Bye, Sister
Currently reading:
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, edited by Lisa Unger and Steph Cha
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver [ongoing]
Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962–1972 by Alejandra Pizarnik [ongoing]
Books finished this week: 2
★★★★★
Where this book came from: Purchased at Bibliotheque on my birthday trip there earlier this year<3
Why this book: I’ve owned the book for a few months, but I recently watched a D’Angelo Wallace video where he talked about books he’d read this year and he said James was one of the best. I’m a simple gal; D’Angelo speaks, I listen.
Thoughts: This novel is so well done. I last read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in ninth grade (I think?) and I truly could not tell you anything about it beyond the Mississippi River playing a big role and the controversy over the number of times the n-word is used. Maybe being familiar with the original text gives you a different reading experience, but even not remembering much of Huck Finn, I loved James. Emotions run deep; some moments are hard to “watch” unfold. The way Everett plays with language and code-switching, and the importance (and element of danger) placed on the ability to read and write rang true. A difficult read, for sure, but worth every moment.
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: Ripped Bodice (more on that below)
Why this book: Hearing the author read excerpts aloud at the Ripped Bodice event was wonderful!
Thoughts: I am not a romance reader. No particular reason—it’s just not my genre. But I was so drawn to this book, as mentioned above, likely because I got to hear the author read excerpts. It was great to have her voice in my head as I read the rest of the novel, and fun to get to the spots she had read aloud. Maybe that’s the key to me getting more into genres I’m not super familiar with: have the author read it to me aloud at an event. Or, you know, audiobooks. But anyway, Ready or Not! It was very cute! A slow-burn romance about a woman who gets pregnant after a one-night stand and decides to keep the baby. The book deals with a lot of issues surrounding pregnancy——the physical and emotional symptoms of the pregnant person, of course, but also the myriad and often strange or invasive ways some people react to the news——and though the narration gets a little too quirky/clever at times, it was, overall, a smart, more realistic rom-com. A little spice, a genuinely moving birth scene (and I’m someone who is fairly certain she doesn’t even want kids), and an HEA. What else could you want?
Library updates:
Excuse the ominous missive title——I’m not going anywhere, I promise! I’m also not friend-breaking-up with a problematic beauty YouTuber.
Britt (hi, Britt!) and I saw Heretic on Thursday night and I’m going to speak for both of us when I say damn, that movie was good. Hugh Grant is an absolute icon and I hope he gets more roles like this. The premise is that two Mormon missionaries stop by Creepy!Hugh Grant’s house, and an intense hour-and-change ensues. Also, the Mormons call each other “Sister,” so that’s where the missive title came from.
Anyway! It was a bit of a week. I had to take my cat to the vet and the entire experience was absolute chaos, but she thankfully seems to be doing better. She also hates me slightly less now, except when I have to try to give her liquid antibiotics every morning and night. (Any tips and tricks greatly appreciated!!) But there were good moments, too, like the aforementioned movie trip. Though the liminal space of the basement at AMC Village 7 was a bit eerie and my reclining seat was broken–it laid me out flat halfway through Heretic for no reason at all–there is just something so fun about having an internal moment in public. Everyone in the room is reacting to what’s happening on-screen in different ways, but we’re all experiencing it together.
We also stopped at the Strand beforehand and bought Blind Dates with Books, and I really should’ve known what I was getting myself into . . .
If anyone wants a paperback copy of The Final Girl Support Group, let me know! (I already own a hardcover, along with copies of every other Grady Hendrix book.)
I also went to a very fun Little Nights event at Ripped Bodice this week, which was also a bit of a Big Weekend reunion! Cara Bastone, author of the book I’m currently reading and also a very cool person, read excerpts from Ready or Not, and then we were also given prompts to guide our writing based on what we’d heard. I ended up being able to connect a lot of what I heard to stories that are percolating in my head already, so it was really helpful——and just fun——to let some of those ideas and characters out for air. One of my goals every day is to do one creative thing and, honestly, I fail at it. A lot. Work and life get in the way. So I treasure events like this that are just about writing whatever comes to mind and meeting cool people who want to do the same.
I isolated myself a bit post-election. I was numb. I was sad. I was angry. I was also sick and partly convinced I had COVID by the time last weekend rolled around (tested negative, btw). I am now only two of those things——sad and angry——and again craving community. One interesting development in my personal journey over the last few hours has been to realize that while I may be an introvert, I do, genuinely, enjoy people. Well, some people. Very specific and carefully curated people. Sometimes I need to bury myself in blankets and ignore the world. But I’m mostly looking for communities to join and folks to look out for and lean on.
Closing thoughts:
See a movie, share a poem with someone you love, read a short story——let the work of others inspire you.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 113
(Total books added to the Moratorium Library: 216)
The poetry books I mentioned last week arrived from Barnes & Noble! I’m only counting the Harjo, because Flo’s book is mostly just lyrics and more of a statement piece. (The statement is “I am a huge fan of Florence + The Machine because that woman makes me Feel Things.”)
I also bought Ready or Not and Craft at Ripped Bodice——the first because it was the book Cara read from at the event and the second because I saw the full title and subtitle on my way up to the register and had it in my hand before I really knew what was happening.
