Folks,
Every time I work through a couple
of books quicker than normal leaves me with a sense of awe. Why yes, I
did just read for fun. Sure thing I did nothing but just read for a
bit. I know that I've mentioned this before, but it's truly one of the
most mind boggling possibilities in my life right now. The cool thing
about the spring semester is that my Spring Breaks are staggered a bit,
which effectively draws out one week off to about a month of low
workload (read: GRADING). And. That. Means. More. Reading.
A sample from the last week...
The Reckoning by John Grisham - 400+ pages, done in 1 week while working full-time and keeping 2 minors alive every day
It's
a lot of classic Grisham and a decent amount of a different perspective
that we've not seen from him before. Here's the thing. We still all
love Grisham for classic Grisham writing. But after a couple of dozen
novels, I get how he wants to try new things. I'm cool with that. I'm
even more cool with that when it's caught up in something that's well
familiar and, as aforementioned, well loved. Dang, but he's a good
storyteller. It's hard to get readers to care about characters that
they don't like and aren't supposed to like.
Tracks by Robyn Davidson - 200-ish pages, taking longer to get through
I'm
a bit too meh about this, but it's gripping in the unexpected. She's
not the best writer, but she also makes no bones about not trying to
be. There are enough Australian moments and wordings that pass me by
to keep things tingly as we go, which is really what I like best about
it. I don't want to be reading another American's privileged journey.
Here's the thing...I don't really know WHY the journey was a necessary
moment in her life. And that's a bit disorienting. But, there are
camels. And who knew that camels could be so interesting. ***Addendum since I've finished reading this: It never paid off for me, but I OK enjoyed it because camels and Australia.***
The Cafe by the Sea: A novel by
Jenny Colgan - almost 400 pages, not a debut novel but rather reads
like one (a bit twisty, loose ends that are long in the set-up but quick
in the resolution)
It's nice to read something that tastes a
little bit familiar in a vastly different and unknown environment.
Overall, light and fluffy is sometimes so satisfying just to
flip-flip-flip through a chunk of pages. Skim read. Who cares if you
remember all the details? Jettison a few chapters instead of just one
before bed. This was my runner-up option to take this new author for a
spin, and I think I'll come back for another round once I find the book I
was trying for to begin with.
I'm dabbling in
the possibility of utilizing more audio books, something I've never
really used for myself being more of a podcast kind of girl. But those
podcasts are going to have to go on hiatus for a bit. Because it turns
out that I can listen to a couple of Mary Roach books, which have long
been on my list to explore. And if you're on the Mary Roach fan club,
let me know which is your favorite (I have Stiff waiting on deck ready to go tomorrow).
I
have words to hear and sentences to explore, new story lines that I've
never been privy to before. I'm 10 books done for 2019, and it's a
comparable feeling (I imagine) as looking up from your iPhone one day in
a crowded cafe and locking eyes with the one who you used to believe
was going to be the love of your life but has only turned into a passing
acquaintance. But then that eye catching moments leaves you realizing
that YES, you remember why this person is so perfect in any way, despite
the flaws and weird quirks (s)he has. It's time to rekindle some of
that old fire.
