me), but most of it? I howled in solidarity. Recommended for anyone whose body is starting to betray them or who is now or will ever go through perimenopause.
F
G
H
How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur – If you loved “The Good Place,” you’ll probably also enjoy this book, as it addresses the same general topic and is written by one of the show’s creators and thus employs a lot of the same type of humor. Added bonus? Some of the cast members read the audiobook. I was taking notes for book club through most of it, so I stuck with the ebook version. It also gives you a pretty decent overview of Philosophy 101 without having to slog through Aristotle and Kant and Sartre (no offense to those dudes, but Schur works in TV. It’s basically his job to be entertaining.). And it sparked a really lively book club discussion, so…solid read!
I
J
K
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
L
Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach
M
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire – Oh my gosh, the author reads the audiobook, which I usually don’t like, but it’s fantastic. I love the back story of these characters that we met in the first book of the series. Excellent character building, and I’m very excited to read the next one.
N
O
The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki – I actually started this one a few months ago. It took longer to finish because I savored it, which takes a little while to do when a book is 500+ pages. Perfect story for book lovers and mental health advocates with some charming magical realism elements. I gave it five stars on Goodreads.
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
X
Y
Z
Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian
This is Day 3 of this year’s (hopefully only) Icepocalypse. So far this week, I’ve slept in, talked to my mom and dad on the phone, made biscuits, submitted several articles for my writing job, started cleaning out the coat closet, and done some strength training. Right now, I’m cozied up with a cup of tea in my most comfortable chair. We have already received notice that the university is closed tomorrow as well.
I’m so glad I bought coffee on Sunday.
I have also finished three books and plan to finish two more by the end of tomorrow. So I’m making an early dent in this month’s list!
An issue that I vaguely foresaw when I made my reading goals this year is where to categorize the ongoing massive overlap of titles. Technically, everything in my collection that I haven’t already read is on my to-be-read list. That’s why I own them – for reading. So really, they’re all TBR. And I’m never sure whether to include ebooks and audiobooks as part of my TBR or my collection. I mean, I have purchased them, but I still think of them as TBR, as they’re not physically in the limited space of my home, with their own spot on the shelf.
I guess the deciding factor is “Can I loan it to you (without violating the stingy fine print I agreed to when I signed up for the subscription)?” Collection – yes. TBR – probably not. So there we go.
Of course, all of this is a moot point this month anyway, because except for three of the books listed above that I will own as soon as they arrive, I’m focusing solely on the TBR.
TBR
I have a lot of library books out, and they’re all just sitting there on my shelf, begging for attention. Reminding me that someone else could be reading them if only I wasn’t selfishly hoarding them (someone else could also put a hold on them if they really wanted to let me know they’re dying to read them right away, so it’s possible this is all just a problem I’ve made up in my head). When Rory Gilmore chastised herself for not taking a book back to the library on time because it robbed someone else of the pleasure of reading it that week? I felt that. Anyway, this month is going to be a heavier focus on reading through most of those and getting them back into circulation where they belong. Fortunately, they’re all on my TBR list (which is why I checked them out to begin with), so I can do this without it pausing my goals for the year.
Series – I’ve been waiting to tuck into Marissa Meyer’s Gilded because I was waiting on the second one – Cursed – from the library so I could read them back to back. Also reading Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire and A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Author (this category is lists of books by the writers I particularly enjoy) – Companion Piece by Ali Smith
Non-Realism (includes fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, speculative fiction…I may separate them out into different lists at some point, but for now they’re all one category) – Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and A Million Junes by Emily Henry
That’s right. We’re back with the Friday Five. Five things I read/encountered/stumbled upon this week that I want to tell you about. This year, I’m still going to post links to things I found on the internet. But I’m also going to include snippets of the books I read that didn’t fit the alphabet or Girlxoxo or (later) the MMD summer challenge (and thus won’t get a snippet in those updates).
Almost every year, I read The Little Prince on New Year’s Day and jot down quotes or phrases that particularly stick out to me at that time. “When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey.” “I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.”
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan – I read this book because foodie books were the theme of our Rise and Shine book club in January, and this is one of the ones that were suggested. It’s a novel about a baker during WWII who finds a way to feed both the soldiers who require it of her and the people she loves. It was…ok. I might have liked it better if I had read a hard copy instead of listening to it, but I’m not interested enough in revisiting it to find out.
Ijeoma Oluo’s “My Biggest, Fattest Year Ever” was the piece I didn’t know I needed to read right now. I am struggling with reconciling all the things my body can do with how it looks. I feel like I’m constantly having to re-learn how to dress it. This piece was a soothing balm.
Two of my book clubs are also subscription services from Nowhere Bookshop. Well, they have a third one now – Nightmares from Nowhere. As horror is not really my thing, I (probably) won’t join this one (although the February book The Spite House looks really good), but I know there’s someone on my list for whom this is right up their alley. If you want a spooky book-of-the-month shipment and also opportunities to talk about it with other people who read it, give it a try!
Did you know today is National Chocolate Cake Day? AND Mozart’s birthday. AND Lewis Carroll’s birthday. AND my friend cm’s birthday! What a great day!
I hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend!
M. Suzanne Terry 