Having Fun Isn’t Hard
Currently reading:
The Likeness by Tana French
I am very late to the French train, but I loved Into the Woods when I read it last summer. It kickstarted both a deep need to return to Ireland and a renewal of my love of British and Irish detective fiction. I forgot how much I love a series!
[new-new undisclosed book for——you know what, I’m gonna stop doing this. Assume I’m always reading something else in tandem for review purposes.]
Books finished this week: 1*
*see note below
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: My B&N debacle, for which I refuse to feel shame.
Why this book: Once upon a time, I read Go Ask Alice (and another one about a pregnant teen). Teen Creeps dredged up those memories years ago with their Beatrice Sparks episodes, and I’ve been fascinated by the whole story ever since.
Thoughts: So, I technically finished this book last week——last Saturday night, to be precise. I was going to the beach the next day and I wanted to bring a paperback instead, and I only had about 60 pages left. But after I finished, I didn’t have time to add it to the already written and scheduled blog post, so here we are, cheating a little. (I am a cheating cheater who cheats this week, apparently.) Anyhow, the book was good! Worth all the lies and broken promises. It moved at a quick clip and I enjoyed the ride through Beatrice Sparks’ absolutely bonkers life and career and the very-real-and-definitely-not-made-up diaries by “teenagers” that she got published. I docked a star for the tone——as I felt it was too jocular and light at times, considering the often serious subject matter——and also because the author, uh, doesn’t really cite any sources and basically tells you to Google it yourself if you’re curious . . . ? I would think a book about a notorious conwoman might be loaded with notes and citations. Maybe in the paperback?
Library updates:
In a very direct Library correlation, I finally got a library card!! And it made me immediately think of this. (Thus the title of this blog post——I wasn’t trying to be an asshole, I promise.)
I’ve had electronic access to the Queens Library since the start of the pandemic (which I shamefully haven’t used very much) but it’s been years since I had a relevant and non-expired library card in my wallet. When I moved back home right after college, there was one summer when the local library I’d loved as a child became a regular stop again. The air conditioning was aces, the building was shady and quiet, and suddenly, I didn’t have to pay $25+ for the hardcovers I wanted to read.
Then, summer ended, my card expired, and I never found the time to renew it. I eventually moved out and carried that card (plus my very expired Boston Public Library card) around for years.
I haven’t yet borrowed a book, but I plan to do so next time I have the urge to splurge. There are so many branches to choose from, so many places to get work done or to read. The last time I set foot in a Queens library, I was probably six or seven, when I was growing up here before my family moved to Long Island. Libraries, wherever they are, have always brought me such peace and joy, and I’m excited by this new world that’s been opened up for me.
Unrelated, but Moneypenny (my cat, for those who don’t know) has a new thing where she sits in a (small) cardboard box by my desk for most of my work day and just hangs out. She’s usually asleep or cleaning herself, but sometimes she just reaches out and taps my leg to get my attention. Just reminding me she’s there. And that I should take a break.
Also I made eggs on Wednesday morning and one of the yolks broke and made me a little breakfast heart, and then I finally got my most excellent Dolly Parton print to hang up.
A rundown of other updates: I went to Fire Island on Sunday (the first time in . . . three years?) and had a rum drink with three shots on top for brunch and I truly never wanted to leave. I went to the dermatologist and had a mole removed for biopsy (still awaiting results; hate that!!). I started therapy again and I’m looking forward to speaking to someone besides my journal about the tangled mess in my head, and to learning coping strategies to make life a little brighter. I impulse-bought more Broadway tickets. I decided to go to the National Book Festival for Labor Day weekend. I’m leaning into my new routines (dance class, writing groups, working, reviewing, etc.). I like it.
Closing thoughts:
Enjoy the final weeks of summer, but make sure you enjoy the fall and the winter and the spring that follow, too. This season feels like end-all, be-all, but it isn’t.
