Fragile

Currently reading:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Books finished this week: 2 (Two!!)

★★★★☆

Where this book came from: My shameful B&N haul.
Why this book: Because it’s a horror comedy about a female sasquatch. Wouldn’t you buy that, too? (You should.)
Thoughts: It’s always the books I like where I have the least to say, because I don’t take very many notes on them while I read——or, in the case of Patricia Wants to Cuddle, I take none. The premise was perfect and the execution nearly was, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the girls on the Bachelor-style show, though I found some of the supporting characters not as engaging. There isn’t very much horror until well into the book, but I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the build-up, and would’ve gladly spent another 200 pages on Otters Island, if the author had asked me to.

★★★☆☆

Where this book came from: Also the B&N haul——look, at least I’m reading them, okay?
Why this book: Mostly for the “cult” in the title.
Thoughts: I can’t lie, for the first 20-30 pages, I was sure this was going to be a one-star read. I absolutely despised the protagonist, who was apathetic, disdainful, pretentious, and, frankly, exhausting, and it felt like Crosley was just trying to prove how clever and funny she was with Lola’s comebacks and conversation quirks. The dialogue still kind of bothered me through the rest of the book, but things got better once the main plot kicked in. I’m definitely going to donate or sell this book, but I’m glad I ended up actually enjoying some of it! Hooray!!

Library updates:

I was searching for the word to best describe how I felt all this week, and what I finally landed on was “fragile.” I’m not necessarily stressed out or sad or angry—at least, not all of those, all at once, at the same time, I don’t think—but I can’t quite untangle one emotion from another and the big ball of them living in my chest is making me emotional. I cried on a call with a friend when I didn’t mean to (and didn’t think I had to, or even really felt like doing it) and after talking to my mom on the phone. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that’s making me feel mixed-up and overwhelmed and, yes, fragile.

(My therapist is going to have a field day next time we meet.)

(Just kidding, I’ll hopefully/probably be in a slightly better place and won’t mention any of this at all, for fear of reopening wounds that I think are healed but are, in actuality, still very much open and vulnerable to infection!!)

(Is this too much? If you’re reading this, it means I reread it when I was in a better state of mind and decided to post it anyway.)

(My therapist is going to have a field day.)

ANYWAY.

Just going through it——this week, in particular——and sending all my best wishes and love to those also going through it, whatever that looks like and feels like for you. Also sending best wishes and love to those living their best lives. That’s awesome!! I hope to join you there again soon.

(Katie, this is a book blog.)

Right. As this entry posts, I’m in Washington, DC, and I just enjoyed the National Book Festival yesterday. I’m sure I’ll have a separate blog post about that at some point, complete with photos of all the books I bought all the fun stuff I saw!! Why do I do this to myself!!

I’m thankful that the two things that haven’t abandoned during this time are my abilities to read and write. (And I guess my sense of dry humor. She’s sticking around, so far.) I’m doing okay on the reading front——finished two books, and all! And I started a side writing project, in addition to the novel I’m slowly plugging away at in my writing group sessions. Reading and writing are both nice distractions, even when I bring my personal emotions and experiences into the stories I ingest and create. I am fragile this week, but not broken yet.

Closing thoughts:

If you need me, I’m here.

Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 16

(Total books added to the Library: Listen, who’s counting? [18. The number you’re looking for is 18.])

Britt and I were at the Strand location uptown and they had a stack of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham on a candle display——a CANDLE DISPLAY——and what was I meant to do??