Christmas Every Day
Currently reading:
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
My problematic king.
Books finished this week: 1
★★★★★
Where this book came from: Borrowed from a friend (hi, Maia! And thanks!) at least a few months if not almost a year ago.
Why this book: Well, Maia basically threw it at me and said I had to read it, so.
Thoughts: The writing style made me a bit nervous when I first started reading Matrix: very close to protagonist Marie’s POV, not really any proper dialogue to speak of. I admit that I also wasn’t totally sure what to make of the book even before I started reading it (It’s about . . . a nun?). That’s probably why it took me so long to finally read this. But I am so glad I finally did. I read through my worries and almost immediately found myself totally drawn in by beautiful prose and a captivating story of an ambitious woman who makes the best of her restrained circumstances to find her own power, strength, and happiness. All the food talk and mentions of defending the abbey also, admittedly, made me think of Redwall, which is always a positive. Ten out of ten, highly recommend, potentially my new favorite of all the books I’ve read for the Library thus far.
Library updates:
My god, it feels good to feel good again. You may have heard that I was sick, dear reader, but I think I’m finally on the mend. And I feel like I’m coming back to life, slowly but surely.
For the last two weeks, I’ve really turned being sick into my entire personality. And I’m not sorry. Antibiotics, cough drops, used tissues overflowing from overworked trash cans——an *aesthetic*. But, yes, the rumors are true: My sick era has, at last, come to an end. I’m feeling much, much better, and I only have a few more days until my antibiotic regimen is done. I did exhaust myself on Wednesday afternoon by catching up on laundry, but that can happen any time. I am also still congested and sneezing, but I can say with certainty that those are just my usual allergy symptoms, rearing their ugly heads yet again. Love being allergic to tree and grass pollen.
Anyhow, the weather has certainly helped both my physical and mental health (healths?). I’ve been sprucing up my outdoor space and I drank coffee and read a book outside for the first time this season on Thursday——glorious. My mom has loved gardening all my life, and I honestly used to hate helping her plant all the vegetables and flowers every spring and summer. But I started collecting plants when I moved into my own place and then was desperate for a new hobby (and for things that gave my life meaning and order) in the early days of the pandemic, so here we are. The sun comes out, the weather warms up, my plants begin to sprout and I live vicariously through them.
Taking the time to rest and enjoy quiet moments like tending to my seedlings and planning my little balcony flowerscapes while I was sick did me a lot of good. But I am disappointed that I didn’t read more. I had hoped to make a triumphant return to the Library with at least two books finished last week. It turns out, though, that when you have some kind of mystery upper respiratory infection, getting better can take a lot out of you! Instead of reading, I was online . . . a lot. I’m on YouTube too much as it is, but there was a truly excessive amount of Mike’s Mic rewatches, Game Grumps compilations, and cold process soap tutorials consumed.
There was also an alarming amount of online shopping. Yes, for tissues and cough drops, but also things like a planter shaped like a cat and new bedding. I’m mildly concerned that I’m addicted to online shopping. I found this Time article that explains that shopping online is so satisfying because of the ease, the instant gratification, and the joyful anticipation. Instead of wandering aimlessly around a store and ultimately leaving empty-handed and disappointed, you can search the internet for exactly what you need (let’s be honest, what you want) and order it in seconds. And then you’re waiting for something silly and exciting like, for instance, a cat-shaped planter, which makes every delivery feel “like Christmas every day.”
I’m all about that instant gratification, babes. I want my pithy little YouTube videos and unrestrained access to even my most unhinged desires at all hours of the day or night. I want Christmas every day. My credit cards certainly don’t want that, so I’m going to start being better about deciding on want versus need and the virtues of delayed gratification. I can find Christmas in other places every day, aside from the UPS man ringing my doorbell.
I can find Christmas in books! (Look, I brought it back to the point of this entire project!)
Closing thoughts:
Find your Christmas every day. Something to celebrate. Something that brings you joy. Put your hands in some dirt, or drink an iced coffee with a good book, or play hooky and go shopping, or send unhinged audio messages to a friend (hi, Brendan), or take a nap with your cat, or redecorate your bedroom. Find something to be excited about.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 36
(Total books added to the Library: 45)
If you know me, and you look at the cast for this adaptation, you know this had to be done. (I also bought a used DVD of the miniseries.)
