Hitting Snooze
Currently reading:
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
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
Well, technically three. I finished reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s this weekend, though it was for a reading group/book club situation, so I won’t count it toward the full Library count. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, far more than I thought or dared hope I would. I’ve also now discovered one of my favorite short stories: “A Christmas Memory,” which was included in the collection I read. It was beautiful and joyful and bittersweet, and so full of love and heartbreak.
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: pre-ordered from Kew & Willow
Why this book: Honestly, when I first saw the title and the cover artwork, I assumed this was going to be about vampires. It is . . . not about that! But I still liked the sound of the premise, and I’ve been meaning to read Leigh Bardugo, so away we went.
Thoughts: Listen, parts of this book were lush——deep and moving, historical fiction done so, so right. But a lot more of it was slow pacing, repetitive character narration/thoughts, a truly out of left field romance, and then everything being wrapped up in a neat, rushed little bow in the last ten or so pages, right where it felt like the story should have been really taking off. I would have loved to see a version of this book that condenses most of the angst and tournament talk in the early parts of the book and then gives us the story of certain characters out in the world, living their lives. But since all I had to read and rate was this version, three stars it is.
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: purchased on a whim at McNally Jackson Seaport
Why this book: My friend, Tori (hi, Tori!), picked this book up off a display table and handed it to me, because she knows me well. And I bought it, because I thought it would be perfect for me.
Thoughts: It was not perfect for me. I bought this book because it sounded like it was going to be about two women taking revenge on shitty men——at least, that’s what the back cover copy led me to believe. It was very much not that. And then I spoiled myself by skimming the author’s note, which gave away the crux of the story, a few pages before I got there myself. Still, I didn’t dislike the book as much as so many people on Goodreads seemed to——I actually found myself deeply invested in the first three parts of it. But by the end, I found the narration of the protagonist, Meredith, grating and felt that a lot of tightening could have been done. If you do decide to read it, trigger warning for sexual assault.
Library updates:
So much reading for school, plus reading lit mag submissions, plus a work week packed with things yet down a day because of Memorial Day (as always, national holidays are both a blessing and a curse).
But there were so also many good things this week, for all of which I’m very grateful. So many bookstore trips (more on that below), walking across the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time, and the start of summer Fridays, to name a few. I’ve also been waking up earlier——and more easily——the last week or two than I have in a long, long time.
Pre-pandemic, I wasn’t necessarily a morning person, but I was an “I will absolutely never hit snooze” person. I never exactly liked being awake for school or work, but the minute my alarm went off, I was up and at ’em. I can only assume that, due to working from home since March 2020, spending almost two years working West Coast hours (starting my day at noon), and living through an endless cavalcade of truly horrendous global news, my brain chemistry shifted. I am now the Queen of the Snooze. I tell myself at night that I’m going to get up early to get coffee or go for a walk or finish homework before I start my work day. And then suddenly, it’s 8:55 and I’m rushing to feed my cat and mark myself as active on Microsoft Teams. The simple pleasures or small tasks either happen in the evening or don’t happen at all; I don’t shower until my 2pm “lunch break.”
But that’s been changing, a little bit. I’ve gotten up to get some writing done when I know the day is going to be busy, or to dive into reading and drafting discussion responses. I’ve found it a lot easier to be motivated.
I also filled my current journal this week and set her aside to rest. She’s seen me through quite a bit since August 2022 and she deserves the break. I don’t have any kind of consistent journaling habit, which works for me. I write when I feel compelled to do so, usually to vent frustrations or to make note of nice things that have happened to me. I use my journals as scrapbooks, taping in business cards and maps and tickets. I like how bulky they look when they’re filled——it feels like a physical manifestation of my life and memories.
Speaking of memories, I went back to Cold Spring this weekend. It was as glorious as ever, with perfect spring/summer weather, though the city people on Saturday were . . . a lot. Yes, I know that I, too, am a city person, but at least I’m not obnoxious about it. I saw so many enormous groups——I mean, ten-or-more-people enormous——going on hikes, drinking wine, filling the coffeeshop. It was somewhat exhausting; I prefer my winter-y Cold Spring visits, when the streets are quiet. But it was also wonderful to see everything and everyone so alive. I’m also now officially getting recognized by assorted folks in town. Someone who works at the inn where I stayed said that all her favorite people were there for the weekend, and I think she was counting me on that list. I become an extrovert (sort of) in Cold Spring. I like the person I am when I’m there.
Closing thoughts:
Enjoy the sunshine when it appears.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 84
(Total books added to the Library: 172)
So, when I hung out with Tori, I got there a few minutes early, so I went to Books Are Magic (the Montague Street location).
And then it started raining, so we went to McNally Jackson in the Seaport.
I had also signed up to see Paul Scheer talk about his memoir a week or two ago, then decided I didn’t actually want to leave my apartment that night, so that book got delivered to me a few days ago.
And then, as discussed above, I went to Cold Spring this weekend . . .
